The close relationship of religion and politics in medieval Japan is well known and studied. In this new publication several scholars examine the calculated combination of religious politics and faith in Taira no Kiyomori's (1118-81) rise to power. Due to its interdisciplinary nature, this book may not seem relevant to scholars of Japanese Buddhism at first, but it is precisely that nature that exposes just how deeply embedded was Buddhism in premodern Japan. Kiyomori has been immortalized as a temperamental and selfish tyrant, but from Lovable Losers he emerges a sharp leader, who understood well the religious, political, and social workings of his time, as well as how to use and adapt them. Patronage of religious centers and ceremonies was not only a key point in Kiyomori and his kin's strategies, but also in the actions of their enemies in the aftermath of the Taira demise at the Genpei War (1180-85). Many of these religious acts were an expression of the amalgamation of Buddhism and the local kami worship, highlighting their unity. But religion was not only a tool in the hands of the elites, and had the power to give new life to figures almost forgotten by history.


In a much-welcomed response to the call to assess the issue of commonalities of communication, Linda Beamer has made some excellent points that enrich the discussion of how to approach cross-cultural communication. I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate, as Beamer points out, that "communication is not culture free." I concur wholeheartedly with Beamer that culture-free communication does not exist. Indeed to tout such a notion would be absurd. We have all been very conscious of the deeply embedded nature of culturally determined approaches to communication. It is part of the very fabric of culture and language itself. Culture will always determine expectations and patterns of communication (some interesting examples are cited by Beamer). Beamer's example of Giandomenico Picco's experience in Beirut is particularly suitable to this discussion. As Picco pointed out, communication was not a problem because he was able to navigate discussion to personal issues. What I am calling for is some attention to the dynamics that make communication possible and even successful when the actors have vastly different cultural backgrounds and goals. What made the interaction successful here when cross-cultural contexts are often so difficult? An explanation of the success factors of cross-cultural communication is what I believe we need. As Beamer accurately highlights, significant similarities can be easily identified between my Singaporean university students and the US students in the studies I referred to. Indeed, that is one of the factors that motivate my belief that significant convergence occurs even in culturally diverse contexts—the convergence of human interaction. This convergence of human interaction is just as useful for us to be aware of as is cultural difference. We need to look at the etic rather than attempt to navigate the emic. The trend toward the global obliges us to transcend difference that is so easy to spot once we have developed some sensitivity. Indeed, "communication is not culture free." It cannot be. The new challenge is to see if we can transcend our endless differences and locate our similarities.


The present research study assessed the drying kinetics of non-extruded pellet feed for red tilapia (Oreochromis spp.). The pellets were made with conventional inputs in the control diet by using convective drying and microwave drying. Pellets were made with a control diet and with a diet including viscera silage for which the most relevant physical parameters were determined. The selection criterion was floatability. The results showed that the best method was microwave drying, which delivered pellets with physical properties, floatability (63-96%) and expansion ratio (1.6-1.8), similar to that of extruded pellets. However, pellets made with a silage diet required the application of waterproofing strategies to improve their stability in water. It is concluded that microwave dried red tilapia feed has similar physical properties to feed made by conventional methods.


The recent times have seen unprecedented growth in research and development in the field of Artificial Intelligence and its allied fields, subfields, like Machine Learning, Deep Learning and Natural Language Processing. The new found excitement in these fields of research is the availability of high powered computing devices at a cheaper costs and the wide range of applications of these research fields. It can be safely said that in the present times there are hardly any sectors of businesses which have not been positively impacted by artificial intelligence or its subfields. Machine learning and deep learning, apart from having a positive impact on different sectors of businesses, machine learning and deep learning have also played a very important role in improving the efficiency of other subfields of artificial intelligence, including computer vision and natural language processing. Natural Language Processing is the ability of computer systems to understand human languages, which is a difficult task where these learning techniques has played a very important role in proper analysis. The paper proposes to highlight this important role played by the learning techniques in improving the efficiency of natural language processing.


Building economics is described in the narrow context of methods of capital investment analysis applied to building investments in the United States. The common characteristic of all the methods described is that they consider benefits (savings) and costs over the project's life cycle or study period. Eight steps involved in making an economic evaluation are presented. The process is illustrated with a problem in choosing the economically efficient thermal resistance level of attic insulation. Appropriate applications are described for the following methods: life-cycle cost; net benefits; benefit-to-cost and savings-to-investment ratios; and internal rate of return. Federal and state agencies that use these methods are identified. The role of standards societies and professional organizations in encouraging the use of these methods is described. Three projects in which these methods have been used are examined briefly in terms of methodology to illustrate the use of building economics methods. A descripti...


Aims Seclusion is a restrictive intervention used in inpatient settings for the safe management of patients who present with severe behavioural disturbance which is likely to cause harm to others. Clinical notes were used to establish if the trust policy of medical reviews for patients in seclusion was being followed on the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). Methods Patients admitted to male PICU at Springfield Hospital, Southwest London, over a 4 month period (February 2022 to May 2022) were included in this audit. Patients who were secluded outside this time period or prior to admission to PICU were excluded from this audit. The clinical notes computer system (Rio) was searched using the term "seclusion". The timing of initiation and termination of seclusion were noted as well as the timing and grade of medical professionals present for documented reviews. Results Over this period, 12 discrete episodes of seclusion were identified. The length of seclusion varied from 8 hours 45 minutes to over 5 days, with a mean length of almost 3 days (2 days, 20 hours, 25 minutes). As the length of seclusion differed so did the required medical reviews in line with trust policy. This involves Senior House Officer (SHO) review at 30 minutes, Registrar review at 8 hours, Consultant review at 24 hours followed by 2 senior reviews (one Registrar and one Consultant) over each subsequent 24 hour period of continuous seclusion. 10 episodes of seclusion lasted over 24 hours in this audit. Of these 40% had the required medical reviews documented in the clinical notes appropriately for the full period of seclusion. 50% of cases had at least 1 missed or not documented Registrar review. There were 2 incidents of missed Consultant medical reviews for a 24 hour period of continuous seclusion. Conclusion From these results medical reviews were not being correctly carried out, or were not documented correctly, in the majority (60%) of cases of seclusion over 24 hours. This suggests missed opportunities for patient review to terminate seclusion at the earliest safe opportunity in line with national and trust guidance. These results have informed the update of trust guidelines on seclusion to bring it in line with national guidance with a view to improve patient care and will be re-audited.


Identical male twins of consanguinoue Jewish Persian parents developed dehydration, hyponatremia, hyperkalemia and failed to thrive during the first months of life. Two siblings with similar symptoms died in infancy. Lack of both pigmentation and virilization, low (<l) ratio of cortisol ÷ corticosterone before and after ACTH, and failure of subnormal aldosterone levels to increase significantly in response to salt restriction, indicated a rare enzymatic impairment localized between corticosterone and aldosterone (i.e. an 18-oxidation defect). Seven years treatment with mineralocorticoid resulted in normal growth rate. When re-examined 5 years after mineralocorticoid withdrawl, a marked decline in their growth rate was observed. Despite a normal plasma Na:K ratio (30:l), the enzymatic deficiency, although less severe, could nevertheless be unmasked by low aldosterone and high PRA levels, and by the continued low - although increased over the years - ratio of cortisol ÷ corticosterone metabolites. Thus, the 13-year follow-up revealed a persistence of this enzymatic defect never yet observed in adults.


Abstract A heterotrophic bacterial microflora, selected by treatment of a brown forest soil with thymol or lipids (0.1%), enhanced uranium and copper solubilization from an aplite and a granitic rock during the first stages. Uranium or copper were solubilized simultaneously with the major elements Fe, AI, Mg, and Ca in the form of low molecular weight (2000 to 2900) organo‐metallic compounds, which were easily dissociated after a treatment on a cation exchange resin (H+ form) but not with an anionic resin (HCOO∼ form). These organo‐metallic complexes formed under aerated, (Eh, +300 to +500 mv), acidic (pH 2.5 to 5) conditions by an association of metallic cations (UO2 2+, Cu2+, Fe2+, Fe3+ , Al3+) with simple organic acids (i.e., oxalic, isocitric, citric, succinic, hydroxy‐benzoic, and coumaric acids) via their carboxylic and phenolic groups. As shown by potentiometric titration, carboxylic groups seemed to be preferentially involved in the complexing processes. The results suggest that simple organic mol...


The energy diagram for bimolecular reactions with high absolute values of the enthalpy is considered within the framework of the parabolic model of the transition state. It is shown that the distance of the hydrogen atom transfer in the transition state remains constant only for a certain interval of the change of the reaction enthalpy, ΔH e min ≤ ΔH e max . The formulas for ΔH e min and ΔH e max are derived. For reactions with |ΔH e | > |ΔH e min | or |ΔH e max |, an increase in the preexponential factor with increasing ΔH e value is predicted. This behavior is observed for the reaction of tert-butoxy radical with phenols and reaction of molecular oxygen with C-H bonds of hydrocarbons.


