The identification of causal single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for complex diseases like type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a challenge because of the low statistical power of individual markers from a genome-wide association study (GWAS). SNP combinations are suggested to compensate for the low statistical power of individual markers, but SNP combinations from GWAS generate high computational complexity. Hence, we aim to detect T2D causal SNP combinations from a GWAS dataset with optimal filtration and to discover the biological meaning of the detected SNP combinations. Optimal filtration can enhance the statistical power of SNP combinations by comparing the error rates of SNP combinations from various Bonferroni thresholds and p-value range-based thresholds combined with linkage disequilibrium (LD) pruning. T2D causal SNP combinations are selected using random forests with variable selection from an optimal SNP dataset. The selected SNPs with SNP combinations are mapped with multi-dimensional levels of T2D-related information and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). A T2D causal SNP combination containing 101 SNPs from the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium (WTCCC) GWAS dataset are selected, with an error rate of 10.25%. Matching with known disease genes and gene sets revealed the relationships between T2D and SNP combinations. We propose a detection method for complex disease causal SNP combinations from an optimal SNP dataset by using random forests with variable selection. Mapping the biological meanings of detected SNP combinations can help uncover complex disease mechanisms.


Gitelman syndrome (GS) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia, metabolic alkalosis, and hypocalciuria (1). In the great majority of cases, GS is caused by mutations in the SLC12A3 gene encoding the thiazide-sensitive NaCl cotransporter ( NCCT ), which is specifically expressed in the apical membrane of cells along the distal convoluted tubule (2).

A 10-year-old Tunisian male patient was admitted with polyuria, polydipsia, and profound fatigue associated with weight loss. His parents were first cousins. Physical examination revealed clouded sensorium, severe dehydration, fruity-like breath odor, and Kussmaul breathing. The laboratory profile revealed hyperglycemia 21.7 mmol/L with ketonuria, acidosis, serum bicarbonate 6.4 mmol/L, sodium 133 mEql/L, potassium 1.1 mEq/L, and HbA1c 13.2%. On the basis of International …


Having formulated the purpose of the research - to focus attention on the narrative component of storytelling in modern mass media, the author goes on to solve it. The systematization of the basic concepts of storytelling is carried out. A review of its phenomenological characteristics and applications is presented. The characteristics of journalistic storytelling are highlighted. It is shown that the "fantastic" nature of the journalistic text is the philological category of narrative. The example of the analysis of materials from the site "AIF.ru" demonstrates the use of this tool for organizing journalistic content. In this article, the author pays attention to the analysis of traditional stories - stories that accumulate the interest of the reader mainly due to the text. In conclusion, conclusions are made on the basic concept of the work, showing the future prospects of the study. The practical significance of the study is the ability to use its position and conclusions in the educational process and in the scientific activities of students and postgraduate students of media direction. Observations made during the analysis of empirical material can be taken into account by practitioners of various fields.


A B ST R A C T Three independent observationalstudies have now detected a narrow (�z ' 0:5) dip centred at z = 3:2 in the otherwise sm ooth redshift evolution of the Lyforest eective optical depth. This feature has previously been interpreted as an indirect signature of rapid photo-heating in the IGM during the epoch of He II reionisation.W eexam inethisinterpretation usingasem i-analyticm odelofinho- m ogeneousHe II reionisation and high resolution hydrodynam icalsim ulationsofthe Lyforest.W e insteadnd thata rapid (�z ' 0:2)boostto the IGM tem perature (�T ' 10 4 K)beginning at z = 3:4 producesa wellunderstood and genericevolution in the Lyeective opticaldepth,where a sudden reduction in the opacity is fol- lowed by a gradual,m onotonicrecovery driven largely by adiabaticcooling in thelow density IGM .Thisbehaviourisinconsistentwith the narrow feature in the observa- tionaldata.Ifphoto-heatingduring He II reionisation isinstead extended overseveral redshiftunits,asrecenttheoreticalstudiessuggest,then the Lyopacity willevolve sm oothly with redshift.W e conclude thatthe sharp dip observed in the Lyforest eective opticaldepth is instead m ost likely due to a narrow peak in the hydrogen photo-ionisation ratearound z = 3:2,and suggestthatitm ay arisefrom them odula- tion ofeitherreprocessed radiation during He II reionisation,ortheopacity ofLym an lim itsystem s.


In this study, graphene oxide (GO) based hybrid materials with poly(3-butylthiophene) (P3BT) having various morphologies and crystal structures are fabricated through different approaches. The first kind of GO/P3BT hybrid material was prepared by aging GO/P3BT mixture in o-dichlorobenzene (ODCB) solvent, in which the P3BT molecules grow on GO surface and crystallize into semi-spherulites composed of nanoribbons. In this GO/P3BT hybrid material, P3BT crystals are in From II structure with a π-stacking distance of 0.47 nm and the P3BT nanoribbons with maximum width of 200 nm preferentially grow along the π-stacking direction. After thermal treatment, the GO/Form II P3BT hybrid material could be easily transformed into GO/Form I P3BT hybrid material with unchanged nanoribbon morphology but a modified π-stacking distance of 0.38 nm. If anisole is added to the fresh GO/P3BT solution in ODCB solvent, a third hybrid material, i.e., GO/P3BT nanowhiskers in Form I structure, was obtained. This work would be of benefit for the further understanding of P3BT crystallization behavior in the presence of GO and these hybrid materials would also provide potential platforms for further morphology-property study and crystal structure-property study on GO/conjugated polymer hybrid materials.


Internet connectivity has become important for socio-economic development of any region, especially the rural and remote regions. However, a major population of the world including India still remains unconnected to the internet. The traditional 'top-down' approach for enabling connectivity has proved to be insufficient for rural and remote areas. In this paper, we discuss an alternative 'bottom-up' sustainable multistakeholder model for enabling connectivity in rural India which has an active involvement of the village community through 'Gram Panchayats' (also known as Village Council). We also discuss the funding mechanism for this model through 'Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP)'. We suggest that 'Internet for Development' be included as one of the cross-cutting development areas in the GPDP to fund access to the internet in villages.


In the present work, we discuss the effects of the inclusion of sterile–active neutrino oscillations during the production of primordial light-nuclei. We assume that the sterile neutrino mass-eigenstate might oscillate with the two lightest active neutrino mass-eigenstates, with mixing angles ϕ1 and ϕ2. We also allow a constant renormalization (represented by a parameter (ζ)) of the sterile neutrino occupation factor. Taking ζ and the mixing angles as free parameters, we have computed distribution functions of active and sterile neutrinos and primordial abundances. Using observable data we set constrains in the free parameters of the model. It is found that the data on primordial abundances are consistent with small mixing angles and with a value of ζ smaller than 0.65 at 3σ level.


The sleeve grouting connection stands as a customary method for interlinking precast shear walls within assembly construction. In the realm of on-site construction, achieving complete avoidance of sleeve grouting defects remains a challenge. In an endeavor to scrutinize the seismic performance and the subsequent progression of damage within shear wall structures riddled with sleeve grouting defects, a two-story shear wall model was formulated through the utilization of ABAQUS software. Employing numerical simulation of low cycle reciprocating loading, the study was conducted across three distinct operational contexts: absence of defects, localized defects, and comprehensive defects. The outcomes proffer insight into the exacerbated concrete damage triggered by defects present within shear wall structures. These defects contribute to premature yielding of reinforcement and a consequent amplification in the plastic length of the reinforcement, consequently impeding the harmonized deformation of reinforcement and concrete. The "pinch phenomenon" is particularly conspicuous within fully defective structures during the nascent loading stages. As cyclic loads mount, the hysteretic curves of both defective and defect-free structure tend to converge. While the skeleton curve of structures, whether grouting defects are present or not, demonstrates remarkable parity prior to reaching the pinnacle reaction force, the defective structure displays premature waning in reaction force. This, in turn, curtails the efficacy of early warning concerning structural deformation and jeopardizes safety. In light of the foregoing analysis, it is manifest that the presence of sleeve grouting defects significantly impacts the seismic performance and subsequent damage trajectory of shear wall structures. As a corollary, addressing and mitigating these defects during on-site construction emerge as imperative prerequisites for upholding the comprehensive safety and stability of the structure.


For developing to existed the clinical value using in the new anticancer drugs development. This research is the preliminary step to sieve cytotoxic exhibiter out from Hypolepis punctata (Thunb.) Mett. The fresh full plants of Hypolepis punctata (Thunb.) Mett., were extracted with methanol, to afford crude extracted, which was partitioned between n-Hexane, Ethyl acetate and H2O. These fraction were subject to various chromatography and preliminary screen test cytotoxic activity. Five compounds were isolated and purified. The structures of these compound were determined based on the analysis of their physical property and spectral studies, they are Pterosin Z(1), Pterosin I(2), Pterosin A(3), Pterosin D(4) and(+)-pinoresinol-β-D-glucoside(5). Among them, Fraction 5-1 of Ethyl acetate layer showed cytotoxic effects to NUGC-3 and HONE-1 cells. Moreover, it is note worthy that (+)-pinoresinol-β-D-glucoside(5) was isolated from Hypolepis punctata (Thunb.) Mett. for the first time. Pterosin Z(1) and Pterosin I(2) exhibited cytotoxic effects on the Hep G2 cells, which IC50 are 55.1μg/ml and 32.8μg/ml.


