Objective: Deterioration in atrial functions can lead to acute hemodynamic decompensation in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The question of whether the atrial dysfunction may be explained primarily by the hemodynamic impact of left ventricle on atria or an underlying cardiomyopathic process remains unresolved. We aimed to investigate atrial functions in patients with HCM by using atrial myocardial color doppler imaging. Material and Methods: Left atrial (LA) and right atrial (RA) functional parameters in 15 patients with HCM and 15 age matched healthy controls were compared echocardiographically. Left atrial volumes and LA ejection fraction (LA ejection volume/Vmax X 100) were calculated. Atrial myocardial systolic, early and late diastolic velocities, peak systolic strain (SI) and strain rate (SR) were all measured by color doppler myocardial imaging. Results: Left atrial diameter was higher and LA ejection fraction was lower in the HCM group compared with those of the control group (p<0.05). Peak systolic and diastolic atrial myocardial velocities were compromised in HCM patients compared to healthy subjects. The peak systolic atrial myocardial strain and strain rate values in each studied atrial wall was lower in the HCM group but the difference reached statistically significance only for the RA wall. (RA SI; 62.6±42.2% vs. 97.9±45.1%, p=0.047, RA SRI; 2.3 ±1.7 vs. 3.7±1.2, p=0.031). Conclusion: Atrial myocardial deformation properties were impaired in patients with HCM. These results support the idea of increase in atrial stiffness in HCM and the hypothesis that HCM is a cardiac myopathic disease that involves the entire heart muscle.


In this paper, we derive and analyze Cramér-Rao bounds for angle and polarization parameters of time-varying narrowband far-field azimuthal plane waves arriving at a non-uniform linear COLD (co-centered orthogonal loop and dipole) array. Numerical simulation results illustrate the behavior of the COLD array performance with respect to sensor numbers, array geometry, array aperture, and confirm the validity of the obtained CRB expressions.


The invention discloses a Kalman filtering-based method for estimating an attitude angle of a rescue wrecker. A kinetic model of the rescue wrecker is built, a computing formula of a roll angle and a pitch angle is simplified according to the working characteristics, and the estimated values of the roll angle and the pitch angle of the rescue wrecker are obtained by use of a Kalman filtering algorithm. According to the method, few sensors are used, the relatively large roll angle and the relatively large pitch angle can be estimated under a complex rescue environment, and the method has the remarkable advantages of high precision, low cost, good real-time performance, wide application range and the like, and can be used for posture monitoring and dangerous posture prewarning of the rescue wrecker.


The paper examines a largely debated and important modelling problem – the instability of the econometric parameters, which has unpleasant consequences on both analytical and predictive planes. The modification of the estimators and/or of the standard deviations of a given model parameter when identical specifications and computational algorithms are applied on different statistical samples is considered to be its main manifestation. Several sources generating such a phenomenon may be identified: (i) statistical properties of the initial sample (mean, skewness, kurtosis, variance, outliers); (ii) econometric specification (selected explanatory factors and their functional connection with the dependent variables); (iii) changes in statistical data due to revisions; and (iv) dynamic instability, resulted from inherent changeability of real economic behaviours (consumer preferences, risk aversion of investors, households saving propensity, input-output coefficients and sectoral inter-flows, taxation system, domestic institutional context, foreign trade, international financial markets, and many other similar circumstances). For all these types, specific indicators and quantifying methodologies are proposed. As an illustration, we analysed the last version (2012) of the Romanian model, the macroeconomic parameters of which (182) were estimated using two computational algorithms (OLS and 2SLS) for seven samples: initial data for 1990-2011, the same series updated, and subsequent from 1990 to 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016. Possible solutions to attenuate the parameter instability implications are also described, exemplifying them on the Romanian macromodel predictive simulations for 2017-2018 years. Some practical recommendations and further research topics are commented in the final part of the paper.


Dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) in combination with Monte Carlo (MC) tracer diffusion simulations are employed to predict percolation thresholds for diffusion within hydrated model polymer electrolyte membranes. The polymers are composed of hydrophobic backbones to which hydrophobic side chains are attached with a pending hydrophilic acidic site. In total 15 polymer architectures are considered that differ in the way the side chains are distributed along the backbones. For each architecture, phase separated morphologies are generated for a range of water contents by DPD. This paper assesses the results obtained from exhaustive simulations involving more than 130 morphologies. By mapping each morphology onto a high density grid MC trajectory, calculations are performed in which particle movement is restricted to the water containing pore networks. The following results are obtained: (1) for polymers for which the side chain density (or ion exchange capacity) is the same, those architectures for which the distance between successive branching points is alternating short and long, reveal lower percolation thresholds than architectures for which the side chain distribution is uniform; (2) increase of the side chain density (ion exchange capacity) results in a lower percolation threshold. The results are explained by differences in the topological distance between nearby hydrophilic beads within the architectures: acidic sites that are topologically close together within a polymer architecture can arrange themselves pair-wise along the pore walls. At similar water contents this results in increased pore sizes and larger diffusion constants for architectures involving the non-uniform side chain attachments.


A need for a time scale First principles Attempts at division Darwin's contribution - organic evolution through natural selection A maelstrom of opinions Growth and development of the periods Lyell's percentages An overview of the Earth's fossil record Unit with boundaries Marker points and the correlation web.


In order to realize the practical use of human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)‐derived cardiomyocytes for the purpose of clinical use or cardiovascular research, the generation of large numbers of highly purified cardiomyocytes should be achieved. Here, we show an efficient method for cardiac differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) in chemically defined conditions and purification of hiPSC‐derived cardiomyocytes using a reporter system. Regulation of the Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway is implicated in the induction of the cardiac differentiation of hPSCs. We increased cardiac differentiation efficiency of hiPSCs in chemically defined conditions through combined treatment with XAV939, a tankyrase inhibitor and IWP2, a porcupine inhibitor and optimized concentrations. Although cardiac differentiation efficiency was high (>80%), it was difficult to suppress differentiation into non‐cardiac cells, Therefore, we applied a lentiviral reporter system, wherein green fluorescence protein (GFP) and Zeocin‐resistant gene are driven by promoter activation of a gene (TNNT2) encoding cardiac troponin T (cTnT), a cardiac‐specific protein, to exclude non‐cardiomyocytes from differentiated cell populations. We transduced this reporter construct into differentiated cells using a lentiviral vector and then obtained highly purified hiPSC‐derived cardiomyocytes by treatment with the lowest effective dose of Zeocin. We significantly increased transgenic efficiency through manipulation of the cells in which the differentiated cells were simultaneously infected with virus and re‐plated after single‐cell dissociation. Purified cells specifically expressed GFP, cTnT, displayed typical properties of cardiomyocytes. This study provides an efficient strategy for obtaining large quantities of highly purified hPSC‐derived cardiomyocytes for application in regenerative medicine and biomedical research.


The ultimate source of utilizable knowledge seems to be the human mind. However, humans have different beliefs, experiences and learning capabilities. They are not free of mistakes. Humans' opinions about a desired system's behavior differ from each other change over time as a result of misinterpretations, mistakes or new insights. This demands appropriate concepts to support the evolution of their knowledge. The subject of the present paper is validation knowledge, which is used for intelligent systems' evaluation. As models of collective and individual human expertise the authors developed a Validation Knowledge Base (VKB) and so called Validation Expert Software Agents (VESAs). Both concepts aim at using collective (VKB) and individual (VESA) experience gained in former validation sessions. Initially, both concepts are designed as subsidiary knowledge to the focal expert knowledge in the validation process, but they have the potential become focal knowledge, which is on a par with original human knowledge. However, a drawback of the models so far was their disability to provide a reply to cases, which have never been considered by any human expert before. In this paper, these concepts are refined by a method to derive answers to questions, which have never been asked before, but which are very likely a commonly accepted answer (VKB) within an expert community respectively an individual answer (VESA) of a particular expert.


In the field of hydraulic drive technology various power supply systems are used within different power unit set-ups. The both of two mostly used drive concepts in modern electrohydraulic systems, a variable displacement pump driven by constant speed electric motor and fixed displacement pump driven by a variable speed electric motor, have some disadvantages, especially regarding the increasing demand for maximum efficiency of the entire power unit without lowering the high dynamics. The combination of a variable pump and speed-controlled electric motor, offers the option of setting two parameters of the drive, the rotational speed of the motor and the pump flow-rate. Such a combination allows all power unit components to operate within the areas of their maximum efficiencies, the so-called maximum efficiency drive. A prerequisite for designing suitable controllers that would ensure the operations of individual components within the areas of maximum efficiency, regardless of the current operating point, is certainly knowledge about the efficiency area of the entire power unit. This paper presents a procedure for determining areas of efficiency, first on the basis of simulation and detailed models of each component, and later verification of the model using an experiment. (Received in March 2015, accepted in May 2015. This paper was with the authors 1 month for 1 revision.)


The development and c1inical introduction of c10zapine in the mid-1970's demonstrated forthe first time that it was possible to achieve good antipsychotic activity in the absence of untoward extrapyramidal side-effeets. However, tricyclic structures in general, and c10zapine in particular, carry with them a significant propensity for causing blood dyscrasias, an action which has led to restricted use of the latter agent. A1though many attempts have been made to develop additional non-classical neuroleptics, it is only the benzamide sulpiride that has gained some degree of acceptance in this area. Use of this drug is usually restricted to less severe cases, however, and is associated with potentially problematical hyperprolactinemia. The present report describes some of the pharmacological properties of the amino-ergoline SOZ 208-912 (N-{(8-alpha)-2chloro-6-methylergoline-8-yl]-2,2-dimethylopropanamide), a substance exhibiting a profile indicative of probable high potency, non-classical antipsychotic activity in man.