This paper presents the results obtained by techno-economic analysis of the fiber access (FTTH) business model. The analysis determinates a combined influence that major market parameters have on overall viability of FTTH business case. These critical parameters include the geodemographical background of the customer base, adoption of services provided over FTTH network and related additional revenues that can be generated. The analysis is based upon the incumbent's case in Croatia, assuming previous existence of ducts within access network. The results indicate that FTTH business case is profitable in urban areas in ten-year time period, but only in a case the majority of customers subscribe to the services over the new network and simultaneously bring significant amount of additional revenues.


e13517 Background: Glioblastoma (GB) is an aggressive tumor. Circulating Endothelial Cells (CECs) can be detected in peripheral blood and have been related to angiogenesis. CECs have an unclear prognostic value in patients with glioblastoma. The objective of this study was to quantify the presence and number of CECs in GB patients and determine its potential prognostic role. Methods: In this prospective, single center study, peripheral blood samples were obtained at the time of GB diagnosis. For the detection of CECs, 4 ml of blood was analyzed using the CellSearch system (Veridex). CEC blood samples were classified as CD146+, CD105+, CD45− and DAPI+. CEC detection was performed prior to surgery in a total of 26 patients and 22 patients with glioblastoma were included in the final analysis. We mesured progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: Between 2014 and 2016, twenty two patients with histologically confirmed glioblastoma were studied. There were 14 males and 8 females with an average age of 63 years (range 42-81). A complete resection was achieved in 50% of cases, partial or subtotal resection in 31.8% and biopsy in 18%. The mean number of CECs was 59.3 cells/mL (range 0-954). Patients were classified into two groups depending on the number of CECs: group 1 had a CEC count below the mean and group 2 had a CEC count above the mean. A total of 17 patients (77.2%) were in group 1 and 5 patients (22.7%) were in group 2.The median OS was 14.4 months (range -0.36-33.36) for the entire study population. The median OS was 17.4 months (IC95% 11.47-23.37) for patients in group 1 and 8.12 months for patients in group 2 (IC 95% 4.38-11.85) p = 0.002. The median PFS was 8.94 m (IC95% 5.1-12.69) for group 1 and 3.95 for group 2 (IC 95% 2.91-4.98) p = 0.097. Conclusions: CECs can be detected in recently diagnosed GB patients. The present study demonstrates a possible prognostic value for CEC determination in GB cases at the time of diagnosis.


Vegetable production in low-technology (low-tech) plasticcovered greenhouses depends on low investment and cheap production methods that prohibit the adoption of expensive technologies. Nevertheless, advanced technology can be developed for this low-tech situation provided that a personal computer (PC) is available and the software is of low cost and specially designed to function without the need for additional expensive hardware. This will encourage the adoption of computer technology in an industry where computer illiteracy is still high. In the present paper, a decision support system for irrigation and fertilizer management of tomatoes [Lycopersicon esculentum (L.) Mill.] is described. The system is comprised of two modules: 1) an irrigation–fertilization consultation module for the management of water and fertilizer supply and 2) a diagnostic expert system module for the identification and rectification of nutritional disorders. Irrigation requirements are defined on the basis of daily evaporimeter readings. Fertilizer schedules are derived from the literature, but modified on the basis of experience gained during previous cultivations. The urgent need for such a management system is indicated by the relatively low quality of vegetable produce currently grown in low-tech greenhouses and the waste of precious water and fertilizer due to over-application by growers, with concomitant damage to the environment. During tests, irrigation was reduced by as much as 30% in comparison with empirical methods. To enable more widespread assessment and to increase its range of application, the software of this system is offered free of charge for evaluation by interested users.


If OASIS data provides the basis for home care's prospective payment system (PPS), how can agencies ensure that the data are accurate and reflect patient care needs?


With the impact of modern art modeling concepts, the modeling language of modern children' s picture books presents two characteristics, virtuality and uncertainty. The characteristic of virtuality stems from people's obsession on machine and speed after the industrial revolution. It is reflected by the description of moment in the painting. It has unavoidable sidedness and limitation in the capture of the fleeting motion curve and in the virtual expression of structure. However, children are more receptive to such works and they can experience form relationships and the beauty of the screen in watching and reading. The fuzzy theory can make the explanation of this phenomenon to a proper extent. It is an implicit rule for artists to create.


Genuine needs for rapid, simple, and cost-efficient biotesting procedures to screen an ever-increasing number of chemicals and environmental samples are making the search for such assays a constant endeavor. With respect to genotoxicity screening, we compared, in this study, the performance of two novel assays (Vibrio fischeri M169 Mutatox™ assay and the Escherichia coli PQ37 SOS Chromotest kit assay) with two well-established Ames testing procedures (plate incorporation and fluctuation assays). Testing material included 14 chemicals (10 potentially directly acting and 4 indirectly acting compounds) reflecting different chemical classes (2 inorganics, 2 pesticides, 2 halogenated hydrocarbons, 2 alkylating agents, 2 aromatic amines, 1 chlorophenol, and 3 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). Comparative assessment criteria included (1) interprocedural agreement in detecting presence or absence of genotoxicity, (2) accuracy in being able to recognize animal (non)carcinogens, and (3) sensitivity (detection of lowest actively genotoxic concentration). In terms of qualitative responses, both the SOS Chromotest (86% agreement) and Mutatox assays (93% agreement) were good predictors of the Ames testing mutagenicity. For their capability to correctly discriminate between (non)carcinogens, accuracy was 82% (9 of 11 chemicals) for Mutatox, 73% (8 of 11 chemicals) for Ames testing, and 64% (7 of 11 chemicals) for the SOS Chromotest. In general, the Salmonella-based assays proved more sensitive (6 times out of 9 chemicals) than the Mutatox (3 times out of 9 chemicals) and the SOS Chromotest (never more sensitive). Overall, this study demonstrates reliable performances by both the SOS Chromotest and Mutatox for chemical genotoxicity screening when results are referenced to the well-validated Ames assay. Although additional comparative data with other chemicals will be required, it appears likely that these more practical and cost-efficient procedures can be presently useful to screen genotoxic activity of various xenobiotics and environmental samples. © 1994 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc..


transmission and inheritance of culture but also has intimate ties to the growth of life and development of economy and society. In this book, the authors Montserrat Gomendio and José Ignacio Wert discuss the reasons why education reforms are difficult to implement but easy to reverse, taking into account the valuable evidence they have obtained in designing and implementing education reforms in Spain and their subsequent experience at the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) advising governments worldwide. This dialogue on education is like a breath of fresh air for the reader. By comparing education policies from an international perspective and analyzing the interplay between education reforms, ideology and vested interests, the authors provide insights into the positive and negative factors that influence education reforms. The book consists of seven chapters. Chapter 1 offers a brief overview of the origins, functions, and roles of modern education systems. From the emergence of mass schooling in Europe, the United States and the rest of the world, one key question is thoroughly discussed: how to define the aims of education and the extent to which different views can be aligned. As the transition from "universal access to education" to "quality education" takes place, ideology begins to play a significant role and permeates the main dimensions of the education system. Is the ultimate goal of the education system equity or quality? The authors note that left-wing parties generally support greater levels of investment, smaller class sizes, and higher teacher salaries, which are the main demands of teacher unions, while right-wing parties tend to support competition, accountability, and student and teacher evaluations, which they believe will improve quality and efficiency, contrary to the interests of teacher unions. The authors highlight that a complex combination of ideology and vested interests influence the advancement of education reform. Besides, the authors analyze the general concern regarding how education systems need to adapt to the knowledge society, digitalization and globalization, and megatrends that result in demands from the labor market for higher levels of knowledge and skills. Since education systems need to constantly adapt to rapidly changing environments and sometimes unforeseen circumstances (e.g., the impact of COVID-19), the implementation of education reform requires consideration of many factors. Chapter 2 focuses on clarifying the complex relationship between education policy and ideology. Ideology in this context refers to any form of politically oriented conception of education. Because ideologies may diverge, the goals of education may also diverge as a result, such as whether the goal of education is to promote equity or advance quality. In this chapter, the authors present the definition of education from the perspective of the state as the provider of education since ancient Greece and the views of different thinkers in modern education such as John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Fernando Reimers, John Stuart Mill, John Dewey and others. The shares and the development of public and private provisions in different countries and economies have also been analyzed. The concept of "equity" is also a keyword in the authors' discussion. As an important component in the maintenance of education systems, "equity" is understood differently by the political parties on the left and right. For the left, education means equality, while for the right, education plays an enabling function. It is worth thinking about how to properly balance quality and equity in the education system. Considering the shape of education, the authors analyze the four main dimensions that are most susceptible to ideological influence: architecture, teachers, curricula, and assessments. Among them, regarding teachers, left-wing parties favor hiring as many teachers as possible and oppose performance evaluations or firing them for poor performance, whereas right-wing parties support teacher evaluation and performance-related incentives and are more rigorous and selective in recruitment. These disparities have implications for both the development of the teaching profession and the role that teachers play in education. In the education reform process, since teachers are a fundamental gear in the education engine, their position largely determines the success or failure of reform. With regard to curriculum, its usefulness and relevance to student achievement and the given content all reflect a certain education ideology. Regarding assessment, the authors explain, in the context of its development, how it was initially designed as an objective measure of talent in an effort to break down barriers of wealth, inheritance and political influence. However, due to the limitations of the approach (for instance, not every student receives the same level of quality education), it is increasingly viewed as a tool of discrimination, and the relationship between ideology and assessment varies. In sum, the education policies and ideologies described in this chapter somehow influence the feasibility and durability of education reform in a country or environment. Chapter 3 mainly describes the relationship between the governance model and the reform experience of the education system. Governance arrangements in education systems are concerned with the distribution of power and responsibilities among levels of government, financial incentives, and control of resources, as well as the interests of stakeholders outside of government. The authors begin by describing the role of various governments in education over time in various countries,