Light-field displays are good candidates in the field of glasses-free 3D display for showing real 3D images without decreasing the image resolution. Light-field displays can create light rays using a large number of projectors in order to express the natural 3D images. However, in light-field displays using multi-projectors, the compensation is very critical due to different characteristics and arrangement positions of each projector. In this paper, we present an enhanced 55- inch, 100-Mpixel multi-projection 3D display consisting of 96 micro projectors for immersive natural 3D viewing in medical and educational applications. To achieve enhanced image quality, color and brightness uniformity compensation methods are utilized along with an improved projector configuration design and a real-time calibration process of projector alignment. For color uniformity compensation, projected images from each projector are captured by a camera arranged in front of the screen, the number of pixels based on RGB color intensities of each captured image is analyzed, and the distributions of RGB color intensities are adjusted by using the respective maximum values of RGB color intensities. For brightness uniformity compensation, each light-field ray emitted from a screen pixel is modeled by a radial basis function, and compensating weights of each screen pixel are calculated and transferred to the projection images by the mapping relationship between the screen and projector coordinates. Finally, brightness compensated images are rendered for each projector. Consequently, the display shows improved color and brightness uniformity, and consistent, exceptional 3D image quality.


Image fusion is the process of combining the relevant information from two or more images into a single highly informative image. The resulting fused image contains more information than the input images. In this paper, different methods namely Averaging method, Principal Component Analysis, Different Wavelet Transforms and Curvelet Transform were used to fuse different modality of images [e.g., MRI, CT; MULTI-SPECTRAL, PANCHROMATIC etc.] and all the fused images were compared using different comparison techniques namely Mean, Standard Deviation, Entropy (H) , Correlation Coefficient(CC), Co-Variance, Root Mean Square Error(RMSE), Peak Signal To Noise Ratio(PSNR). In addition to this, different wavelet transforms were integrated with PCA to improve performance evaluation. The wavelet Transform methods used here are Haar wavelet, daubechis wavelet, Bi-Orthogonal wavelet, discrete Meyer wavelet methods etc.


The religion-historical problem of the EpistIe to the Colossians has long intrigued students of the New Testament. Colossians is not the only early Christian text to treat angels. The raw materials for constructing a model for what is going on at Colossae are the polemical epithets and remarks that the author uses. Zostrianos requires a new set of baptisms before the third set of revelations, delivered by an angel Youel. Space does not permit complete review of texts with baptismal implications from the Nag Hammadi corpus and related literature. The baptismal theology of some of the Nag Hammadi texts, with its portrait of a ritual of transformation that brings the recipient into an angelic state, is unparalleled in orthodox literary sourees. Traditions about the transformation of legendary seers into an angelic state were ritualized, already prior to the formation of Christianity. Keywords: angel Youel; baptismal theology; Christian text; Colossae; Nag Hammadi corpus; Zostrianos


This article explores issues of identity as reflected in Kapka Kassabova's first novel, Reconnaissance. After considering whether Reconnaissance should be catalogued as an example of "migrant writing", I focus on how the author explores the processes of travel and migration through a character who performs several roles simultaneously in her struggle to negotiate her position within New Zealand society.


Understanding and Treating the Psychopath is another book in the Wiley series on personality processes, a well-regarded compendium of texts for behavioral scientists interested in the nature of human personality. The book is written for the doctoral-level mental health practitioner and therefore assumes a fairly sophisticated grasp of psychological theory and empirical research. Dr. Doren's writing style is generally clear and concise, however, which may broaden his readership to include laymen interested in the psychopath.


In this paper we apply data envelopment analysis (DEA) to evaluate the performance of hedge fund classifications. The purpose of alternative investment strategies such as hedge funds is to offer absolute returns, so using passive benchmarks to measure their performance could be ineffective. With the increasing number of hedge funds available, institutional investors, pension funds, and high net worth individuals urgently need a trustworthy efficiency appraisal method. DEA can achieve this. An important benefit of the DEA measure is that benchmarks are not required, thereby alleviating the problem of using traditional benchmarks to examine non-normal distribution of hedge fund returns. We suggest that DEA be used as a complimentary technique (or method) for the selection of efficient hedge funds and funds of hedge funds for investors. Using DEA can shed light and further validate hedge fund manager selection with other methodologies.


As the world population, the majority of Indonesian's town all knows an increase of their population that results in an augmentation of the housing needs. What is called Micro-housing is a new global trend that targets a younger worker part of the population and also a newly married couple that doesn't have children yet. Indeed, this part of the population is in need to find house or apartment close to their workplace, close to the transportation of the city but also close to all the other town facilities like hospitals, restaurant, stores. This desire of finding a house or apartment in a strategic location known as the center of a town tends to increase but the available spaces to build more houses tend to decrease. That is why one of the solutions to this space problem is micro-housing; this type of new housing will allow responding to this problem of available space. This design project is not only about reducing space, but it is also focus on being able to design and create a layout space that responds to the multiple needs of the tenant by using multiple techniques in the design layout but also using transformable and foldable pieces of furniture.


The authors report a case of Wegner's granulomatosis with the unusual manifestation of diffuse pulmonary hemorrhage. A 58‐year‐old man complained of bloody sputum and fever. Chest X‐ray films showed multiple nodular shadows in both lung fields. He was diagnosed as having Wegener's granulomatosis by transbronchial lung biopsy, which revealed necrotizing granulomatous inflammation with necrotizing vasculitis. Despite treatment with cyclo‐phosphamide and prednisolone, his condition rapidly deteriorated. An extensive diffuse alveolar shadow appeared in both lung fields in chest X‐ray films, anemia became worse, and he died of respiratory failure. Autopsy revealed diffuse alveolar hemorrhage with necrotizing capillaritis in addition to the typical pathological findings in Wegener's granulomatosis. The capillaritis was characterized by neutrophilic infiltration of alveolar septa, and fibrin thrombi in alveolar capillaries. Diffuse pulmonary hemorrhage is uncommon in Wegener's granulomatosis. However, once diffuse pulmonary hemorrhage occurs, the respiratory condition rapidly deteriorates and is life‐threatening. Therefore, accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment are required. Acta Pathol Jpn 42: 657–661, 1992.


Nano structure films of cadmium thiogallate CdGa 2 S 4 have been prepared by a conventional thermal evaporation technique (at substrate temperature = 303 K). These films were deposited on both glass and quartz substrates. X-ray diffraction measurements showed that CdGa 2 S 4 compound in the powder form has a polycrystalline nature with a tetragonal structure. The as-deposited film was annealed at 673 K for 2 h under vacuum 10 -3  Pa and was irradiated by 10 kGy γ co rays. This resulted in a transformation to nanostructure grains of CdGa 2 S 4 thin films. Transmission electron microscopy was carried out for all of the investigated films, which also confirmed that those films could be transformed to nanostructure grains. Optical properties of the CdGa 2 S 4 films under investigation were examined using spectrophotometric measurements of transmittance and reflectance at normal incidence in the wavelength range 400–2500 nm. It was found that both refractive index n and absorption index k changed with the heat and irradiation treatments. The dispersion of refractive index in CdGa 2 S 4 was analyzed according to the single oscillator model. Some dispersion parameters were determined for all investigated films. The calculated values of β (which is defined as the parameter used to determine the type of crystal) indicate that CdGa 2 S 4 belongs to the covalent class for all films investigated. The ratio of the free carrier concentration to the effective mass N / m * was also determined. The analysis of the absorption coefficient indicated that this ternary defect chalcopyrite compound has both direct and indirect transitions in relevance to the energy gaps E g 1 dir , E g 2 dir and E g ind , respectively. These energy values decreased by irradiation, while they increased by annealing.


This paper presents a novel permanent magnetic CoNiMnP-AAO nanocomposite film comprising of a CoNiMnP nanowire array with a high aspect ratio (>;150). The nanocomposite synthesized by a low temperature electroplating process (at 30°C) with AAO template can exhibit a unique magnetic characteristic of vertical shape anisotropy which results in a coercivity (Hc) of 2512Oe, a remanence (Br) up to 3616Gauss and a maximum energy product, (BH)max, of 12.02kJ/m3. Such a simple fabrication process and excellent magnetic property reveal that permanent magnetic CoNiMnP-AAO nanocomposite is with great potential for magnetic N/MEMS applications.


Addition products could be obtained in high yields from the reaction of o-bromo-styrenes with bromine in CCl4 solvent at room temperature.The o-bromophenylacetylenes could be prepared in high yields from dehydrobromination of corresponding addition products with potassium tert-butoxide at room temperature.Meanwhile,the optimum conditions of elimination reactions were investigated,which were THF as reaction solvent,room temperature(25 ℃)as reaction temperature,and three equivalent potassium tert-butoxide as elimination base.The o-bromophenylacetylene was then obtained from o-bromostyrene in 81.96% yield by a two-step synthesis under the optimal conditions.The titled products were characterized by 1HNMR and MS.A novel,practical and efficient method for the synthesis of o-bromophenylacteylenes was developed.


Learning is the most vital key term in every education effort, therefore without the real learning there will nothing about education. Individual achievement of the learning process called studying's result. One of the internal factor that can influence someone's studying result is intelegency and learning motivation. The research is to know : (1) The influence of the intelegensi against the learn physics the students , (2) The influence of motivation learn to the students learn physics the students , (3) The influence of the intelegensi and motivation learned to learn physics the students. This research was conducted in SMAN 13 Bandar Lampung that exerting one experimental class (X5) which 35 students as the sample. The studying's result measured by the result of posttest evaluation, whereas the intelegency gained by taking from the research sample that use documentation technique. The data of learning motivation gain from the student's learning motivation questionnaire. The data tested by SPSS 17.0 there are regression test, normality, homogenity and linearity. Based on the test result showed that : (1) There was influence of intelegency toward studying's. (2) There was influence of motivation toward studying's. (3) There was influence of intelegency and learning motivation toward studying's. Keyword : studying's result, intelegency and learning motivation.