The circuit breakers and contactors are the main electrical units in the passenger train of the railway, the characteristics and reliability will directly affect to the safety and reliability of vehicle system in the railway. A testing system of the characteristics and reliability for circuit breakers and contactors in the passenger train of the railway were introduced, the design of the hardware and software in the system were given. The practical operation indicates that the system is the stable and reliable, and will be of high practical value.


Dematin is a critical component of the membrane junctional complex in red blood cells. It tethers the spectrin cytoskeleton proteins to the membrane and its genetic deletion in mice causes dissociation of the spectrin, actin and β-adducin from the membrane resulting in the collapse of the red blood cells (RBCs). As dematin lacks a transmembrane domain, it is still unclear how this critical component of the junctional complex is anchored to the RBC membrane. Our previous studies have shown that the multi-transmembrane glucose transporter-1 (GLUT1) interacts with dematin and β-adducin in human RBCs, suggesting a potential role for GLUT1 in recruiting dematin to the membrane. However, as mouse RBCs do not express a GLUT1 homologue, an equivalent membrane receptor for dematin and/or adducin in mice remains to be determined. Using multiple in vitro and in vivo biochemical assays, here we demonstrate that the ubiquitously expressed plasma membrane Na + /H + exchanger, NHE1 (Slc9a1), is one of the receptors for dematin and β-adducin in mature mouse red blood cells. NHE1 directly interacts with the core domain of dematin. Moreover, the dematin headpiece domain mutant S381E, which binds to the core domain with a higher affinity than the wild type, abolished the biochemical interaction between dematin and NHE1. This observation suggests that NHE1 and dematin headpiece domain compete for the same binding site(s) on the core domain. Furthermore, this finding highlights a molecular mechanism whereby an intermolecular switch of dematin regulates its interaction with NHE1 by phosphorylation. Dematin and β-adducin directly interact with NHE1 at its membrane-proximal cytoplasmic domain, which in turn regulates NHE1 activity in response to growth factor stimuli and intracellular pH alterations. Accordingly,we observed an increased cellular sodium content in erythrocytes of dematin headpiece and adducin double knockout mice (DAKO), suggesting a higher NHE1 activity in DAKO erythrocytes. Unlike GLUT1, NHE1 is expressed in both mouse and human RBCs. Thus, our results provide a novel mechanism for linking NHE1 to membrane skeleton and multiple cell signaling pathways through dematin and adducin (Figure 1). Since NHE1 is one of the major regulators of intracellular pH and hypertonic stress, our findings raise the possibility that the dematin-adducin-NHE1 complex may modulate these functions in RBCs as well as in other cell types with broad impact on the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton and cell migration. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


According to the development feature in Sulige Gas Field,considering reducing cost,a kind of non-well-killing valve-replacing gas production wellhead directly for fracturing is developed and applied.In the new wellhead,the common 11 valves are simplified as 6 valves and the built-in counter balance valve thread is processed in the bypass along the tubing head cross joint and tubing hanger,thus realizing the isolation operation with non-well-killing and valve replacement.In addition,a hydraulic plug valve replacement method is also developed for all kinds of operation.The new wellhead has been widely used in the gas field and the valve replacement problem solved with significant economic benefit.


The absorption spectra of salts of ytterbium [the chloride YbCl3–6H2O, the acetate Yb(C2H3O2)3–4H2O and the ethylsulfate Yb(C2H5SO4)3–9H2O] were found to resemble those of cerium very closely, especially in their diffuseness even at low temperatures. This is in marked contrast with the sharp spectra of the other rare earths. The resemblance was anticipated on the supposition that the thirteen electrons in the 4f shell of Yb+++, one short of the maximum the shell can hold, would give rise to but one term 2F, the same term as the one electron of Ce+++ gives rise to. That is, activations aside from fine structure, are impossible when the thirteen electrons remain in the 4f shell. This prohibition is derived from the Pauli exclusion principle as it has been applied in gases. The lattice, however, may possibly modify the application of this principle. It was thought likely that the activated states of the ions in crystals would respond to any change in the application of the principle the lattice might impose....


Marine fisherie sis basically harnessing a natural resource and therefore management for ensuring resource resilience and susrainability must anchor on knowledge based interventions generated through monitoring of their population, abundance, population dynamics and fluctuations in relation to natural factors and anthropogenic activities.


Based on the advantages and disadvantages of the esteemed acupuncturists' experiences,after analyzing the collection work on inheriting the esteemed acupuncturists' experiences,this paper proposes to apply the information technology to build a multimedia platform for the esteemed acupuncturists.Therefore,the precious clinical experiences of the esteemed acupuncturists are preserved.This paper states the potential future of the coming multimedia platform.


Complementarity index estimates show that agricultural trade association between Fujian and Taiwan has been relatively close,Fujian agricultural products comparative advantage revealed is significantly higher than that of Taiwan,the differences of cross-strait resource endowments are highly complementary,whereby the development of agricultural trade between Fujian and Taiwan should focus on inter-industry trade.Competitiveness index estimates that Fujian's agricultural production technology progress has increasingly important influence on the pattern of cross-strait agricultural trade,the development of intra-industry trade is the strategic focus of the Fujian-Taiwan agricultural trade,It behooves us to enhance learning of Taiwan's agricultural production technology and marketing techniques,and to improve the value-added of foreign agricultural products in Fujian.Intra-industry trade index estimates that agricultural trade between Fujian and Taiwan agricultural trade is determined by the resource endowment differences,first class,third class,fourth class of agricultural trade patterns are determined mainly by technical factors,the development of Fujian and Taiwan trade in agricultural products should be targeted to the specific circumstances of a specific treatment.


contrast to European universities, American institutions have generally accepted responsibility for social supervision, educational and vocational guidance and frequently remedial help and personal counseling. The writer's thesis is that &dquo;... the assumption of responsibility for the extra-classroom life of the students grew out of the religious, social, and political life of the early colonists&dquo; (p. 4). For the


In the introductory comments to "Mesmeric Revelation" (The Collected Writings of Edgar Allan Poe, 1978, 3:1026), Thomas Ollive Mabbott describes a letter from John S. Clackner, mentioning contemporary reprints of Poe's story that appeared in two other periodicals. Listing the texts of the story, Mabbott states that "the reprints cited by John S. Clackner . . . as appearing in the Regenerator and in the Western Luminary have not been located" (3:1029). Although Mabbott was able to find the original printing of Clackner's letter in the Regenerator (in the issue for September 1, 1845), he quotes only a small portion of it, primarily to document Clackner's statement about the reprints in the Regenerator and the Western Luminary. As a record of how Poe's story was viewed at the time of its publication, it is perhaps useful to give the full text of Clackner's letter, of which previously only a few excerpts have been given. The letter is addressed to "Friend Murray," indicating the editor, Orson Smith Murray (1806–1885). (Many of the letters in the Regenerator refer to others as "Friend" or "Brother," and they are routinely written in a manner that suggests a very self-conscious attempt to be seen as polite and intellectual.) Clackner was a spiritualist who lived in Rochester, New York, in 1845, although by 1849 he had moved to Ravenna, Ohio. (See Eliab Wilkinson Capron and Henry Danforth Barron, Singular Revelations: Explanation and History of the Mysterious Communion of Spirits . . . in Western New York, Auburn, 1850, p. 81, where Clackner is listed among those who have "heard more or less of these manifestations." See also Eliab Wilkinson Capron, Modern Spiritualism: Its Facts and Fanaticisms, Boston: Bela Marsh, 1855, pp. 80–82.)


The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) fundamentally changed federal child care assistance programs for lowincome families. The legislation eliminated federal child care entitlements and consolidated the major sources of federal child care subsidies for lowincome children into a single block grant to states— the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF). That block grant program gives states greater flexibility in designing their child care assistance programs, providing an opportunity to streamline the complex child care system that was in place before PRWORA and to design a system of assistance that better meets the states' child care needs and objectives.


The paper has put forward a number of effective software interference-resistant measures for the electromechanical control microcomputer system and explains both the principle of software controlling noise and design philosophy of compensation program based on noise control performance test of various components of a computer.


The following article is denoted by studying the process of hard concrete mixture compaction and determination of its deforming nature by spherical operative stamp.


The adsorption properties of pillared activated carbon (PAC) on the oil vapor were studied through physical characterization and the dynamic adsorption measurement. The PAC was a typical microporous material with the well-developed interstitial structure and appropriate to be used as adsorbent for recovering of oil vapor. The influence factors of the ambient moisture, the inlet concentration, and supplying velocity on the adsorption amount of oil vapor were investigated using simulation device. During the first adsorption stage, the adsorption amount of oil vapor and the adsorption layer temperature increased remarkably with time, while the adsorbed vapor was relatively difficult to remove as using the vacuum pumping. A competitive adsorption between water and the hydrocarbon molecules reduced the adsorption performance of the PAC. When the supplying velocity increased, the adsorption amount of oil vapor on the PAC decreased for the shortening of contact time.With the increase of inlet concentration, the adsorption amount of oil vapor increased, while the adsorption time decreased.


An E-configuration about the imine bond is found in both the title molecules, which differ in their central C—N—N—C torsion angles. The main feature of the molecular packing in both crystals is the formation of supramolecular chains: the linear chains in (I) are consolidated by methoxy-C—H⋯O(methoxy) and chlorobenzene-C—Cl⋯π(chlorobenzene) interactions while the zigzag chains in (II) are sustained by Br⋯O secondary bonding interactions.


