Visual recognition is the problem of learning visual categories from a limited set of samples and identifying new instances of those categories, the problem is often separated into two types: the specific case and the generic category case. In the specific case the objective is to identify instances of a particular object, place or person. Whereas in the generic category case we seek to recognize different instances that belong to the same conceptual class: cars, pedestrians, road signs and mugs. Specific object recognition works by matching and geometric verification. In contrast, generic object categorization often includes a statistical model of their appearance and/or shape.This thesis proposes a computer vision system for detecting and tracking multiple targets in videos. A preliminary work of this thesis consists on the adaptation of color according to lighting variations and relevance of the color. Then, literature shows a wide variety of tracking methods, which have both advantages and limitations, depending on the object to track and the context. Here, a deterministic method is developed to automatically adapt the tracking method to the context through the cooperation of two complementary techniques. A first proposition combines covariance matching for modeling characteristics texture-color information with optical flow (KLT) of a set of points uniformly distributed on the object . A second technique associates covariance and Mean-Shift. In both cases, the cooperation allows a good robustness of the tracking whatever the nature of the target, while reducing the global execution times .The second contribution is the definition of descriptors both discriminative and compact to be included in the target representation. To improve the ability of visual recognition of descriptors two approaches are proposed. The first is an adaptation operators (LBP to Local Binary Patterns ) for inclusion in the covariance matrices . This method is called ELBCM for Enhanced Local Binary Covariance Matrices . The second approach is based on the analysis of different spaces and color invariants to obtain a descriptor which is discriminating and robust to illumination changes.The third contribution addresses the problem of multi-target tracking, the difficulties of which are the matching ambiguities, the occlusions, the merging and division of trajectories.Finally to speed algorithms and provide a usable quick solution in embedded applications this thesis proposes a series of optimizations to accelerate the matching using covariance matrices. Data layout transformations, vectorizing the calculations (using SIMD instructions) and some loop transformations had made possible the real-time execution of the algorithm not only on Intel classic but also on embedded platforms (ARM Cortex A9 and Intel U9300).


The review of legislation to improve consumer information raises pragmatic observations on textual practices. The order 385/2003 of the Autonomous Government of Catalonia (Spain) sets the minimum font size in contracts for readability. The interpretation of these rules allows us to consider the pragmatic use of the fine print. And the paper also includes advertising from an energy company that paradoxically used as a resource for prestige the fine print in contract documents.


In recent years, industrial technology in China continues developing fast, and this has put forward higher requirements for China's forging equipment. The development international direction of the forging equipment is multi-bit, high-speed and large-set, which leads to the combination of a number of technologies such as hydraulic, pneumatic, electronic, mechanization and detection. However, China's forging press is still at a relatively low level. The organically combination of CNC system with the computer, network, automated warehouses, automatic mold change systems and industrial robots has made the development of the manufacture more and more intelligent as well as its technology level more and more intelligent. In order to occupy a place in the international arena, it is imminent to vigorously develop China's forging equipment. As high speed forging hydraulic machine occupies a very important position in the whole forging system, and the requirement on the dimensional accuracy and productivity of industrial products is getting higher and higher in modern society. This paper introduces the analysis and researches on the hydraulic system of high speed forging hydraulic machine, which is also the difficult and hot point of social researches.


TiO2 nanoparticles are successfully synthesized by hydrothermal method using titanylsulfate and carbamide as raw materials.The as-synthesized samples were characterized by transmission electron microscope(TEM),X-ray diffraction patterns(XRD) analysis technologies.The effect of the reaction temperature and time on crystalline structure,surface morphology were primarily investigated.Photocatalytic activity of TiO2 nanoparticle was analyzed by a model of formaldehyde waste solution.The results indicated that well-crystallized anatase photo-catalyst with the diameter of 5-10 nm was synthesized by hydrothermal method,the optimal reaction temperature and time was 140 ℃ and 2 h,respectively.The experiment of photocatalytic degradation formaldehyde solution indicated that photocatalytic activity of TiO2 nanoparticle was higher than that of P25.


The mechanical performance of the adhesive joint by silane treatment was investigated,and the influence of surface treatment on the mechanical performance of adhesive/metal interface was analyzed.The silane treated carbon steel was adhered by epoxy resin.Fatigue load was applied on the joint and then shear tension was applied.The change of stress-strain curves and the joint failure model was analyzed.The results show that the silane treated joint adhesive intensity improves after some cycles of fatigue,though the joint failure model is interface failure,the failure style is ductile fracture.The joint failure by shear tension is the mixture failure of interface and cohesive.


OBJECTIVE To detect the brain damage state by observing the changes of the serum S100β protein levels during conventional coronary artery bypass graft(CCABG) and off-pump coronary artery bypass graft(OPCABG).METHODS 60 patients,35 for OPCABG and 25 for CCABG,were studied.Patients' blood samples were taken before anesthesia during operation and postoperation,to measure the lenels of serum S100β protein.RESULTS Both groups' serum S100β protein levels were the lowest before induction of anesthesia and significantly increased,before heart operating(P0.05).CCABG group' peak values was higheer than OPCABG group(P0.05).Both groups' serum S100β protein levels declined significantly in the first postoperative 24 hours,but didn't recover to the levels of before anesthesia(P0.05). CONCLUSION This study has shown that brain damage had occurrenced before manipulation of the heart.These findings may have implications that brain protection should be emphasized during the course of anaesthesia care and cardiac surgery.


Despite the inclusion of equity ideals in the design of many health care systems, pragmatic tools for integrating them into the efficiency categories of cost-effectiveness in HTA remain under-developed. This paper reviews approaches used to incorporate equity in HTA methods and develops a framework to help decision makers supplement the standard efficiency criteria of HTA and avoid building inequities, explicit or implicit, into their methodology. A 'checklist' is provided to alert decision makers to a wide range of equity considerations for HTA. This checklist is intended to be used as part of the process through which advisory bodies receive their terms of reference; the scoping of the agenda prior to the selection of a candidate intervention and its comparators for HTA; the accompanying background briefing for decision makers; and as a tool to help to structure the discussion and composition of professional and 'lay' advisory groups during the assessment process. The checklist is offered as only a beginning of an on-going process of deliberation and consultation, through which the matters covered can be expected to become more comprehensive and the record of past decisions and their contexts in any jurisdiction adopting the tool can serve to guide subsequent evidence gathering and decisions. In these ways, it may be hoped that equity will be more systematically and fully considered and implemented in both the procedures and decisions of HTA.


The paper is dedicated to recognising Sarmatian motifs in poetic collections of Jerzy Harasymowicz. The analysis of selected works proves that the poet had an excellent preparation for interpreting old literature. Poems written by Harasymowicz are the evidence of both his familiarity with aesthetic conventions of the Baroque period and his knowledge of historical themes of the 17th century. Historism was treated by the writer as a reservoir of motifs and characters, which were a point of reference for the diagnosis of the current political situation in the 70s of the last century.


Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome and is characterized by elevated levels of fat in the liver. NAFLD can begin in childhood, although the origins of the disease are not well characterized. Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is often used to screen for NAFLD. Our objectives are to 1) examine whether elevated ALT at 24 y is associated with hepatic steatosis and 2) describe whether ALT trends from 9 to 24 y differ by hepatic steatosis grade at 24 y.

 We used data from a UK population-based birth cohort study (ALSPAC). Patients with 2 to 4 ALT measurements (at 9, 15, 17, 24 y) were included; pregnant women and high alcohol consumers were excluded. To assess hepatic steatosis, controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) scores from Fibroscan were measured at 24 y. We categorized CAP scores into steatosis grades [none (S0: < 248 dB/m), mild/moderate (S1-S2: 248–279 dB/m), and severe (S3: >279 dB/m)]. We used a Pearson's chi-square test to determine whether elevated ALT at 24 y (>19 U/L in women, >30 U/L in men) was associated with steatosis grade. We used sex-stratified linear mixed models to assess trend differences of log-transformed ALT levels from 9 to 24 y between the different steatosis grades at 24 y.

 The final sample size was 1156 (41.4% male). At 24 y, among those with elevated ALT, 17.5% had severe steatosis (S3), while among those with normal ALT only 4.8% had S3 (P < 0.001). In both sexes, there was a more rapid increase in ALT from 9 to 24 y in those with S3 vs S0 at 24 y (P < 0.001). In boys and girls at 9 y, there was no significant difference between ALT values for those with subsequent S3 v S0. In boys at 15 y, ALT was mean (95% CI) 19.1 U/L (17.4–20.9) for S3 vs 15.5 U/L (15.0–16.1) for S0; at 17 y, ALT was 25.4 U/L (23.3–27.8) for S3 vs 18.1 U/L (17.5–18.7) for S0; at 24 y, ALT was 45.2 U/L (40.6–50.4) at S3 vs 24.5(23.5–25.6) at S0 (P < 0.001 for all differences). In girls there were smaller but still significant differences in ALT values between those with S3 and S0 at 15, 17, and 24 y.

 Higher ALT levels from childhood to adolescence were associated with severe hepatic steatosis at 24 years. Diverging ALT trends prior to NAFLD diagnosis may allow for the identification and prevention of NAFLD.

 The UK Medical Research Council and Wellcome and the University of Bristol Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.


We propose that the critical currents of nearly stoichiometric YBa2Cu3O7−δ single crystals (δ<0.1) are determined by fluxon pinning at ordered oxygen‐vacancy domains. Since these domains are also superconducting, albeit with lower Tc and Hc than the stoichiometric matrix, their pinning strength at a given temperature will increase as they are driven normal by an increasing applied field. Experimentally, the magnetization hysteresis curves display a secondary maximum, characteristic of pinning by a superconducting second phase. The ordered‐vacancy domains are assumed to result from a spinodal decomposition. The density and size of the domains were calculated on this assumption. The bulk pinning force was computed by direct summation. In the limit of low temperatures, the calculated values of critical current density Jc are in good agreement with measurements on high‐quality single crystals.


