Acid-catalysed reaction of epoxides with 98% H2O2 yields β-hydroxyhydroperoxides, which react with trifluoroacetic anhydride or dicyclohexylcarbodi-imide to give carbonyl compounds.


With continued fossil‐fuel dependence, anthropogenic aerosols over South Asia are projected to increase until the mid‐21st century along with greenhouse gases (GHGs). Using the Community Earth System Model (CESM1) Large Ensemble, we quantify the influence of aerosols and GHGs on South Asian seasonal precipitation patterns over the 21st century under a very high‐emissions (RCP 8.5) trajectory. We find that increasing local aerosol concentrations could continue to suppress precipitation over South Asia in the near‐term, delaying the emergence of precipitation increases in response to GHGs by several decades in the monsoon season and a decade in the post‐monsoon season. Emergence of this wetting signal is expected in both seasons by the mid‐21st century. Our results demonstrate that the trajectory of local aerosols together with GHGs will shape near‐future precipitation patterns over South Asia. Therefore, constraining precipitation response to different trajectories of both forcers is critical for informing near‐term adaptation efforts.


In the summer of 2015 a survey was carried out to define the tourist perception along the Veneto region coast by distributing questionnaires in two well-known littorals: Lido di Venezia and Rosolina Mare. The two studied sites are both barrier islands that separate shallow lagoons from the Adriatic Sea. At both sites urban growth has gradually risen since the middle of the last century following the post – war economic development and successively, as a result of a growing seaside tourism industry. Nowadays these barrier islands are characterized by an alternating sequence of areas with mass tourism exploitation and lands of high environmental value. The data collected for the current study show the strong relation between territory and tourism. According to the tourism perception survey results, Lido di Venezia is a destination mainly chosen by foreigners, conversely Rosolina Mare is chosen by beach-goers that in most cases own summer houses in that area. As a consequence, tourists in Rosolina Mare are more interested in environmental issues and they are more willing to support in preserving the natural landscape with economic contribution. The tourist satisfaction is high in both localities. An overall positive evaluation for the main services such as beach cleanliness, beach width, space available for each bather, safety and facilities, was recorded. The main issues are related to the poor knowledge of coastal defense works and of the 'Integrated Coastal Zone Management' (ICZM). This aspect points out that local coastal management plans


Probably the first use of electricity to protect ships' hulls was Edison's trailing anode technique. It was an economic failure because of the cost of the electricity and also because of misinterpretation of the rate of corrosion of the hull in moving from laboratory to full‐scale experiment. Where Davy had succeeded dramatically with sacrificial anodes Edison failed economically with impressed current. Has the situation changed today with our tremendous advances in electrical power and control techniques?


The design and construction of a permanent magnet wiggler for generation of soft X-rays at the new 1.5 GeV electron storage ring MAX II in MAX-lab, Lund, Sweden is reported. The 2.65 meters long device has 27 full field poles with a peak field of 1.8 tesla, which produce a total power of 2.2 kW of soft X-rays (up to 15 keV photon energy) at the nominal beam current of 200 mA. The device was installed in the MAX II storage ring in 1994, to serve in the commissioning phase of the accelerator. The corresponding beamline should become operational in 1996.


During the 20th century, the concept of the machine in science,
culture and human society changed almost completely. Starting
from the time of myths, this contribution sketches two
imporatant trajectories of this change - traditional culture
(literature and theatre, and science and technology - initiated
by highly influential personalities of the 20th century -
K.Capek, A.M. Turing and J. von Neumann, and others.


The forestomach contents of 498 minke whales Balaenoptera acutorostrata sampled in the Northwestern Pacific from May to September through the 1994-1999 JARPN surveys, were analysed. Sixteen prey species consisting of 1 copepod, 4 euphausiids, 1 squid, and 10 fishes were identified. The minke whale in the Northwestern Pacific is a swallowing, feeding-type species. It feeds on swarming zooplankton and schooling fishes, suggesting that minke whales pursue single prey-species aggregations. The results showed geographical and seasonal changes of prey species. On the Pacific side of Japan, Japanese anchovy was the most important prey species in May and June, while Pacific saury was most important in July and August. Walleye pollock was also an important prey species during June and September in coastal waters, over the continental shelf. In the southern Okhotsk Sea krill was the most important prey species in July and August. These changes probably reflect changes in the availability of the prey species in these areas. It would seem that there might be direct competition between minke whales and the fishery for Pacific saury. Copyright 2002 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.