The relatively little attention accorded the doctrine of grace in contemporary Christian theology is a curious phenomenon. After the explosion of articles on grace in both the Catholic and Protestant contexts in the forties and fifties of this century, the attention of theologians moved elsewhere to other symbols, other doctrines, other images needed to enlighten our common search. In one sense this relative silence is understandable: the Thomist paradigm of nature-grace in Catholic theology and the neo-Orthodox (especially the Barthian) paradigm of sin-grace in Protestant theology no longer play the dominant roles they once did. Thus the centrality of the "triumph of grace" as the clue to the human unmistakably resonant in the later Karl Barth or early Karl Rahner no longer dominate theological attention. It is not the case, of course, that either Barth's or Rahner's theologies of grace or the traditions of Aquinas and Calvin informing them are forgotten. Rather they still serve as classical resources disclosing in ever new modalities the sovereignty and the triumph, at once primordial and final, of grace for a properly Christian understanding of the human. Indeed, I shall suggest in this lecture, grace remains a signal key to the Christian search for authentic humanity: for grace discloses at once the radicality of the Christian vision of God as the very power of love and the gift and demand, the event and the promise, of a human selftranscendence beyond the sentimentalities and the gravity of an exhausted humanism and beyond all our own human, all-too-human fears and desires, designs and controls. As I shall also suggest, the doctrine of grace can now illuminate our common search for authentic humanity only by the journey through the profound negativities of our own situation: only, in sum, by ajourney through the many expressions of what can be named the emergence of the uncanny in our contemporary common search for a transformed humanity. Only, as Hegel once reminded us, through the pain and seriousness of the negative does real affirmation come. Yet it is also true (as Barth, as Rahner, as Hegel


9.11 This research since 2001, including shipping and port security and cargo flow international logistics the overall efficiency of the important issues of the international community that reflects the emerging research on the logistics to improve the security problems of I may occur in the logistics sector in the country, such as terrorism and to prevent security incidents from the security system of the logistics in order to operate in real time, and the introduction of advanced logistics and my analysis and logistics for the security system to collect data and develop lesson Logistics problems facing the security sector will want to analyze and improve the present. The analysis of the problems of logistics and security and find ways to improve research and literature selected by experts to improve, and to improve the first part of measures to improve the survey was analyzed through the AHP.


Purpose:This study compared the clinical outcomes of 1-year follow-up of immediate and late implant loading after implant restoration of a single tooth in the anterior maxilla. Materials and Methods:Thirty-three patients with missing teeth in the anterior maxilla were included in this study (18 immediate loading and 15 late loading). Standard periapical radiographs were obtained to evaluate the vertical bone loss around the implant. For both implant groups, periimplant parameters (probing depth, gingival bleeding index, gingival index (GI), modified plaque index, width of keratinized gingiva) were evaluated. Results:There were no significant differences in bone loss, the widths of keratinized gingiva, the GI, and modified plaque index between the immediate implant loading and late implant loading groups (P > 0.05). A significant difference in the probing depth was observed between these groups at the initial and 1-month evaluations (P < 0.05). Significant differences in bleeding indices between these groups were observed at months 3 and 6 (P < 0.05). Conclusions:When selecting appropriate patients (adequate primary stability, patient compliance with the surgeon's recommendations), immediate implant loading may be an alternative method to late loading protocol for replacement of a missing tooth in anterior maxilla.


In order to analyze anchorage force reduction phenomenon when anchorage supporting roadway in surrounding rock with high water content,applying experimental and theoretical method to researching the influence of water on anchorage properties of resin bolt. Results showed that water dripping from roof and wall drill-holes had bigger influence on anchorage properties of resin bolt. Anchorage force reduced with roof dripping water and drill-hole water ratio increasing. When dripping water exceeded 600mL / min,anchorage force was only 10% of maximum value under dry environment. When drill-hole water ratio was larger than 49%,anchorage force was only 30% of maximum value under dry environment. On the basis of this,the influence of water on coal-rock body' s mechanics properties and solidification action procedure of resin anchoring agent. The method of improving supporting effect by increasing water repellency of resin anchoring agent and prolonging anchoring length was put forward.


Purpose: To determine the expression of circRTN4 in gastric cancer (GC) and its role in tumor progression.
Methods: GEO dataset GSE93541 was analyzed using GEO2R. Starbase website was used to predict the combination of miRNA and circRTN4. The relationship between circRTN4 and prognosis was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier Plotter database, while expression levels of circRTN4, miR-424-5p, and LATS2 were assessed by quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). CCK8, EDU, Transwell, and Western blot were used to assess GC  proliferation, migration, invasion, and stemness. Lastly, co-transfection of miR-424-5p or si-LAST2 was reversely used to demonstrate the regulatory effect  of circRTN4 on the progression of gastric cancer cells. Significantly downregulated circRTN4 in GC was screened, and the combined miR-424-5p  and downstream gene LATS2 were predicted by Starbase.
Results: The average relative expression of circRTN4 mRNA in GC tissues was significantly lower than in adjacent tissues. MiR-424-5p was highly  expressed in tumor tissues, while LATS2 decreased (p < 0.05). Low expression of circRTN4 was associated with a low survival rate in patients. pLCDH- circRTN4 significantly inhibited the proliferation of gastric cancer cells (p < 0.05). Overexpression of circRTN4 inhibited the migration and invasion of  tumor cells, while pLCDH-circRTN4 reduced the ability of GC stem cells and expressions of MMP2 and OCT4.
Conclusion: Expression of circRTN4 decreases in GC, and contributes to the development and progression of this disease by increasing the levels of  LATS2 and binding with miR-424-5p. This suggests that circRTN4 may serve as a promising prognostic marker as well as a potential therapeutic target for  gastric cancer


We are concerned with linear redundancy storage schemes regarding their ability to provide concurrent (local) recovery of multiple data objects. This paper initiates a study of such systems within the classical coding theory. We show how we can use the structural properties of the generator matrix defining the scheme to obtain a bounding polytope for the set of data access rates the system can support. We derive two dual distance outer bounds, which are sharp for some large classes of matrix families.


When two waveguide modes are coupled uniformly along the direction of propagation, power is partially transferred from one mode to the other. This transfer is only complete if the phase velocities of the modes are equal. If the phase velocities differ, complete transfer of power is still possible if a certain spatially periodic coupling is provided. The exact conditions for complete transfer for a square-wave and raised-square-wave coupling function are derived. To illustrate the theory, experimental results for coupling between the TE10 and TE20 modes in an overmoded X band guide are presented. Experimental results for a sinusoidal function are also presented. These results provide strong support for the theory of periodic-mode coupling.


We demonstrate a photorefractive scheme that demultiplexes two signals carried on a multimode fiber. The signal channels must be spatially and temporally uncorrelated. This method is based on selective energy transfer in photorefractive two-beam coupling. Under two-beam coupling in photorefractive crystal the energy exchange between beams take place only for signal carrier which form a speckle pattern modulated with frequency equal to the frequency detuning between two beams. Extraction of each signal was performed by the measurement of difference of beam intensities. The modulation of two speckle patterns with different frequencies was obtained by rotation of light polarization at the entrance of fiber.


This study aims to find out: (1) the direct effect of organizational culture on job satisfaction; (2) the direct and indirect effect of organizational culture on teacher organizational commitment; and (3) the direct effect of job satisfaction on teacher organizational commitment. The population in this study were 352 teachers of state junior high school in Tebing Tinggi. In determining the sample, the researcher refers to Arikunto's criteria that is taking 40% (140 people) of the population. To determine the sample of each school proportional random sampling technique was used. The instruments to collect the data were questionnaires based on the Likert Scale model. The validity was computed using the Product Moment Correlation formula while the reliability was tested using the Alpha Cronbach formula. This causal model was tested using the path analysis. Based on the analysis, it was obtained that: (1) organizational culture had a direct effect on job satisfaction with a path coefficient of 0,379; (2) there was a direct and an indirect effect of organizational culture on teacher organizational commitment with a path coefficient of 0,223 and 0,021; and (3) job satisfaction had a direct effect on teacher organizational commitment with a path coefficient of 0,215. Based on the results of the study, the three hypotheses enforced are accepted. Therefore, the efforts to improve organizational culture and job satisfaction can increase teacher organizational commitment. Keywords—organizational; culture; job; satisfaction, commitment


There is little detailed work relating the physical process that occurs during milling to the mechanical properties and mechanism of particle breakage. Very often, the selection of an appropriate mill and subsequently the determination of its optimum operating conditions are by trial and error. This paper look into optimizing the operating conditions of a ball mill through statistical analysis and the effect of temperature on the milling behavior of a common pharmaceutical excipient, microcrystalline cellulose (MCC). In addition, the bulk milling behavior of MCC is compared to its single particle breakage behavior. In this work, milling is conducted in a Retsch single ball mill where a bed of powder is subjected to impact by a steel ball in a horizontal cylindrical container. The container is vibrated horizontally at a set frequency, causing the ball to impact on the bed of particles. It is found that the finest MCC product can be achieved by milling a 2 g batch of material using a 12 mm ball size and at a frequency of 18 Hz. Temperature is found to have insignificant effect on the extent of breakage of MCC in both bulk milling and single particle impact testing. Milling and single particle impact experiments have both shown that MCC is more susceptible to breakage with increasing strain rate. In conclusion, the single impact tests could be used successfully for predicting the bulk milling behavior of the material, as shown in the case of MCC.


Combined with the practice and exploration of BUAA,this paper proposes several measures on the improvement of the degree conferral quality of postgraduates: re-orientating the goal of degree examination,which is from the needs of personnel training for national construction,i.e.training corresponding high-level personnel with knowledge,ability and quality;improving the degree standards,leading the training quality of postgraduates;upholding postgraduates' participation in scientific and technological research and development,enhancing their ability of scientific and technological research and development;encouraging postgraduates' participation in the organization of scientific and technological achievements,improving their quality of scientific and technological research and development;and improving the school-faculty mechanism of degree examination,fully mobilizing the initiative of the Sub-Commission.