A new species of Sciaphila (Triuridaceae), S. kozushimensis Suetsugu, is described from Kozu Island, Izu Islands, Japan. The new species is similar to S. tosaensis in having unisexual flowers (the female towards the base of the rachis), perianth-segments without any appendages and club-shaped style that is as long as or slightly exceeds ovary in the flowering stage. However, it is distinguishable by smaller male flowers, wide and acuminate male perianth segments and somewhat dissimilar perianth segments. An illustration and molecular analysis based on ITS sequences of the new species are provided. A key to the Japanese Sciaphila is also provided for identification of these rare mycoheterotrophic plants.


1forOand N2 are necessary to produce a thrust of 20 mN to counteract the drag force at an altitude of 250 km. At this altitude, the density of molecules/atoms of ambient atmospheric gas is so rare that the incoming atmosphere flow inside the thruster channel is insufficient to generate the required thrust. Results indicate that a complex system, based on a collector, tank, pump, and compressor, is necessary to reach sufficient pressure inside the thruster channel.


List of illustrations. Notes on contributors. Acknowledgements. 1. The Return of the repressed? British Horror's heritage and future Steve Chibnall and Julian Petley 2. The British censors and horror cinema Mark Kermode 3. 'A crude sort of entertainment for a crude sort of audience': the British critics and horror cinema Julian Petley 4. Screaming for release: Femininity and horror film fandom in Britain Brigid Cherry 5. Horrific films and 1930s British Cinema Ian Conrich 6. Psycho Thriller, qu'est que c'est? Kim Newman 7. Necromancy in the UK: Witchcraft and the occult in British horror Leon Hunt 8. Barbara, Julia, Carol, Myra and Nell: Diagnosing female madness in British horror cinema Steven Jay Schneider 10. The Amicus house of horror Peter Hutchings 11. A descent into the underworld: Deathline Marcelle Perks 12. A heritage of evil: Peter Walker and the politics of Gothic revisionism Steve Chibnall 13. On the side of the demons: Clive Barker's pleasures and pains. Interviews with Clive Barker and Doug Bradley Paul Wells 14. Dying light: an obituary for the Great British Horror Movie Richard Stanley. Filmography of British horror films in the sound era L. S. Smith


This article has been retracted by IOP Publishing following an admission by the authors that this article contains overlap with another work by different authors without citation [1].

IOP Publishing has investigated in line with COPE guidelines and agree that this work should be retracted.

The authors agree to this retraction.

[1] S Sihong, 2018, Microstructure and properties of plasma nitride M50 steel by ion source. Thesis. Harbin Institute of Technology
 Retraction published: 18 October 2022


The present invention relates to novel chemical compounds of general formula (I) relates to an intermediate product for the synthesis of androgen receptors (androgen receptor) inhibitors of interest as an anti-cancer medicament. It is another object of the present invention relates to novel compounds of general formula The substituted 3- (4-carbamoyl-3-fluoro-phenylamino) tetrahydrofuran-3-Enka dicarboxylic acid [3- (4-methylcarbamoyl-3-fluorophenylamino) tetrahydrofuran-3-encarboxylic acids], or the general ester of formula Wherein: R


Objective To investigate the clinical effectiveness and safe of leflunomide in the treatment of henoch-schonlein purpura nephritis.Methods 40 patients with hormone invalid henoch-schonlein purpura nephritis were divided into the control group(n = 18) and the treatment group(n = 22) randomly.The control group received tripterygium wilfordii and hormone,while the treatment group received leflunomide and hormone.To compare the clinical effectiveness and indexes.Results After treatment,Levels of 24h urinary protein and urinary RBC count were significantly declined(P 0.05).After 6 months treatment,the total remission rate for the treatment group(90.9%) were higher than that for control group(83.3%)(P 0.05).The adverse effect rate for treatment group(18.2%) was lower than that for control group(50%)(P 0.05).Conclusions Leflunomide is safe and effective medicine in treating henoch-schonlein purpura nephritis.


1988 Unfortunate accident During his first semester at the University of Delaware, James Schiller was in an electrical accident that caused him to lose his left arm and right leg. His rehabilitation counselor at the time told him, "You're a smart guy. You are going to need to provide for yourself and your future family" with the disability. So when Schiller returned to school in the fall of 1989, he chose to major in chemistry. "As much as chemistry was quite daunting," he says, "I took a challenge and I went for it." 1993 Given an opportunity In his senior year, Schiller signed up for interviews through the university's career center. He landed an interview for a forensic analysis position with the Philadelphia Police Department. "Because I could pass the classes and do all the things I could in the laboratory, I didn't think there were too many things I


A framework for reducing the digital‐to‐analogue convertor (DAC) quantisation effect in servo control systems is proposed. In the framework, two compensators are used to shape the spectrum of the DAC quantisation noise. One compensator, which is an anti-windup-based compensator, not only filters out the high-frequency part of the quantisation noise, but also provides stability and performance in the presence of control saturation. The other compensator, which is a quantisation error feedback compensator, provides effective reduction of the low-frequency noise and can account for the spectral distribution of DAC quantisation noise by an optimal choice of some parameters. Theorems concerning the solvability and the stability are given. Systematic procedures to design the compensators for single-input-single-output (SISO) and multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) plants are also suggested. To validate the performance of the framework, servo control of an optical disc head is considered. Experiments indicate that the output error caused by DAC quantisation is significantly reduced.


Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser( MRKH) syndrome mainly perform congenital absence of vagina,the incidence rate of which is 1 /4 000 ~ 1 /5 000. One of the treatment methods is vaginoplasty surgery using intestinal tract,including sigmoid colon,ileum,rectum,jejunum. Also includes surgical laparotomy,laparoscopic surgery,laparoscopic-assisted surgery and airless laparoscopic vaginoplasty surgery. With the development of laparoscopic surgery, laparoscopic vaginoplasty using intestinal tract are widely used in clinic at present.Laparoscopic vaginoplasty using intestinal tract has a high successful rate and good long-term effect. The artificial vaginas had excellent cosmetic results with appearance and physical functions similar to natural vagina. The incidence of postoperative complications are low,including artificial vaginal stenosis,intestinal fistula,artificial vaginal prolapse and cancer. We can reduce the incidence of postoperative complications with improving the doctors' skill and using the vaginal mold correctly.


ABSTRACT Irrigation schedules for grain sorghum in the Pan-handle of Oklahoma were determined using a cost/loss risk analysis (C/L) procedure, a crop growth simulation model, and rainfall forecasts. Ten rainfall probability sequences were investigated using probabilities based on either climatological records, professional forecasts, or a combination thereof. The costs associated with applying irrigation on a daily basis were compared to the loss of yield (crop value) due to deficit soil water. Whenever the C/L ratio reached a critical level, as determined by the probability of rainfall, irrigation was initiated in the simulation. Economic return and total irrigation water application from a the various scheduling methods were compared to schedules based on soil water status and stage of growth criteria that had previously been identified as improved irrigation management practices. The C/L methodology developed different schedules for the three C/L ratios used and resulted in decreasing water application as irrigation cost increased or crop value decreased. No rainfall probability estimate was clearly superior in determining schedules, although those associated with a critical rainfall amount tended to have higher return. The C/L schedules tended to have slightly lower return than did stage of growth schedules. However, C/L schedules applied less total irrigation water, particularly for high irrigation cost/low crop value ratios, indicating the procedure may have merit in determining irrigation schedules where water resources are limited.


Foreign direct investment play in a very open economy such as the Czech Republic a crucial role, including the involvement of small and medium-sized enterprises in the export. Foreign direct investment form the basis of industrial investments. Even small changes in the economic activities of large enterprises have a significant impact on the budgets of the state, regions and municipalities. It is not possible to identify the relationship of supranational companies and small and medium-sized enterprises as purely competitive in the national market. In addition to the economic effects, foreign direct investment play a crucial role in the development of human resources, the use of applied research and development and these businesses contribute to the image of the state and region. Large Enterprises are a key part of the economy of the Czech Republic and the EU.


ANNE MOBLEY BUTLER: The cancer burden and patterns of erythropoiesis-stimulating agent use among end-stage renal disease patients on hemodialysis (Under the direction of M. Alan Brookhart) Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) receiving dialysis have been reported to have increased risk of cancer. Yet, contemporary cancer burden estimates in this population are sparse, and estimates that account for the high competing risk of death in this population are nonexistent. In addition, erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) and blood transfusion are commonly used to treat anemia in both ESRD and cancer, however, anemia treatment patterns have not been described among ESRD patients undergoing hemodialysis with concurrent cancer, especially in the recent era of ESA-related safety concerns. Using data from Medicare's ESRD program, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of hemodialysis patients to describe trends in overall and site-specific cancer incidence rates (1996-2009). We estimated the 5-year cumulative incidence of cancer since dialysis initiation, using competing risk methods. Among hemodialysis patients with incident cancer, we used multivariable generalized linear models to estimate temporal trends in ESA use, epoetin alfa (EPO) dose, transfusion use, and resulting hemoglobin levels (2000-2010). We observed a constant rate of incident cancers for all sites combined, but identified increasing and decreasing rates for some common site-specific cancers. The 5-year cumulative incidence of any cancer was substantially lower in the analysis that did not censor deaths compared to the analysis that censored deaths (9.48% vs. 13.86%). Accounting for case-mix characteristics and the competing risk of death, the 5-year cumulative incidence of any cancer varied by demographic and clinical characteristics. Among hemodialysis patients with incident cancer, ESA use was extremely high and constant whereas transfusion use became increasingly frequent. EPO dose and hemoglobin