The Six Sigma approach has been increasingly adopted in the manufacturing sector in order to make the process robust to quality variations, thereby, improving the quality and performance. In any manufacturing industry, Shainin Six Sigma methodology is highly adopted because of lesser data collection required for the study. Six Sigma improves the process performance of the critical operational process, leading to better utilisation of resources, decrease in variations and maintaining consistent quality of the process output. The DMAIC approach has been followed here to solve an underlying problem of reducing process variation and the associated high defect rate. This paper describes an application of Six Sigma define, measure, analyse, improve and control (DMAIC) methodology in a manufacturing unit, which provides a framework to identify, quantify and eliminate sources of variation in an operational process to improve the quality. The current investigation focuses on using DMAIC methodology to reduce the rejections in the pasting process during product X manufacturing, resulting in a saving of Rs. 3.96 lakhs per annum


Abstract Deciduous forests in the eastern United States have been dynamic over both geological and historical time scales, particularly since humans have modified the landscape. Historically, the central hardwood forest has been subject to considerable human disturbance, especially fire, and these anthropogenic disturbances have contributed to the dominance of shade-intolerant oak (Quercus) and hickory (Carya) species within the central hardwood region. Current research indicates that many of these forests are changing to dominance by shade-tolerant species, mainly sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.). This change has been attributed to a lack of disturbance. The objective of this study was to document long-term changes in structure and composition of a mature oak-hickory stand at the Ross Biological Reserve in Indiana. There has been little disturbance at the Ross Biological Reserve in the past 55 years, and a similar trend of increased shade-tolerant species was expected. Results of decadal tree censuses suggest that a successional change toward the dominance of sugar maple has been occurring during the 40-year study period, and an abundance of sugar maple saplings suggests that the increasing importance of sugar maple will continue with a lack of disturbance. The increased abundance of sugar maple may be having a negative effect on regeneration of oak-hickory species as well as on understory species such as flowering dogwood (Cornus florida L.). Such changes in the plant community also suggest changes in resources for animals. Management of the Ross Biological Reserve, and similar areas, requires an appreciation of forest dynamics on a variety of time scales.


We consider causally estimating (filtering) the components of a noise-corrupted sequence relative to a reference class of filters. The noiseless sequence to be filtered is designed by a ldquowell-informed antagonist,rdquo meaning it may evolve according to an arbitrary law, unknown to the filter, based on past noiseless and noisy sequence components. We show that this setting is more challenging than that of an individual noiseless sequence (a.k.a. the ldquosemi-stochasticrdquo setting) in the sense that any deterministic filter, even one guaranteed to do well on every noiseless individual sequence, fails under some well-informed antagonist. On the other hand, we constructively establish the existence of a randomized filter which successfully competes with an arbitrary given finite reference class of filters, under every antagonist. Thus, unlike in the semi-stochastic setting, randomization is crucial in the antagonist framework. Our noise model allows for channels whose noisy output depends on the l past channel outputs (in addition to the noiseless channel input symbol). Memoryless channels are obtained as a special case of our model by taking I = 0. In this case, our scheme coincides with one that was recently shown to compete with an arbitrary reference class when the underlying noiseless sequence is an individual sequence. Hence, our results show that the latter scheme is universal not only for the semi-stochastic setting in which it was originally proposed, but also under the well-informed antagonist.