Constitutional law mainly regulates two aspects: One is the distribution of power and the format of government.The other is the protection of basic rights of people.The conflicts of law arise from different extents of the distribution of power and different formats of government,so to the legislative power and jurisdiction.This gives effect to the method of solution on conflicts of law directly.From the view of the constitutional practice in the United States and Germany,the system of constitutional review sets up a bridge for constitution to affect conflicts of law.In order to harmonize our interregional conflicts of law by the approach of constitution,we should set up effective system of constitutional review in China and add some clauses on resolving the interregional conflicts of law in our constitution.


Revision surgery for lumbar stenosis is associated with longer surgical times, greater technical challenges, and a higher rate for potential complication rates than primary surgery. However, in well-selected patients, clinical success can be achieved. Identification of symptomatic residual or recurrent areas of stenosis or instability is paramount. Adhering to basic principles of revision surgery is crucial to its safe and effective execution. However, the surgeries are often far from "basic," requiring the surgeon to be adept at a wide range of conventional and novel surgical techniques.


Dysglycemia induced by gatifloxacin has been notified recently by National Center for ADR Monitoring. This text is intend to understand the occurrence situation, the influencing factors and characters associated with gatifloxacin-induced dysglycemia, and to bring forword primary suggestions of risk management.


This review addresses the role of chemical communication in mammals, giving special attention to the vomeronasal system in pheromone-mediated interactions. The vomeronasal system influences many social and sexual behaviors, from reproduction to species recognition. Interestingly, this system shows greater evolutionary variability compared to the olfactory system, emphasizing its complex nature and the need for thorough research. The discussion starts with foundational concepts of chemocommunication, progressing to a detailed exploration of olfactory systems. The neuroanatomy of the vomeronasal system stands in contrast with that of the olfactory system. Further, the sensory part of the vomeronasal system, known as the vomeronasal organ, and the integration center of this information, called the accessory olfactory bulb, receive comprehensive coverage. Secondary projections of both the olfactory and vomeronasal systems receive attention, especially in relation to the dual olfactory hypothesis. The review concludes by examining the organization of the vomeronasal system in four distinct mammalian groups: rodents, marsupials, herpestids, and bovids. The aim is to highlight the unique morphofunctional differences resulting from the adaptive changes each group experienced.


Sleep deprivation in the hospitalized patient is a problem that is just beginning to be addressed. If nurses are aware of some of the facts about sleep patterns, they may be able to do sleep assessments on their patients and use specific interventions to prevent sleep deprivation.


It is through the recycling process that disposed waste materials could regain a new purpose on their use, take for instance the tetrapak™ packaging. This material consists of thermally joint layers of paper, aluminum and polyethylene. Once recycled, the two latter materials form a new composite named poly-aluminum which is employed to manufacture roof tiles that serve as environmental protection against solar radiation and rain. This work reports an optical nondestructive comparison study of the surface deformation in poly-aluminum and clay roof tiles exposed to heat radiation. The optical system based on a sensitive out-of-plane interferometer configuration records several image holograms from a controlled heat source that raises the temperature on the tile's surface. The retrieved optical phase renders the tiles surface's deformation for a temperature range of 25 degrees on a Celsius scale. The results show a greater deformation profile from the poly-aluminum tile compared with the classic clay tile. However, its thermal insulation properties are better than those of the clay roof tile.


AR#2 The authors have developed an excellent minimal process-based model to project the timing of ice on in lakes. By showing how it gives similar results to a complex vertical 1D hydrodynamic model and outperforms popular empirical approaches (negative degree days), the authors give a convincing argument that the methodology should be applied to global lake studies. The language of the manuscript is very good, and the methodology is well laid out. Although some supplementary information could arguably have been part of the main text, the methods and considerations are clear and described in detail. Especially the pseudo analytical solution of the model framework using MCMC could provide the basis for future ice phenology studies. This manuscript is clearly suited for GMD and should be published soon.


Abstract: Wetland is a unique natural landscape pattern, which provides a variety of important functions and services for human societies. With the rapid develop of the economy and accelerated urbanization, the inland wetlands are faced with series of problems, including reduced area, weakened wetland functions, and deterioration of the wetland ecosystem environment. Therefore, it is necessary to quantitatively assess the ecological health of China's inland wetlands, which is key to the sustainable development of ecosystems. However, most assessments of wetland ecosystems only examine single wetlands or watershed wetlands, and there are few assessments of wetland health at the national level. In this paper, based on land cover data, climate data, and social and economic data, an assessment system of inland wetland health is established by using the Pressure-State-Effect-Response (PSER) model, which includes 15 assessment indicators. Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used to define the indicator weights. Then we assessed the ecosystem health of the inland wetlands of China in 2010 and 2018, which produced three main results. (1) Unlike ecosystem health evaluated by administrative districts, wetland ecosystem health (WEH) evaluation based on the grid could provide additional details of wetland health. (2) The area of inland wetlands increased by 16328 km2 in 2018 compared to 2010, and the average wetland ecosystem health index in 2018 was 3.45, compared to an index value of 3.24 in 2010. (3) In 2018, wetlands in the better, good, moderate and poor conditions represented about 26.3%, 46.4%, 26.9% and 0.5% of the total, respectively. These results provide a practical guide for protecting and managing wetland system resources and reliable information for land use planning and development.


The multi-objective optimization problem based on pareto is a important research direction of the evolutionary algorithm,and how to improve the efficiency of constructing the Pareto non-dominated set is a key to the algorithm.This paper proposed a quick method of constructing multi-objective pareto non-dominated set through observing the election phenomenon and understanding the mutual character of multi-objective individual,namely the election principle(EP),analyzed that its computational complexity was O(rmN),proved the EP works correctly.Because the number m of actual non-dominated individual is smaller than the population size N,compared with familiar methods the EP has a high efficiency and proves it through experiment finally.


Airborne IFSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) mapping is attracting much attention in the geo-spatial community. This attention is due to the flexibility of system deployment, near weather-independent operation, cloud penetrating capability, versatile map products, and quick turn-around time. As a result, high-resolution airborne IFSAR systems are providing data to applications traditionally supported by conventional photogrammetric technology. The three main products are, Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), digital Orthorectified Radar Images (ORRIs), and Topographic Line Maps (TLMs). These products are being produced at Intermap by the STAR-3i airborne IFSAR system to support many geo-spatial related applications. The main objective of this paper is to investigate the accuracy performance of airborne IFSAR systems, with a focus on Intermap's STAR-3i.


We studied a new method for preparing polymer–ionic liquid (IL) gels via deposition of vapor phase precursors onto thin layers of IL. The solubility of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate enabled polymerization at both the IL–vapor interface and within the IL layer. We observed a transition from a viscous liquid to a gel with increasing polymer concentration. At short deposition times, there were two distinct molecular weights reflecting polymerization at the IL–vapor interface and within the IL layer, while at longer deposition times the molecular weight distribution within the IL layer broadened. The polymer chains within the IL were orders of magnitude larger than the polymer chains at the IL–vapor interface, and increasing the reactor pressure was shown to increase the molecular weight. Our ability to form high molecular weight polymer chains allows for the formation of gels for utilization as fuel-cell membranes and thin-film transistors.


1 There is neither statistically significant difference between the rate of positive samples in SP and AS (chi2 test) nor in the different age categories (Kolmogorov-Smirnov test). Average viral load values were higher for GI NoV in SP than in AP (p=0.02), when they were higher for GII NoV in AP than in SP (p=0.04) (Table IV). Molecular epidemiology of norovirus in symptomatic and asymptomatic population in Burkina Faso


To reuse previous knowledge of object-oriented design and adapt them to solve new problems, the collaboration relationships and the responsibility distribution among software objects need to be thoroughly understood and precisely formulated. The paper proposes a knowledge-based approach that employs category theoretic models to formalize and mechanize objectoriented software design and synthesis by focusing concern on reasoning about the interdependency relationships at different levels of abstraction and granularity. The major benefit of our approach is twofold: First, it provides an explicit semantics for formal object-oriented specifications, and therefore enables a high-level of reusability and dynamic adaptability. Second, it utilizes the ability of categorical computations to support automated software composition and refinement. A prototype tool that demonstrates the feasibility and effectiveness of our approach is also presented. 1. Introduction One way to software reuse is to construct and use source code libraries, which heavily rely upon directory information and keyword/string search that is often cumbersome and problematic [18]. Subsequently, many knowledge-based systems (e.g., [4, 9, 24]) have been investigated for more sophisticated support mechanisms, which typically have a knowledge representation of reusable software components, and provide knowledge-based functions to query, browse and edit the components to meet user requirements. The advantages of using a knowledge-base approach include: semantic retrieval and proliferation, information aggregation and intelligent index for components, and use of classification and inheritance to support updates.


The list of genera in the polyphyletic tribe Ptiliini, used as a dumping ground for difficult genera of Ptiliidae by several generations of Coleopterists, is brought up to date with recent additions and omissions, and figures and a key to the genera are provided to aid their determination. 29 new species and 3 new genera are added. It was hoped to be able to determine some generic groups within the tribe but that work must depend on further cladistical and DNA research in the future. The new genera are Cingulum gen.n., Iloptila gen.n. and Numa gen.n. and the new species are Actidium cooteri sp.n., A. minimum sp.n., A. nigrum sp.n., Cingulum orsippus gen.n. sp.n., Dipentium bicolor sp.n., D. punctissimum sp.n., D. spinosum sp.n., Gomyella intricata sp.n., G. nicoya sp.n., G. profunda sp.n., G. tripla sp.n., Greensladella cicra sp.n., G. similata sp.n., Iloptila modica gen.n. sp.n., Micridium circulatum sp.n., M. dembickyi sp.n., M. hirsutum sp.n., M. juara sp.n., M. novum sp.n., Millidium karnatakense sp.n., Numa carmen gen.n. sp.n., Ptiliodes kanchiporam sp.n., Ptiliola bennetti sp.n., P. nigra sp.n., P. peruviensis sp.n., Ptilium lisae sp.n., P. longum sp.n., P. pallidulum sp.n. and P. piceum sp.n.