Abstract Mental health counselors have traditionally practiced the idea of separation, not integration, in regards to the exploration and use of spirituality in the counseling setting. Research and shifting trends have shown spirituality is not only important to clientele, but these clients also express a desire to incorporate their spirituality into counseling. Through enforcing appropriate competencies and guidelines, incorporating spirituality has proven effective within clinical settings. Counselors who do desire to integrate spirituality into counseling have limited resources available for guidance. The purpose of this paper is three fold, to provide rationale for the integration of spirituality in counseling, discuss important considerations when integrating spirituality, and provide brief technique examples of integrating spirituality in counseling. ABSTRACT Mental health counselors have traditionally practiced the idea of separation, not integration, in regards to the exploration and use of spirituality in the counseling setting. Research and shifting trends have shown spirituality is not only important to cliental, but these clients also express a desire to incorporate their spirituality into counseling. Through enforcing appropriate competencies and guidelines, incorporating spirituality has proven effective within clinical settings. Counselors who do desire to integrate spirituality into counseling have limited resources available for guidance. The purpose of this paper is three fold, to provide rationale for the integration of spirituality in counseling, discuss important considerations when integrating spirituality, and provide brief technique examples of integrating spirituality in counseling.


Introduction: Early childhood corresponds to the period from birth to 6 years of age, it is during this period that the child gains fundamental skills for the full development of various skills. However, many factors can influence this development, such as physical, family and social issues, social isolation, for example, caused a process of transformation of the domestic environment, which started to add a set of activities related to work, school and even even physical activity. The current context of the pandemic has generated impacts on education, family life, economic and global development of children, because with isolation, many activities were restricted, as well as the functioning of daycare centers and schools, which often played a fundamental role. in the nutrition of some children. Objective: To profile the global development of children aged 0 to 5 years in a district in the interior of Bahia. Materials and methods: The research was carried out in Capoeiruçu, district of Cachoeira-Ba, and children from 0 to 5 years old living in the district were included in the study. epidemiological; Ages & Stages Questionaires -3, and the Early Childhood Development Index 2030. The collected data were tabulated in a database in the Statistical Software Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. Results: According to the analysis, about 47.20% of families survive with 2 or less minimum wages per month and 32.4% of parents have completed high school. In addition, 55.9% of mothers had health problems during pregnancy, such as anemia and hypertension. Another impacting factor is that 41.20% of these parents and caregivers were unemployed in the pandemic, reporting that 64.7% of these families were infected with the COVID-19 virus. Of the total number of families interviewed, 55.9% reported that their children became more dependent on activities such as playing, running or anything else. Conclusion: According to the results presented, we can point out that, although some of these children have some factors that may influence a deficit in global development, they still had a good income, as these qualities may be linked to the fact that the community is composed mainly by university students in the health area, which favors obtaining more information on issues related to the typical development of children.


Pathologists placed tissue slices on glass slides u s appropriate stains and examine them through a microscope. The proposed method uses insignificant portions of the slide images by colou r polarization as a pre-processing step. The simplicity of algorithm leads to less computational time and thus suitable tool to assist experts for automated realtime breast cancer diagnosis. Keyword: Histopathological slides, Hyperplasia, Situ, Invasive Cancer INTRODUCTION Image processing techniques play an important role towards the interpretation of histopathological sli des like breast biopsies. Several researches have been started worldwide for automatic interpretation of histopathological slide. Most of them are very successful to assist the expert to interpret the abnormalities. Due to the growth in computational speed and advanced image processing algorithm digital pathology is now a reality specially for identification of abnormalities. Cancer can develop from normal cells that go through abnormal mutation that eventually transformation those to malignant cells which reproduce out of control. Many breast cancers grow from a sequence that initiates with an increase in the number of br east cells (hyperplasia) to the beginning of unusual breast cells (atypical hyperplasia) followed by carcinoma in situ (non invasive cancer) and finally, invasive cancer. Not all breast cancers necessarily follow the same pattern. The speed of advancement for thos highly inconstant. It is also evident that some can cers may never progress beyond in situ disease [1]. Befo re further progress to describe the proposed method, i t is important to understand the types and characteristi c Scientific Research and Development (IJTSRD) | www.ijtsrd.com 6470 | Volume 2 | Issue – 6 | Sep | Volume – 2 | Issue – 6 | SepOct 2018 of Biopsy Slide of Breast , Prof. Samir Kand Bandyopadhyay Kolkata, West Bengal, India


Abstract Modern soft ballistic armour is composed of high-strength fibres often used as packages of loose fabrics or laminates. These fibres include carbon, glass fibres, polymer fibres including aramid fibres and polyethylene fibres. Soft armour is applied to provide ballistic protection typically against the impact of small arms projectiles and fragments. In order to determine the level of ballistic protection for ballistic armour, fragment-simulating projectiles (FSP) are used which simulate the properties of fragments created during the explosion of various types of grenades and projectiles. The above-mentioned composites can include a variety of defects such as manufacturing defects, moisture ingress, projectiles impact and other defects. Infrared thermography is a method, which can be used to non-destructive testing and detecting defects of this type of material. However, ultrasonic stimulation is one of method of thermal stimulation used for detection defects in composite. The article presents the results of experimental research of multilayer aramid composite after fragment-proof tests by ultrasonic IR thermography method.


Pulse oximetry screening (POS) for critical congenital heart defects (CCHD) has consistent test accuracy,1 meets the criteria for a universal screening test1 and reduces mortality.2

In May 2019, the National Screening Committee (NSC) announced a public consultation on its decision not to introduce routine POS for CCHD in all newborn babies.1

The main reasons given for the NSC's decision are outlined in the consultation cover note as follows:

1. 'A positive result from pulse oximetry will generate some harms, including parental anxiety, a longer stay in hospital, possible transfer to the neonatal unit (NNU), further tests to assess for non-symptomatic conditions.

2. For many of these babies, further investigations will be unnecessary and the baby will be identified as healthy. This is a false positive result.

3. For babies with CHD (congenital heart defects) or other non-cardiac condition, it is not clear that investigations and identification of these conditions will …


The paper puts forward a new conversion method that convert original sequence using cosine function, which proves discrete data sequence can improve smoothness by this conversion in theory. And this conversion is used in GM(1,1) model, which is used in example prediction at the end of this paper, which proves the effectiveness of the method of this paper.


Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is one of the most common complications of diabetes. Despite extensive research the underlying mechanisms leading to this complication are not fully understood, and there are no specific treatments or means to predict DPN onset or progression. In this study, we employed a systems pharmacology approach to identify DPN‐related transcriptional networks and pathways conserved across various animal models and species, to identify drug‐candidates with therapeutic potentials.


In this study, a method for crack identification in buckled plates using the differential quadrature element method and sequential quadratic programming method is proposed. The study consists of two parts. First, a numerical method is applied to compute the frequencies of buckled cracked plates. Cracks are assumed to be open and modeled as linear rotational spring. The governing equations are extracted considering the effects of shear deformations and initial geometric imperfection. The solution is assumed to be consist of static (postbuckling) and dynamic parts. The governing equations are converted into two different equation sets; postbuckling and vibration equations. The natural frequencies can be obtained solving these equation sets. In the second part, the sequential quadratic programming optimization method and the method introduced in the first part have been combined to identify crack parameters using natural frequencies. A weighted sum of squared errors between the measured and computed frequencies has been considered as the cost function and minimized to identify crack parameters. Finally, the accuracy and precision of the proposed method have been verified using some experimental and numerical case studies. The identification results show that the crack position, depth, and length can be predicted well by the presented method. Review History: Received: Revised: Accepted: Available Online:


Rural primary Party organization is the leader and organizer to construct rural harmonious society and plays a critically important role in its construction.Its constructing state decides whether the political base is solid,the material base is rich and the ideological base is firm to construct rural harmonious society and is of very(importance) to its success or failure at last.


In the present study, the influence of natural ester admixture to mineral oil on the bubbling inception temperature is investigated. First, the thermal model of the IEC 60076-7 standard is adjusted by recalculating the oil and winding parameters of a 66-MVA transformer. This is performed by simulation using software based on the Thermal Hydraulic Network Model. The scenario simulates various loadings in steady state (K=0.7,1.0,1.7 pu) using thermal characteristics of mineral oil and the mixed fluids containing 80% of mineral oil and 20% of natural esters. Then, a moisture model is used to understand the behavior of the relative moisture saturation of these liquids and to estimate the bubble inception temperature for pure and mixed liquid. Simulations are performed to predict the temperature at which bubbles are formed under certain loading profiles. The maximum load that can be applied prior to bubble generation is also predicted. Importantly, it was found that adding 20% of natural esters to mineral oil improve the bubbling inception temperature and the emergency overloading of the transformer, without degrading the thermal performance significantly.


In the regions where temperature fluctuations are large ranging from below freezing in winter to high temperatures in summer, concrete highway pavements fail because of poor durability rather than lack of strength. The effect of fly ash replacement of Portland cement and the use of dense aggregate gradation on the durability of concrete mixtures is studied in this research. Eight concrete mixtures were cast, four of them using the aggregates as per current specifications and the other four mixtures using dense graded aggregates. For each of these two gradations, different fly ash replacement amounts of 30, 35, 40, and 45% for Portland cement were used. All mixtures were designed for 6% air content, and 25–38 mm (1 to 1 1∕2 in.) slump for the freshly mixed concrete. The study shows that the increase of fly ash content from 30 to 45% increased the durability of concrete mixtures without the loss of compressive and flexural strengths. The concrete mixtures containing dense graded aggregates, and higher perce...