The spring flexibility foundation structure for some domestic large-sized nuclear turbine-generator units is briefly explained.The text analyzes the simplified vibration model and preliminary analyzes the vibration characteristic of spring foundation with the data of vibration measurement.It supplies a reference to the popularization and application of spring foundation in domestic large-sized turbine-generator units.


Background: hepatitis is one of endemic diseases in Egypt represent in almost 15-18% of population, beside bilharzial preportal fibrosis with its sequelae of thrombocytopenia and bleeding disorders making a treating of chronic subdural haematoma challenging neurosurgeon for getting best results especially no guidelines to follow. Aim of the work: to evaluate the surgical results clinically, radiologically and efficacy of rapid correction of coagulopathy and platelets for evacuation of chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) in prospective controlled manner. Material and method: it includes two groups: group A which had bleeding disorder due to liver disease (hepatitis & bilharsiasis) 75 cases and the other group B which is normal control group 150 cases) in the period from March 2008 till July 2014 with follow up range from 4 months to 4 years. The surgical procedure was done under general anesthesia by two burr holes' evacuation. Clinical, neurological examination and Computed topography (C.T.) was done for all cases pre & post-operative, serial follow ups. The discharge from the hospital range from 5 days to 10 days according to the condition of the patient. Results: The mean age was 61,3 years old ± 15,7 collectively in both groups, male predominance 173 cases (76.9%) while female were 52 (23.1%). The hematoma was located over the left or right convexity in 40.2% and 37.2%, respectively. A bilateral hematoma was noted in the remaining patients (22.6%), main symptoms & signs in both groups: headache, hemiparesis, gait abnormalities, dementia. Haematological correcting protocol in group A improve INR ≤ 1.6 and platelets ≥ 80000 in 68 cases (90.7 %) intraoperatively lead to Excellent & Good post-operative result of 82.6% in group A compared to 93.3% in group B. Fair and poor outcome associated in our series with old ages, hypertension and INR ≥ 1.6 & platelets ≤ 60000 Conclusion: good hemostasis and correction of associated coagulopathies is the cornerstone of satisfactory results in chronic liver disease patients with chronic subdural haemorrhage. Increased awareness especially in developing countries is therefore important to ensure proper follow-up and early intervention.


The present invention is a microporous tiles and in more detail relates to a method of manufacturing is on the microporous tile and a method made by baking after applying the glaze has a functionality on the surface of the porous structure and the porous structure of the microporous structure will be. Microporous structure, the invention is microporous and tiles made up to and more particularly fly ash, zeolite, activated carbon, diatomaceous earth, clay, kaolin, bentonite, waste glass, the components of the water glass on the production method thereof having a deodorant effect, the humidity control effects the antimicrobial agent to the surface of the porous structure and the porous structure, anionic agents, far-infrared rays because it contains the radiation substance antimicrobial effect, anion emitting effect, microporous tile and a method for their preparation made by baking after applying the glaze having the functionality of a far infrared effect It intends to provide. Microporous plates, a porous structure, the glaze


Summary The massive availability of remote sensing data and advances in data analytics have improved the capacity for mapping land cover and subsurface. Specifically, in case of multi-sensor remote sensing images, the independent analysis of each image ignores the valuable complementary information available in other images. To address this problem, a framework of multisensor image analysis using fuzzy collaborative clustering is proposed. The proposed framework avoids the independent analysis of each image but combines the information available in one image with the complementary information given by the all other images for improved image understanding and segmentation. Specifically, the clustering of pixels in each image is collaborated with the clustering results of other images to refine its results. The proposed framework can simultaneously process different heterogeneous images from various sensors. The proposed framework was evaluated and validated through an experiment in which two multi-sensor images, i.e. Landsat-5 TM and ENVISAT ASAR were used over the Beijing urban area and compared with the standard fuzzy c-means clustering. Experimental results show that the proposed framework outperforms the independent image segmentation analysis in detecting the urban growth of Beijing. This framework serves as a useful tool for various earth science applications.


We study the behavior of an extra hole added to the ground state of the antiferromagnetically ordered ${\mathrm{CuO}}_{2}$ plane. Both the Cu-O hybridization (characterized by parameter T) and the O-O transfer (\ensuremath{\sim}t) are taken into account, assuming \ensuremath{\Vert}T\ensuremath{\Vert}g\ensuremath{\Vert}t\ensuremath{\Vert}. As has been shown previously [V. Hizhnyakov and E. Sigmund, Physica C 156, 655 (1988)]. The energetically most favorable situation is given when a localized state is formed in which the antiferromagnetic order is locally destroyed and a small ferromagnetic cluster (ferron) is built up. We show that due to the increase of the magnetic energy induced by the spin-flip process (${\mathit{E}}_{\mathit{s}}$\ensuremath{\sim}0.25 eV) the localized and the metastable free-hole states are separated by a barrier of energy \ensuremath{\delta}\ensuremath{\sim}${\mathit{E}}_{\mathit{s}}$t/2T, which can reveal in various kinetic phenomena.


The interaction of nanoparticles (NPs) with cells has become a major field of interest, ranging from therapeutic applications to nanotoxicology. The cellular uptake depends on the primary characteristics of the NPs (e.g. size, shape, surface modification) and on the cells interacting with the particles. Thereby the quantification of NPs in cells is of particular importance to obtain information under different experimental conditions. Presently, the number of NPs internalized is often determined by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) optical emission spectrometry (OES) or ICP mass spectrometry (MS) after acid digestion of a cell suspension or a cell pellet. The result is an average value and no information about the distribution among cells or within a cell is available. Therefore we developed a method based on laser ablation (LA) in combination with ICP-MS to localise and quantify metallic NPs in single cells.
LA-ICP-MS is a powerful analytical method which offers excellent sensitivity at high spatial resolution and multielement capability without time-consuming sample preparation steps. Recently, LA-ICP-MS was established for elemental mapping of biological samples like tissues.
In our experiments, fibroblast cells were incubated with gold or silver containing nanoparticles and grown on sterile coverslips under standard conditions. For LA analysis the cells were fixed with formaldehyde and dried. Subcellular resolution is achived by careful optimisation of laser energy, ablation frequency and scan speed. The elemental distribution was determined by continuous ablation line by line of cells incubated with NPs. Our results show that LA-ICP-MS is able to detect NP aggregates within cellular substructures. After 24 h of incubation the NPs were found in the cytosol, preferencially in the perinuclear region, but do not enter the nucleus. Additionally, a quantification strategy at single-cell level was developed. For this purpose nitrocellulose membrane was spiked with Ag or Au nanoparticle suspension at different concentration levels and analysed by LA-ICP-MS. Based on this calibration the number of NPs taken up by individual cells was determined and variations within the cell population become visible. The cells show a strong dependence of NP uptake on concentration and incubation time.
Our results demonstrate the potential of LA-ICP-MS providing insight into NP uptake and intracellular distribution dependent on experimental parameters.


Aluminium- copper- magnesium based composite materials with different Si Cpcontent were synthesized by powder metallurgy. The phase,Brinell hardness,wear and surface morphology were tested by X-ray diffractometer,Brinell hardness tester,ML-10 type wear testing machine,scanning electron microscope,respectively. The results show that with Si Cpcontent increasing,the lattice constant decreases and hardness increases. The wear resistance increases and then decreases as the Si C content increases. The Brinell hardness of sample with 15% mass fraction of Si Cpis 71.8HBW. The sample with 12% mass fraction of Si C has the best wear resistance.


The article analyzes the basic documents adopted by the ministers of education of the country participants in the Bologna Process at their latest meeting in Yerevan, Armenia. It identifies the problems and challenges facing national education systems during the present stage of development, and explores the priorities and obligations of these countries to promote cooperation and integration in the framework of a common educational space. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of statistical data and national reports on the implementation of the main objectives established by European agreements during the current decade. A key factor in ensuring mutual trust and creating a common space for higher education is establishing a multitiered quality assurance system at the institutional, national, and European levels. The author argues for the need to review and approve the new Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG).


Within the last decade, various molecular markers have been introduced in clinical hematology. The majority of these markers are indicators of specific gene defects and thus are of importance in diagnosis, prognostication and in the follow-up (minimal residual disease monitoring). Apart from these specific markers, serologic parameters are also considered to be of importance in the diagnosis and prognostication of hematologic neoplasms.


The objective of the paper is to analyze monetary remittances that migrant women from the State of Guanajuato send to their relatives remaining in their comm...


We investigate the effect of quadratic intensity-dependent refractive index in all-optical nonlinear amplifier, based on a dual-core optical fiber coupler of which one core is lossy and another active. The relevant coupled equations for nonlinear coupler are written and numerically solved to predict the output achievable from the active core corresponding to the input injected into the same core. The results reveal some novel and striking effects in amplifier optics showing much brilliant prospect of such nonlinearity over the Kerr case.


During dry water period,contradiction between the utilization of water quality and control of water level is concerned for the uncertainty of reservoir inflow,which is more significant for the limited regulation ability of quarterly and below regulating hydropower stations. In this paper,to utilize inflow energy and storage energy comprehensively,the loss of water level is represented with the loss of inflow energy and the objective of high efficient utilization is constructed,and a new optimal operation mode of hydropower station during dry water period is proposed. Through the comparison between loss of inflow energy and utilization of storage energy,loss of water level is represented with the loss of inflow energy and the objective of high efficient utilization is constructed,and a new optimal operation mode of hydropower station during dry water period is proposed. Through the comparison between loss of inflow energy and utilization of storage energy,optimal water level reduction plan is determined,and can provide decision reference for the coordination control on the utilization of water quality and water level.