THE IMMERSED STRENGTH AND AIR-DRY STRENGTH OF AN IOWA SILTY LOAM TREATED WITH LARGE ORGANIC CATIONIC MATERIALS CAN BE INCREASED BY THE ADDITION OF VARIOUS POLYACIDS. THIS INCREASE IS APPARENTLY DUE PRIMARILY TO AN IONIC ABSORPTION COMPLEX IN WHICH THE POLYACIDS BOND BETWEEN LARGE ORGANIC CATIONS COATING THE MINERAL SURFACES. THE STRENGTH OF THE TREATED SOIL CAN BE FURTHER INCREASED BY THE ADDITION OF SMALL AMOUNTS OF FERROUS CARBONATE. ALSO INVESTIGATED WAS THE USE OF SPENT SULFITE LIQUOR WITH LARGE ORGANIC CATIONS WHICH APPEARS MOST PROMISING ON AN ECONOMIC BASIS. /AUTHOR/


A chiller for high temperature material of material width corresponding type is provided to control the width direction property deviation of a hot-rolled product by preventing temperature deflection between the temperature of a strip edge part and a strip center part. A chiller for high temperature material of material width corresponding type comprises: a head(30) having a plurality of injection nozzles(32) jetting a cooling fluid(W), arranged adjacent to the material on a flow path of a high temperature material(10); and a nozzle masking unit(50) opening and closing a plurality of injection nozzles corresponding to the width of the material. The nozzle masking unit includes a cylinder(52) and a piston(54) located both side of the head. The head is arranged at the top and bottom of the flow path and has a vent(65a).


This study is aimed to determine whether there is any meaningful correlation between predictors and is intended to examine the relative influences that the pedagogical content knowledge of science teaching, scientific attitudes, science teaching intentions have on their science teaching efficacy. The results, showed that the childcare center teachers' pedagogical content knowledge of science teaching, scientific attitudes, science teaching intentions, and science teaching efficacy are all correlated with each other. The teachers' science teaching efficacy are predicted by their scientific attitudes, science teaching intentions, and pedagogical content knowledge of science teaching-learning methods. Specifically, for teachers of 0 to 2-year-olds, their science teaching efficacy is predicted by their science teaching intentions and scientific attitudes. For teachers of 3 to 5-year-olds, their science teaching is affected by their scientific attitudes and their pedagogical content knowledge.


is vacant or filled with material having a refractive index different from the tissue, the observed structure is deformed significantly. This deformation artifact can be minimized by filling the cavity with liquid having a refractive index nearly equal to the tissue. Furthermore, by using dynamical OCT method, cavity image intensity can be significantly enhanced compared with the tissue. This image contrast improvement may allow imaging of cavity structures inside deep in tissues. In this paper, we demonstrate good contrast of speckle variance OCT imaging of phantoms. A trial of deep OCT imaging is introduced with which we can extend the OCT depth range to 27.5 mm with a commercial swept source, while the preinstalled k-clock allows only the OCT depth range of 5 mm.


Investigations of elemental abundances in the ancient and most metal deficient stars are extremely important because they serve as tests of variable nucleosynthesis pathways and can provide critical inferences of the type of stars that lived and died before them. The presence of r-process elements in a handful of carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP-r) stars, which are assumed to be closely connected to the chemical yield from the first stars, is hard to reconcile with standard neutron star mergers. Here we show that the production rate of dynamically assembled compact binaries in high-z nuclear star clusters can attain a sufficient high value to be a potential viable source of heavy r-process material in CEMP-r stars. The predicted frequency of such events in the early Galaxy, much lower than the frequency of Type II supernovae but with significantly higher mass ejected per event, can naturally lead to a high level of scatter of Eu as observed in CEMP-r stars.


A hybrid numerical model is developed for the simulation of offshore wind farms. In the model, the wind turbulence is simulated using the large-eddy simulation technique; the ocean wave field is simulated using a potential-flow based method; and the wind and wave simulations are coupled through a two-way feedback scheme. The effect of wind turbines on the wind field is represented by an actuator disk model. Using this numerical model, the effect of ocean waves on the wind farm dynamics is studied by considering a variety of fully-developed and fetchlimited wind-sea conditions. The simulation results indicate that the offshore wind farm obtains a higher wind power extraction rate under the fully-developed wind-sea condition compared with the fetch-limited condition.


Acoustic technology has proven to be a well-established nondestructive technique for assessing potential product performance by identifying logs with high stiffness. In an ongoing endeavor to optimize merchandizing and enhance timber value recovery, 7 second growth Douglas-fir stands of similar age class in western Oregon were sampled, totaling 1,400 trees and more than 3,000 logs. This research investigated the effects of spatial as well as internal and external log characteristics on Douglas-fir wood stiffness. Stand-level in-forest log acoustic measurements, as well as dynamic modulus of elasticity values correlated well with the actual G1/G2 veneer grade recovery (R 2 of 0.91 and 0.82, respectively) once bark removal adjustments were made. External log characteristics such as diameter and length were found to have limited predictive capability in terms of acoustic velocity and hence wood stiffness. The presence and size of branches were found to be negatively correlated to acoustic velocity readings, and the addition of the tree-length difference improved the regression model. Logs produced from the lowest part of the tree had the largest acoustic velocity, and velocity decreased in each subsequent log along the length of a tree stem.


The assessment of harmfulness of two resins applied as a partial substitute of coal dust in moulding sands with bentonite – was performed in the paper. The emission value of compounds from the PAH and BTEX groups was assumed as the main harmfulness criterion. Also mixtures of the Kormix type prepared with additions of these resins were tested. Experiments were carried out in an argon atmosphere in a temperature range: 500-1300 ◦ C. The obtained emission values of these substances were recalculated for 1% of lustrous carbon content in each carrier. It was assumed in the calculations, that the NW 1 and NW 2 carriers contain approximately 55% of lustrous carbon while the Kormix mixture approximately 15%. The critical temperature of forming compounds of the PAH group for the NW 1 carrier is 900 ◦ C, while for the NW 2 carrier is 1100 ◦ C (this is a temperature, at which the emission abruptly increases). In case of formation of compounds from the BTEX group the critical temperature for both lustrous carbon carriers is a temperature of 900 ◦ C.


Multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS), is more prevalent in women than men. Recent studies suggest that the cytokine migration inhibitory factor (MIF) plays a role in the progression of MS and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). We have shown that MIF−/− mice have decreased EAE severity relative to wt controls. Here, we evaluate the role of MIF in the context of known suppressive hormones. Serum levels of corticosterone (CORT) and testosterone (TEST) were measured prior to and following EAE induction in the presence and absence of MIF. Basal levels of TEST in MIF−/− mice were notably higher than controls; basal levels of CORT were low and similar between groups. Following EAE, there was little change in CORT and TEST in wt mice; however, TEST decreased and CORT increased in MIF−/− mice following immunization. To evaluate the role of TEST, we removed the testes of male MIF−/− mice and induced EAE. We found no difference in disease severity whether MIF−/− mice were gonadectomized or not; control mice had significantly more severe EAE in the absence of TEST. These findings suggest that CORT plays a larger role than TEST in disease progression, although both hormones appear to be influenced by MIF. Further study of the mechanism of MIF could lead to improved therapies for a variety of autoimmune diseases.
 (Supported by NIH grant AI 064320 and National MS Society grant RG3272)


1. Background There are two main points of view in the literature regarding processing of regular and irregular inflectional morphology, and in particular regular and irregular verbs. According to the modular approach, regular and irregular verbs are processed by two distinct mechanisms. Regular verb forms are computed in a rule-processing system, while irregular verbs are processed in associative memory. (Marcus et al. 1992, 1995, Pinker 1991, Pinker and Prince 1988, 1991, 1994, Prasada and Pinker 1993, Ullman 1999). This so-called dual-system view holds that since irregular verbs are retrieved from associative memory, they will be frequency-sensitive. Thus, high-frequency forms will be better remembered than lowfrequency forms. Unlike irregular verbs, regulars will show no frequency effects. The opposite single-system approach in its two variations, the connectionist (MacWhinney and Leinbach 1991, Plunkett and Marchman 1991, 1993, Rumelhart and McClelland 1986) and the network (Bybee 1985, 1988, 1995, Langacker 1987, 1988) approaches, holds that both regular and irregular verbs are processed by one single mechanism in associative memory. Consequently, it predicts that both regular and irregular verbs will show frequency effects. Experimental data on frequency effects in English pasttense inflection are controversial. While several studies demonstrate frequency effects only in irregular verbs (Prasada, Pinker, and Snyder 1990, Ullman 1999) and therefore do not support the single-system view, other studies demonstrate frequency effects for regular verbs as well (Stemberger and MacWhinney 1988, Marchman 1997). The study by Alegre and Gordon (1999), which showed frequency effects in regular inflection, measured reaction times in a lexical decision task involving English verbs, nouns, and adjectives (as well as nonce forms). It detected whole-word frequency effects for regularly inflected verbs above the threshold of about 6 per million when stem-cluster frequencies were held constant.