tention to cure. The goal of curative surgery in rectal cancer is tumor resection with adequate margins, which is addressed by performing a wide excision of the underlying soft tissue and associated lymph nodes. This implies an extension of tumor resection margins to at least 5 cm around the involved area. The surgical approach to rectal cancer considers the neoplasm's location –upper (12 to 16 cm), middle (7.5 to 12 cm) or lower and anal canal (less than 7.5 cm); the distance from the tumor's lower border to the linea dentata is the most significant factor when it comes to the selection of a procedure type. The standard management of this type of cancer is radical resection, either lower anterior resection or abdominoperineal amputation, depending on the tumor's upper-mid location or lower-mid location, respectively (1). In the past few years significant improvements in surgical technique and technology itself have been made mostly regarding the development of suturing devices, which allowed a greater number of procedures with sphincter preservation, ultralow colorectal anastomosis, and coloanal anastomosis. A number of low tumors still require abdominoperineal amputation, however. Despite the aforementioned advances, rectal cancer surgery is burdened with the fact that these techniques are associated with high morbidity even in experienced hands, which results from anastomotic dehiscence, genitourinary dysfunction, fecal incontinence, permanent colostomy, etc. In addition, local recurrence develops in 15-50% of patients after conventional surgery, even following complete resection (2). Local recurrence is associated with positive resection margins, histologic differentiation grade, rectal wall invasion (T), and nodal infiltration (N). Therefore we envisage two interrelated groups of difficulties deriving from curative-intent surgery for rectal cancer: the morbidity arising from surgical techniques, which directly affects quality of life, and the potential for local recurrence of disease, which clearly relates to patient survival and, through therapies intended to prevent such recurrence, to morbidity and quality of life involving these subjects. Health is currently understood as a complete state of physical, mental, and social well-being, rather than merely an absence of disease (3). The fact of suffering from disease results in a multidimensional involvement of life, with changes in the personal, familiar, and social spheres. Thus, not only objective data such as mortality rate should be considered when assesing a disorder's impact, but we should rather take into account the impact of disease on the subject's self-perceived health, that is, on the subject's quality of life. Quality of life is considered a subjective and dynamic characteristic of individuals, and is assessed by using various techniques such as personal interviewing and questionnaires. Measuring quality of life allows an asMorbidity associated with the management of rectal cancer and its impact on patient quality of life 1130-0108/2004/96/11/739-745 REVISTA ESPAÑOLA DE ENFERMEDADES DIGESTIVAS Copyright © 2004 ARÁN EDICIONES, S. L. REV ESP ENFERM DIG (Madrid) Vol. 96, N.° 11, pp. 739-745, 2004


A simple, precise and sensitive UV spectrophotometric method has been developed for the estimation of Remogliflozin etabonate in bulk and pharmaceutical dosage Form. Remogliflozin etabonate shows Maximum Absorbance at 229nm. Beer's law was obeyed in range of 2-10µg/ml. The correlation coefficient was found to be 0.9990. The result of interday and intraday precision shows standard deviation ranging from 0.050% - 0.254% and 0.058% - 0.258% for three concentration and three replicates. The Percentage recovery was found to be in the range of 98.94% - 99.86%. The LOD and LOQ were found to be 0.037µg/ml and 0.113µg/ml respectively. The purposed method was novel and successfully applied for the determination of Remogliflozin Etabonate in Tablet Dosage Form. The method was successfully validated according to ICH guidelines.


The present invention provides a breast cancer in a sample derived from the subject by determining the particular biomarkers to predict eribulin, an analog or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g. eribulin methanesulfonamide salt) effectiveness in the treatment of said subject.


To review the best available evidence on nutritional supplementation for activities of daily living and functional ability of older people in residential facilities.


This paper introduces web usage data mining,and analyzes deficiencies of web server logs when they are used as the source of data.The paper presents web usage data mining based on application server logging,and makes the improvement on the traditional web usage mining model.


This paper describes a data model and its query language for a database system developed at the University of Waterloo. The system, called QL/G, is designed for managing data in a geometric database. Geometric data types like general regions, lines and points are directly supported as built-in data types in the system. The query language, also called QL/G, is intended to be a general-purpose spatial query language for manipulating both alphanumeric as well as geometric data. The proposed language is a modular, strongly-typed functional language with an SQL avour. It consists of two main categories: geometric and non-geometric operators. Non-geometric operators corresponds to a data retreival language in nested relational database systems. Geometric operators are designed, both syntactically and semantically, to be independent of non-geometric operators. This intends to achieve the objective that the set of geometric operators be independent of, but incorporable into, any existing set-oriented data models. The semantics of geometric operators are formally de ned and data types are closed under the proposed operators. The geometric operators are also designed to be as generic and general as possible, and are implemented with state-of-the-art computational geometry algorithms. The query language can be viewed as a generalization of existing proposals, and most of the geometric operators proposed in the literature could be expressed with the language. To facilitate the evolution of applications and to tailor to individual need, a function de nition mechanism is available for de ning new operators expressible by the language. Examples are used throughout to illustrate and motivate the constructs proposed in the language.