Copyright © 2017 Michigan State University. Morgan M. Page and Sarah Schulman, "Queer Suicidality, Conflict, and Repair," QED: A Journal in GLBTQ Worldmaking 4.1 (2017): 68–99. ISSN 2327-1574. All rights reserved. EDITORS' NOTE: Queer Conversations has been a staple of the journal since its inception. On October 10, 2016, QED hosted its first live Queer Conversation at Le Cagibi, in the Mile End neighborhood of Montréal. This conversation featured Morgan M. Page, a Montréal-based trans writer and artist with Sarah Schulman, a New York-based writer and LGBTQ rights activist. In this Queer Conversation, Page and Schulman read the eulogies that they gave at the funeral of Bryn Kelly, a friend of both who took her own life in January 2016. Prior to the event, the Facebook event page included information about several suicide prevention resources including Suicide Action Montréal, Trans Lifeline, and the Trevor Project. Because it was a live event, we decided to purposely include in the published version the engagement among Page, Schulman, and the audience. We were heartened by the turnout and the deeply engaged audience participation that ensued. We hope, as was noted by Schulman and Page toward the end of the event, that this conversation about Bryn Kelly's life and death will motivate us all to reconsider conflict, care, and community.


Presented paper demonstrates the plan and first assumptions of the pilot study on the assessment of the applicability of satellite data for the estimation of negative effects of overwintering of agricultural crops in Poland. The Pilot Study is being conducted in cooperation with Concordia S.A company and is being executed on the fields of winter wheat and winter rape, in West Poland. The study aims at design and development of the most accurate and operational method for assessment of negative effects of overwintering of winter crops on the basis of satellite data, which would prove its business case for insurance sector and could subsequently be incorporated in existing systems for insurance claims assessment. The proposed method is expected to enhance the operability and effectiveness of insurance claims analytical system which currently is applied by the Insurance Sector in Poland.


In nature and engineering applications, wall-bounded flow often encounter a heterogeneous surface condition, such as the atmosphere boundary layer at the urban boundary and flow over riveted aircraft surfaces. In a particular scenario, when the surface heterogeneity is predominantly in the spanwise direction of the flow, this roughness heterogeneity can generate secondary flow in cross flow plane which is very different from smooth-wall or homogeneous rough-wall boundary layers.


Certain applications of supramolecular porphyrinic systems, such as molecular sieves and photonics, rely on precise nanoarchitectural control of the molecules and/or atoms; therefore they require self-assembled systems of discrete arrays and highly ordered crystals. Other applications, such as oxidation catalysts for simple substrates, may be affected by the use of self-organized materials with less supramolecular order. Colloidal porphyrin nanoparticles can be considered self-organized systems that are governed by the principles of supramolecular chemistry. The formation and potential applications of nanoparticles of these chromophores are discussed in this report with special emphasis on the parameters in the methods used to make these materials, and in terms of the supramolecular chemistry. These principles, concepts, and methodologies are applicable to a wide variety of organic dyes.
 "Mais Dieu a choisi celuy qui est le plus parfait, c'est a dire celuy qui en meme temps le plus simple en hypotheses, et le plus rich en phenomenes."
 Gottfried Leibniz.


The current article draws from Critical Diversity Literacy (CDL) to analyse narrative expressions of a black South African teacher's experiences of moments of exclusion (troughs) and inclusion (crests) after twenty years of service in two predominantly white independent schools. Data was generated from one South African teacher who was prompted to reflect on crests [inclusive moments that deserve to be embraced and celebrated] and troughs [moments of exclusion that seek to assimilate/ignore diversity] in her teaching journey spanning two decades at two independent schools. Using the interpretivist paradigm, we attempt to understand the teacher's journey which shows amongst others, that agents of exclusion with tendencies to demand compliance and subsequent assimilation, include other teachers, school leaders, learners as well as some parents. The teacher was however, provided with an opportunity to read the situation and may, depending on her agency, work to circumvent oppressive and exclusionary tendencies. Crests celebrating diversity were noted in her second school. I conclude that diversity remains multi-perspectival and therefore simultaneity should be borne in mind when dealing with inclusion in the teaching fraternity.


The solvation structure of divalent transition-metal ions, manganese(II), iron(II), cobalt(II), nickel(II), copper(II), and zinc(II), in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMA) has been studied by the EXAFS (extended X-ray adsorption fine structure) method. All the metal ions examined show the coordination number n=6, suggesting a six-coordinate octahedral structure in DMF. The manganese(II), cobalt(II), nickel(II), and copper(II) ions also show n=6 in DMA as well as in DMF


Summary Transplantation of testes of newborn males into the neck region of littermate females gives "takes" in 80% of the cases. In 48% the grafts do not interfere with normal endocrine or reproductive functions of the carrier, while in 32% the implanted testis assumes control of the sexual differentiation of the hypophysis. The male type hypophysis stimulates follicular development but not luteinization in the host ovary. These hosts start constant oestrus and maintain this condition after the removal of the testicular graft. It is concluded (1) that the cases with "constant oestrus" are those in which the implanted testis is sufficiently active to have a leading influence upon the hypophysis which responds with the male type of constant non-cyclic function; (2) that the hypophysis is permanently altered; (3) that the sex type of the hypophysis is secondary, depending upon the presence of differentiated sex glands.


Descriptive study of human brucellosis in Mbooni, Makueni County 2015 Josephat Mbai 1 , Obonyo M 1    Kanyina E 1  1 Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program Contact for Corresponding Author : firstname.lastname@example.com Background:  Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease and its epidemiology among various populations in Kenya is not fully understood. This study aims to characterize the epidemiology and sero-positivity of human brucellosis in Mbooni Sub-County, 2015. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of all laboratory-confirmed human brucellosis cases at Mbooni and Kisau hospitals for the year 2015.Variables were patient identifier information, brucella test results and species titer.  Entries missing laboratory results and those diagnosed outside the study period were excluded. Descriptive statistics were calculated with MS-Excel. Seropositivity proportions, odds ratios and 95% CIs were calculated with Epi-Info. Results: A total of 698 entries were included in the study, with median age 40 (IQR 37.5-42.3) years, and 518 (74.2%) were female. The prevalence was 60.4 /100,000 persons, seropositivity of 34% (238) ranging 23 to 47% for March and June/August respectively with 22-45years accounting for 45% (92). The females had 1.54 odds  (1.05-2.23) seropositivity  to males Conclusion: Females were more affected than males and infection patterns seem to be seasonal.  We recommend additional studies to further classify the disease epidemiology in Makueni.


The authors preliminarily discuss the construction of metropolitan agriculture in shanghai from the following aspects: body function orientation, industrial structure, industrial organization and spatial layout.


Background: A wide variety of advanced dressing materials have been developed to improve wound healing. One of such innovations is the bioelectric dressing. The bioelectric dressing mimics naturally-originating electricity within the body that promotes wound healing. Bioelectric dressings also disrupt biofilm formation and support cell migration, improving epithelization. This pilot study aims to examine the potential effect of bioelectric dressings on skin graft donor sites.Methods: Skin was harvested from the lateral upper thigh area of each patient. One-half of the donor site was covered with a bioelectrical dressing followed by a foam dressing, and the other half was covered with only a foam dressing. Dressings were changed every 1–4 days depending on the exudate of the donor site. A swab culture was done on each portion on postoperative day (POD) 7. On POD 14, each side of the donor site was photographed and then evaluated by a blinded plastic surgeon with more than 30 years of experience in epithelization.Results: A total of nine patients successfully completed the study. In terms of epithelization, the bioelectric dressing was superior to the control dressing in seven patients; two of them completely epithelialized on POD 14 and POD 10. The other two cases apparently had similar epithelization ratios on both sides. Only one patient had positive swab culture results.Conclusion: This pilot study suggests that bioelectric dressings may stimulate epithelization.


he loss of the Mars Polar Orbiter to a sophomore physics error regarding physical units reminds us that a major focus of computational science and engineering must be the development of correct models and simulations. Two terms are commonly used to describe correctness in simulations: verification and validation. The US Defense Modeling and Simulation Office offers a central information repository on the V&V of models and simulations. 1,2 According to the DMSO's Web site (https://www.dmso.mil/ public/resources/glossary), verification is the process of determining that a model or simulation implementation accurately represents the developer's conceptual description and specification. Verification also evaluates the extent to which the model or simulation has been developed using sound and established software engineering techniques. The site defines validation as the process of determining the degree to which a model or simulation is an accurate representation of the real-world from the perspective of the intended uses of the model or simulation. The ideas of conceptual description and specification and real world, taken from these definitions, are not formally defined, yet most readers would have a clear idea of what the terms mean—to them. Since these terms are not formally defined , the DMSO's definitions of V&V are effectively meaningless. To establish the meaning of V&V, I will produce a philosophical basis for the terms and then develop formal frameworks within this philosophical setting. Finally, I will provide two useful formal approaches for reasoning about V&V as one problem. One approach uses the concept of evidence based on mathematical evidence as formulated by Shafer. 3 The second model is based on concepts of information. I define both systems from the idea of a probability knowledge graph, which I develop from the verification (proof) of system properties. Proof is not an absolute concept; it is defined within epistemology. In computational science The Michelson-Morley experiment can be examined, using standard mathematical concepts of error analysis, as a case study in validation. A few philosophical principles focusing on scientific confirmation help elucidate the formal logical concepts that result in a foundation for scientific validation. The author proposes two research directions.