To investigate the ability of oxygen release from roots of different vegetation, and explain the mechanism. This paper tested the variation of oxygen release rate from roots of Thalia and Pontederia using a titanium (Ш) citrate buffer. The results shows that oxygen release rates with the same condition were higher for Thalia. This difference is caused by the special structure of Thalia. The aerenchyma of Thalia is good at the oxygen transport. The results of this paper can help us to choose better vegetation species for wastewater treatment. Keywords-constructed wetland; vegetation; oxygen release


Herbivorous copepods are key intermediates for the transfer of algal toxins into marine food webs. Domoic acid activity was detected by receptor binding assay in copepods fed on the diatom Pseudo-nitzschia multiseries (Hasle) Hasle within 3 h. Results of receptor binding assays indicated a range of 3 to 7 ng domoic acid equivalents per copepod within that period. A lOOO-fold accumulation of domoic acid activity above ambient cellular concentrations of the toxin was documented in Acartia tonsa Dana after 20.5 h of exposure and grazing rates were as high as 1,600 cells copepod-' hT' during that time. There was no significant difference in copepod grazing rates on non-toxic Pseudo-nitzschia pungens (Grunow) Hasle and toxic P. multiseries.


a drug sensitive assay, yet it is well established that the presence of ADA results in a 5.5-fold higher clearance and a reduction in the elimination half-life from 22 to 4.1 days. Hence, the differences between injection cycles may be different in those patients with immunogenicity more active inflammation and poorly controlled disease (i.e. a population where TDM is more likely to be applied). In addition, the limited sample size and lack of heterogeneity (72% in clinical remission, 74% on combination therapy and 84% receiving injections via pen) make it difficult to identify robust associations between drug exposure and factors such as smoking and drug delivery device. Alternatively, the implementation of TDM in clinical practice could be facilitated using a rapid assay to measure serum concentrations. Van Stappen and colleagues showed that for infliximab, a lateral flow assay can deliver an accurate drug concentration in 20 min. Over time, this test could even become a home-based device allowing for remote and immediate implementation of treatment decisions.


State-of-the-art machine learning methods, especially deep neural networks, have reached impressive results in many prediction and classification tasks. Rising complexity and automatic feature selection make the resulting learned models hard to interpret and turns them into black boxes. Advances into feature visualization have mitigated this problem but some shortcomings still exist. For example, methods only work locally, meaning they only explain the behavior for single inputs, and they only identify important parts of the input. In this work, we propose a method that is also able to decide whether a feature calculated from the input to an estimator is globally useful. Since the question about explanatory power is a causal one, we frame this approach with causal inference methods.


The paper reports on a recent development of Osaka South Port as a model case of port area modernization combined with the construction of a new town. Outline of South Port area development project is presented and discussed.


Cytolethal distending toxins (CDTs) block proliferation of mammalian cells by activating DNA damage‐induced checkpoint responses. We demonstrate that the Haemophilus ducreyi CDT (HdCDT) induces phosphorylation of the histone H2AX as early as 1 h after intoxication and re‐localization of the DNA repair complex Mre11 in HeLa cells with kinetics similar to those observed upon ionizing radiation. Early phosphorylation of H2AX was dependent on a functional Ataxia Telangiectasia mutated (ATM) kinase. Microinjection of a His‐tagged HdCdtB subunit, homologous to the mammalian DNase I, was sufficient to induce re‐localization of the Mre11 complex 1 h post treatment. However, the enzymatic potency was much lower than that exerted by bovine DNase I, which caused marked chromatin changes at 106 times lower concentrations than HdCdtB. H2AX phosphorylation and Mre11 re‐localization were induced also in HdCDT‐treated, non‐proliferating dendritic cells (DCs) in a differentiation dependent manner, and resulted in cell death. The data highlight several novel aspects of CDTs biology. We demonstrate that the toxin activates DNA damage‐associated molecules in an ATM‐dependent manner, both in proliferating and non‐proliferating cells, acting as other DNA damaging agents. Induction of apoptotic death of immature DCs by HdCDT may represent a previously unknown mechanism of immune evasion by CDT‐producing microbes.


It has previously been demonstrated that high levels of gene expression in skeletal muscles can be achieved after direct in vivo electrotransfer of naked plasmid DNA. The purpose of this study is to examine the potential of in vivo electroporation of plasmid DNA encoding human IL‐1Ra for the prevention of murine collagen‐induced arthritis (CIA).


As the VLSI technology goes into the nanometer era, the device sizes and supply voltages are continually decreased. The smaller supply voltage reduces the power dissipation but also decreases the noise margin of devices. Therefore, the power integrity problem has become one of the critical issues that limit the design performance (Blakiewicz & Chrzaniwska-Jeske, 2007; kawa, 2008 & Michael et al., 2008). Most of the power supply noises (PSNs) come from two primary sources. One is the IR-drop and the other is the simultaneous switching noise (SSN). Figure 1(a) illustrates a typical RLC model for power supply networks, which is the combination of on-chip power grids and off-chip power pins. The IR-drop is a power supply noise when the supply current goes through those non-zero resistors and results in a I·R voltage drop. The simultaneous switching noise (SSN) is the supply noise which happens when large instantaneous current goes through those non-zero inductors on power networks and generates a L·(di/dt) voltage drop. When the supply voltage is reduced , the noise margin of devices also decreases as shown in Fig.1(b). It may induce worse performance because the driving capability of devices becomes week due to smaller supply voltage. If serious power supply noise occurs, the logic level may be changed, which causes function error in the circuit. The worst situation is the electronmigration (EM) effects. Supply wires are shorten or broken because a large current travels through the small supply wires. Therefore, the power supply noise analysis is reguired at design stages to evaluate the effects caused by power supply noise.


Diabetes has been shown to cause resistance of the ventromedial hypothalamus (satiety center) to gold thioglucose-induced necrosis. In studies reported here, it is shown that adrenalectomy, which ameliorates diabetes, also restores the sensitivity of the satiety center to gold thioglucose in diabetic mice. In addition, adrenalectomy prevents the development of hyperphagia, a condition which occurs regularly in diabetic mice. The sensitivity of the satiety center of the diabeticadrenalectomized mouse to gold thioglucose was abolished by administration of cortisone. These findings indicate that the sensitivity of cells in the ventromedial hypothalamus to gold thioglucose varies with the levels of hormones involved in carbohydrate metabolism. (Endocrinology 95: 1636, 1974)


Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) have seen a welcome bolstering of activities focused on discovery of new therapies for these diseases. By and large, NTD drug discovery happens in the nonprofit sector—in academic laboratories and in public–private partnerships—though there has also been a significant and tangible influx of data and research contributions from the for-profit biopharmaceutical industry. Sets of screening data against the parasites that cause Chagas disease and African sleeping sickness have been released to the public via ChemBL (https://www.ebi.ac.uk/chemblntd), Collaborative Drug Discovery (http://www. collaborativedrug.com), and PubChem (https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov), and a fair quantity of these data have been produced by the pharmaceutical industry, many times in collaboration with groups in the nonprofit or academic environment. These initial public releases have begun to enable credible drug discovery for tropical diseases, particularly when taken together with new collaborative opportunities with industry that provide access to state-of-theart drug discovery and development capabilities. These facilities include the Tres Cantos Open Lab initiative [1], therapeutics development resources at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases [2], and compound screening sets now made available for testing against other pathogens, such as the Malaria Box [3]. Thus, perhaps there has never been a better time to be performing hit-to-lead and lead optimization drug discovery for NTDs.


ABSTRACT Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) are widely used in various fields, and have shown good performance in hyperspectral image (HSI) classification. Recently, utilizing deep networks to learn spatial-spectral features has become of great interest. However, excessively increasing the depth of network may result in overfitting. Moreover, in HSI classification, the existing network models ignore the strong complementary yet correlated spatial-spectral information among different hierarchical layers. In order to address these two problems, a novel CNN-based method for HSI classification is proposed. Firstly, it considers fusing the outputs of recurrent two layers in each large convolutional block and thereby using the fusion result as the input of next layer, which facilitates the extraction of discriminative features. Next, the spectral-spatial features are extracted by cascading spectral features to four-scale spatial features from shallow to deep layers. Finally, a 1 1 convolution layer is used to interact and integrate information across channels. Without increasing the number of training samples and the size of pixel patches at the training stage, the proposed approach achieves the state-of-the-art results in the experiment on three well-known hyperspectral images.


Somatic hybrids of Pleurotus florida ASI 2016 and Pleurotus ostreatus ASI 2018 were obtained by protoplast fusion. The 40 fusants() was examined for the yield on fermented and pasteurized rice straw in a tray. The carpophore yield of them were showed as the range of , based on parental values of 100(ASI 2018), The pilei of fusants between orange white colored P. florida and dark grey colored P. ostreatus had mixed colors in the young stage. Other breeding programmes were performed to improve new varieties with high yield and good quality. A new oyster mushroom variety, Wonhyeongneutaribeosus(P72), was developed at the Agricultural Sciences Institute, Rural Development Administration in 1990. This P.florida-ostreatus-ostreatus hybrid P72 was selected from 38 protoplast fusion products() between P.florida-ostreatus recombinant P5-M 43-arg rib and P. ostreatus ASI 2-13-0 2001-19-pro orn. The yield indexes of 38 hybrids ranged compared with the parental values of 100(ASI 2001). Hybrid P72 was characterized by the large fruiting bundle of semispherical shape with long stipe and by the small and circular pileus, resulting in lower harvesting cost. A significant increase in carpophore production was observed in somatic hybrids of protoplasts due to heterosis. A comparision of hybrid with parents P72 was made using isozyme analysis. The esterase banding patterns could be characterized by new bands in the hybrids. Seven fusion products of four crosses between P.florida ASI 2016 and P. ostreatus ASI 2018 were analysed with respect to the distribution of progenies and segregation of gene markers by random basidiospore analysis. Segregation of alleles should yield progeny of four genotypes in a Mendelian ratio of 1 : 1 : 1 : 1 for prototrophs, auxotrophs of one parental type, auxotrophs of the other parental type, and auxotrophic recombinants, respectively. However, five fusants of them did not detect one parental, P.ostreatus, type. Basidiospores could yield progeny of 16 genotypes in the cross of one of the recombinant P5-M43-arg ASI 2-13-pro orn but the segregants of three fusants were not detected clearly. The allele ratio of loci could be expected 1 : 1 : 1 : 1 for arg, rib, pro and orn. The ratio, however, would be changed to 4 : 1 : 1 : 1 with increasing proportion of argo In almost all the fusants, prototrophic recombinants were recovered in large numbers against auxotrophic markers. Parental genotypes were recovered with the recombinant progeny amounting to . The analysis provides proof of heterokaryosis and strong evidence for haploidy of vegetative nuclei, a sexual cycle consisting of nuclear fusion and meiosis.