Using a femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser, we have performed time‐resolved transmission/reflection measurements. Carrier dynamics is studied for a series of GaMnAs layers and the observation of magnetization induced nonlinearity signal is reported.


Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with MLL rearrangements (MLLmut), found mainly in M5 or M4 FAB subtypes, is frequent in infants and secondary leukemias. The most common MLL translocation gives rise to MLL-AF9. MLL protein interacts with histone deacetylases (HDACs) -1 and -2 through the MLL repression domain.

We report the effects of HDAC inhibition by valproic acid (VPA) in MLL-AF9 AML-M5 cells (THP-1, MM6 and MOLM-13) and MLLmut AML-M5 blasts. VPA led to histone hyper-acetylation, strong cell-growth inhibition, G1 cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis. Combined treatment with all-trans-retinoic-acid (ATRA) did not substantially improve these effects. VPA increased MLL-AF9 transcription, indicating that VPA overcomes the cell-growth promoting activity and resistance to apoptosis conferred by MLL-AF9 in AML-M5 cells, even with increased MLL-AF9. A small number of genes were significantly affected by VPA in p53-absent THP-1 cells (GeneChip analysis), and the majority of these were up-regulated. VPA potently induced p21 and cyclin G2 (CG2) expression. p21 and CG2 targeted inhibition demonstrated that p21 acts as a key regulator in the VPA-inducted G1 cell-cycle arrest, while induction of CG2 has no effect.

These data suggest that these poor prognosis patients may benefit from HDAC inhibitor therapy.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to elicit the expectations for resilient post-disaster rebuilds from Caribbean project end-users. In anticipation of future climatological, meteorological, hydrological or geophysical disasters disaster, key stakeholders can articulate and incorporate strategies for resilience development, thus leading to improved end-users' satisfaction and confidence.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper engages the results of a systematic literature review that identified 24 empirical resilience factors for post-disaster reconstruction projects. These factors informed a semi-structured questionnaire to elicit the perspectives of Caribbean end-users on a seven-point Likert scale. The quantitative analysis of both factor ranking and principal component analysis was performed to identify correlations and provides further interpretations on the desires of the end-users for resilient rebuilds.

Findings
The results presented in this paper highlight the collective perspectives on the Caribbean end-users on what they perceived to be aiding more resilient reconstruction projects. They identified reconstruction designs mindful of future hazards, policies that aid climate change mitigation, active assessment of key structures, readily available funding sources and ensuring stakeholder's unbiased interest as the top-most empirical factors. Factor analysis suggested collaborations with inclusive training and multi-stakeholder engagement, critical infrastructure indexing and effective governance as the critical resilience development factors.

Originality/value
To the best of the authors' knowledge, this paper is first of its kind to explore the perspective of the Caribbean people regarding disaster reconstruction projects. It addresses developmental avenues for measurement indicators towards resilience monitoring and improvement. Additionally, the perspectives can provide construction industry professionals with tools for improved operational resilience objective-setting guidance, for Caribbean construction.