In this paper,the character of wireless and mobile communication's channel is analyzed.A stochastic process the system's channel is approximated,and the Suzuki process is given.The math model of Suzuki's channel model is researched in important.The principle of Suzuki's channel model's construction is analyzed.The model is built in simulink.Through simulation,the Suzuki's model could simulate real mobile communication's channel quite well.


Field, petrog., and geochem. data is presented for the foliated charnockite and gneisses from Chamarajanagar area of southern Karnataka, India. The area lies well within the amphibolite- to granulite-facies transition zone. The major lithol. includes older supracrustals, ultramafic rocks, amphibolite, gneisses, charnockites, granite and dolerites of different ages. Field observations show a complex deformational history and complex pattern of parallel shears, fractures and faults. The area under study exhibits innumerable parallel minor shear zones. The shear zones :noticed in the study area are the replicas of the regional shear zone (Moyar-Bhavani shear) along which uplift of the terrain had taken place and various intrusive bodies have been emplaced. Major and trace element data of gneisses and charnockite despite their trondhjemitic compn. indicate low K2O/SiO2 ratio. Foliated charnockite-exhibits slightly higher Fe2O3, high Na2O relative to K2O and CaO. Gneisses and charnockites together show depletion of LIL elements, which is considered to be diagnostic of Chamarajanagar area and this, can be attributed to the formation of gneisses from foliated charnockites due to retrogression.


In this work, we present how the AC-Stark shift can be suppressed by using twisted light beams for photoexcitations. Twisted light beams carry a non-zero projection of orbital angular momentum (OAM) onto their propagation direction, have a helical phase front and an intensity minimum in the beam center. Atoms located in this minimum experience a reduced AC-Stark shift and, therefore, twisted beams may be considered as valuable tool to drive atomic clock transitions. In this contribution, particular emphasis is paid to the electric-octupole (E3) transition 2 S1/2 → 2 F7/2 in the 171 Yb+ ion.


Various recent field campaigns have measured significant acetaldehyde (CH3CHO) mixing ratios in the unpolluted troposphere, indicating it is globally ubiquitous. Large differences between these observations and model predicted acetaldehyde concentrations have been reported. Measurements taken at Mace Head, during the North Atlantic Marine Boundary Layer Experiment (NAMBLEX), in the summer of 2002, have been used to investigate acetaldehyde chemistry. Specifically, sources and sinks of acetaldehyde have been considered. It has been demonstrated, using the steady-state approximation, that the rate of acetaldehyde production via hydrocarbon oxidation (mean peak rate 0.12 x 106 molecules cm-3 s-1) is insufficient to balance loss via oxidation by the hydroxyl radical and photolysis (mean peak rate 0.36 x 10 6 molecules cm -3 s -1 ). In recent literature, oceanic emission has been proposed as a likely additional source of acetaldehyde. Based on a number of assumptions, a peak oceanatmosphere acetaldehyde flux of 1.8 x 10-12 g cm-2 s-1 has been calculated. This figure was used to estimate a minimum global oceanic acetaldehyde emission budget of 65 Tg yr-1. The nature of this oceanic acetaldehyde source is uncertain, though possible mechanisms are discussed.


ABSTRACT We recently described the capsule null locus (cnl) of constitutively unencapsulated Neisseria meningitidis clonal lineages. cnl meningococci were recovered from healthy carriers at high frequency. We here report on the first case of invasive disease caused by cnl meningococci in a severely immunosuppressed patient with chronic graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. The sequence type 845 strain was extensively typed and, furthermore, shown to be sensitive to serum bactericidal activity.


Christelle Cantet: statistical analyses. Yves Rolland: proofreading, acquisition of data, and manuscript. Sponsor's Role: The research program from which this work was conducted was supported by the Regional Agency of Health–Midi Pyrénées (ARS-MP), France (grant ARSMP.2010.1). Members of the ARS-MP participated in the development of the research program. With regard to the present work, ARS-MP placed no restrictions on and had no role in the analysis and interpretation of the data, or in the preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript.


This paper presents the structure and application of a sun tracking photo-sensor, which controls the direction of a reflected solar radiation to be constant. The sensor has a very simple structure, in which two photo-cells are placed side by side in the bottom of a box with an aperture. When the reflected solar radiation passes through the aperture, the photo-cells are fractionally illuminated, and a electric current, which is proportional to the illuminated area, is generated on each photo-cell. The direction of the reflected solar radiation is kept to be constant by controlling the angle of the reflection mirror to make the two currents equal. The performance of the photo-sensor was tested with a mirror-telescope system and the sun tracking error was estimated to be less than 0.6 mrad on sunny day. To ascertain the applicability of the photo-sensor, a sensor-controlled heliostat, in which no computer-control system and rotary encoders were installed, was manufactured. The performance of the heliostat was evaluated by observing the radiation on the target screen which was placed 70 m south side of the heliostat, and the angular error within 2 mrad was achieved on sunny days, while the tracking error increased in various ways in cloudy weather. This photo-sensor is applicable for small solar furnace, sun lighting system, and sun tracking photovoltaic system.Copyright © 2004 by ASME


The rich intangible cultural heritage along Qingjiang River Basin is facing disappearance,extinction and decline.Confronted with such a situation,the government should lead all walks of life to reach a consensus as soon as possible,set up preservation mechanisms concerned,strengthen inter-regional cooperation and take various measures to protect it scientifically and efficiently.


[Objective]To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of Resiniferatoxin(RTX)in the control of bladder spasm and micturitional symptoms of overactive bladder(OAB)during the early stage after transurethral resection of the prostate(TURP).[Methods]This was a randomized controlled trial.45 patients who underwent TURP for symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia included in the study.The mean age was 67.84±6.92 years(range 52 to 85 years).The mean course of the illness was 6.89±5.69 years(range 0.6 to 20 years).45 patients were divided into 3 groups randomly(n=15,in each group):A,B and C.100ml of RTX at a concerntration of 10-8mol/L was instilled into the bladder preoperatively for 30 minutes in group A;group C received normal saline(NS)only.Group B received Tolterodine(2mg twice daily)before TURP.It was observed to rate of cystospasm and the related complications.[Results]RTX instillation had no vesical irritation and other adverse effects,and no local anesthesia was required.The symptoms of OAB were improved immediately in all the patients after 1 day of RTX intervention.The decreases in both diurnal and nocturnal frequencies were significant(P﹤0.001)according to voiding diaries at 1 week after treatment.The symptoms score,the number of bladder spasm episodes,duration of bladder spasm,the time of bladder perfusion clearance and indwelling catheter delivery in RTX group reduced significantly as compared with control group C.[Conclusion]Preoperative therapeutic intravesical instillations of RTX is believed to be effective and well tolerated in the prevention and treatment of both detrusor instability and bladder spasm caused by urethra obstruction.It also improves postoperative function of patients' bladder by preventing postoperative overactive bladder and bladder spastic pain without side effects.It can be a promising therapeutic method for patients with overactive bladder.


This paper investigates the sound absorption characteristics of a precast panel system made from an environmentally sustainable concrete which can be used as an acoustical material. A current research project undertaken at the School of Architecture and Building, Deakin University, aims at utilising alternative materials and innovative approach to concrete precasting in the production of architecturally pleasing concrete panels. The normal incidence sound absorption coefficients of the assemblies were measured using an impedance tube. In general, the peak frequencies reduced with increasing thickness of concrete. The preliminary results indicate that the sound absorption of a three-layer variation of the panel meet design specifications related to acoustic performance. The major benefits of this investigated approach to concrete and concrete precasting are the ease of tunability to specific peak frequency, improved aesthetics and utilisation of industrial waste.


This paper has the objective to reflect about the Psychiatrist reform for the conduction to the humanization of the madness and the reflection of an anti-mental hospital approach which adheres to a new understanding of the psychic sufferer as a complex subject and self-subjective. This work is supported in the work of Michel Foucault. We make a qualitative research, being the method of production of datum the interview. The analysis of the datum obtained in the interviews is centered in the Interpretative Analytic Method. We have two statements of the analysis. 1) Autonomy: a therapeutic operating 2) Human rights how possibility of relationship of differences. In this way we can see which changes in the conceptions are gradual and the starting point, are all of us, workers, users and relatives. The logic proposed by the Politic of Mental health, the integration of some projects uniting the actions of health and mental health and the creation of fertile fields in the conquest of the recovery in mental health and the quality in the exchange of information among the workers of mental health are key points in the advance and consolidation of this new model.


The working principles,type selection considerations and installation requirements of vortex flow meters were introduced. Common problems occurred during their operation and corresponding countermeasures were analyzed. It was indicated that vortex flow meters had the characteristics of low pressure loss,large measuring range,high precision,less maintenance work and low cost,and were mainly applied in measuring the flow of fluid in industrial pipelines.


An elliptical-core (e-core), two-mode fiber optic micro-device for in-line modulating and switching has been studied. The polished surface is so close to the core of the fiber that the differential propagation constant between the LP01 and LP11 even modes is strongly dependent on the refractive index of the deposited oil. The power from a single lobe and the total power are separately received by two detectors. In experiments, the dependence of the differential phase shift between the two modes on the refractive index of the deposited material was observed. The switching characteristics of the structure so fabricated, switching between the two lobes were also demonstrated. Further, different coupling characteristics of the two modes propagating the fiber into the deposited layer, which functions as a planar waveguide, have been observed.