The energy management issue has become crucial at this moment as the power demand has increased rapidly as time goes on. Therefore, a proper usage of energy is more concerned and the energy efficient lighting system had introduced and being widely used to reduce the power demand. However, at the same time, the Power Quality issues have been raised. Lighting system considering as one of the biggest energy consumption from the overall energy consumption of the system especially for commercial building. Most of the energy efficient lighting system are consider as the non-linear load will be creating disturbances to the power system. The relation of active power, price of LED lamps and harmonic current emission will be investigate in this project and at the end of the project, the characteristics of LED lamps with lowest contribution of power quality issue will be proposed. In this project, the focus will be on waveform distortion and voltage fluctuation only. From various type of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lamps available in the market, the LED lamps with active power less than 25W will be studied as there is no dedicated standard requirement for energy efficient lighting system with active power less than 25W. An individual lighting and a group of lighting will be observed on their behavior and the effect of Power Quality issues on voltage fluctuation and harmonic current emission. The measurement of waveform distortion from a LED lamp will be evaluated as specified in MS IEC 61000-3-2. Methodology and test condition specified in MS IEC 61000- 3-2 and MS IEC 61000-4-14 will be adopted for measurement of waveform distortion and inject voltage fluctuation waveform in this project. The results show that there is no relation between active power, price of LED lamps and harmonic current emission. The LED lamps with active power of 18W and colour temperature of 6400K have the lowest contribution in power quality issues.


In this day, when insecure living and working conditions have come to be recognized as a great problem in social security, it is interesting to see how one industrial firm attacked that problem almost a century ago. The firm was the Waltham Watch Co., and the executive responsible for its labor management was Aaron Dennison. The watch company was one of three large manufacturing enterprises started by Dennison. The others were the Dennison Manufacturing Co., of Framingham, Massachusetts, and the Dennison Watch Case Co., of Birmingham, England.


For the first time the authors have constructed a general mathematical model of mass transfer in a one- component nonisothermic one-dimensional system with fixed volume (sealed capsule). They reveal the character and degree of influence of various parameters of the process (temperature, buffer-gas pressure) on the mass transfer rate. The pressure distribution in the system is analyzed for various limiting cases. It is shown that the process can be described in terms of a characteristic flux which is a base parameter of the system. Introduction of this parameter permits us to simplify the analysis of the laws of the process


The responses to fertilizer N of winter wheat and winter barley grown on sandy soils were measured in 74 experiments in England from 1991 to 1994. A series of curves was fitted to the data from each of the experiments to determine which best described the yield response to fertilizer N. The linear plus exponential model, adopted for data from a range of other soil types, with the rate parameter (r) determined for each experiment, proved to be the most satisfactory for these data. The median value of r at 0·987 was less than has usually been determined for other soil types, and was reduced by increasing moisture stress in June, suggesting that the reduced efficiency with which recovered N produces assimilate is partly a result of moisture stress. The model produced a mean Nopt of 143 kg/ha following cereals. Soil N supply in spring (SNSs) was small at c. 45 kg/ha and commensurate with a large requirement for fertilizer N. Apparent fertilizer recovery (AFR) at 0·70 was greater than that previously measured on clay or chalk soils, suggesting that AFR was not restricted by lack of soil moisture. The larger AFR is considered to be a consequence of more rapid remobilization of fertilizer N in these sandy soils. The greater recovery of fertilizer N reduced the optimum requirement for fertilizer N. Nitrogen harvest index (NHI) was decreased from 0·76 to 0·70 as fertilizer N increased from 0 to 300 kg/ha, whereas dry matter harvest index (HI) decreased from 0·53 to 0·50. The economic optimum requirement for fertilizer N, at 143 kg/ha, was less than reported for other soil types. The increase in grain yield from applied fertilizer N was less in these experiments than in those reported on other soil types in the UK. However, this overall observation masks two counterbalancing differences. Fertilizer N was recovered more efficiently on these soils; the recovered fertilizer N was used with similar efficiency to produce grain dry matter. The explanation proposed is that on these soils a large proportion of soil water is readily available to crops, and this was taken up rapidly in May accompanied by fertilizer N. However, shortage of water in June restricted the ability of the crop to produce assimilate from fertilizer N applications >c. 150 kg/ha.


The analysis and research of legal translation within the European Union not only aims at identifying translation problems and strategies in order to improve this process which is intrinsic to European communication, but also tries to see much more in translation: a dynamo of the evolution of societies, of cultures, of the idea and construct of Europe and the European Union. This linguistic and cultural process is dynamic in overcoming challenges of different natures – terminological, ideological, political, economic, and even in terms of resources, be they human or technological. The diachronic or synchronic analysis focuses not only on circulant translations, meant to be enforced on various territories, but also on translations for informative purposes, and aims at providing insight into specific challenges related to legal translation in past and present times.


ABSTRACT: Acute exposure to platelet-activating factor (PAF) causes severe pulmonary vasoconstriction (PV), but its action may be markedly limited by tachyphylaxis. To determine the effects of PAF exposure perse and the effects compared with the hypoxemic state (33 ± 1 mm Hg), PAF infusions (0.05–0.15 nmol/kg/min × 30–180 min) were administered to 15 open-chested, anesthetized, neonatal piglets before and during administration of selective receptor blockers to PAF (SRI 63 441, 5 mg/kg i.v. or WEB 2086, 10 mg/kg i.v.) or vehicle. Measurements included mean pulmonary (PAP) and systemic arterial pressures, cardiac index, right and left ventricular pressures and dimensions, and coronary blood flow. Mean PAP and pulmonary vascular resistance index rose in response to 30 min PAF infusion (14 ± 1 to 30 ± 1 mm Hg and 4500 ± 700 to 16400 ± 1900 dynes s cm-5·kg, both p < 0.01, n = 10). Similar changes occurred when PAF was infused for 180 min (n = 5). Other parameters were unaffected. Acute hypoxia also increased in PAP and pulmonary vascular resistance index (17 ± 1 to 32 ± 2 mm Hg and 6400 ± 900 to 17 100 ± 1800 dynes s cm-5·kg, both p < 0.01) and did not alter other measured variables. Treatment with SRI 63 441 prevented PAF-induced increases in PAP (14 ± 1 to 14 ± 1 mm Hg, p < 0.05) and pulmonary vascular resistance index (5300 ± 900 to 5500 ± 800 dynes s cm-5·kg, p < 0.05) but failed to alter the response to hypoxia. SRI 63 441 and WEB 2086, administered during PAF infusion, rapidly reversed PAF action. Vehicle had no effect. We conclude that PAF can produce severe and sustained PV in vivo and that PAF receptor blockade may be useful in treatment of neonatal disease featuring PAF-mediated PV. PAF receptors may not be involved in PV induced by hypoxia.


Hypertrophic olivary degeneration (HOD) is a rare abnormality that is caused by a lesion in the Guillain-Mollaret triangle in the brainstem. HOD usually occurs uniand ipsilaterally to the lesion if the lesion is in the brainstem or contralaterally to the lesion if the lesion is in the cerebellum, as has been shown by MRI. The Guillain-Mollaret triangle is composed of the contralateral dentate nucleus, the ipsilateral red nucleus, and the ipsilateral inferior olivary nucleus (ION). The ION is a highly developed complex that is the main source of climbing fibers to the cerebellum. These fibers have powerful excitatory synapses on Purkinje cell dendrites. The inferior olive tends to possess a slow, rhythmic, spontaneous activity. HOD usually manifests itself with palatal myoclonus. The causes of HOD include trauma, inflammation, tumor, degenerative disease, and surgical manipulation. We describe a 52-year-old woman who developed an unusual clinical presentation associated with HOD.


The Chanute (Ch) Shale consists of two sandstone bodies deposited in fluvial deltaic complexes separated by a shale unit and a coal. The lower Ch is characterized by very fine-to-medium-grained sandstone that fill channels at its base, while the upper Ch includes silt-to-fine-grained sandstone bodies. Petrographic analyses of both units show that they consist of quartz arenites, subarkose, sublitharenite, feldspathic litharenites, litharenites and wackes of the same compositions. Silica-supersaturated waters in the meteoric regime cemented the Ch sands creating thin and discontinuous overgrowths on detrital quartz grains. Early calcite cement precipitated afterwards, inhibiting further silica cementation and shielding feldspars and other liable grains from extensive dissolution. A change in the composition of the meteoric waters caused calcite dissolution leaving patches of cement. As Ch sands entered the compactional regime, saline and alkaline waters dissolved quartz grains and overgrowths as well as other liable grains no longer shielded by the early carbonate cement. The absence of cements and continued compaction resulted in concave-convex and sutured contacts. Dissolution and alteration of feldspars, alteration of micas to clays, and chloritization of biotite and clays continued in the compactional regime. Acidified waters released from organic matter and coal altered micas and feldspars to kaolinitemore » and other clays, releasing Fe, Mg, and Ca necessary for late precipitation of ankerite, dolomite, and calcite cements. Extensive clay and Fe oxide coatings formed, filling embayments on the etched grains. During subsequent Pennsylvanian low sea level stands, ground water dissolved most carbonate cements, creating secondary porosity. Porosity was further enhanced on the outcrop belt during weathering, leaving higher total Fe oxide content on surface samples compared to core samples.« less


By means of molecular dynamics calculations performed at high temperatures, we were able to calculate the phase diagram of liquid water confined inside narrow graphite channels. We found stable liquid phases all the way to $398\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$, failing to reach the critical temperature for all of the systems under consideration. We also analyzed how the temperature variations in the range of 298 to $398\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$ affected the hydrogen bond network and found that the main variation in the infrared spectra of confined water at high temperatures was the forward shifting of the bending peak.


ABSTRACT We compared the BD GeneOhm methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) PCR assay to culture with BBL CHROMagar MRSA for nasal surveillance among 602 arrestees from the Baltimore City Jail. The sensitivity and specificity were 88.5% and 91.0%, respectively, and after secondary analysis using enrichment broth, they were 89.0% and 91.7%, respectively. Twenty-three of 42 false-positive PCR lysates contained methicillin-susceptible S. aureus.