In X-ray grating interferometry, the fabrication of thick transmission gratings with pitches of several micrometers has been a key subject. We report on a metallic glass imprinting technique for fabricating an interferometer grating. We successfully fabricated an 8-µm-pitch, 10-µm-thick grating (26 mm2) made of Pd42.5Ni7.5Cu30P20 metallic glass by using the technique, and as a demonstration we also performed X-ray phase imaging with the grating. The technique can be applied to fabricate not only X-ray but also neutron gratings potentially at high production rates and low costs and is expected to be widely used in the near future.


In this paper, the invasive exotic species Dichrostachys cinerea , L. Wight, (marabu) is monitored in the San Ubaldo-Sabanalamar managed floristic reserve, in four pilot areas infested on a large scale by this species, as well as in three areas where it was carried out. The intervention for its elimination and the subsequent methods of ecological restoration. 10 plots of 10 m² were established for each area, all individuals measuring in DPA (D 1,30 ) m from the ground and its height are measured, calculating the density, basal area and volume per hectare, in addition, all the accompanying species were identified and all the arboreal and shrubby individuals thereof. In each of the areas under study, 3 permanent plots of 1m² were set up to monitor natural regeneration. It is determined that the marabu forms dense secondary scrubs with a density of 45 thousand individuals per hectare and wood volume of 122,9 m³ / ha.


Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Objective: To evaluate the impact of sepsis, age, and comorbidities on death following an acute inpatient admission and to model and forecast inpatient and skilled nursing facility costs for Medicare beneficiaries during and subsequent to an acute inpatient sepsis admission. Design: Analysis of paid Medicare claims via the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services DataLink Project (CMS) and leveraging the CMS-Hierarchical Condition Category risk adjustment model. Setting: All U.S. acute care hospitals, excepting federal hospitals (Veterans Administration and Defense Health Agency). Patients: All Part A/B (fee-for-service) Medicare beneficiaries with an acute inpatient admission in 2017 and who had no inpatient sepsis admission in the prior year. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: Logistic regression models to determine covariate risk contribution to death following an acute inpatient admission; conventional regression to predict Medicare beneficiary sepsis costs. Using the Hierarchical Condition Category risk adjustment model to illuminate influence of illness on outcome of inpatient admissions, representative odds ratios (with 95% CIs) for death within 6 months of an admission (referenced to beneficiaries admitted but without the characteristic) are as follows: septic shock, 7.27 (7.19–7.35); metastatic cancer and acute leukemia (Hierarchical Condition Category 8), 6.76 (6.71–6.82); all sepsis, 2.63 (2.62–2.65); respiratory arrest (Hierarchical Condition Category 83), 2.55 (2.35–2.77); end-stage liver disease (Hierarchical Condition Category 27), 2.53 (2.49–2.56); and severe sepsis without shock, 2.48 (2.45–2.51). Models of the cost of sepsis care for Medicare beneficiaries forecast arise approximately 13% over 2 years owing the rising enrollments in Medicare offset by the cost of care per admission. Conclusions: A sepsis inpatient admission is associated with marked increase in risk of death that is comparable to the risks associated with inpatient admissions for other common and serious chronic illnesses. The aggregate costs of sepsis care for Medicare beneficiaries will continue to increase.


This paper presents a novel two stage improved Radial basis function (RBF) neural network for the damage identification of multimember structures in the frequency domain. The improvement of the proposed RBF network is carried out in two stages, viz. (i) first stage damage prediction by conventional RBF network trained with effective input-output patterns and (ii) in the second stage, minimization of the prediction error below the predefined error tolerance (3%) by training the network with patterns from reduced search space located after the first stage prediction. The network effective input patterns are fractional frequency change ratios (FFCs) and damage signature indices (DSIs), and the corresponding output patterns are stiffness values or damage severity of the structure at different damage levels. A Latin hypercube search (LHS) technique is used for finding the effective input-output patterns from the search space to improve the training efficiency. The numerical simulation of structural damage identification for two multimember structures; a six-storey steel structure and a nine-member frame structure, are evaluated with and without addition of 5% random noise to the input patterns using the proposed network. The novel improved RBF network is shown to be a good damage identification strategy for multiple member structures compared to conventional RBF and existing hybrid methods in terms of accuracy and computational effort.


Henry Kingsley was born on 2 January 1830, in Barnack, Northamptonshire, the youngest child of a clergyman. His older brother Charles enjoys more fame as a novelist than Henry does. When Henry was two years of age, his family moved to Clovelly, Devonshire, whose stormy coast inspired the shipwreck scene of Ravenshoe, as well as many of the graphic seascapes in Charles's novels. Most of Kingsley's youth was spent at Chelsea, a suburb of London, where his father was rector of St. Luke's for the greater part of his career (from 1836). The church and the suburb of Chelsea play a large part in The Hillyars and the Burtons.


Exposure of operators to toxic chemicals will be reduced by use of automated sample preparation, resulting in a safer working environment. More efficient use of equipment can also be made. At the same time the analyst does not have to do as much routine work and so can spend more time doing research and development work


Development of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy technology,NIR apparatus,chemometrics matched,and their characteristics and recent applications in tobacco industry are reviewed comprehensively.It's considered that the NIR spectroscopy technology is playing an important role in the tobacco industry,and it widely applied.


The study attempts to empirically examine the potentials of Community Investment strategies of Multinational oil and gas companies operating in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria in terms of managing issues of community resistance of oil and gas exploration activities, with particular emphasis on the GMoU framework strategy. Primary data were obtained from selected communities where the framework has been deployed since 2007 via the survey research method. The descriptive statistics method was used to present data while the Chi-square non-parametric method was used to analyze the data. Findings from the study indicate a recurrent and persistent cases of community resistance issues prior to the deployment of the GMoU strategy in the communities under study, and a significant drop in the rate of community resistance issues and squabbles between the communities and the multinational oil and gas companies after the deployment of the GMoU framework in the communities; which is indicative of a strategic shift in approach from previous deployment approaches of CNL and SPDC.


The results of the Adequacy of Peritoneal Dialysis in Mexico (ADEMEX) trial bring into question the current U.S. guidelines for adequacy, which state that the minimum target weeklyKt/V for continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients should be 2.0 (1). In this trial, CAPD patients with a mean total weekly Kt/V of 2.27 had patient and technique survival equivalent to that of patients with a mean totalKt/Vof 1.80; peritoneal small molecule clearances bore no relationship to survival. This very well done study must be contrasted with the observational study from Hong Kong of anuric CAPD patients—which did show a relationship of peritoneal clearance with patient and technique survival (2). A comparison of the two studies is shown in Table 1. The patients in the Hong Kong and Mexican studies were quite similar in respect to size, initial albumin, and follow-up. Both studies excluded patients at high risk for death. The Mexican study had more patients with diabetes, but excluded patients with preexisting congestive heart failure (CHF)—patients who were not excluded in the Hong Kong study. An examination of the prescription and average small molecule clearances of the two studies gives us some important clues for the different results. The usual CAPD prescription for the anuric Chinese patients was 2 L three times a day, with an increase only for volume overload, resulting in an average daily dialysate volume of 7.4, and a meanKt/Vof 1.72 per week at time zero and 1.73 after 2 years follow-up (Table 1). Therefore it appears likely that approximately half of the patients were below 1.72 and half above. This then is a study of considerably lower clearances than are seen in either the Canada-USA (CANUSA) trial or in ADEMEX, where the standard prescription was 8 L/day. Peritoneal clearance was significant in the Hong Kong study because the range of clearances of these patients was much lower than seen in the other studies. Using a Cox proportional hazards model that included age at enrollment, gender, previous dialysis duration, presence or absence of diabetes, hepatitis B status, cardiovascular disease, and nutritional markers, an increase of 0.2 Kt/V per week resulted in a 6% decreased risk of death (confidence interval [CI] 1⁄4 0.92, 0.99). This study is important because it examined patients without the confounding effects of residual renal function, lower levels of peritoneal clearance than is generally accepted in the United States and Canada, and very limited indications for either an increase in the prescription or transfer to hemodialysis (HD) for cost reasons. The results indicate that peritoneal dialysis (PD) dose does have an effect on outcome. Optimal dialysis includes not only survival, but sufficient dialysis for the patient to feel well, without nausea, anorexia, fatigue, sleeplessness, or difficulty concentrating. The well-dialyzed patient should be functional, have a good quality of life, with few or no hospitalizations. In the Hong Kong study, nine (6.4%) of the anuric patients were transferred to HD for symptomatic inadequate dialysis (Table 1). In the ADEMEX trial, 5% of patients (n 1⁄4 24) in the control arm (2 L four times a day) dropped out due to uremia, compared to zero in the treated higher-dose group whose total Kt/V was 2.27 (p < 0.01). A 5% dropout rate due to uremia indicates that for some patients a prescription of 2 L four times a day is not enough, which in this study represented a total Kt/V (including residual renal function) of 1.8.