Introduction Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) systems for charging EV Batteries in-situ are gaining attention as they are wireless and do not have to be plugged in. These systems use two wireless pads – one on the underside of the vehicle and the other on the road surface underneath the vehicle – that are magnetically coupled to each other. This wireless power transfer uses inductive coupling under resonance with coils or multiples of coils with high native quality factor (QL). The coupling is a geometrical property of the magnetic and electrical circuits: better pads achieve coupling depending on their design and a poor design can never be adequately compensated but leads inexorably to a poor IPT system. Early commercial designs were developed in the 90's and have been improved over the past 20 years. This inductive coupling is known in the academic literature to be identical to strongly coupled magnetic resonance. For efficient charging with minimal field leakage the car must be parked or positioned so that the two pads are in relatively close proximity to each other. Under these conditions a recognition system allows the two pads to communicate with each other such that ultimately the pad on the ground is 'fired up' and energy is transferred from the ground pad to the on-vehicle pad and thence to the battery. When the battery is charged the system disconnects; both the ground pad and the vehicle pad are shut down. In more complex situations the charger can also transfer power from the car to the ground pad and back to the utility and all such systems described following can be made bidirectional; however this action will not be explicitly discussed here. Wireless charging via IPT can only occur if several conditions are met simultaneously:  The pads must be compatible with each other  The pads must operate at the same nominal frequency  The position of the car must have the onvehicle pad within the relative x, y, z, error that is allowable for this pad pair  The communications protocol must be compatible between the two pads  The power ratings and connections of the two pads must be designed to be compatible and at similar rating – a 100kW bus primary charger cannot be used with a 2kW secondary car battery connection with an expectation of high efficiency and low field emissions, although a 20kW primary system may be able to achieve good results with the same 2kW secondary if this is considered at the design stage.


Bird lovers refer to the regent honeyeater as the 'jewel of the forest' and they're doing everything they can to try to save the few hundred that remain in the wild.


Andreas Höfele's Stage, Stake, and Scaffold provides the most complete exploration yet of the relation between Shakespeare's theater and the spectacles of blood sport and criminal punishment concurrently available to the poet's original audiences. For Höfele, these sites of entertainment and edification participated in an ongoing mutual transfer of symbolic energies, ''a powerful semantic exchange'' that ''crucially informed Shakespeare's explorations into the nature and workings of humanness as a psychological, ethical, and political category'' (2). This exchange, in turn, ''constitutes the humananimal relationship'' through an ''intertwining of sameness and otherness'' (24), a kind of ''human-animal border traffic'' (39) that calls into question the existence of both humanity and bestiality as distinct entities. Over the course of six chapters, Höfele considers examples of this border traffic as they make their appearance in a broad selection of Shakespeare's works. Chapter 1 addresses the especially prominent use of bear-baiting metaphor to be found in Macbeth, a play that ''probe[s] one of the foundational distinctions of Western culture, that between man and beast, human and non-human'' (53). Here Shakespeare pursues various acts of definition and differentiation, seeking to distinguish people from beasts and vice versa. There is for instance the First Murderer's insistence that ''We are men, my liege'' (3.1.92), which ironically echoes Macbeth's own earlier declaration to his wife, ''I dare do all that may become a man; / Who dares do more is none'' (1.7.46–47). But such reassurances signally fail to reassure. On the


The purpose of the study was to investigate which factors determine saving and financing in Islamic banks in Indonesia by using Gregory–Hansen cointegration, vector error correction mode (VECM), Granger causality, and the impulse response function. The results disclose the existence of a long-running cointegrating relationship with a structural break in the deposit and financing case to the consumer price index, industrial production, interest rate, exchange rate, and Jakarta Islamic Index. Most of the structural breaks appeared in January 2006 and April 2007 for both deposit and financing, revealing the first stage of the financial crisis. Any short-term deviation between deposit and financing will give rise to a stable relationship in the long term. In the short-term, there is bidirectional causality between deposits and industrial production and between the consumer price index and financing. This finding shows that real activity, as measured by industrial production, is a highly determinant factor of Islamic bank deposits, while inflation, as measured by the customer price index, is the determinant factor of Islamic bank financing. Our results also suggest that a mix of dynamic behaviors from both Islamic bank savings and financing was revealed in response to the shock of the macroeconomic variable, giving better insight for the government and stakeholders into Indonesian Islamic banking.


The present qualitative study evaluates the possibility of employing boron phosphate as a component of heat-resisting glasses based on the lime-soda composition. In the presence of ferrous oxide, boron phosphate decreases the former's heat-resisting capacity. The heat-resistance of nickel oxide was markedly enhanced by boron phosphate. In this case, little distortion of the visible spectrum was noted. Measurements were mainly spectrophotometric, with some in direct sunlight.