Indonesians similarly may share Islam with others across the globe, but Islam can fulfill only part of the nationalist vision. Of course, this is especially true in light of the tens of millions of Indonesians who are not Muslims. The challenge for Indonesia is to find a place for sharia that neither subverts the uniqueness of Indonesia from rest of the Islam nor undermine non-Muslim Indonesians.


I. SOLITON ON A SLOPING BEACH AND RELATED PROBLEMS The problem of the behaviour of a soliton on a slowly varying beach is considered. It is shown that for a correct description, the full Boussinesq equations rather than a Korteweg-de Vries type approximation must be used. Using both energy conservation and two-timing expansions, the behaviour of the soliton is analysed. The slowly varying soliton is found not to conserve mass and momentum and it has been suggested that to conserve these quantities, both forward and reflected waves must be added behind the soliton, these waves being solutions of the linear shallow water equations. It is shown that to the order of approximation of the Boussinesq equations, only a forward wave (or tail) behind the soliton is necessary to fulfill mass and momentum conservation. A perturbed Korteweg-de Vries equation for which the perturbation adds energy to the soliton is considered. It is found that a tail is formed behind the soliton. The development of this tail into new solitons is analysed. II. MODULATED CAPILLARY WAVES An exact hodograph solution for symmetric and antisymmetric capillary waves on a fluid sheet (of possibly infinite thickness) has been previously found. Using this solution, an exact averaged Lagrangian for slowly varying capillary waves is calculated. Modulation equations can be found from this averaged Lagrangian, but due to the algebraic complexity of the equations, the limit of waves on a thin fluid sheet is considered. From the modulation equations, the stability of symmetric and antisymmetric capillary waves on a thin fluid sheet is found. The modulation equations for antisymmetric waves form a hyperbolic system and the simple wave solutions for this system are calculated. These simple wave solutions are interpreted physically.


Objective:To establish an HPLC method for determination of acteoside and luteolin in Callicarpa nudiflora.Method:HPLC method was applied on Phenomenex Gemini C18 column(4.6 mm×250 mm,5 μm) at 30 ℃ under the condition of gradient elution with mobile A(methanol) and mobile B(0.3% phosphate).The flow rate was 1.0 mL·min-1,the detection wavelength was set at 350 nm.Result:Two components had a good liner relationship in concentration of 29.6-740.0,1.0-25.0 μg(r=0.999 9).The average recoveries were 99.08%,99.93% and the RSD was 1.53%,1.65% respectively.Conclusion:The method is accurate and reproducible for determination of acteoside and luteolin in C.nudiflora.


The lithiation of bromides (II) followed by carboxylation leads to acids (IV), which are readily converted into the desired lactones (V) by the action of trifluoroacetic anhydride.


We prove a discrete Levinson type theorem on asymptotic properties of solutions of discrete d-dimensional systems with being bounded variation sequence and with the perturbation being 'appropriately small', for the case when has zero eigenvalue. We use this result to obtain estimates for some generalized eigenvectors of Jacobi operators. In particular we get estimates of the eigenvectors decay for Jacobi matrices with 'shaky weights'.


The Fitzroy River Basin (FRB), Queensland, contains the largest coal reserve in Australia. Driven by an increasing need to conserve fresh water, coal mine operators in the region have placed significant emphasis on reducing freshwater use by implementing water re-use. As a consequence, the salinity of stored water on mine sites has increased due to accumulation of salts through evaporation, groundwater input and mine operations. When excess water is discharged into the environment, this reduced water quality may constitute an environmental risk to the receiving ecosystem. Reports on the impact of mine site discharge highlighted the lack of data on potential impacts of saline discharge on the aquatic environment following flood events in 2007/08. The FRB is a semi-arid region in which the river systems only flow for a few months a year. In such intermittent rivers, major biogeochemical cycling occurs in river sediments and is largely driven by microbial metabolic processes. These microbial processes are of particular importance in maintaining downstream water quality and healthy functioning of the aquatic ecosystem. Current assessment tools do not capture nutrient cycles mediated by microorganisms, but instead focus on the impacts of larger organisms such as fish and macroinvertebrates. There is a need for a combined approach which includes assessing potential impacts on ecosystem processes. Little is known on the effects of salinity on ecosystem processes mediated by microorganisms in freshwater systems and insights have largely been inferred from comparisons with other ecosystems such as estuarine and marine environments. Further, most research has been conducted on perennial streams and little is known on microbial ecology and nutrient cycling in ephemeral streams. The aim of this thesis was to gain insights into microbial communities and ecosystem processes in an ephemeral stream system to guide management decisions in the context of saline water discharge from coal mines. The thesis was guided by two objectives: 1) to examine microbial community distribution in an ephemeral river system; and 2) to investigate the effect of increased salinity on selected ecosystem processes. The first objective, to examine microbial community distribution in an ephemeral river system (The Upper Isaac catchment, located within the FRB), used a field-based approach to build on the conceptual understanding of microbial communities and microbially driven ecosystem processes. To gain an understanding of microbial distribution, the habitats within the Upper Isaac Catchment were characterised. This provided a framework under which microbial community distribution could be examined. Habitat characterisation was based on physical environmental parameters, for which key habitat characteristics were the presence/absence of surface water in relation to seasonal flow, levels of detritus in stream beds and substrate type. Using 16S rRNA pyrosequencing, key microbial groups were identified; such as high abundances of spore forming bacteria indicating resistance to sediment desiccation and microorganisms associated with nutrient poor conditions. The distribution of these microorganisms showed that microbial communities could be predicted by habitat characteristics. Microbial community composition and their ecological functions were strongly influenced by the physical and chemical conditions; principally the presence and absence of surface water, detritus, depth and water quality parameters such as pH and ammonia. Nitrification in low detritus sediments was one of the major ecosystem processes, and the potential co-occurrence of nitrifiers and anammox was observed. The main driver of heterotrophic activity appeared to be localised hotspots of organic deposition as a result of seasonal flow. The second objective was to investigate the effect of increased salinity on potential rates of nitrification, denitrification and methanogenesis. Process rate measurements were undertaken under controlled laboratory incubations. Reduced potential rates of nitrification occurred at 10,000 μS/cm and no inhibition of increased salinity was observed for denitrification and methanogenesis at salinities up to 5000 μS/cm. The characterisation of microbial communities in the Upper Isaac Catchment has made a significant contribution to the development of a conceptual understanding of microbial communities and ecosystem processes in ephemeral streams. With microbial communities differing between habitat types; these findings provide a framework within the Upper Isaac Catchment for selecting both future sites for monitoring changes in microbial communities/ecosystem conditions and discharge locations with the capacity to process water that is higher in salinity and/or nutrients. Declaration by author This thesis is composed of my original work, and contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference has been made in the text. I have clearly stated the contribution by others to jointly-authored works that I have included in my thesis. I have clearly stated the contribution of others to my thesis as a whole, including statistical assistance, survey design, data analysis, significant technical procedures, professional editorial advice, and any other original research work used or reported in my thesis. The content of my thesis is the result of work I have carried out since the commencement of my research higher degree candidature and does not include a substantial part of work that has been submitted to qualify for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution. I have clearly stated which parts of my thesis, if any, have been submitted to qualify for another award. I acknowledge that an electronic copy of my thesis must be lodged with the University Library and, subject to the General Award Rules of The University of Queensland, immediately made available for research and study in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968. I acknowledge that copyright of all material contained in my thesis resides with the copyright holder(s) of that material. Where appropriate I have obtained copyright permission from the copyright holder to reproduce material in this thesis. Publications during candidature Conference Abstracts Beyer-Robson, J., Vink. S., Bond, P., October 2013. Microbial Community Distribution in an Ephemeral River System. Conference Abstract and Talk: SETAC, Melbourne, Australia. Beyer-Robson, J., Vink. S., June 2012. Salinity effects on biogeochemical cycling in ephemeral rivers, Bowen Basin, Queensland. Conference Abstract and Talk: SETAC, Brisbane, Australia. Beyer-Robson, J., Bond, P., Moran, C., Vink. S., July 2011. Salinity effects on microbial community structure and nutrient dynamics in an intermittent river system. Conference Poster: FEMS Congress, Geneva, Switzerland. Beyer-Robson, J., Vink. S., June 2011. Denitrification, methanogenesis and microbial community response to increased salinity in the hyporheic zone in a freshwater ephemeral river system. Conference Abstract and Talk: NABS, Providence, U.S.A. Publications included in this thesis No Publications included Contributions by others to the thesis Dr Sue Vink, Dr Philip Bond and Prof. Chris Moran contributed to the interpretation of experimental data and critically revising the draft of the thesis. Dr Sue Vink organised the project funding and connections to the field area. Peak Downs and Saraji Mines (BMA) provided assistance in field sampling and the logistics of accessing sample sites. Alexandra Henderson helped conduct the nitrification experiments (Experiment 2) on artificial mine water incubations in Chapter 8; she undertook the weekly water sampling for nutrient analysis. FIA laboratory nutrient analysis was performed by Advanced Water Management Centre Analytical laboratory. T-RFLP sample sequencing was performed by the Australian Genome Research Facility (Glen Osmond, SA, and Australia). 16S rRNA pyrosequencing was performed by Research and testing Laboratory LLC (Lubbock, Texas, U.S.A.). Statement of parts of the thesis submitted to qualify for the award of another degree