SUMMARY.-The time-course of increased vascular permeability in excised wounds in the skin of the rat was measured by injecting Evan's blue i.v. at various times after wounding and extracting the dye which exuded into the injured tissues during various short intervals of time. A single peak of increased permeability occurred within the first hour after which exudation rapidly diminished to a low level which then persisted for at least 5 days after wounding. In animals with circulating colloidal carbon only venules in the edge and floor of wounds exhibited increased permeability during the phase of maximum exudation, after which leakage occurred only from capillaries in the advancing edge of the healing granulation tissue. In controlled experiments, using rats matched for weight, the exudation in the first 30 min. after wounding was partially suppressed by inhibitors of histamine and serotonin, but not by anti-inflammatory agents which inhibit the kinins and/or kallikrein. with and The drugs used in were as follows: mepyramine maleate with SQ10643, mepyramine maleate pyridinolcarbamate and SQ10643 indomethacin. Those anti-inflammatory drugs which were used i.v. were made up in sterile saline in appropriate concentrations such i.v. of was 0- g. body-weight. control intragastric route, animals not treated with either pyridinolcarbamate indomethacin given 0-9 per cent saline intragastrically at a dosage of 0-5 ml./kg.


Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) is a medicinal plant that for its multiple properties is used in the field of dentistry as mouthwash, especially to reduce gingival inflammation and for people with limited economic resources who do not have the possibility of using mouthwash in their daily oral hygiene. The lack of culture, education, and importance of parents on oral health care causes children to follow their behavior. This is why a chamomilla-based mouthwash was performed to provide extra help to improve oral health. Objective: To evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of a chamomilla-based mouthwash in children aged 10 to 12 years with gingivitis. Materials and Methods: We identified 90 children (10 to 12 years old) at the Daniel Enrique Proano School who presented gingivitis using the Gingival Index of Loe and Silness. In addition, the quality of oral hygiene was evaluated using the OLeary. We proceeded to divide into 3 groups of 30 randomly. Group A, after toothbrushing, was carried out with a mouthwash with chamomile extract (10 percent glycerin and 0.8 percent chamomile fever extract). A placebo effect (distilled water and mint-green staining) was applied to group B, after dental brushing. In group C, only brushing technique is taught. Results: Chamomilla-based mouthwash is effective in reducing bacterial plaque and gingivitis compared to the placebo effect and dental brushing. The data obtained showed significant differences between the first and third control for 15 days. Importance should be given to prevention since having a correct technique of brushing and adding the help of dental aids such as natural mouthwashes, the child can avoid future complications such as gingivitis.


In this paper, we develop a new method of identification of complex prepositions, in French. We include well-known
 semantic and morpho-syntactic tests, and introduce a few others – together, these tests make up a multi-variable grid which we
 believe can help identify complex prepositions. We run these tests on a list of 75 sequences, most of which are considered to be
 complex adpositions. We also include sequences which share the same patterns of word formation but do not have prepositional uses,
 in order to check the validity of our grid. Our results show that the semantic and morpho-syntactic clues used to identify complex
 adpositions, combined with corpus data exploration, are on the whole quite effective, but to varying degrees depending on the
 pattern of formation.


Analyzing and justifying an investment strategy that changes the production system from continuous manufacturing to small batch flexible manufacturing while maintaining competitive characteristics such as cost is a significant undertaking. Considerable discussion in the literature has produced a number of useful concepts and alternative models for examining manufacturing system investments. The most difficult problems to overcome; however, remain those that involve estimating the actual costs and benefits that will accrue as a result of an investment. The problem of financially analyzing the investment hasn't changed. This paper presents the development of an enterprise decision support model (EDSM) used to analyze investment decisions for system performance and to determine the most beneficial sequence for deploying a group of investments. The approach uses discrete event simulation to create the EDSM and capital budgeting techniques to develop a cumulative net present value (CNPV) function for competing investment implementation choices. EDSMs support the evaluation procedure by making a comprehensive system model a formal part of the strategic planning and decision process. The approach was investigated using a local manufacturing company as a test case. The results of the investigation are provided as well as a discussion regarding this approach to decision analysis.


Nettleleaf porterweed (Stachytarpheta cayennensis) is a potentially invasive ornamental plant in Florida. Plant growth, visual quality, flowering, and seed viability were assessed for nettleleaf porterweed and eight closely related alternatives planted in northern and southern Florida. In northern Florida, 'Mario Pollsa' porterweed (Stachytarpheta spp.), 'Violacea' porterweed (Stachytarpheta mutabilis), 'Naples Lilac' porterweed (Stachytarpheta spp.), 'Red Compact' porterweed (Stachytarpheta speciosa), and nettleleaf porterweed (Stachytarpheta cayennensis) achieved high flower ratings between 4 (average to good flowering) and 5 (abundant flowering, peak bloom) during 4 or more months. Also, jamaican porterweed (Stachytarpheta jamaicensis), 'Violacea' porterweed, 'Red Compact' porterweed, and nettleleaf porterweed achieved visual quality ratings between 4 and 5 (good to excellent quality) throughout most of the study. In southern Florida, the same cultivars received high flower ratings but generally for shorter periods of time. Also, 'Violacea' porterweed and 'Red Compact' porterweed consistently received visual quality ratings that were above 4 (good quality, very desirable). During the course of the 28-week study, nettleleaf porterweed produced the greatest number of spiked inflorescences with 39% to 80% seed viability. At both locations, 'Violacea' porterweed did not produce any viable seed and seed viability was less than 10% for 'Mario Pollsa' porterweed, coral porterweed (Stachytarpheta mutabilis), and 'Naples Lilac' porterweed.


The availability of generator systems for the pro duction of short-lived radionuclides in hospital labo ratories has introduced new problems into the field of nuclear medicine. Chief among these is quality control of these newer nuclides and their com pounds. Although after the fact bacteriological and pyrogen testing does not insure the safety of the materials at the time of injection, it is presently the only feasible method for dealing with nuclides that have half-lives on the order of hours. Some system of quality control must be instituted at an earlier stage of production so that compounds meet certain specified standards before injection. Because there are no standards for radiopharmaceuticals set forth in USP XVII (1 ), the individual laboratory must set up its own system using the specifications of the USP XVII as a guideline. In the Nuclear Medicine Department at Chicago Wesley Memorial Hospital we have instituted a sys tem of quality control for compounds of oomTcand lismln along these lines, which allows some testing before injection to assure the bacteriological purity, nonpyrogenicity, radiochemical purity and identity of all the compounds produced in our laboratory. This system involves bacteriological and pyrogen testing of all reagents, sterile storage of reagents and periodic testing of preparation methods as well as a


In this paper, an application of modern technologies of remote sensing and wireless power transmission, is presented, in relation to large urban environment monitoring. It is shown that the today technology already offers the possibility to implement a system to be used in several operative scenarios. A possible road map for the full system development is also depicted.


It is a pleasure to write as the President of the International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE) and to outline the new priority action areas for the organisation as well as to detail the process undertaken to consultatively develop these priorities. At its first meeting in December 2010, the IUHPE Executive Committee for 2010–2013 determined a consultative process to set priority action areas for that period. The purpose of having these priority action areas is to ensure that the work of the IUHPE is strategically focused and outcomes oriented. Specific consultations were devised to seek input from the members of the IUHPE Board of Trustees, Executive Committee and general members. In the consultation process members were asked to nominate specific entry points or thematic areas for activity. Members were also asked to consider the unique contribution that the IUHPE can make, the viability for getting support to advance the proposed priorities and emerging areas of global health promotion focus. In an effort to find areas that could be a real niche for the IUHPE, members were asked to avoid nominating areas where numerous other organisations are already competing and competent to make a difference. Consultation with the general membership was conducted via Views of Health Promotion Online (VHPO, www.vhpo.net) and the other consultations were carried out through an email process. The consultation was begun at the end of 2010 and continued through early 2011. There was considerable participation from members with a great deal of thought put into the suggestions for priority action areas. The various inputs were collated by IUHPE headquarters staff. A small strategic group composed of the president as chair, the vice president for finance and internal control, the vice president for communications, the vice president for scientific affairs and the executive director met in early April to analyse the inputs from the consultations and to recommend a list of priority action areas for the support of the Executive Committee and the Board. When the input of the consultations was arranged thematically, some clear areas of broad interest across the organisation could be seen. There were also strong arguments for continuing existing work in some areas while developing new efforts in others. The strategic group ended up making some key recommendations. The first is that the IUHPE acknowledges that there are two types of priority action area that must be addressed: internal and external. The internal areas are those that relate to ongoing operation of the organisation such as finance, staffing, governance, meeting legal requirements under French law, supporting regional structures, membership and numerous other tasks that must be done for the IUHPE to maintain organisational effectiveness and efficiency. These are givens and are not open to refocus. They are an ongoing requirement and must be taken as a permanent priority action area for the IUHPE. Second, the strategic group considered all of the various inputs from the consultations and came up with a list of four priority action areas for the organisation. The externally focused priority action areas with the strongest support and rationale are:


X-ray examination, chemical analyses and electrical conductivity measurements were made on the partially oxidized platinum complex Rb1.67Pt(C2O4)2·1.5H2O (RbDOX). Sixfold modulated superstructure of RbDOX is confirmed as the newly found commensurate Peierls structure based on the agreement with the period of the Peierls distorted superlattice determined by the degree of partial oxidation.


The mountainside region of Rio de Janeiro (Regiao Serrana Fluminense) has many freshwater springs and the State´s largest remaining area of Atlantic Rainforest. It is important to know and control the harmful effects of soil erosion in order to harmonize environmental preservation with the intensive vegetable production in this mountain region. The purpose of this paper was to study soil loss by erosion and the hydrological components in an area with a slope gradient of 65 cm m-1. The study area consisted of plots with vegetable production in a rotation system, with banana and of a five-year-old forest fallow in a small watershed of the municipality of Bom Jardim. Three experimental plots of 88.0 m2 each (4 x 22 m) were installed to monitor soil loss, runoff and soil water dynamics. Soil characterization was performed by physic, chemical and mineralogy analysis. The highest soil erosion loss was recorded in the critical period between September and March, with approximately 30t ha-1 yr-1 from the annual crops and 10 t ha-1 yr-1 from forest fallow in the first year of development. The soil properties that correlated best with erosion were texture and the soil aggregate stability index. It was concluded that the time of soil use for vegetable cultivation and forest fallow can affect the maintenance of natural resources in this area, reducing slope stability and accelerating the erosive processes.