Each department has a Contact for Coursework degrees, and Postgraduate degrees. Courses include: Master of Accounting (MAcc), Master of Accounting (CPA Extension) (MAcc (CPA)), Master of Commerce (MCom), Master of Commerce (MCom), Master of Commerce (Value Chain Management) (MCom), Master of International Business (MIntBus), Master of International Business with Master of International Relations (MIntBus/MIntRel),
Master of International Business with Master of Arts (MIntBus/MA)


10.1080/19398440902908951 Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise 939441 (print)/193 -845X (online) Origin l Article 2 0 Taylor & Francis 0 0002009 RobertBrus d B .firstname.lastname@example.com Sport is an entirely human endeavour. Our involvement in sport and physical activity is full of personally and socially generated meanings as our participation occurs in interaction with other individuals in various social and cultural contexts. Qualitative researchers in sport and physical activity have an essential role in uncovering the meaningful nature of this involvement. Without this contribution, we will never have a good understanding for why completing a marathon could transform a person's life or how burnout is experienced by adolescent or elite athletes. Neither could we understand the idiosyncratic and contextual factors that influence the practice of physical activity for depressed individuals (Faulkner and Biddle 2004). In order to improve the sport and physical activity experience for individuals, we need to better understand the lived meaning of the experience and qualitative/interpretive forms of research provide us with important tools for achieving this goal. As John Smith (2009) has emphasised, how we judge research quality depends greatly on who we are and what we wish to become. I focus on the personal and social meanings associated with sport involvement at the outset of this paper because these meanings generally form the subject matter of qualitative inquiry in the sport domain and reflect who we are as researchers. Our subject matter is comprised of those very human processes and experiences that are reflected in thoughts, emotions and purposeful behaviours and which are shaped by the dynamic flux of social life. Although great attention is devoted to dissecting and critiquing the methodology of qualitative researchers, particularly in terms of the validity issue, a larger issue is that our subject matter, the types of research questions that we ask, and our research purposes are markedly different than those of the quantitative researcher. Therefore, it is not possible to focus only on validity concerns as a methodological issue while ignoring epistemological considerations (Krane et al. 1997, Culver et al. 2003). In sport and exercise studies, neither the subject matter nor the methodology of qualitative researchers has been highly regarded nor understood and the corresponding lack of understanding and appreciation has affected the types of questions we have asked and limited the knowledge that we have gained. As Smith (2009) has noted in this volume of Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise, the traditional scientific enterprise has been developed to protect our 'objective selves' from our 'subjective selves'. Historically, intransigent methodological


IT has brought in several technological developments in every field .IT plays a major role in simplifying various organizational processes. IT has accelerated several business organizations all over the world, helped several businesses realize organizational goals and automate processes by following the principles of usability, efficiency, customer related and a clear communication. Most business enterprises rely on the power of information technology for carrying out their daily tasks conveniently and faster. IT makes complex procedures easier, faster and also helps a lot in avoiding redundancy. It lets individuals access necessary data, ensuring the safety of confidential ones. Information Technology has made every individual completely dependent for even the simplest day to day task.


Abstract. A large aperture space telescope with a passive structure with high stiffness and thermal stability can maintain a good image quality in a large span of disturbance. However, for the proposed more stringent requirements, it is beneficial to add active optics to the conventional design. In these telescopes, the off-axis design provides more design variables than the coaxis system and also provides greater adjusting ability for the active optics. We introduce an active optics system prototype deployed on an off-axis space telescope working at low Earth orbit. By adjusting the low-order aberrations of the primary mirror shape and adjusting the positions and attitudes of certain mirrors and the focal plane, the optical system's image quality corrupted by gravity discharge and temperature variation is increased to the undegraded level in the average sense in the full field of view.


Abstract In 1851/52 the Dutch physician A. Hoek treated Rika van B., a young woman suffering from a hysterical psychosis, with hypnosis. This article gives an extensive summary of the case history followed by some comments with regard to the treatment approach used, its historical background, and diagnostic issues. The case history is of historical value. It is probably the first description of the uncovering approach in hypnosis which would later be attributed to Janet, Breuer, and Freud.