By adopting the technique of pre-regulator, a high PSRR and low temperature coefficient piecewise-linear bandgap reference (BGR) is designed for analog and mixed-signal application in this paper. The piecewise-linear BGR with pre-regulator, which is analyzed and simulated in SMIC 0.18μm CMOS process, has simple circuit architecture. Simulation results show that piecewise-linear BGR with pre-regulator achieves power supply rejection ratio (PSRR) of -102.488dB and -99.73dB, -82.983dB at 10Hz, 100Hz and 1kHz respectively. Piecewise-linear BGR with pre-regulator achieves the temperature coefficient of 2.235 ppm/°C when temperature is in the range from -50°C to 115°C. When power supply voltage V DD changing from 1.2V to 10V, output voltage deviation of piecewise-linear BGR with pre-regulator is only 0.2765mV, but output voltage of piecewise-linear BGR without pre-regulator has a deviation of 38.08mV. DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.11591/telkomnika.v12i5.4056


Donald Trump, an outsider who won the Presidency against all odds and predictions, came to the White House apparently determined to chart a new strategic course in foreign affairs. His opponent, Hillary Clinton, was committed to a hegemonistic vision and to specific policies based on the decades-old globalist-liberal orthodoxy. As this paper points out, Trump's 'America First' approach in essence rejected the doctrine of America as a proposition nation, criticized its global engagement, questioned NATO's utility and core mission, advocated rapprochement with Russia, and condemned the regime-change focus of earlier administrations. It further emphasizes that Trump explicitly sought to reaffirm the raison d'etat as the guiding principle of foreign policymaking. His biggest problem all along was that the American 'deep state' - key components of the national security apparat, the military-industrial complex, and the bipartisan political duopoly in Washington - rejected any realist criteria in their definition of 'interests' and 'threats.' They were intent on the maintenance of American global primacy, and they proved effective in imposing agenda contrary to Trump's stated positions on all key global issues. At the same time, as this paper documents, Trump himself has been stepping ever farther away from his campaign pledges. It would be incorrect to say that the permanent state has successfully subverted and undermined the chief executive. It would be more accurate, we conclude, to recognize that a mutinous president has tried, and failed, to alter the long-charted global course of the permanent state.


The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of two different acute stress protocols, such as restraint and cold restraint stress, on coagulation indicators in rats. The study was conducted in 18 male Wistar albino rats aged 8-10 weeks with a body weight of 180-220 g. After a one-week adaptation period, the rats were randomly divided into three groups (n=6/group). The animals in the control group were not exposed to any stress. Rats in the restraint group were housed in restrainer designed for rats, and their movement was restricted for 2 hours at room temperature. Rats in the cold restraint group were kept in the restrainer at +4°C for 2 hours. Blood samples were collected by cardiac puncture under ketamine and xylazine anesthesia in Vacutainer® tubes containing 3.2% sodium citrate (0.109 M trisodium citrate). Coagulation indicators (aPTT, PT, INR, fibrinogen, and D-dimer) were analyzed using an automated analyzer (Roche Cobas t511, Switzerland). Although acute stress (restraint and cold restraint stress) had no effect on aPTT and D-dimer levels (p>0.05), it increased PT and INR values (p


The proposal: to complete Australia's standard gauge rail system by connecting major centres in the southeast of Australia with growing Asian markets through an integrated rail/port facility in Darwin.


A theoretical study of two of the low-lying NH/sub 2//sup +/ potential energy surfaces was performed. The intersection and avoided intersection (for C/sub s/ geometries) of the lowest /sup 3/A/sub 2/ and /sup 3/B/sub 1/ surfaces allows a pathway by which the ground state of HH/sub 2//sup +/ may be accessed without a potential barrier. The electronic structure calculations employed a double zeta plus polarization basis set, and correlation effects were taken into account using the newly developed Vector Method (VM). To test the validity of this basis, additional self-consistent-field studies were performed using a very large contracted gaussian basis N(13s 8p 3d/9s 6p 3d), H(6s 2p/4s 2p). The /sup 3/A/sub 2/ surface, on which N/sup +/ and H/sub 2/ may approach, has a surprising deep potential minimum, approximately 60 kcal/mole, occurring at r/sub e/(NH) approximately 1.26 A and theta/sub e/(HNH) approximately 43/sup 0/. Electron correlation is responsible for about 15 kcal of this well depth, which appears fairly insensitive to extension of the basis set beyond the double zeta plus polarization level. The line of intersection (or seam) of the /sup 3/A/sub 2/ and /sup 3/B/sub 1/ surfaces is presented both numerically and pictorially. The minimum energy along thismore » seam occurs at approximately 51 kcal below separated N/sup +/ + H/sub 2/. Thus for sufficiently low energies one expects N/sup +/ - H/sub 2/ collisions to provide considerable ''complex formation.'' 3 figs, 1 table, 28 refs.« less


Augmented reality (AR) is one of the newest technologies to hit the market. In the
dawn of every new technology, and so AR too, we always explore different applications, and so this app too.
App consists of two parts: visualization, that runs on Microsoft Hololens glasses;
and simulation, that runs on Gazebo app on a connected server.
Inside the app, it's possible to select and move robots, and so in a simple way
visualize the behaviour of robots.
One of the applications of this app is possible in robot design, where in a simple
way it's possible to try out the design before manufacturing, and to modify it if needed.


Objective To determine whether canonical transient receptor potential channel(TRPC) is involved in SNPinduced apoptosis of the primary cultured rat hippocampal neurons via PUMA.Methods The cultured rat hippocampal neurons were treated with SNP.The expression of TRPC1-6 in hippocampal neurons were detected using RT-PCR.The expression level of Bax,Apaf-1,survivin and PUMA mRAN in hippocampal neurons were detected using Real-time RT-PCR.Results TRPCs were widely expressed in hippocampal neurons.The hippocampal neurons were treated with SNP for 4 h,8 h and 24 h,and SNP had no effect on the expression of Bax,Apaf-1 and survivin mRNA(P0.05);However,the expression level of PUMA was significantly increased to 1.94(4 h),1.86(8 h) and 1.9-fold(24 h)(P0.01).TRPC blocker(2-APB) was found to lower the elevated expression of PUMA(P0.01).Conclusion TRPC channels are involved in SNP-induced apoptosis of cultured rat hippocampal neurons via PUMA.


where the tensors Fu and are arbitrary.3 The stress field defined by Eqs. (1.2) will be referred to as Giinther's solution or Giinther's representation, and the tensor fields Fa and Ga will be called Giinther's stress junctions. It was pointed out in [4] that Giinther's solution is generally incomplete, i.e., there exist solutions of Eqs. (1.1) which cannot be represented by Eqs. (1.2). Several complete solutions were given in [4], and a simpler complete solution was given in [5]. However, all of these solutions are considerably more complex than Giinther's solution in that they involve more scalar stress functions and higher order derivatives. Because of its appealing simplicity, it is natural to ask what class of stress fields can be represented by Giinther's solution. A more compelling reason for such a question is that Giinther [3] and, more recently, Misicu [G] have made Giinther's representation the basis of dislocation theories. These theories are left in doubt until it is known that Giinther's stress functions can represent stress fields of sufficient generality. It is the purpose of the present paper to answer the above question. In Sec. 2 two general representation theorems for (sufficiently smooth second-order) tensor fields are proved. The first of these states that any tensor field can be written as the curl of another tensor field plus the gradient of a vector field. The second theorem states that any tensor field with zero total flux across every closed surface in the region involved can be written as the curl of another tensor field. In analogy with classical theorems of vector analysis, these results may be called the Stokes-Helmholtz resolution


Background: the Ministry of Health has implemented various programs related to maternal and child health and one of them is prevention of neonatal tetanus and newborn care including umbilical cord care (WHO). , 2017). about newborn umbilical cord care and the length of umbilical cord detachment in newborns at the Delpi Saragih Midwife Practice.
Methods: This study subjects were postpartum mothers who had newborns until the umbilical cord was separated at the Delpi Saragih Midwife Practice. Sampling technique with Total Sampling of 35 respondents with measuring instruments, namely questionnaires and observation sheets, data analysis using Chi-Square
The results of the study: the level of knowledge of mothers about newborn umbilical cord care showed that of the 35 respondents, most of the respondents had good knowledge, namely 14 people (40.0%), and a small proportion of respondents had sufficient knowledge, namely 9 people (25.8%). With the length of the release of the umbilical cord in newborns, most respondents were normal 5-7 days in releasing the umbilical cord in newborns, as many as 15 people (42.9%), and a small proportion of respondents were fast < 5 days and long > 7 days in releasing the cord. center for newborns as many as 10 people each (28.6%). The results of the Chi-Square analysis show that the value of p = 0.020 <α = 0.05
Conclusion: There is a relationship between the level of knowledge of the mother about newborn umbilical cord care and the length of time the newborn's umbilical cord is released.


A report developed in 1989 by the Highways Agency (HA) suggested that most concrete bridges contain potentially reactive aggregates (1) . This implied that alkali-silica reaction (ASR) can occur in concrete structures across all regions of England where there is a high alkali content in the concrete and sufficient moisture supply. However, according to Concrete Society Technical Report 30: Alkali-silica reaction: minimising the risk of damage to concrete (2) , concrete bridge deterioration due to ASR appears to be greater in certain regions in England, particularly in the Midlands and South West. It is thought that this is due to the cement types used in the past and the relatively high humidity in the area throughout the year.


A sequence of user studies with older adults explored user preferences regarding feedback parameters for a socially assistive person-following robot. The preferred level of transparency and the desired content for the feedback was first explored. Then, the preferred mode and timing of feedback were assessed. Preferred parameters were then implemented and evaluated. Results revealed that older adults preferred the robot's feedback to include only basic status information. They also preferred voice feedback over tone, and at a continuous rate to keep them constantly aware of the state and actions of the robot. These results contribute towards preliminary feedback design guidelines that could improve interaction quality for person-following robots for older adults. Keywords—Feedback design, person-following, socially assistive robots, human-robot interaction.