The stability of the ion temperature gradient modes is investigated using the kinetic ion response without expansions in ωD/ω. A systematic parameter study is carried out using a low‐beta circular flux surface equilibrium in order to determine the stability boundaries in ηi vs en space (ηi=d ln Ti/ d ln n, en=Ln/R). Particular attention is devoted to the consequences of the presence of these modes for anomalous ion transport.


In this paper we specifically address questions of polysemy with respect to verbs, and how regular extensions of meaning can be achieved through the adjunction of particular syntactic phrases. We see verb classes as the key to making generalizations about regular extensions of meaning. Current approaches to English classification, Levin classes and WordNet, have limitations in their applicability that impede their utility as general classification schemes. We present a refinement of Levin classes, intersective sets, which are a more fine-grained classification and have more coherent sets of syntactic frames and associated semantic components. We have preliminary indications that the membership of our intersective sets will be more compatible with WordNet than the original Levin classes. We also have begun to examine related classes in Portuguese, and find that these verbs demonstrate similarly coherent syntactic and semantic properties.


Tool attachment and integration in an object-oriented information management framework for CAD (computer-aided design) are discussed. A two-part approach is suggested; a short-term attachment approach that allows great flexibility in attaching existing tools, and a long-term integration approach that allows tight coupling of tools. This twofold approach is being investigated as a candidate industry standard as part of an engineering information systems program funded by the US Department of Defense. It is intended to allow migration from the current base of existing tools that the noninteroperable toward industrywide adoption of standards that facilitate transportability and interoperability of tools.<<ETX>>


rural economy,rural development and rural demography",their cores,are peasant's questions,and the key to peasant's question is the question of an income.Restrained by a series of institutional factors in agriculture develops at the present stage,cause peasant's income poor the growth rate is slow.When the rural economy enters new developing stage,through changing to agricultural system and innovation,is it hinder peasant income level and income system that growth rate raise from restrain to dispel,solve peasant's income problem fundamentally.


Combined with the practical engineeringt,he paper analyzed the cause of cavity plate for cement concrete pavement,proposed the method of grouting technique treating cavity disease and introduced the detection and construction of cavity plate.


Querying persistent objects is a fundamental task in most object-oriented systems,but the ordinary query method is considered to be lacking in reusability and maintainability.Improves the original repository-specification method base on the new conception:"where condition logic",and it presents a new query method: extended repository-specification method,which can be applied to persistent objects.And experiments show that the method has much higher reusability and maintainability.


This study investigated the effect of age and gender on mobile phone users' texting satisfaction, focusing on text entry factors. Structured questionnaire interviews were used to interview 18 subjects of both genders, aged between 17–37 years. Analysis of variance was computed. Gender effect was found on the speed of text entry method (p = 0.027), with the females being more satisfied than males. Age has a significant effect on navigation (p = 0.026) and learnability (p < 0.001), with the younger groups being more satisfied than the older groups. A significant interaction was found between age and gender for learnability (p = 0.039), with a clear difference between genders in the twenties and thirties. Results suggest that age and gender affect users' texting satisfaction, with varying text entry factors. Results obtained can be used to improve text entry methods by (i) catering to local dialects (ii) reducing key overloading or introducing a better method for text entry. It is concluded that texting satisfaction awaits improvements to the text entry methods.


In view of prevailing economic conditions, the color print film operations in a motion-picture processing laboratory must be made more efficient. This can be achieved through speeding up, as much as possible, the printing and processing operations. The implications of high-speed printing are considered. Higher printer-light intensities, manufacture of larger film batches, greater reel diameters and a stronger film base, such as polyester, are called for. Parallel to this, greater efficiency of the processing steps must be achieved. Steps for the reduction of chemical waste, such as improved and better controlled silver recovery, rejuvenation and recycling of ferricyanide bleach, recycling of color developer, and diminished water consumption are essential. The use of a bleach-fix (blix) system is proposed as a powerful means to considerably shorten the overall time of the color print film process and greatly increase machine efficiency. High-speed silver soundtrack redevelopment has been experimentally explored and the results are presented. The feasibility of the use of silverless pure dye soundtracks is confirmed. The conclusion is reached that optimum processing efficiency in the laboratory can only be reached by the combined efforts of all concerned, users and manufacturers.


TNF- α is a well-validated therapeutic target for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. TNF- α is initially synthesized as a 26-kDa membrane-bound form (pro-TNF) that is cleaved by a Zn-metalloprotease named TNF- α converting enzyme (TACE) to generate the 17 kDa, soluble, mature TNF- α . TACE inhibitors that prevent the secretion of soluble TNF- α may be effective in treating RA patients. Using a structure-based design approach, we have identified a novel dual TACE/MMP inhibitor 4-[[4-(2-butynyloxy)phenyl]sulfonyl]-N-hydroxy-2,2-dimethyl- (3 S )-thiomorpholinecarboxamide (TMI-1). This molecule inhibits TACE and several MMPs with nanomolar IC 50s in vitro. In cell-based assays such as monocyte cell lines, human primary monocytes, and human whole blood, it inhibits LPS- induced TNF- α secretion at submicromolar concentrations, while there is no effect on the TNF- α mRNA level as judged by RNAase protection assay. The inhibition of LPS-induced TNF- α secretion is selective since TMI-1 has no effect on the secretion of other pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1 β , IL-6, and IL-8. Importantly, TMI-1 potently inhibits TNF- α secretion by human synovium tissue explants of RA patients. In vivo, TMI-1 is highly effective in reducing clinical severity scores in mouse prophylactic CIA at 5, 10, and 20 mg/kg p.o. b.i.d. and therapeutic CIA model at 100 mg/kg p.o. b.i.d. In summary, TMI-1, a dual TACE/MMP inhibitor, represents a unique class of orally bioavailable small molecule TNF inhibitors that may be effective and beneficial for treating RA. Here we report the discovery of a potent, orally bioavailable, dual TACE/MMP inhibitor, (3S)-thiomorpholine-carboxamide Structure-based design led to this sulfonamide-hydroxamate inhibitor of TACE which has a P1' moiety that provides increased potency against TACE, both in enzyme and cellular assays. This compound inhibits TACE with an IC 50 of 8.4 nM. It also inhibits several MMPs including MMP-1, -7, -9, -13, and -14 with nM activity. In various cell-based assays, including human whole blood, it inhibits LPS-induced TNF- α secretion at submicromolar concentrations while it has no effect on the TNF- α mRNA level as judged by RNAase protection assays. Furthermore, TMI-1 potently inhibits spontaneous TNF- α secretion by human synovium tissue explants of RA patients. In vivo, TMI-1 has been demonstrated to be highly effective in reducing LPS-induced TNF- α secretion in mouse serum and clinical severity scores in both prophylactic and therapeutic mouse CIA models. Taken together , TMI-1, a dual TACE/MMP inhibitor, represents a unique class of orally active small molecules that may be effective and beneficial for treating RA.


This thesis is divided in two parts: Part I presents novel results using a first-principle study of the high-temperature cuprate superconductor (HTS) materials, performed in the framework of a collaboration with Professor A.J. Leggett, in whose laboratory I performed different stays. The study presents an extension, to the case of HTS, of equations originally derived for simple superconductors by G.V. Chester. They link the energy saved by the superconductivity with the structural properties of the materials. Then, we apply these extended equations to various prototypical HTS. Part II is devoted to various applied studies in different micro and nanostructured functional materials and devices. We divided these studies in two groups: In part IIA, we focus again on HTS and propose structuration designs that optimize their functionality as bolometric sensors of electromagnetic radiation (a development that led to our Spain's patent application coded P201930020) and we also study other structured HTS systems (2D dot-pattern structured films; hybrid superconductor+piezoelectric films). In part IIB, we study instead electrostatic nanostructured micropore (ENM) media of the type recently introduced by industry in various forms (among other, nanoalumina-coated microporous membranes) for filtration of nanofluids (liquids carrying nanoentities in suspension). By employing model equations previously developed in Santiago de Compostela, we find microgeometry configurations able to optimize the energy efficiency and performance of filters based on such media.


This article discussed about the evolution of the relationship between the local and central government in the three-generation leading colections,and found out that incrementalism has been the main model of the evolution,though they havn't summarized this model.


Metaheuristics in recent years has proven its effectiveness; however, robust algorithms that can solve real-world problems are always needed. In this paper, we suggest the first extended version of the recently introduced gaining–sharing knowledge optimization (GSK) algorithm, named multiobjective gaining–sharing knowledge optimization (MOGSK), to deal with multiobjective optimization problems (MOPs). MOGSK employs an external archive population to store the nondominated solutions generated thus far, with the aim of guiding the solutions during the exploration process. Furthermore, fast nondominated sorting with crowding distance was incorporated to sustain the diversity of the solutions and ensure the convergence towards the Pareto optimal set, while the ϵ-dominance relation was used to update the archive population solutions. ϵ-dominance helps provide a good boost to diversity, coverage, and convergence overall. The validation of the proposed MOGSK was conducted using five biobjective (ZDT) and seven three-objective test functions (DTLZ) problems, along with the recently introduced CEC 2021, with fifty-five test problems in total, including power electronics, process design and synthesis, mechanical design, chemical engineering, and power system optimization. The proposed MOGSK was compared with seven existing optimization algorithms, including MOEAD, eMOEA, MOPSO, NSGAII, SPEA2, KnEA, and GrEA. The experimental findings show the good behavior of our proposed MOGSK against the comparative algorithms in particular real-world optimization problems.