At present, the main environmental issue facing China is extensive economic development, resulting from the Chinese government's policy of "fiscal decentralization". In this context of decentralization, China's environmental governance system assigns management authority based on administrative divisions and provides vertical leadership in accordance with the constitution at the government level. In other words, the central government develops a unified environmental policy, which the local governments are responsible for implementing in their respective jurisdictions. Meanwhile, the local governments are also influenced by the private interests of enterprises, and have incentive to conspire with polluting enterprises, leading to incomplete implementation of regulation strategies. To provide a relevant theoretical basis for the strict implementation of environmental regulations under the fiscally decentralized system of China, we use evolutionary economics research tools to build an evolutionary game fram...


Background and purpose: In recent years, along with the development of positive psychology, happiness has been the basic pivot of the studies conducted in this area. Due to the importance of happiness in all dimensions of life, the present study aimed at determining the status of happiness among paramedical students. Materials and methods: This descriptive study was conducted on 320 paramedical students who were selected through simple random sampling. The data were collected using Oxford Happiness Inventory. Results: Overall, no significant relationship was found between happiness score and gender (P=0.05). Findings showed that the statements related to self-esteem and satisfaction factors were just significant in relation to the students' major (P 0.05). Conclusion: Findings of the study showed that happiness of the students depends on their major and level of education, while other variables, namely, age, gender, and marital status had no significant relationship with the happiness.


A remote, aerial, laser-based sonar and communications concept has been demonstrated to direct laser beams from the air onto the water surface to remotely generate and detect underwater sound. This forms the basis for a portable, aerial sonar and communications system for both detecting underwater objects such as vehicles and mines as well as for bi-directional acoustic communication between an in-air platform and a submerged platform operating at speed and depth. Two laser systems are required. The first laser system is a high-energy laser, the opto-acoustic transmitter, whose optical energy is converted to acoustic energy at the water surface. The second laser system is a laser interferometer, the acousto-optic sensor that detects underwater sound by measuring the vibrations of the water surface caused by the incident underwater sound field. Historically, acoustic transmitters and detectors need to be submerged to interact with the underwater environment. This remote, aerial, laser-based sonar and communication system presents a revolutionary change in the way sonar and communications can be realized, by remotely activating and detecting underwater acoustics from the air.


In present study attempt has been taken to determine the degree of malignancy of brain tumors using artificial intelligence. The suspicious regions in brain as suggested by the radiologists have been segmented using fuzzy c-means clustering technique. Fourier descriptors are utilized for precise extraction of boundary features of the tumor region. As Fourier Descriptors introduce a large number of feature vectors that may invite the problem of over learning and chance of misclassifications, the proposed diagnosis system efficiently search the significant boundary features by genetic algorithm and feed them to the adaptive neuro-fuzzy based classifier. In addition to shape based features, textural compositions are also incorporated to achieve high level of accuracy in diagnosis of tumors. The study involves 100 brain images and has shown 86% correct classification rate.


Intumescence injury of tomato leaves is a physiological disorder in which white surface spots rise on the abaxial side of the leaf and then turn brown; when it worsens, the leaf dies. Scanning electron microscope observations showed individual cells were enlarged and raised due to intumescence injury. Vein epidermal cells and stomatal guard cells were also enlarged. Hypertrophy was observed by light microscopy in epidermal cells, spongy tissue cells, and palisade tissue cells. In thin leaf sections prepared with Technovit 7100 resin, the resin peeled from the epidermal surface on the adaxial and abaxial sides of normal leaf areas. However, resin did not peel off from the enlarged epidermis in areas of intumescence. Transmission electron microscopy imaging of the cuticular layer in the epidermal cells affected by intumescence injury showed disappearance of the outermost wax layer, abnormalities in intermediate layer, and decrease in cuticular layer. Toluidine blue O staining was used to identify abnormalities in the cuticular layer and the area of intumescence, which was stained purple. The percentage of staining area relative to total area of the leaf was used to quantify the degree of intumescence. In experiments using incubators under low-UV conditions, intumescence injury was less likely to occur in young leaves or fully expanded leaves and more likely to occur in expanding leaves. In addition, the water content of the leaves in which intumescence injury occurred was lower than that in normal leaves. Intumescence injury occurred less frequently under conditions of 70% relative humidity than under conditions of 90% relative humidity. UV and relative humidity are known to affect the development of the cuticular layer, and intumescence injury was severe under conditions in which the cuticular layer had difficulty developing. Our findings showed that intumescence injury of leaves was accompanied by abnormal cuticular layer, and suggest that occurrence of intumescence injury may be reduced under conditions in which the cuticular layer is well developed, such as with UV irradiation after sowing. The degree of intumescence was higher in the upper leaves (the 5th leaf and above) of plants 21 days after sowing than in plants placed in the incubator 14 days after sowing. The above findings show that, in‐ tumescence injury occurred markedly in developing leaves that had expanded leaf areas; it also occurred over a period of 2 days under conditions of reduced UV and 85% relative humidity. It was found that the inci‐ dence of intumescence on tomato leaves increased with the duration of low UV, and sensitivity differed depend‐ ing on stage.


Received: 28 May 2017 Final Accepted: 30 June 2017 Published: July 2017 Background: Newborn health and survival depend on the care provided to the newborn. Newborn care is essential element in reducing child mortality, it often receives less or poor attention. According to the Afghanistan Demographic Health Survey 2015 (DHS) the less than one year mortality rate is 45 per 1000 live birth while significant percentage of this morality is happening during the neonatal period. Poor knowledge of mothers low level of education, unskilled birth attendants, unhygienic delivery practices, malnourished mothers, late breast feeding, no breast feeding, newborn immediate bathing, poor access to required health services, very late arrival to health facilities, poor quality of services at the health facilities and poor commitment of Governments are the main contributing factors in newborn death. Objectives: To identify the most common causes and basic factors of newborn illness admitted to Intensive Care Units. To describe the strengths and limitations of neonatal health care in two pediatric hospitals in Afghanistan Method: A cross-sectional study is conducted in two Hospitals in Kabul. The sample size was 400 child care takers. Findings: The finding from this survey indicates that Neonatal Jaundice makes 17% of total admission, Sepsis( 19%), birth asphyxia(10%), Congenital Heart Diseases ( 6%), Meconium Aspiration( 2%), Premature( 8%), Low birth weight (12%), Bleeding disorder( 2%), Congenital anomalies( 2%), Very Sever Pneumonia (19%) and due to winter season Diarrhea was ( 2%). Conclusion: Mother education level makes great difference in child care, community awareness for early seeking health care and timely decision making is important, availability of skilled birth attendance during delivery and delivery at suitable health facilities, provision of early and properly health/medical care are very essential in neonatal mortality reduction. Improve referral linkages, strong governance/policy dimensions, strong health system supports in the process of neonatal health care/neonatal survivals are very much needed.


The customs procedure which regulates transshipment is leaving the customs territory of goods coming from abroad that are in the customs ware house. The transshipment of goods is made by request of the consignee or available to the customs authority because it does not meet all the requirements to nationalize the goods are imported or prohibited. Transshipment regime aims to describe the procedure to be followed to affect the goods or at their quest of Foreign Trade Operator must qualify under the customs transshipment in order to en sure the facilitation and control of foreign trade. The methodology used in these researches the documentary literature methodology, based in scientific journals theories used as reference, resulting in knowledge of each of the steps and their application at the time of the transshipment of goods. In conclusion for a transshipment of goods the application for authorization regime previously prepared, which will establish the reasons why reloading is done to set the deadline and allow if the MRN (Reference Number Cargo Manifest) is available to proceed with the transshipment of goods. You should always keep in mind that if the MRN is entered in the Authorization Application in the case of imports, is this me charge number and if this be a fractioned charge, will be the number to deliver primary zone.


The paper introduced the process of the production and storage of the liquid chlorine in some chlorine alkali factuories in Changzhou city. The hazard of the main materials, products and the equipments of production were analyzed. The risk of fire explosion for the chlorine was evaluated by Dow Fire Explosion Index(Dow FEI). By building the mathematical models, the hazard on the consequent of leak accident of liquid chlorine was simulated and analyzed quantitatively. On these basis, the controlling measures of risk were presented.


Considering that the teaching quality assessment system of e-commerce practice in partial independent colleges is deficient or outdated and is thus unsuitable for the development of ecommerce major in the new era, or that such system is applicable only for theoretical courses instead of teaching quality assessment, a teaching quality assessment system of e-commerce practice in partial independent colleges is established based on SERVQUAL model. With Zhujiang College, South China Agricultural University as an example, an empirical study is conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics23 for data analysis, showing that this quality assessment system is capable of objectively assessing and comparing corresponding teaching quality, and reflecting problems in relevant facilities construction and teaching activities, the settling down of which are conducive to enhancing the students' employment competitiveness and the colleges' comprehensive strengths.