ABSTRACT The reauthorization of IDEA in 1997 placed greater emphasis on providing early intervention services to the family unit versus solely focusing on children with disabilities or children who are at risk for disabilities. Due to the shift from child-focused services to family-focused services, the need to implement family-centered practices became apparent. This study explored the experiences of graduates of an early intervention/early childhood special education personnel preparation program to gain an understanding of the factors that facilitate implementation of family-centered practices. Results from an online survey and focus groups revealed that the graduates, in general, held positive beliefs about partnering with families, and there were several program components that facilitated the implementation of family-centered practices. Implications are described for advancing the knowledge base about preparing students to work in the field of early intervention.


The future interplanetary missions will probably use the conventional chemical rockets to leave the sphere of influence of the Earth, and solar electric propulsion (SEP) to accomplish the other maneuvers of the mission. In this work the optimization of interplanetary missions using solar electric propulsion and Gravity Assisted Maneuver to reduce the costs of the mission, is considered. The high specific impulse of electric propulsion makes a Gravity Assisted Maneuver 1 year after departure convenient. Missions for several Near Earth Asteroids will be considered. The analysis suggests criteria for the definition of initial solutions demanded for the process of optimization of trajectories. Trajectories for the asteroid 2002TC70 are analyzed. Direct trajectories, trajectories with 1 gravity assisted from the Earth and with 2 gravity assisted from the Earth and either Mars are present. An indirect optimization method will be used in the simulations.


Although the manufacture of semiconductor products has been alleged to create substantial benefits to the economy resulting from the spillover of knowledge, this claim, with the exception of Irwin and Klenow (1994a), has not been subjected substantially to empirical analysis. Our article extends the analysis of Irwin and Klenow and develops and tests a model of knowledge spillovers across several semiconductor memory products. The results indicate that cross-product spillovers from Dynamic Random Access Memories (DRAMs) the integrated circuit product often designated as a "technology driver" to other memory products were limited. We discuss the implications of these results for strategic trade policy.


A series of guided inquiry modules that introduces students to aspects of polymer chemistry is described. The modules address topics such as biomacromolecules, molecular weight, structure–property relationships, and synthetic approaches, including step-growth and chain-growth polymerization as well as living polymerization. These materials are suitable for use in either a structure and reactivity sequence or a more traditional sequence in general chemistry, organic chemistry, and inorganic chemistry.


With the prevalence of computer and internet, there are more and more social network sites emerging. Social network sites not only bring impact on individuals' way to communicate and share knowledge with each other but also bring amazing benefit to commerce. This catches marketers' and researchers' interest. Although there were some study about social network sites, most of them focus on individuals' using behavior or exploratory research. This paper is based on the conceptual model: the three facets of social capital: structural, cognitive and relational social capital have positive influence on individuals' knowledge sharing behavior proposed by Wasko and Faraj (2005) and the mediating role of knowledge sharing self-efficacy and psychological safety. Through questionnaires with 439 samples, the results showed that cognitive social capital has the strongest positive influence on individuals' knowledge sharing behavior on social network sites and knowledge sharing self-efficacy has strong mediating effects. The results provide creative contribution to future research and managerial implication.


When an initially isotropic ferroelectric ceramic is fully poled with application of an axial electric field, it turns into a transversely isotropic one. The nonlinear response of such a material is then orientation dependent. Such an anisotropic behavior is studied by a self-consistent polycrystal model in this article. The model makes use of two separate levels of micromechanical analysis: the first one involves domain switch inside the constituent grains and the second one involves the transition from the grains to the polycrystal level. Domain switch inside the grains is taken to be a thermodynamic-driving process, and the self-consistent transition from the grain to the polycrystal is accomplished through a secant-modulus approach. This polycrystal model is applied to calculate the nonlinear electric displacement versus electric field relations (D vs E) of a PZT-5H along several loading directions from the original poling axis. This calculation takes into account the intercrystalline heterogeneity, a...


Classical spin liquids have been a very active subject of research in the last few years. A very rich variety of cases have been shown to exist, including short-range and algebraic spin liquids displaying dipolar correlations at zero temperature. In this article, we investigate different families of classical spins liquids by combining analytical techniques and Monte Carlo simulations. Our study relies on the Luttinger-Tisza approximation (LTA), which is associated with the constraint vector function in momentum space, whose general properties allow for a classification of different spin liquids. We show that the general properties of the LTA provide a framework for identifying and accurately characterizing the different types of spin liquids in different geometries. We apply our approach to three different families of spin liquids defined on the checkerboard and kagome lattices, which exhibit a remarkable range of situations, including various cases of algebraic and short-range spin liquids. Additionally, we analyze the effective Gauss law emerging from different kinds of spin liquids and identify states that exhibit additional degeneracy lines. The presence of spin-liquid phases and pinch-point singularities are confirmed by Monte Carlo simulations validating our approach. Our study opens up avenues of research in the study of spin liquids, exploring algebraic spin liquids with higher-rank gauge fields and as critical points dividing different types of classical spin liquids.


In this paper, we propose a method to verify software executed on RTOS which conforms to mulTRON with a model checking tool Spin. The RTOS provides facilities such as priorities and service calls to control the execution of tasks, however, Spin does not provide them. Thus, we implemented a middleware which allows us to use the facilities and simulate the execution of the tasks in Spin. The paper shows how it is implemented and its evaluation.


Objective:To compare the differences between mouse intestine intraepithelial lymphocytes(iIELs)and splenic T cells and search for the special antigen activating iIELs Methods:Had extracted cell membrane from iIELs and splenic T cells those were isolated freshly, and compared these two kinds of membrane proteins through SDS PAGE and silver staining Through quantitative analyses of protein and lipid of the two kinds of cell membranes,analyzed the ratios of protein to lipid of them In addition,prepared liposomes with membrane lipid from Daudi cells and mouse intestinal epithelial cells(IECs), and then added them to freshly isolated iIELs and splenic T cells respectively The proliferation of them was studied by the incorporation of 3H methyl thymidine Results:Had found that the membrane proteins of iIELs and splenic T cells were different qualitatively and quantitatively, and the ratio of protein to lipid of iIELs were higher than that of splentic T cells In proliferation experiment,had found that splenic T cells showed poor proliferation responding to the membrane lipid of Daudi cells and IECs However, iIELs can be activated by both of them and the effect of later one was stronger Conclusion:The differences between iIELs and splenic T cells in morphology, phenotypes, ontogeny and functions have the corresponding molecular bases The membrane lipid of IECs may be the special antigen that could activate iIELs


he incidence and prevalence of congestive heart failure is T probably increasing among older individuals in the United States.' A major goal of cardiovascular research is to try to determine the specific etiology, pathophysiology and best treatment to prevent and treat congestive heart failure. Hypertension, left ventricular hypertrophy, coronary heart disease, and "aging" are risk factors for congestive heart failure. The increase in systolic blood pressure with aging is possibly attributable to the loss of compliance in large arteries secondary to reduction of elastic fibers with aging' and also to an increase in cross-linkages of collagen. High blood pressure (both systolic and diastolic), on the other hand, could increase the rate of loss of elastic fibers as well as the progression of atherosclerosis in larger arteries such as the carotid artery.3 Thus, elevated systolic blood pressure is related to increased pulse wave velocity (a measure, in part, of the stiffness of the large arteries3), and to increases in carotid artery wall thickness and ~ t e n o s i s . ~ Increased carotid artery wall thickness and stenosis are associated with an increased risk of stroke and coronary heart d i ~ e a s e . ~ . ~ Higher systolic blood pressure is also associated with greater left ventricular afterload and with greater left ventricular systolic wall ~ t r e s s . ~ There has been growing interest in the probability that abnormalities of left ventricular diastolic function are related to congestive heart failure in older p e ~ p l e . ~ . ~ Abnormalities of left ventricular diastolic function can be evaluated, in part, by pulsed doppler transmitral flow of early and late velocities. l o These abnormalities of diastolic function could be important in the etiology of congestive heart failure. Early (E) and late (A) transmitral diastolic peak flow velocities have been used in the paper by Rajkumar et al. as a measure of left ventricular diastolic function. The investigators used a ratio of E/A as their measure of the variation in diastolic filling of the left ventricle. Several other studies have shown that the E/A ratio was reduced in older individuals by higher heart rates and by increased left ventricular mass and both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The authors of the current paper have also shown an inverse relationship between systemic arterial compliance and the E/A ratio, which would be consistent with the association between systolic and diastolic blood pressure, left ventricular hypertrophy, and systemic arterial compliance. Their findings are not new and are consistent with other studies. For example, in the Cardiovascular Health Study, Psaty reported that participants with systolic hypertension had an increase in the peak late diastolic (A) velocity." Similarly, in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study, systolic blood pressure was related to an increase in peak flow velocity (A) in men.I2 In other studies, increased left ventricular mass and wall thickness were associated with left ventricular diastolic filling abnormalities. The measures of the E/A ratio may not be a very good measure of diastolic dysfunction, especially the risk of congestive heart failure. In congestive heart failure, in contrast to hypertension, there is an increase in the E compared with the A flow velocities, and the E/A ratio is increased. This may be caused by increased early diastolic left atrial to left ventricular pressure differences. An increase in early diastolic transmitral velocity and in the E/A ratio has actually been associated with poor prognosis in patients with congestive heart failure.I3 In contrast, increased A velocity is predictive of subsequent congestive heart failure in older people, possibly due, in part, to its association with hypertension and left ventricular mass.I4 The use for ratio E/A may not be as good a measure as studying the determinants of (E) and (A) separately rather than using the E/A ratio in the analysis. The effects of individbal variables on each measure can then be determined and, in multivariate analysis, the effect of one variable (E) on the other (A) can also be determined in association with other measures.