This book presents new insights and developments in the study of electron correlations in solids, molecules, and atoms. Examines charge density wave phenomena in potassium, the role of correlations in an electron-hole liquid, kinetic equations and two-particle correlations in the homogeneous electron liquid, dynamical exchange effects in the dielectric function of the electron gas, liquid alkali metals and alkali-based alloys as electron-ion plasmas, resistance minima in magnetic alloys, the theory of exchange-correlation effects in electronic single and two-particle excitations of covalent crystals, collective phenomena in nonuniform systems, and the dynamical structure factor of a liquid.


Character and characterization are such an obvious part of fiction that they are very seldom discussed in critical works. Despite the postmodern and poststructural denigration of characters, however, they are still central in fiction; basically, we read fiction because we are interested in human nature and human relationships as revealed through fictive characters. In this essay, I will deal with two aspects of the vast field that may be called a theory of character: (1) the changes in characters themselves as they are presented in children's literature of the past two centuries and (2) the changes in the devices of characterization, that is, the artistic means authors employ to reveal characters to readers. 1 In his treatment of literature as the displacement of myth, Northrop Frye discerns five consecutive stages: myth, which presents characters as gods, superior to both humans and the laws of nature; romance which presents characters as idealized humans who are superior to other humans, but inferior to gods; high mimetic narrative, which presents humans who are superior to other humans, but not the laws of nature; low mimetic narrative, which presents humans who are neither superior nor inferior to other humans; and, finally, ironic narrative, which presents characters who are inferior to other characters, such as children, the mentally handicapped, animals, and so on (Frye 33-34). By this definition, all characters in children's fiction would appear at the ironic stage, since they naturally lack experience and knowledge and are therefore inferior to adults. But even a brief glance at a number of classical and contemporary children's novels demonstrates that this is not the case. Characters in children's novels are empowered in a variety of ways and operate on all the displacement levels. According to Frye, contemporary Western literature has reached the ironic stage, at which most of the characters we meet in novels are weak, disillusioned men and women. But this is true only of quality literature, since formulaic fiction operates within the romantic mode (romance, adventure, fantasy). Further, at least some contemporary adult fiction still uses mimetic modes. Children's literature is historically a recent form of fiction. Its emergence coincides with the establishment of realism (mimetic modes) in the mainstream; therefore, Frye's five stages seem to coexist more frequently in children's literature than in the mainstream of any given period. In contemporary Western children's fiction, we meet characters from all Frye's modes. The mythic hero is, however, not a common figure in children's fiction, for myth as such is absent in the history of Western children's literature. Since children's literature emerged long after Western civilization had lost its traditional mythical belief, this stage is not represented in children's fiction. The most important mythic figure is the cultural hero, whose story teaches his people to use fire, to hunt, and to cultivate land. Such stories were not relevant--as living narratives, essential for survival--for young readers at the time children's literature became a separate artistic form. Of course, if we treat Judeo-Christian belief as myth, we can naturally say that Bible stories retold for children are mythical children's narratives. This view would have them correspond to the mythical stories of archaic people, told indiscriminately to children and adults alike. In certain cultures, mythical stories are still prominent as instructional narratives for young people. Classic myths, such as the Gree k, Celtic, native American, or African, however, are in the Western world retold for children who have no direct belief in them--myth has been displaced and instead functions as romance. In his study The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell presents an analysis of the monomyth, the universal mythical pattern we find in the vast majority of narratives. …


The earliest Svecofennian magmatism in southern Finland has been dated at 1.90-1.88Ga. As an example of this, the Orijarvi (ca. 1.89Ga) and Enklinge (ca. 1.88Ga) volcanic centres comprise bimodal plutonic batholiths surrounded by volcanic rocks of comparable ages and chemical compositions. Here, we report geochemical and Sm-Nd isotope data from intrusive and extrusive samples, combined with zircon U-Pb and Lu-Hf isotopes for granodiorites from both study areas. The samples range from gabbros to granites and indicate a subduction-related continental margin setting. The zircons from the Orijarvi granodiorite define an age of 1892±4Ma whereas the Enklinge granodiorite yields an age of 1882±6Ma. Several inherited ages of 2.25-1.95Ga as well as younger ages of 1.86-1.80Ga were found in the Enklinge granodiorite. The initial e Nd values from the mafic rocks from both locations fall in the range +1.1 to +2.9 whereas the felsic rocks exhibit initial e Nd values of -0.4 to +1.2. The magmatic zircons from the Orijarvi and Enklinge granodiorites show average initial e Hf values of -1.1 (at 1892Ma) and zero (at 1882Ma), respectively, each with a spread of about 7 e-units. The initial e Hf values for the inherited zircons from Enklinge range from +3.5 to +7.6 with increasing age. The Sm-Nd data indicate that the mafic rocks were derived from a "mildly depleted" mantle source while the felsic rocks show larger crustal contribution. Also, the variation in e Hf values indicates minor mixing between mildly depleted mantle derived magmas and crustal sources. U-Pb ages and Hf isotopes for inherited zircons in the Enklinge granodiorite suggest the presence of juvenile Svecofennian "proto-crust" at depth.


Abstract : This project developed a new approach with theoretical and experimental framework to automatically and rapidly quantify invisible defects in a composite structure through enhanced analysis of data from ultrasonic non-destructive inspection methods. The objectives of this project were to develop rapid automated techniques to: Interrogate output from ultrasonic NDI equipment to identify the presence of defects, Identify the type of defect, in particular delamination, disbanding, foreign body inclusions and porosity and Characterize the damage with respect to its location and size. Theoretical framework consisted of stochastic defect identification under sensor uncertainties and rapid field inspection by optimally guiding and controlling sensors. The system constructed from this project has the following capabilities: Automated techniques to characterize defects; Technique that stochastically estimates the states of defects; Technique that allows active sensing; and Technique that enhances current signal analysis.