Optical character recognition, or OCR, is the process of extracting text from scanned documents. Although OCR is a well-studied topic, text embedded in natural scenes also carries extremely useful information. As such, it is often necessary for computers or mobile devices to automatically recognize them. Among the various subtopics of scene text classification, character classification (i.e. the process of recognizing various letters and digits) is perhaps the most important. However, this task is rather difficult, since recognizable characters often appear in a variety of different scenes with a variety of different designs. Additionally, they are difficult to accurately classify due to the variant properties of scene text. A common way to learn images of characters is to apply a scale and viewpoint-invariant feature extraction algorithm with a classification algorithm. For the English alphabet, this classification algorithm would categorize feature sets from each image into 36 categories (26 letters and 10 numbers, excluding symbols such as "!" and "-"). Many classification algorithms are viable, but each produce different results when paired with a different set of features. While OCR has many applications, blind men and women have perhaps the greatest use for letter and word recognition. The vOICe project [10] is an excellent example of this. vOICe kits attempt to help the blind recognize everyday objects, such as a pedestrian walkway or a parking lot. The package also comes with an OCR algorithm, which allows users to listen to, for example, the time displayed on a clock or text written in a book. However, one of the downsides of the vOICe project is that its OCR algorithm can take a couple of seconds to process text, and the accuracy is somewhat questionable given the low-resolution camera input. Despite the potential for OCR as seen in the vOICe project, the vast majority of recent OCR research is focused towards improving classification accuracy. Batuwita and Bandara, for example, present a constrained OCR algorithm for fuzzy, low-resolution scanned letters and numbers. While their work presents a high classification accuracy ( 98%), it takes over half a second to classify each character. [2] Similarly, Si et al. [7] and Namane et al. [1] both achieve a high-accuracy (approximately 96%) classification method for scanned text, but explicitly mentions the immense computational complexity of their algorithms. For many recent OCR-related algorithms, runtime will often double or triple for a just few percent increase in accuracy. Although there are certain advantages to having extremely accurate algorithms, OCRs usefulness to the blind only manifests itself when letters and characters can be quickly recognized and output to the user through audio or some other form of sensory communication. This paper will detail the design and implement a novel method for fast, low-power word recognition, creating an algorithm designed to use small amounts of computing power while still maintaining a reasonably high level of accuracy on everyday recognizable characters. Section 2 explores several feature extraction and classification algorithm combinations. Some of these algorithms are tweaked some portions of the algorithms to obtain better classification accuracy or a lower runtime. Section 2 also presents a qualita-


Disclosed is a device (1) for introducing / discharging a pipe string (2) in / from a wellbore (4) having at least a first gripping device (10; 14) for the gripping of the pipe string (2) and at least one first drive device (12 ; 16) for introducing / discharging of the pipe string (2) in the / (from the well bore 4), wherein the gripping device (10; 14) and / or the drive device (12; 16) each at least one linear drive (10; 12; 14 ; 16).


Abstract This study aims to: (1) determine the relationship between criticalreading skills and the quality of PAI students' quantitative thesis writing, (2)find out the relationship between logical thinking and PAI Student'squantitative thesis quality, (3) find out the relationship between criticalreading skills and logical thinking together with the quality of quantitativethesis writing for PAI students. This research is a quantitative research witha design of product moment correlation analysis and multiple linearregression. The study was conducted at the Pemalang Tarbiyah College ofSciences (STIT). The population is 100 students. The sample was taken byproportionate stratified random sampling of 65 students. Data was collectedthrough questionnaires. Data analysis includes descriptive analysis, testinganalysis prerequisites, and hypothesis testing. The results showed that: (1)there was a positive and significant relationship between critical readingskills and the quantitative quality of PAI students' thesis, (2) there was apositive relationship and significance between logical thinking and PAIStudent's quantitative thesis quality, (3) positive and significance betweencritical reading skills and logical thinking with the quality of quantitativethesis writing for PAI students. This means that the quality of quantitativethesis writing of PAI (Y) students can increase by improving critical readingskills (X1) and the ability to think logically (X2).Keywords: critical reading, logical thinking, and quantitative thesis