Seismic refraction tomography survey is one of the geophysical techniques that is the most popular and commonly used to determine subsurface geology in engineering application. It is fast, reliable, cheaper and cover bigger area in shorter time compared with borehole drilling and other geophysical techniques in providing continuous information on subsurface geology along the lengths of the seismic survey lines. However, the success of seismic refraction tomography survey depends on a few factors such as noise background, top soil features, geology of the site, limitation of the equipment, understanding of the theories and experiences in interpreting the seismic refraction tomography survey data. The method of seismic refraction tomography survey measures the first arrival time of the primary waves through the earth material after seismic signals were generated at several shot points with sledge hammer or explosives. In this paper, the applications of seismic refraction tomography survey in investigating the subsurface geology were discussed in two case studies. The first case study discussed the effect of geophone interval in the limit of depth penetration of seismic refraction tomography survey. Increasing the geophone interval would increase the limit of depth penetration, which helped in mapping the very deep bedrock profile. The second case study showed that the seismic refraction tomography survey results were able to indicate the highly irregular bedrock profiles and complexity of the subsurface geology such as shear zones. It was able to show the extent of the shear zones at the project area, which would have been missed by merely doing borehole drilling. Hydrothermally altered granite and quartz veins were encountered in the boreholes located along the shear zones. Both case studies showed good correlations between boreholes and seismic refraction tomography survey results.


The anisotropic materials are widely used for many structural applications, the determination of mechanical properties is critical for ensuring reliable performance. The knowledge of complete elastic stiffness matrix is essential for modelling and evaluating the mechanical behaviour of materials under severe loading conditions. Ultrasonic techniques are however qualified for non destructive measurement of all of the elastic constants of such materials. The elastic moduli Cij identification from the measurement of phase velocities of Lamb modes were often deduced from the low-frequency plate wave dispersion data, using contact transducers or Laser. There are two disadvantages of the techniques, first the non diagonal elastic constants Cij are difficult to measure and second the coupling resin might change the elastic properties of the materials. Air coupled transducers are now advanced enough to be used in the industry field and it was proved in the past that they are efficient enough to generate Lamb waves in plates and to detect them after propagation. The system is tested for anisotropic composite materials made of epoxy matrix reinforced by glass or carbon fibres. In this work we used this technique to determine the anisotropic constants of anisotropic olivier wood plates. We are now investigating the inverse problem for the identification of Cij from phase velocities of any Lamb modes. The optimization process, applying the simplex method, gives the values of elastic constants with uncertainty in the vicinity of 15 percent.


Ground water is a source of municipal, domestic, stock, and irrigation supply for most of northeastern Larimer County, Colo. A study of the alluvial aquifers in the northeastern part of the county was conducted to determine volume of water in storage, rate and location of ground-water withdrawals, and chemical quality of the water with particular attention to dissolved solids, hardness, sulfate, and selenium. Because selenium has been reported in the municipal water supply of the city of Wellington, which obtains water from the alluvium, emphasis was given to investigating the alluvial aquifers associated with Boxelder Creek. The area is underlain by Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks that crop out along the mountain front to the west and dip generally eastward. Overlying these bedrock formations are Quaternary alluvial deposits, represented by terrace deposits between streams and valley-fill deposits along streams. Buckeye terrace, northwest of Wellington, is recharged principally by seepage from applied irrigation water, contains about 32,000 acre-feet (39.5 million cubic meters) of ground water in storage, and supplies water to 50 irrigation wells with yields ranging from 80 to 1,200 gallons per minute (5.0 to 76 liters per second). The aquifer in the valley-fill deposits along Boxelder Creek and its tributaries is recharged principally by loss of streamflow, by seepage from ditches and canals traversing the area, and by seepage from applied irrigation water. This aquifer contains 101,000 acrefeet (125 million cubic meters) of ground water in storage and supplies water to 3 municipal and 198 irrigation wells. Yields of these wells range from 90 to 1,840 gallons per minute (5.7 to 116 liters per second). The concentration and distribution of dissolved solids, hardness, sulfate, and selenium in the alluvial aquifers is controlled by the quality of applied irrigation water, by the amount of water lost to evapotranspiration during irrigation, and by solution of soluble material in the alluvium and in the bedrock at the base of the alluvium. Ground water at the north end of the .Buckeye terrace contains only about 300 milligrams per liter dissolved solids because there is no ground-water inflow and recharge is from surface water containing less than 90 milligrams per liter dissolved solids. Concentrations of all constituents increase downgradient to the south due to solution and evaporative concentration. Ground-water quality in the alluvium along Boxelder Creek below the mouth of its canyon is controlled by the quality of the recharge from water diverted out of Boxelder Creek for irrigation application Cabout 1,QQO milligrams per liter dissolved solids) and underflow from Rawhide Creek (about 1,600 milligrams per liter dissolved solids). Below the point where Boxelder Creek begins to carry the flow of Park Creek Lateral, recharge from conveyance losses and applied surface-water irrigation either improves the quality of the ground water or just about holds it constant. From about Wellington south, the ground water shows a continual increase in dissolved-solids concentration, modified by underflow from Coal Creek (700 milligrams per liter dissolved solids) and Indian Creek (1,200 milligrams per liter dissolved solids). In 15 of the 43 wells sampled between May 29 and June 4, 1974, the selenium concentration exceeded 10 micrograms per liter, the maximum recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for drinking water. The range of concentration was from 0 to 44 micrograms per liter and the median was 8 micrograms per liter. Analyses of other constituents showed no concentrations in excess of the drinking-water standards or recommendations.


In this paper we describe a methodology for obtaining modular artificial neural network based control architectures for snake-like robots automatically. This approach is based on the use of behavior modulation structures that are incrementally evolved using macroevolutionary algorithms. The method is suited for problems that can be solved through a progressive increase of the complexity of the controllers and for which the fitness landscapes are mostly flat with sparse peaks. This is usually the case when robot controllers are evolved using life simulation for evaluating their fitness.


This text deals with Marcelo Rubens Paiva's memoir Ainda estou aqui, regarding what allows us to think that questions about the writer's position, about the use of archives, about life as a living matter of the fiction, although placed, generally, as a certain conformation of literature to the dictates of the present, may, on the contrary, emphasize ways in which the literary, in the constitution of its place, does not exempt itself from pointing the limits of other discourses, in a kind of altercation against what was already said. The documentary setting of Paiva's book, in which newspaper articles, documents from judicial processes, testimonies and even photography are displayed, causes the story to be decomposed, exposing the violence with which it is constructed. Without self-pity, the author exposes two mournings: one that began with the torture and death of his father, the politician and federal deputy Rubens Paiva, by the Brazilian military dictatorship, and the one that he experiences at the time he writes, when he accompanies the development of Alzheimer's disease in his mother, Eunice Paiva. He traces the profile of the female protagonist, who, in the flashes of lucidity, repeats: "I am still here," pointing out how the endless mourning for the father and the step by step mourning for the mother are narratives that tell a lot about the present state of things. This reading is based, mainly, on the reflections of Didi-Huberman, Jacques Ranciere and Jacques Derrida on politics, on the act of taking a stand and on democracy. --- DOI:  http://dx.doi.org/10.22409/gragoata.2018n45a1079 .


Among the many types of renewable energies, solar energy is considered promising as it is comparatively more evenly distributed geographically. A branch of solar energy research that has received worldwide attention is photovoltaics (PV). This paper studies the PV demonstration projects carried out in few countries. It aims to identify the common experience and conclusions drawn from the demonstration projects such as PV power system performance, PV cost effectiveness and grid interfacing problems. This paper also examines demonstration projects' achievements and limitations. The capacity of the projects analysed is limited to 20 kW per installation.


This paper examines the relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows and trade within the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU). It investigates the channels through which FDI impacts trade and the likely effects of such impact on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita growth of the ECCU. The paper employs pooled cross-sectional regression technique to examine these relationships over the period 1993 to 2003. Empirical results indicate that the relationship between FDI inflows and imports is complementary, but substitutive in respect of exports. There is, however, a strong bi-directional relationship between FDI inflows and GDP per capita.


This project details specific placement and usage of the Clara motive in Robert Schumann's Dichterliebe . The analysis categorizes the motive according to its different shapes and relationships to the poetry in Dichterliebe . Four main permutations of the motive are discussed in great detail: the original motive, inverted motive, retrograde motive, and retrograde inverted motive.


In the VLSI design circuit, average power dissipation is a very common source of concern. This paper aims to reduce the average power dissipation and other parameters that are performed in this paper notably propagation delay, EDP (energy delay product), and PDP (Power delay product). These two technologies have been compared based on 2:1 MUX using Differential Cascode Voltage Switch Logic (DCVSL) and Modified Differential Cascode Voltage Switch Logic (MDCVSL) has been presented with FinFET 18nm technology. The results show values of Power Delay Product (PDP) and Energy Delay Product (PDP) for DCVSL based on 2:1 MUX using FinFET approach at different voltage levels notably at 1.2V is 1612.41× 10-15 (J), at 1V is 566.744× 10-15 (J) and at 0.8V is 198.177× 10-15(J). EDP of DCVSL at 1.2V is 4075.68×10-22 (Js), at 1V is 1431.36× 10-22 (Js) and 0.8V is 5047.9× 10-22 (Js) respectively. MDCVSL using 2:1 MUX has shown efficiency in terms of both EDP and PDP over DCVSL using 2:1 MUX PDP of MDCVSL at 1.2V is 1230.164× 10-15 (J), at 1V is 400.542× 10-15 (J) and at 0.8V is 137.716 × 10-15(J). EDP of MDCVSL at 1.2V is 3107.39× 10-22 (Js), at 1V is 1010.92× 10-22 (Js) and 0.8V is 3471.6× 10-22 (Js). In relation to the DCVSL approach, MDCVSL has evidenced an improved transient response and lower energy usage. Consequently, the MDCVSL is used in both industrial and biological uses, and it can be used for digital and cascading circuits.