.........................................................................................................3 Introduction.......................................................................................................3 a. Positionality b. Research Methods and Limits Overview of Sufism............................................................................................7 a. History b. Values c. Sufism in Morocco Reforming Religious Sphere in Morocco..................................................................11 a. 3 cornerstones of Moroccan Islam b. Effects of the 2003 Casablanca bombings c. Sufism as 4 cornerstone Youth engagement with and perceptions of Sufism......................................................19 a. My survey and interview results b. Bekkaoui, Larémont, and Rddad survey results c. Analysis Conclusion.....................................................................................................28 Appendix.......................................................................................................30 Bibliography...................................................................................................34 Acknowledgements First, I want to thank my research advisor Khalid Saqi for helping me pick such a fascinating topic, constantly offering insightful advice, and finding me many helpful resources. I am forever grateful for Taieb Belghazi who led our program with compassion and patience through all of its ups and downs. Without your leadership and advice my research would not be possible. I also want to thank my Arabic professor Assia, who helped prepare to conduct much of my research in Arabic and was always willing to help me translate documents along the way. Also thank you to my classmates for accompanying me on this challenging and amazing adventure in Morocco. To all of the participants in my research, I am eternally grateful. Especially Hanane Mansour for being so insightful and treating me like a long lost friend from the first time we met. Without Dr. Rddad's interview and the academic literature he provided, this paper would not be possible, so thank you! Most of all, I am grateful to my host family, the Ritels, who have shown me the utmost kindness and love in welcoming into their family. My experience in Morocco has truly been shaped by their generosity, patience, and assistance with everything from food preferences to translating research sources. Of course, thank you to my family in America for supporting me in all of my travel and education endeavors and thanks to Georgetown University for allowing me to attend the SIT program. Butler-‐Dines 3 Abstract The purpose of this paper is to analyze if the Moroccan state's efforts to promote Sufism have effected the youth perceptions of and engagement with Sufism. The study first contextualizes Sufism in Morocco and then addresses why and how the state has reformed the religious sphere since the 2003 Casablanca bombings. The King in a 2004 speech announced Sufism as of the cornerstones of Moroccan Islam and has since heavily promoted it through media, financial support of zawias, and the appointment of Ahmed Toufiq to Minister of Islamic Affairs. The state views Sufism as a tolerant, peaceful, and depoliticized way of practicing Islam that can counter the growing influence of extremist Salafi and Islamist ideologies. By conducting surveys and interviews with a variety of Moroccan youth on Sufism, through the analysis of the academic discourse on Sufism in Morocco, and by using the results of a 2010 national survey on youth engagement with Sufism the paper provides a picture of how Moroccan youth are engaging with Sufism and its influence at the local level. While the state has actively promoted Sufism in the public sphere this paper shows Sufism, while viewed positively, is not a critical aspect of Islam in lives of young local Moroccans.The purpose of this paper is to analyze if the Moroccan state's efforts to promote Sufism have effected the youth perceptions of and engagement with Sufism. The study first contextualizes Sufism in Morocco and then addresses why and how the state has reformed the religious sphere since the 2003 Casablanca bombings. The King in a 2004 speech announced Sufism as of the cornerstones of Moroccan Islam and has since heavily promoted it through media, financial support of zawias, and the appointment of Ahmed Toufiq to Minister of Islamic Affairs. The state views Sufism as a tolerant, peaceful, and depoliticized way of practicing Islam that can counter the growing influence of extremist Salafi and Islamist ideologies. By conducting surveys and interviews with a variety of Moroccan youth on Sufism, through the analysis of the academic discourse on Sufism in Morocco, and by using the results of a 2010 national survey on youth engagement with Sufism the paper provides a picture of how Moroccan youth are engaging with Sufism and its influence at the local level. While the state has actively promoted Sufism in the public sphere this paper shows Sufism, while viewed positively, is not a critical aspect of Islam in lives of young local Moroccans. Introduction Sufism has existed in Morocco for centuries and has played a role in shaping the country's Muslim identity. But globally Sufism faced great criticism with the rise of European colonialism and its presence in Morocco decreased. It was not until after the 2003 Casablanca bombings and the state's measures to reform the religious sphere that Sufism would again take on a central role in Morocco's spirituality. Sufism was adopted as an official cornerstone of Moroccan Islam in 2004 and the state proceeded to promote Sufi values and tariqahs in aim of countering extreme religious ideologies. Youth, or those under 30, make up 60% of Morocco's population and the state viewed them as the most vulnerable population to radicalization. Youth, therefore, were the primary audience for the state's program. While there are numerous newspaper articles and even a few scholarly journals purporting how Moroccan youth are going Sufi and the effectiveness of Moroccan state at countering extremism, there is a clear lack of literature on how Moroccan youth actually view Sufism and the state's promotion of it. My research question, and the basis of this paper, consequently is how do Moroccan youth perceive and engage with the Moroccan state's promotion of Sufism? Butler-‐Dines 4 In this paper I will first outline my own positionality as a researcher and then outline my research methods. The next section gives an overview of Sufism, its history, organization as a mass movement, and its manifestations in Morocco. I then explain the official view of Islam in Morocco, and how its definition changed after the 2003 Casablanca bombings. The steps taken by the state to restructure the religious field are clarified. The paper then describes the specifics of how and why Sufism is promoted by the state. The next major section addresses my own research findings and data from a 2010 national survey on youth and Sufism. These two sources are compared and analyzed. Finally I offer a conclusion both about the research itself and why this research is significant. Positionality My identity as an American, female, white, non-Muslim researcher influenced my interactions and research capabilities in Morocco. First, as an American and as an outsider I had to be aware of people talking about Morocco or Sufism in a way they thought would be most pleasing to me. I often also found that I had to ask more detailed questions because people would often only give me very general descriptions of Sufism or Islam, on the assumption that as a nonMuslim and non-Moroccan I did not know anything. Being a female also influenced my research in so far as I was not comfortable walking up to young men on my own and asking them to complete my survey. I was able to find male perspectives on the topic but only through my female contacts introducing me. Finally, my position as an American researching religion meant I had to be very aware that Islam is a very sensitive topic in Morocco and being critical of it or the state can lead to legal repercussions. To ensure that answering the questions I was asking would not threaten the security of any participants, I worked with my advisor Khalid Saqi and my Arabic professor Assia to frame the questions in a sensitive manner. Butler-‐Dines 5 Research Methods and Limits My primary research was completed through surveys. The anonymous survey was written in Arabic, included five questions, and was given to 11 participants. All the research was done in Rabat, Morocco. Seven of the participants were from Dar al-Hadith al-Hassania, a university for Islamic studies in Hay Riad. Two masters students at Mohammed V University completed surveys. One individual completed a survey at a café in the Ville Nouvelle and finally another individual working at a surf shop participated. The ages of participants ranged from 22 to 30. Six were female and five male. All those interviewed had at minimum a high school education and nine of the eleven were pursuing a master's degree. I attempted to survey people at both Bab alHad and several cafés in the ville nouvelle, however, individuals at these locations would read the survey and then return it to me blank explaining they knew nothing about Sufism. These nonanswers were still significant to my research. A copy of the English versions of the survey can be found in the appendix. I also completed three interviews, two English and one in Arabic. The first was with Sadik Rddad, a professor in the Department of English at Dhar El Mehraz University in Fez. He is an expert on Sufism and is also a founding member of the Moroccan Cultural Studies Center. I interviewed him both on the history of Sufism in Morocco for background and about Sufism specific to the restructuring of the religious sphere. I then interviewed Professor Emil


Perhaps young cardiologists are not familiar with the fact that coronary balloon catheterization was developed by Andreas Grüntzig in peripheral arteries before he dared to apply this tool to the coronary arteries. In 1964 the radiologists Charles Dotter and Melvine Judkins of Portland,Oregon, published in Circulation a newmethod to recanalize obstructed peripheral arteries by means of catheters. They used telescoped angiographic catheters of increasing diameter to dilate the vessels. This technique was not readily accepted in the USA but, instead, produced the name 'Mad Dotter' for its inventor. Notwithstanding the name, there were some other pioneers such as Eberhard Zeitler, a radiologist who stayed with the method in Germany and Andreas Grüntzig, a young German who enthusiastically picked up the technique from Zeitler. Grüntzig worked from 1973 to 1980 at the University Hospital of Zurich, initially in the angiology department of Alfred Bollinger. Grüntzig quickly noticed the great disadvantage of the Dotter method. Because the entry puncture in the arterial wall equalled the desired diameter of the arterial lumen to be dilated, the catheters made a very large hole, or with a smaller entry, dilated the arterial lumen insufficiently. To avoid this, the idea of a balloon catheter was in the air. The very elastic softer Fogarty catheter was unsuitable for the purpose of compressing the plaque material (as was the proposed working hypothesis at the time), and carried a riskof disrupting the vessel wall at higher pressures. The close proximity of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich to the university hospital provided the solution, in the form of a so-called racked PVC polymer tube, having minimal compliance to high pressures. The only problem was to mount this material on a catheter. Nowcomes the famous 'kitchen table story'. Grüntzig's skilled lab technicianMaria Schlumpf andherhusbandglued the narrowtubesof 4–5 mm diameter and 40 mm length to the top of a 'Red Oedman' catheter in Grüntzig's little kitchen during the night hours. Through side holes the balloon could be filled with contrast fluid under high pressure, while the opening at the end was occluded by a guide wire with a metal olive at its tip. These prototypes were sterilized and successfully used on the first patients in 1974. Grüntzig sought a professional producer for his instruments and found a small manufacturer of laboratory instruments operated by Hugo Schneider, who quickly made the peripheral balloon catheters commercially available. The author had the opportunity to work with Grüntzig during this crucial phase. All patients were carefully examined non-invasively before and after the intervention, and followed during the years by Maria Schlumpf. Grüntzig had previously worked with the Life Table method at the Institute for Epidemiology at Heidelberg University, Germany, and so he introduced this method for the analysis of patency rates over time into the medical literature, a statistical method which is in common use today. The results, which were presented at many vascular meetings in that manner, soon convinced other groups and led to a rapid breakthrough, even though harsh resistance arose from many vascular


Value is one of the deepest part of culture and the core of intercultural communication and the chief element affecting communication between nations. This paper explains the concept and system of values theoretically and also compares and analyzes the differences between Chinese and Western values. At the end of this paper, the author points out that values are playing a very important role in inter-cultural communication and form the relationship of domination and reflection with communication.


Here we consider the following functional equation, where and are holomorphic functions in , , , and x is a function of t such that . If we have a solution of nonlinear second order difference equations, then we can write general solutions by making use of a solution Ψ. In this present paper, we will prove the existence of a solution of the above functional equation, after we will show a relationship between the above functional equation and nonlinear second order q-difference equations which has only one characteristic value.


The relationships between particle size discrimination and biological recovery in bacterial aerosol samplers were explored between 1948 and 1952 and are reported here. Little experimental evidence concerning these points has been published. Particularly deficient has been the measurement of the possible destructiveness of samplers for vegetative forms of bacteria. Tentatively quantitative data are presented indicating that such killing may be a material factor in evaluating aerosols. Several excellent studies of the theoretical behavior of aerosol particles have been published (May, 1945; Wells, 1955; Magill et al., 1956) and some of these contain experimental data derived from nonliving materials. Meager biological data under restricted conditions


Let Xl, X 2 , . ", X n , .. , be a sequence of independent and identically distributed random variables with a truncated exponential density. Then it is shown that there exists an estimator whose asym.ptotic variance is smaller than that of a maximum likelihood estimator.


Abstract Electret-free variable-capacitance energy harvesters are micro-electromechanical systems (MEMs) that generate electrical power from mechanical vibrations. In order to effectively harvest energy from these devices, the power electronic circuitry is extremely important, and can be the difference between generating or losing energy during a harvesting cycle. Four methods of harvesting energy from these devices are known: the Constant Voltage Method, the Constant Charge Method, the Charge Pump Method, and the Constant Charge With Parallel Capacitance Method. All four methods have been reported; however, the literature is lacking a formal comparison of these methods. This paper evaluates these four methods and the new Voltage and Charge Constrained Method while considering power electronic circuit efficiency as a key parameter. By including efficiency as a parameter, new fundamental properties of these devices are derived: a threshold efficiency necessary for energy harvesting, analytical solutions for optimal harvesting conditions, and a realistic comparison of the four methods. A case study demonstrates the advantage of using the Charge Pump method for MEMs applications, and illustrates the use of the new fundamental properties in the design of a circuit topology that is practical for MEMs vibration energy harvesting applications.


This article aims to present and comment on a pedagogical intervention developed in the science classroom, in the initial stage of the Fundamental II segment of Basic Education in the Youth and Adult Education modality, of a public school in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The pedagogical intervention was part of an empirical research carried out from the planning, elaboration, validation, implementation and evaluation of a teaching learning sequence (TLS), based on a historical research developed for this purpose, that is, without having previously been published in textbooks. The pedagogical intervention is presented in this article based on its theoretical basis, followed by the research methodology, presentation of the printed material based on primary source that was used in the classroom, the analysis of the data collected and the conclusion of this intervention. Both this intervention and the empirical research itself revealed that the History of Science can be a teaching tool that favors the understanding of concepts of science and aspects of science and scientific research.


Do you have to write a paper or an annotated bibliography, but you have no idea how to get started? This guide will help you discover where to look for books, articles, web resources, and more!