Founded in 1996, Seven Stories opened to the public in Newcastle upon Tyne in 2005. The museum is now firmly established as an influential champion for children's books in the UK. How has this been achieved and what are its priorities now?


After a brief description of the hydrological setting and evolution of water use in the Algarve region during the last decades, some examples were presented in relation with the possible role of groundwater flow models to improve water management. It is predicted that the actual policy, defined by the Portuguese central administration, based in the definition of urban supply schemes entirely supported by dam waters, corresponds to a transitory phase, before the adoption of solutions better adapted to the hydrologic potential of the region in an integrated way. As stated by WANIELIST et al. 1997, the advantage of using two sources of supply is that the variations in the quantity and quality of surface water do not usually coincide with those of groundwater. Thus, a more economical and reliable supply can be maintained by switching from on source to the other when needed.


Information and Communications Technology is increasingly becoming a part of our daily activities. Nowadays, we are able to sense a broad range of entities in the world: from physical entities that comprise the Internet of Things (IoT) to social entities that include people in social networks. We can expect to have a ubiquitous sensing infrastructure in different environments, with varying needs and complexities. While these sensors/entities are mostly static, smart phones are taking center stage as the most widely adopted and ubiquitous computing device. Smart phones have enormous potential for the study of human social networks and human behavior "in vivo," in a natural context outside laboratories. Besides their computing power, smart phones are currently available with an increasing rich set of embedded sensors, such as GPS, accelerometer, microphone, camera, gyroscope and digital compass. Sensing vast areas becomes more feasible when people carrying their portable devices collect data and collaborate among themselves. Systems that enable sensed data in this way are named participatory sensing systems (PSSs). In those networks, the shared data is not limited to sensor readings passively generated by the device, but also includes proactive user observations. A challenge is how to obtain meaningful information from this large amount of data at different scales along the time. Some of the traditional techniques that have been used to process those distinct data sources are information fusion, data mining and machine learning. Notice that the consumers of such information can be, in one extreme, a large set of cooperating or non-cooperating entities, and, in the other, an individual or a "thing", for instance.
 Two important attributes of the sensed data are the location and time where they are collected. Localization and tracking play a key role in ubiquitous computing due to the fact that a wide variety of envisioned applications that collect sensed data rely on their ability to detect, localize and track different entities. This adds a new dimension to this problem when obtaining meaningful information from data associated to different entities. An important problem here is target tracking, which is the capacity of detecting and continuously tracking the state of a target (entity), or a set of targets. This is another fundamental problem in ubiquitous computing.
 Finally, the last dimension considered in this talk is context, which can be defined as any information used to characterize an entity. Context and context-awareness provide a ubiquitous computing environment with the capacity of adapting available services by autonomically deriving the entities' needs from the context they are.
 In this talk, we will discuss each one of these basic building blocks, and discuss how the combination of sensing, tracking and contextualization give us information to make sound decisions in ubiquitous computing that can definitely lead to useful services in areas as diverse as economics, social network, ecology, security, environment and health.


Transformer windings experience abnormal mechanical forces due to short-circuits occurring in its immediate network neighbourhood. The cumulative strain from these abnormal forces lead to winding damages. Occurrence of damages can be detected with high sensitivity using the well-known frequency response method. The damages most often manifest as a right or left shift of the peak/trough in the frequency response. It is beneficial to the operator looking at these shifts to know extent of severity of a damage, to enable taking a decision whether to continue operation of the transformer or not. Presently, there exists no such assistance. With this motivation, this paper proposes a new index that can effectively capture the severity of damage of any kind and be applicable to all kinds of windings. In this preliminary work, simulation results on a fully coupled ladder network along with practical measurements on a model-coil are presented to demonstrate efficacy of the proposed index to qualitatively capture the severity of a damage. In this preliminary work, damage is simulated as a discrete change in an element of the ladder network or model-coil.


A method of indoor position location with Wi-Fi LAN infrastructure (IEEE standard 802.11a) has been proposed. The frequency coherence function of a space channel between the access point and the user's antenna is used as a metric for solving the positioning problem. The required receiver bandwidth is estimated. The method proposed has been shown to provide a higher accuracy position location than the one based on the analysis of the received signal power distribution spectrum.


Thermal annealing effect on the structural and optical properties of synthesized CdSe nanoparticles has been elucidated and applied on the performance improvement of bulk hetero-junction solar cell. Improvement in crystallinity and cell stabilization of as-synthesized CdSe nanoparticles could be achieved by controlling the annealing parameters. Synthesized and annealed CdSe nanoparticles were characterized by TEM, XRD, XPS, Raman and PL measurements. XRD analysis exhibited annealing-induced phase transition in the nanocrystalline CdSe from cubic Zinc Blende to hexagonal Wurtzite structure. After annealing, the intensity of PL emission peak was substantially increased, and the solar cell with optimized active layer showed enhancement in power conversion efficiency. Post-annealing process parameters for solar cell fabrication were developed based on the studies of thermal annealing effect on CdSe nanoparticles.


Reinforcing base material film contains one or scaffold shaped more proteins suitable to be used in suitable and chondrocytes transplanted to cell growth. Method for producing the reinforcing base material is disclosed. Scaffold solution to stabilize the protein, is incubated with a collagen matrix with colloidal dispersion or suspension. Reinforcement base material, tissue engineering, cartilage, bone and cartilage, joint repair, used for the prevention of arthritis abnormal.


The village of Pageraji is one of the village governments located in the western capital of Banyumas Regency. The process of administration services in Pageraji Village still uses conventional systems. Based on the analysis of the problem, researchers will make planning the enterprise architecture to know in detail the business process and the stages in the Pageraji Village hall. The method used is TOGAF ADM by using four stages, namely architecture stage of vision, business architecture, information system architecture, and technology architecture. The overall analysis of the results of 4 phases of TOGAF ADM obtained the conformity between architectural needs and the recommended architecture seen from the results of analysis of requirement management with the four stages of TOGAF ADM. The results of this study are architectural planning companies.


As one of sports projects,aerobics sports develop rapidly with it highly artistry,strong rhythmic,wide adaptability and fitness safety in China.This paper mainly analyzes the mental problems of college freshmen,explains the influence of the mental transformation,proposes that the college freshmen actively participating in the aerobics exercise can shorten university adaption period,and success through mental transformation period.


Detecting impeded blood flow and locating the clot causing it is a major challenge in neurosurgery. We propose an instrument that uses near -infrared spectroscopy to simultaneously detect clots and measure blood flow.


Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction Part I. Qur'anic Commentary and Commentators: 1. Text and tafsir 2. From Tabari to Tabataba'i Part II. Qur'anic Commendation of Christians: 3. Nazarenes of faith and action 4. Followers of the Qur'anic Jesus 5. Steadfast and submissive 6. The promised bounty of piety 7. The praiseworthy amity of Christians 8. Christians as pre-Qur'anic Muslims 9. Compassion, mercy and monasticism Conclusion Works cited Index of Qur'anic verses Index of names and subjects.


An ultra-low power amplitude shift keying (ASK) demodulator for radio frequency identification (RFID) tags is presented. On the basis of a fast averaging stage, the proposed ASK-demodulator uses a current domain switching envelope amplifier which yields low-power operation. More importantly, it removes the need for a conventional voltage comparator. Designed and fabricated in a 0.18 µm complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor process on about 3000 µm2 silicon area, the proposed demodulator consumes only 7.5 µA from a magnetically coupled induced power. Operating with a 13.56 MHz carrier frequency, the circuit supports modulation indices from 7 up to 100%. The demodulator may as well be used in passive biomedical devices where power efficiency is crucial.


This article concerns the points of growth of A.V. Polyakov's communicative theory of law in the conditions of a medial turn. The main purpose of the A.V. Polyakov theory was to integrate various types of legal understanding, reconciling the confrontation of natural law, positivism, and sociological theories of law. The semantic core of this theory is the concept of legal communication as an interaction between legal subjects who are aware of each other's rights and recognize them. The medial turn associated with total digitalization is becoming a new challenge for the communicative theory of law. The author analyzes its nodal moments, in which it is possible to expand the heuristic potential of the theory. The starting point of the analysis is the structure of communication, the treatment of which allows one to concretize, expand, and supplement the initial provisions of the theory of A.V. Polyakov. In the part of the theory related to the consideration of communicants, A.V. Polyakov introduces the intersubjective figure of the Other, thanks to which legal communication is focused on the counterparty. However, a different figurativeness of the Other is possible here, based on the typification of polysubject communication and the combinatorics of classical forms of communication in intermediate models. The examination of the communication channel reveals the possibility of calibrating A.V. Polyakov's chosen broad understanding of the text as any set of signs included in semiosis through a narrow understanding of the text as a form of communication based on M. McLuhan's idea of communication revolutions. In this case, the prospects for research on the role of media text in the legal communication of digital society open up. The message is the material basis for transporting the meaning of legal communication. It is possible to expand the theory by analyzing the processes of interference of meaning within a single message based on the methodology of N. Luhmann's autopoiesis. The effects of legal communication can be considered more panoramically when detailing the system of communication blocks of various natures, which is conceptualized on the basis of R. Dahrendorf's theory of social conflict. Structural analysis of communication is both a strategy for detailing its features and a methodological technique for expanding theory through new projects of methodological syntheses with social theories.