Recently, the variety of emergent events frequently occurring, such as: great environmental pollution, fire and explosion, toxic gas leakage, disserves human's living environment, and huge economic and property losses, especially in the rural areas of mountain, where always surrounding by gas fields, chemical plants and other potentially dangerous source, the terrain of mountainous is complex, in the event of crises, the safe evacuation of the population will become a very critical issue. In this paper, through the analysis of the existing evacuation model based on the proposed application 3D surface cellular automata method simulation the evacuation processin complex mountainous terrain. The digital elevation model data, road network and characteristics of the pedestrian are integrated initiatively in the 3D surface CA model. The framework for data extraction, procession and application is designed. A Visualization Software System for three-dimensional simulation of pedestrian evacuation is developed. Moreover, through a case study of some gas well, which belongs to the Puguang gas field in the northeastern Sichuan, it is proved that the model presented in this paper can realize 3D simulation of pedestrian evacuation and predict evacuation time. At last the future work of the model is discussed.


This paper describes the application of a Channel Information System (CIS) to the prevention of rear-end collisions. The specific countermeasure concept examined is a look ahead headway detection (LAHD) system. On-board processors receive, integrate, display, and transmit updated information to following vehicles. Proximity, brake status, and turn signal status is displayed to all drivers in a linear formation (chain) for use in collision avoidance. Brake data is also displayed externally and rearward by a Center High Mounted Warning Lamp (CHMWL). Data such as velocity, mass, braking capabilities of vehicles, and road conditions may be used for integration into an Automatic Intelligent Cruise Control (AICC) and an automatic braking system. (A) For the covering abstract see IRRD 868006.


Dr. Mastroianni fails to deal with the realities of modern methods of natural family planning. Modern natural family planning (NFP) does not rest on the assumption that the ovum remains viable a maximum of 24 hours ovulation. The general symptothermal rule of thumb maintains that postovulation infertility begins on the 3rd day of the thermal shift. This 3-day rule has been adopted on the basis of the observed facts of pregnancies occurring from coitus on the 2nd day of thermal shift and not resulting from coitus on the 3rd day of thermal shift. And the Couple to Couple League adds that the 3 days of thermal shift must be corroborated by at least 2 days of disappearance or drying up of the cervical mucus. Further it simply is not true that modern NFP assumes a functional sperm life of only 48 hours. It assumes a normal sperm life of 72 hours in the presence of cervical mucus and up to 4 or more days under optimum conditions. Cyclical regularity also is not an assumption of modern natural family planning. The Couple to Couple League warns the woman who thinks she is a 28-day regular to expect a 40-45 day cycle at times. Experience has shown that the 19-day rule quoted by Mastroianni is insufficient as a general rule; the Couple to Couple League advises the 21-day rule.


I T has now become widely accepted, and indeed was demonstrated in the last general election, that the proportion of the electorate who consistently vote for the same political party is relatively small. Since many voters often change the party for which they vote it would seem worthwhile to investigate the bases on which they do this. Useful information of this point can, of course, be gained by asking the people concerned. However, it is an accepted psychological finding that people can by no means always verbalize about the causes of their own behaviour. This point has been made by David Sears, a highly respected American psychologist. * Sears believes that very often people cannot even give a rationale for their voting behaviour and that their opinions about politicians may be an emotional thing which has little to do with their processing of relevant political information. He says that


In the atmosphere, light scattering by molecules, particulates and aerosols causes an aureole around point- like sources. In various meteorological conditions, the radiance field coming from this aureole can be a non- negligible part of the total detected signal by large Field Of View sensors. In the framework of aureole's study, we have developed a method based on Monte Carlo calculation. The corresponding code permits to deal with monochromatic point sources in the 240 to 300 nm spectral range. The source's intensity angular dependency is axisymmetric and the atmosphere is described as a plane-parallel medium composed of a user defined constituents profiles. Systematic tests have been performed in order to evaluate the influence of the different input data on aureole results, such as ozone and SO2 concentration values or ozone and aerosols concentration profiles. These computations will help us to define the set of meteorological parameters which need to e known accurately in order to compare computations with detected signals recorded during field experiments.


Axial stress with zero stress as datum is conventionally used in calculating the influence of tension or compression on yield or collapse of pipe. In this paper, zero stress datum is replaced by "neutral stress datum." This results in a simpler curve of plasticity, namely a circle, instead of the conventional skewed ellipse. Although equations based on neutral axial stress datum are simpler than equations based on zero axial stress datum, the results of the two methods are equivalent for yielding. On the other hand, the results are different for collapse. Experimental collapse pressures are closer to those calculated on the basis of neutral axial stress datum. Means for making allowance for pressures both inside and outside the pipe are given in the paper. Radial stress is taken into consideration, and, therefore, the treatment is triaxial. /AUTHOR/


We show in this work that every solution of hypoelliptic differential equations with constant strength with coefficients in Roumieu spaces is in some Roumieu space.


In this paper, a novel single layered frequency selective surface (FSS) design is proposed resulting in quad band characteristics. The proposed FSS design is made using FR-4 substrate as the base for the patch elements. The structure thus proposed is composed of inter connected octagonal loops encompassed in a rectangular loop. The unit cell size is very compact and is of dimensions $0.230)\lambda^{*}0.230\lambda^{\star}0.002\lambda$ and the thickness of the patch is $0.00031\lambda$. The novel proposed structure thus resonates at frequencies 2.65 GHz, 7.7 GHz, 9.9 GHz, and 11.58 GHz. The resonance frequencies achieved makes it possible for this structure to be used for upcoming 5G applications which falls in the Sub Gigahertz range along with various other C and X band applications. This proposed novel FSS structure can also be used for multiband antenna systems as well.


Abstract. In the European Alps, the Younger Dryas (YD) was
characterised by the last major glacier advance, with equilibrium line
altitudes being ∼ 220 to 290 m lower than during the Little
Ice Age, and also by the development of rock glaciers. Dating of these
geomorphic features, however, is associated with substantial uncertainties,
leading to considerable ambiguities regarding the internal structure of this
stadial, which is the most intensively studied one of the last glacial period. Here,
we provide robust physical evidence based on 230Th-dated cryogenic cave
carbonates (CCCs) from a cave located at 2274 m a.s.l. in the Dolomites of
northern Italy coupled with thermal modelling, indicating that early YD
winters were only moderately cold in this part of the Alps. More precisely,
we find that the mean annual air temperature dropped ≤ 3 ∘C
at the Allerød–YD transition. Our data suggest that autumns and early
winters in the early part of the YD were relatively snow-rich, resulting in
stable winter snow cover. The latter insulated the shallow subsurface in
winter and allowed the cave interior to remain close to the freezing point
(0 ∘C) year-round, promoting CCC formation. The main phase of CCC
precipitation at ∼ 12.2 ka coincided with the mid-YD
transition recorded in other archives across Europe. Based on thermal
modelling we propose that CCC formation at ∼ 12.2 ka was
most likely associated with a slight warming of approximately
+1 ∘C in conjunction with drier autumns and early winters in the
second half of the YD. These changes triggered CCC formation in this Alpine
cave as well as ice glacier retreat and rock glacier expansion across the
Alps.


................................................................................................................................... iii Acronyms .................................................................................................................................. iv CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background ............................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Mathematics in the Social Sciences .......................................................................................... 6 1.3 The Research Context and Setting ............................................................................................ 7 1.4 Rationale of the study ............................................................................................................. 10 1.5 Statement of the problem ........................................................................................................ 11 1.6 Significance of the Research ................................................................................................... 11 1.7 Research Aim, Objectives and Research Questions ............................................................... 13 1.7.1 Aim of the study ............................................................................................................... 13 1.7.2 Research objectives .......................................................................................................... 13 1.7.3 Research Questions .......................................................................................................... 13 1.8 Key concepts ........................................................................................................................... 14 1.9 Structure of the Dissertation ................................................................................................... 15 CHAPTER TWO: CONCEPTUAL AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK .................. 17 2.1 Conceptual FrameworkIntroduction ..................................................................................... 17 2.2 Conceptions and Perceptions .................................................................................................. 17 2.3 Individual and Social Meanings .............................................................................................. 20 2.4 Heterogeneity and Reflexivity-The Key Characteristic Features of Meanings ...................... 22 2.5 Experience and Social Interaction in Prefiguring Meanings ................................................... 24 2.6 Theoretical FrameworkIntroduction ..................................................................................... 29 2.6.1 Social Constructivism .......................................................................................................... 30 2.6.2 Pierre Bourdieu's Theory of Social Practice ........................................................................ 32 2.6.3 How Bourdieu's Theory is used in Education ..................................................................... 33 2.6.4 Habitus ................................................................................................................................. 34 22.214.171.124 Cultural capital .............................................................................................................. 36 220.127.116.11 Social and Economic Capital ........................................................................................ 41 2.6.5 Field ..................................................................................................................................... 43 CHAPTER THREE: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ........................................................... 46 3.