The flow stress of compress deformation of 0Cr11Ni2MoVNb heat-resisting steel was investigated at 950~1160 ℃ and strain rate from 0.01 s-1 to 10 s-1 using Gleeble-2000 tester. The results show that the dynamic recrystallization of the steel occurs only when the strain rate is lower than 0.1 s-1 and temperature is over 1000 ℃ at the same time. Its activation energy is 461.568 kJ/mol, and the Zenner-Hollomon(Z) parameter and flow stress equation for compress deformation at high temperature is Z=eexp(55516.959/T)=5.654×1013exp(0.075σp),σp=13.413lne+7.447×105(1/T)-422.214, respectively.


In this paper I have tried an analysis of effective economic and social situation of tourism taking into account both the contribution tourist services to GDP and evolution of employment in the tourism sector. We also give particular importance to objectives of tourism activity. The position and the contribution that tourism, as a branch of tertiary sector, one can have all the gross national product of a country, its beneficial effects on social, cultural, and the environment, require integration to one of the priorities on which any government when considering overall strategy of economic development. Due to the evolution of its worldwide, tourism has become for many countries an important factor for economic and social development. The magnitude and complexity of links between tourism and the other branches of the national economy governments impose their harmonization with an opportunity of drawing up economic and social general development strategy.


This empirical study aims to explore the linkage among authentic leadership traits and job performance via the mediating role of high-performance human resource practices (HPHRPs) in a developing country context. Social exchange theory and trait theory are widely employed in many disciplines but seldom applied to job performance among Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) employees.,The sample of the study is PTCL's employees. A cross-sectional design was employed and data was collected from 377 employees via questionnaire. This is an exploratory study; therefore, partial least square–structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to answer the research questions.,The findings of this study revealed that relational transparency, directly and indirectly, influenced job performance with the partial mediating role of selective staffing and extensive training. Furthermore, balance processing, directly and indirectly, influenced job performance with the partial mediating role of incentive reward, while self-awareness, internalized moral perspective, employment security and result-oriented appraisal were insignificant influences on job performance.,The results of the study delineated practical applications for both the researchers and policymakers. The results of this study would also augment the body of knowledge on human resource practices in both developed and developing countries.,This study found and reported authentic leadership traits and HPHR as the main sources of job performance in PTCL. This study empirically examined the influence of authentic leadership traits on job performance with the mediating role of a bundle of HPHRPs in a developing context.


This descriptive research aimed to analyze the cost-benefit of Directly Observed Treatment (DOT) by relatives and health personnel in Narathiwat Province. The target population for this research was 35 case relatives and 32 health personnel. Data were collected using cost records and questionnaire, tested for content validity, yielding an index of 1.00. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation and ratio). The results showed that total cost of DOT by the relatives was 713,329.70 Baht, in which the medical costs was 371,864 Baht (10,624.69 Baht per case) and non-medical cost was 341,465.70 Baht (9,756.16 Baht per case). The ratio of medical cost to non-medical cost was 1.06 to 0.98. The total benefit of DOT by relatives was 439,919.30 Baht (benefit per cost  = 1.29). The total cost of DOT by health personnel was 544,655.17 Baht, where the medical cost was 383,188 Baht (11,974.63 Baht per case) and non-medical cost was 161,467.17 Baht (5,045.85 Baht per case). The ratio of medical cost to non-medical cost was 1.20 to 0.50. The total benefit of DOT by health personnel was 175,184.60 Baht (benefit per cost = 1.08). The results of this research showed that DOT by relatives, especially for general TB patients yielded higher benefit while, DOT by health personnel in TB patients with HIV/AIDS produced higher benefit. Both forms of DOT should be promoted for community health service in Narathiwat province.


This experiment was conducted to clarify the effects of source and sink related characteristics on grain weight increase and grain nitrogen accumulation in rice. Source was modified by leaf removing treatment with no sink modification in 2002 and sink and source were modified at the same time by different sowing dates, N fertilization rates, row spacings, and thinning treatments at heading in 2007. Grain weight (GW) and grain assimilates produced by photosynthesis during grain-filling (GW P ) increased with the increase of source, while the grain assimilates retranslocated from leaf and stem (GW T ) decreased. Among the source-related characters, shoot dry weight were most closely related with GW. GW was dependant on GW P rather than on GWT. Grain nitrogen content (GN) and grain nitrogen absorbed from soil during grain-filling (GN S ) increased with the increase of source, while the grain nitrogen retranslocated from leaf and stem (GN T ) decreased. Shoot nitrogen content among the source-related characters was related most closely with GN. The contribution of GN T to GN was relatively large although GN depended more largely on GN S than GN T . In addition, GN was supplied firstly from GN S or from GN S and GN T at the same time.


Bullying has generally been studied as a homogenous phenomenon when in fact it may be heterogeneous. The goal of this study was to investigate the heterogeneity of bullying by using the HEXACO model of personality to predict physical, racial, verbal, social, and sexual bullying. A sample of 238 adolescents completed questionnaires on subtypes of bullying and the HEXACO Personality Inventory-Revised. As previously reported, Honesty-Humility was significantly correlated with all the subtypes of bullying, but there were variations in the correlations of the other factors. Emotionality significantly predicted racial bullying, while Conscientiousness significantly predicted physical bullying, and Honesty-Humility significantly predicted verbal, social, and sexual bullying. Age and sex also predicted some subtypes of bullying. We demonstrate that different personality factors have unique relationships with the five subtypes of bullying, underscoring bullying's heterogeneity. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.


This report aims to socialize the experience of a group of nurses with the creation and use of an application to standardize the standard operating protocols for nursing care, built using a free platform and a self-explanatory tool. This is an account of the experience of a group of nurses, in a public health institution of urgency and emergency, in the State of Rio de Janeiro, from January to March 2020. It is known that the use of information technology information and communication over the years has become one of the great allies for health professionals. Nursing has sought these tools to safely optimize the practice, which has enabled new paths based on a methodology for clinical practice. As a result, easier access to institutional protocols and content aggregation for care practices.


In collaborative knowledge building (CKB) classroom, learners participate in learning activities in groups, and in order to make collective progress they communicate personal understandings or learning experiences with each other, which are different from traditional classroom teaching and learning. When it comes to foreign language teaching and leaning, CKB class, which is learner-centred, can help learners to acquire foreign languages according to the principles of language learning. This article has studied the organizing method of CKB in foreign language classroom with an introduction of a qualitatively analyzed case.


Abstract The mid-1920s to the 1950s witnessed the uneasy imbrication of the rural, the peasantry, and women as symbols and subjects of the nation in the era of anti colonial and socialist movements in both India and China. This essay examines this rural/peasant/woman nexus within conflicting representations of the peasant woman as embodiment of the nation's past, present and future, to map a range of connected global political-aesthetic imaginations of Indian and Chinese nationhood. A close analysis of the convergence of three texts – Pearl Buck's novel, The Good Earth (1931), Katherine Mayo's polemic, Mother India (1927), and Indian director Mehboob Khan's re-staging and transformation of both in his 1957 film, Mother India – opens up to a wider set of entangled Indian and Chinese co-texts within an expanded space of global aesthetic circulation. Together, these texts reveal a contested history of representations of the rural, the peasantry, and women in projections of Indian and Chinese national becoming that, in the end, cannot be easily recuperated or consolidated within singular nation-state narratives.


The construction of vernacular houses that with regard to their design, choice of building materials and function conform to traditional patterns has become a rarity among the Minangkabau in west Sumatra. Nowadays, most houses that are built are the relatively small, 'modern' buildings made of brick, cement, or wattle and daub that have become common in so many parts of Indonesia in the course of the twentieth century. Such small houses are better suited to the wishes and expectations of their owners and inhabitants, as they allow for more privacy and, it is believed, better comfort. Although they are arguably also part of the vernacular building tradition, the modern houses differ from the older traditional ones with respect to their design, the choice of building materials, and, in some cases, their spatial layout. Because of the popularity of these modern houses, in some areas stretching back to at least the 1920s (Tillema, 1926:91), a lot of the traditional vernacular houses are left uninhabited these days, with a significant number now in a dilapidated state. In many west Sumatran villages it is not unusual to find compounds consisting of an old and ruined traditional house, surrounded by a large number of small, modern houses; nor is it uncommon to come across villages where traditional houses are hard to find at all, and new ones have not been built for at least sixty years. However, since the early 1970s, a relatively large number of houses have been built that combine modern building materials, construction methods and facilities with older, traditional forms. These modernised traditional houses, examples of which can be found in and around towns like Payakumbuh and Bukittinggi, have sometimes been regarded as the heralds of a true 'revival' of the vernacular Minangkabau building tradition (Persoon, 1986:188). More commonly, however, in both scholarly and popular opinion, they are seen as imitation or fake vernacular buildings, inauthentic replicas of the supposedly 'real' (asli) traditional ones. Most of the houses are built by wealthy emigrants and are only occasionally used for inhabitation purposes, exemplifying the fact that, rather than as actual dwellings, the houses serve to found claims to economic and ethnic status. Apart from the use of modern, non-traditional building materials and the (occasional) presence of facilities such as bathrooms or garages, the inauthentic nature of the houses is deduced from the social and ritual context of the construction process. In particular, the active involvement of 'in-married' husbands, men who have married into the matrilineal descent group (urang sumando), is regarded as a break with tradition. The construction of a traditional Minangkabau house is commonly considered the responsibility of the 'in-born' men (ninik mamak), those born into the matrilineal descent group that owns and builds it (Waterson, 1990:240; Capistrano, 1997:26 and 83–4). Therefore, the interference of husbands with the building of the modernised traditional houses is usually regarded as a manifestation of the increased involvement of husbands