The Mars shows strong magnetic anomalies of more than 100 nT at 400 km altitude by the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) observation during 1997-2006 (e.g. Acuña et al., 1998). The magnetic anomalies indicate existence of the ancient Martian dynamo at about 4Ga, although the present Mars has no global magnetic field. Several previous studies have mapped the magnetic anomalies using the MGS observations at about 400 km altitudes of the mapping phase and at about 120-400 km altitudes of the aerobraking phase. The mapping results show characteristic features: the E-W elongated magnetic anomalies of about 15 degree width, and magnetic reduction/demagnetization at some large craters (e.g. Acuña et al., 1998; Purucker et al., 2000; Connerney et al., 2005; Lillis et al., 2008). However, it is difficult to detect fine structures of the crustal magnetic fields on the maps normalized at high altitudes, since short wavelength components are attenuated. In the present study, we have applied the Surface Vector Mapping (SVM) method (Tsunakawa et al., 2014, 2015) to the Terra Cimmeria region and several craters on the Mars. Terra Cimmeria is a part of the high land region on the southern hemisphere and one of the strongest magnetic anomaly regions on the Mars. Applying the regional SVM method to the MGS observations in 2005 (30-60 S, 150-180 E; –0.4 ~ 3 km in topographic elevation), the surface magnetic field is estimated to be more than 10000 nT at some areas of the Terra Cimmeria region. The SVM maps show elongated magnetic anomalies with about 5 degree width on the surface, which is much shorter in wavelength than those on the previous maps. These short wavelength components are recognized with relatively smaller amplitudes in the observed magnetic fields. We also have analyzed the magnetic fields observed in 2001. Comparison of the SVM maps between 2005 and 2001 datasets indicates good internal consistency. Based on the SVM results, we have calculated the magnetic field along the pass of about 125-375 km altitudes during the aerobraking phase in 1998, resulting in good agreement of the calculated fields with the observed fields. Thus the Martian magnetic anomalies in the Terra Cimmeria region are successfully mapped on the surface in the present study. One of the remarkable features on the SVM maps of the Terra Cimmeria region is that total intensities of more than 14000 nT on the surface are restricted at areas with about 2-3 km topographic elevations. The diagram of surface total intensity vs. topographic elevation shows that maximum intensity increases with the elevation in range of –0.4 ~ 2 km. These features suggest that magnetic anomaly sources in this region may be distributed in relatively thin layer near the surface. We also have applied the SVM method to several craters and their surrounding regions. Most of these crater regions show correlations between the the surface total intensity and the topographic elevation, similar to the Terra Cimmeria region. The results from the Terra Cimmeria and crater regions imply that the Martian magnetic anomalies seem to be carried mainly by crustal magnetization of a layer with several kilometer depth.


ABSTRACT Do national and local newspapers both impact voter turnout? This paper tackles this question by employing data from a unique dataset that collects detailed national and local newspapers, politico-institutional and socio-economic information for Italy during 1980–2007. We use a Dynamic Panel Data with Instrumental Variables methodology that allows for the consideration of potential sources of endogeneity that may affect the relation between the press and voting behavior. We strengthen this methodology by considering the industry's entry and exit of newspapers – i.e. turbulence – as an external shock. Our analysis provides robust evidence that local newspaper readership affects both national and local turnout and improves political accountability.


An autonomous intelligent cruise control system was designed and simulated based on measured relative distance, speed, and acceleration. These constitute the fuzzy inputs. The results have shown that the system can be robust to noisy distance measurements and modular in structure to ease its implementation. A simple way of estimating the road condition was developed, implemented and tested in simulation. The results show that based on the measured relationship between the deceleration and brake pressure, the brake pressure output gain can be adjusted to prevent lock up of the tires and the consequent loss of stability. Two controller implementations were tested. The first one is based on heuristic knowledge of the system using Mamdani inference system. The second model was based on offline adaptive neuro-fuzzy controller model.


As the cultural symbols of a prairie nationality,prairie and horse usually appeared as natural images in the movies with the themes of prairie and nationality,which formed the culture of prairie and horse with particular characteristics in the movies with the themes of prairie and nationality.This paper presents the common narrative technique for prairie in the movie and the narrative functions of horse embodied in the movie.


To develop a real-time CS-SAR (compressive sensing synthetic aperture radar) system, in which signals are randomly truncated and recovered using iterative forward and inverse imagings, we studied its parallel implementation that performs before and after fourier-transforms and is accelerated by the callback-customized cuFFT library on the NVLink-connected GPUs. When observing 8192x32768-signals every 6.0 s, we found that our CS-SAR reconstructions with four GPUs takes 2.1 s, which is 29.5 times faster than 96-threaded CPUs.


This exploratory systematic literature review is a starting point for a deep literature review on "Knowledge Governance" (KGOV) topic. The aim is to have a quick picture about KGOV; specifically trying to identify the seminal, core and relevant documents. We also seek to know the contexts of these studies, as well as on what ontological levels and activities they refer to. The principal results are: a) the identification of the structure of the topic, by retrieving the main seminal articles and the most cited (core documents) and b) the building of a structured analysis framework. This framework will be used to perform a deep literature review that aim to develop an integrated and holist conceptual model on Knowledge Governance. Major conclusions are related to clues for future research on this topic.


The cloud computing has emerged as a novel distributed computing system in past few years. It provides computation and resources over the Internet via dynamic provisioning of services. There are quite a few challenges and issues connected with implementation of cloud computing. This paper considers one of its major problems, i.e. task scheduling. The function of an efficient task scheduling algorithm is that it concentrates not only on attaining the requirements of the user but also in enhancing the efficiency of the cloud computing system. Cloud task scheduling is an NP-hard optimization problem, and many meta-heuristic algorithms have been proposed to solve it. This paper proposes a modified Penguins Search Optimization Algorithm (MPeSOA) for efficient cloud task scheduling. The main contribution of our work is to schedule all tasks to available virtual machines so that the makespan is minimized, resource utilization is increased and the degree of imbalance is reduced. The proposed scheduling algorithm was simulated using the CloudSim 4.0 simulator. Experimental results showed that the proposed MPeSOA outperformed three existing meta-heuristics, namely Penguins Search Optimization Algorithm (PeSOA), Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO).


Today more than ever it is critical to guide future teachers in the direction of understanding how people participate and constitute social reality as a seedbed to create more significant language curriculums that respond to school students' needs and empower them to act more critically in their worlds. This article discusses the way pre-service teachers started to become aware of the need to establish relationships between community resources (linguistic, social, and cultural) and their role as individuals and teachers to enact critical pedagogy. This qualitative exploration was developed with three different groups of students in an English undergraduate program in a public university. Data were gathered by means of community mapping reports (Kreztmann & Mckinght, 1993) and presentations, students' insights into community based pedagogy in teacher education (Schecter, Solomon, & Kittmer, 2003), and pedagogical projects designed and carried out in the schools where they did the teaching practicum. The outcomes of this study brought to light how pre-service began making connections between the principles of community based pedagogy and the language curriculum in the schools. Findings demonstrate the way they encouraged their students to explore their communities from different perspectives and promoted students' role of inquirers of themselves and their contexts.


We discuss the force and torque acting on spherical particles in an ensemble in the presence of a uniform AC electric field. We show that for a torque causing particle rotation to appear the particle must be absorptive. Our proof includes all electromagnetic excitations, which in the case of two or more particles gives rise to one or more resonances in the spectrum of force and torque depending on interparticle distance. Several peaks are found in the force and torque between two spheres at small interparticle distances, which coalesce to just one as the separation grows beyond three particle radii. We also show that in the presence of dissipation the force on each particle is non conservative and may not be derived from the classical interaction potential energy as has been done in the past.


On the basis of nonequilibrium processes production technologies of aqueous colloidal systems of chemical elements not soluble in water, in particular, selenium were developed. Selenium is a trace element with unique biological functions, which has a wide range of effects on living organisms. The aim of this work is to obtain an aqueous colloidal selenium solution, suitable for biological researches, by laser ablation and ultrasonic dispersion. The method of laser ablation allows to obtain an aqueous colloidal solution of selenium with a concentration of up to 5.6 mg/l, Zeta potential up to -14.1 mV and pH = 4.92. Using an ultrasonic homogenizer, aqueous colloidal solutions of amorphous selenium with a concentration of 9.8 mg/l, Zeta potential of 26.3 mV and pH = 6.47 were obtained. Ultrasonic dispersion method using a waveguide is more preferable for the preparation of colloidal solutions of selenium for biological research due to the higher concentration and stability at pH values close to neutral.


Bicycle helmets can provide valuable protective effects to the wearer's head in the event of a crash. However, the level of protection that helmets offer varies greatly between the users for similar impacts. Although these discrepancies can be d


Voting power indices are widely applied in political science to measure power in voting bodies. Power is, however, also a very important concept in economics. Of the most known indices it is commonly held that they measure so-called a priori voting power, although in a recent study Felsenthal et al. argue that we should be careful with this statement. This paper considers whether the power indices based on Straffin's partial homogeneity approach should be interpreted as a priori or a posteriori power indices. The idea of fuzzy standards is also introduced.


This paper investigates the degree of political involvement in the Turkish police organisation with a special reference to promotion and transfer applications of the police officers. Two data sets were employed in the research, one of which reflects the biographic information, promotion and transfer history of 300 police directors. The second probes the perceptions of officers from different ranks about promotion and transfer applications. It is shown that there are serious deviations from the rules. Political interference seems to be the most important reason for out-of-rule applications in promotion and transfers.


This thesis explores the combination of influence maps and potential fields in two novel pathfinding algorithms, IM+PF and IM/PF, that allows AI agents to intelligently navigate an environment. The ...


This paper presents the results of using a multiple stage tracker to improve tracking results on a multistatic sonar dataset. The tracker consists of a predetection fusion step, an extended Kalman filter implementation of joint probabilistic data association (JPDA), and a Monte Carlo implementation of JPDA. The predetection fusion step, combined with the first EKF-JPDA step is used to detect targets and initialize tracks in the Monte Carlo JPDA tracker. The Monte Carlo JPDA tracker allows for the use of multiple models, as well as accurately modeling the measurement uncertainty without linearity approximations. The multiple stage tracking system results in improved localization and decreased fragmentation when compared to the baseline tracker.