The study intends to describe the dynamics in jail, the notable features of incarceration, and cultural premises used by inmates to achieve adaptation to a different environment. Using participant observation and several indigenous methods of gathering data twenty inmates in a city jail were purposively selected for this qualitative study. Several findings are notable. First, traveling is a fitting metaphor to depict the inmate culture developed inside the jail, more so that it is consistent with how the inmates call their incarceration as a momentary "biyahe," i.e., a sojourn. Second, the inmates reveal that a must-learn code of conduct "patakaran" or "magna carta" which is rooted in respect and discipline, is essential to survival. Third, by tacit agreement with the jail management, the inmates have organized themselves with distinctive hierarchical roles that should be respected to maintain discipline and order.  Each cell has it its own structure to impose discipline and to accomplish every member's task. Fourth, a system of meting out punishment to disobedience of rules is strictly enforced. Ultimately then, inmates adapt to a new environment and acquire behaviors appropriate to their community. Fifth, pockets of resistance are afforded, albeit in small and imperceptible manners. The study concludes that culture inside the facility is dynamic and inmates assert their roles beyond the prevailing social and structural forces.


U.S. economy today enjoys full employment, declining income inequality, and stable prices. There is therefore a surplus in the budget. As the good news continues, the so-called crisis of the social security system recedes into the future, like the mirage it always was. Credit for these developments will accrue to President Bill Clinton. Those who served as his economic advisers during this happy moment should enjoy the afterglow for many years. They will get sunny evaluations denied those under any president since the early years of LBJ. This is right and proper. The final judgment on a president's economists should rest on economic outcomes: "Are you better off than you were?" And yet whether Clinton's policies are sustainable or whether changes are needed to keep the expansion going is the most


BACKGROUND
Botulinum toxin (BTX) has been used cosmetically with good clinical efficacy and tolerable safety.

OBJECTIVE
This randomized, double-blind, split-face clinical study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of intradermal BTX in patients with rosacea.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Twenty-four participants were enrolled and randomly given intradermal injections of BTX and normal saline in both cheeks. Clinician Erythema Assessment (CEA) score, Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale (GAIS) score, skin hydration, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), melanin content, erythema index, elasticity, and sebum secretions were evaluated at baseline and 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks.

RESULTS
On the BTX-treated side, the CEA score significantly decreased and the GAIS score significantly increased. The erythema index decreased at Weeks 4 and 8. Skin elasticity was improved at Weeks 2 and 4 and skin hydration, at Weeks 2, 4, and 8. However, TEWL and sebum secretion did not show significant differences.

CONCLUSION
Intradermal BTX injections significantly reduced the erythema on both cheeks and improved skin elasticity and hydration, but not TEWL and sebum secretion. Intradermal BTX injections reduced erythema and rejuvenated the skin effectively and safely in patients with rosacea.


SUBTITLE: MAXIMISING RETAIL SPEND IN AN AIRPORT ENVIRONMENT DEPENDS ON A NUMBER OF KEY ISSUES. RICHARD BATES EXPLAINS THE IMPORTANCE OF SATISFYING CUSTOMERS' NEEDS AND PUTTING THEM IN A STATE OF MIND WHERE THEY WILL SPEND.


Helicobacter pylori infection, which is the main cause of gastritis, peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer, is associated with infiltration of the gastric mucosa by neutrophils, m


A theory is derived for the resonant emission of higher harmonics from a spatially inhomogeneous plasma under the influence of a p-polarized pump wave which is amplified in the critical-density region. The theoretical results are in qualitative agreement with experimental results on higher-harmonic emission in a plasma irradiated with both neodymium and CO/sub 2/ lasers.


This paper highlights on IMC based PID controller for controlling the pitch of the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV). A detail study of the kinematics and dynamic of an AUV has been described with the help of 6 DOF equations using body and earth fixed frame. To analyze the system better the mathematical model of AUV is reduced to a FOPDT. The simulated shows the efficiency of IMC-PID controller as compared to the conventional PID controller designed and tuned using CHR method.


Smart campus is an emerging concept enabled by digital transformation opportunities in higher education. Smart campuses are often perceived as miniature replicas of smart cities and serve as living labs for smart technology research, development, and adoption, along with their traditional teaching, learning and research functions. There is currently a limited understanding of how the smart campus is conceptualized and practiced. This paper addresses this gap by using a systematic literature review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) approach. The study uses four major domains of the smart campus, i.e., society, economy, environment, and governance, to classify existing research. These domains are each aligned to the central smart campus concepts of digital technology and big data. The analysis found little evidence of a comprehensive real-world application of the smart campus towards addressing all four domains. This highlights the infancy of the current conceptualization and practice. The findings contribute to the development of a new conceptual foundation and research directions for the smart campus notion and informs its practice through a conceptual framework. The findings reported in this paper offer a firm basis for comprehensive smart campus conceptualization, and also provide directions for future research and development of smart campuses.


Several neuromuscular diseases are caused by mutations in emerin and A‐type lamins, proteins of the nuclear envelope. Emery–Dreifuss muscular dystrophy is caused by mutations in emerin (X‐linked) or A‐type lamins (autosomal dominant). Mutations in A‐type lamins also cause limb‐girdle muscular dystrophy type 1B, dilated cardiomyopathy with conduction defect, and Charcot–Marie–Tooth disorder type 2B1. They also cause partial lipodystrophy syndromes. The functions of emerin and A‐type lamins and the mechanisms of how mutations in these proteins cause tissue‐specific diseases are not well understood. The mutated proteins may cause structural damage to cells but may also affect processes such as gene regulation. This review gives an overview of this topic and describes recent advances in identification of disease‐causing mutations, studies of cells and tissues from subjects with these diseases, and animal and cell culture models. Muscle Nerve 27: 393–406, 2003


This article investigates the relationship between Web-based learning and Critical thinking (CT) in a web-based course on the fundamentals of Information Technology at a university in Montreal, Canada. In particular, it will identify what part(s) of the course and to what extent, critical thinking is perceived to occur. The course contains two categories of learning modules namely resources and interactive activity components. The study aimed at answering the following questions: (1) What is the effect of the learning modules on Critical Thinking? and (2) What is the relative contribution of the various learning modules on Critical Thinking skills requirements?


Sociophonetic research on monolingual speakers has indicated that there are numerous unconscious shifts in an individualʹs phonetic space depending on social context. However, second language accent is largely assumed to be a static entity. This study examined production of Standard Frenchʹs 10 oral vowels in native French speakers and non‐native learners. Participants were paired in conversation with both a native and a non‐native interviewer. Overall measurements indicated significant differences in vowel space depending on interviewer, mediated by proficiency level. It was also found that vowel shifts largely mirrored the differences in vowel space between interviewers in both direction and degree. This provides evidence that both natives and non‐natives use similar strategies to collapse social distance through their speech. The findings of this study should compel evaluators of non‐native accent to always consider to whom learners are speaking as well as phonological proficiency in the L2.


With the development of teaching Chinese as a foreign language, the teaching level of teachers of Chinese as a foreign language is constantly improving. Teachers of Chinese as a foreign language are the messengers of Chinese culture and represent the image of China. Therefore, the quality of teaching Chinese as a foreign language teachers plays a vital role in the quality of teaching Chinese as a foreign language. Immersion teaching method is a relatively successful teaching method in the field of foreign bilingual teaching. It opens a new door for teaching Chinese as a foreign language and plays an important role in improving students' ability to use Chinese. This paper comprehensively evaluates the teaching of Chinese as a whole based on immersive teaching, and calculates the data after evaluation of the evaluation index system to ensure the scientific and accurate evaluation results. Finally, it is proposed that the countermeasures should be improved from the three aspects of classroom teaching, the quality of Chinese teachers and the overall quality of the team of Chinese as a foreign language.


The aim of this paper is to implement the adaptive digital Least Mean Square (LMS) and delayed- LMS (DLMS) Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filters on Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) chips for typical noise cancellation applications and compare the behaviour of LMS and DLMS adaptive algorithms in terms of chip area utilization and the filter critical path time or filter frequency. The direct FIR architecture is considered for filter designing and the VHDL hardware description language is used for algorithm modelling. The obtained results by the synthesize tool QUARTUS II on a single STRATIX II chip, EP2S15F484C3, from ALTERA Inc. demonstrate that the DLMS algorithm which has a pipeline architecture is faster than LMS algorithm while it uses more chip area due to using extra registers.


A Chinese-charactor "three-digit code" input system for computer technically features that the high-purity shape code is used, the less normalized roots are used, all roots are scientifically assigned to 26 letter keys on keyboard, the length of code string is 3, the single word is used as the basis of encoding, and a open system function is set up.


This article examines the cement content of concrete mixtures by dividing the water content by the water-cement ratio. A two-step process for proportioning the cement paste (water content developed from the desired workability coupled with aggregate gradation, followed by cement content), carried out in this specific sequence, is necessary to ensure that the proposed mix meets the contractor's requirements for workability while meeting the designer/specifier's need for concrete strength and permeability. Workability improvements may be achieved by adjusting aggregate grading or the coarse/fine/intermediate blend. Measurements of unit weight and yield are useful in confirming that aggregate properties are correct and that batching is accurate.


FIELD: physics. SUBSTANCE: encoding method includes an index setting step, a prediction step, and an encoding step. The index setting stage sets an index that represents information of the reference image and the weighting factor. The prediction step predicts in this manner that the weight reference value when the change in the pixel value between, at least, one reference image and the target image to be encoded is a specific support or less, is output as a predicted value. The encoding step encodes the difference value between the weighted and predicted values. EFFECT: increasing the information encoding efficiency. 3 cl, 28 dwg