Most of the noninvasive techniques used in evaluating the feline patient with suspected hepatobiliary disease, such as hepatic enzymology, liver function tests, and hepatobiliary imaging are useful in localizing disease to the liver or biliary system, however, they can rarely be used to establish a definitive diagnosis or an accurate prognosis. Invasive techniques are usually required for this purpose. Invasive (laparotomy, laparoscopic, ultrasound guided percutaneous, or blind percutaneous) techniques are necessary to obtain liver tissue for cytologic or histopathologic evaluation. Techniques for biopsy of the liver may require anesthesia, special equipment, and carry the risk of complications. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) can be utilized to obtain liver tissue for cytology. FNA of the liver is a relatively safe procedure that is simple to perform while requiring no special equipment and minimal patient sedation. Together with the rest of the diagnostic evaluation, FNA can be a useful tool in establishing a diagnosis and prognosis in selected patients with hepatobiliary disease. Additionally, it is a non-invasive technique that can be useful in deciding which subset of patients may require biopsy.


The Linea GigE is the first Teledyne DALSA camera to offer TurboDrive. This technology enables cameras to transmit information at a rate exceeding the constraints of gigabit Ethernet. TurboDrive is a patent pending innovation that uses advanced data encoding techniques that look at the redundancy in the data coming out of the sensor. It uses image entropy based encoding to model pixel information with no loss of information. This enables faster data transmission on the link as each pixel is comprised of fewer bits for encoding.


OF THE DISCLOSURE An immunological method for controlling the sex of mammaliam offspring, making use of a sperm fraction, containing a surplus of sex chromosomes of a single type (i.e., X-chromosomes or Y-chromosomes) and of a blood Serum containing sperm antibodies, each antibody being selectively reactive by six chromosome with sperm type. Spern fraction is introduced into the body of a mammal in Sufficient quantity to produce antibodies in the blood stream. A blood serum is then taken from the mammal, the blood coagulated and the blood serum containing the antibodies isolated. The blood serum and sperm fraction are then mixed in proportions to effect inactivation and agglutination of between 80 and 100% of the antibodies in reactive excess over its sperm type is unaffected. The agglutinate and any remaining sperm is then precipitated with the Supernatant portion containing said unaffected antibodies. These unaffected antibodies are selectively reactive to agglutinate and inactive sperm of only one sex chromosome type. In one application of the invention, the antibodies reac tive with either the Xor Y-chromosomes may be added to semen to agglutinate and inactivate the sperm contain ing that type of chromosome before insemination. Alter natively, the antibodies may be introduced into the female prior to copulation (e.g., in a vaginal jelly or a vaccine) to provide the possibility of a sex selection at conception. CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS Reference is made to the following applications: Ser. No. 443,473, filed by Bhairab Chandra Bhattacharya on Mar. 29, 1965, now abandoned and Ser. No. 814,906, filed by Wallace Shrimpton on Apr. 10, 1969, now copending. Ser. Nos. 443,473 and 814,906 disclose two different methods for separating sperm into a fraction containing a surplus of sperm having either X-chromosomes (herein after called X-sperm) or Y-chromosomes (hereinafter called Y-sperm). BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION As discussed in the aforementioned applications, the sex of offspring is controlled by the chromosomes of the particular spermatozoan or sperm cell which fertilizes the egg. More specifically, some spermatozoa (hereinafter called "sperm') are genetypically known to contain X while others contain Y-chromosomes which carry male producing genes. As further disclosed therein, X-sperm are somewhat more dense than the Y-sperm. This dif ference in density makes possible the separation of sperm in the ejaculate of a mammalian male to obtain sperm fractions containing a surplus of either Xor Y-sperm. Separation techniques utilizing this density differential are suitable for use with all mammals including human beings and other primates, cattle, Swine (i.e., hogs and pigs), sheep, rabbits, cats, goats, horses, donkeys and buffalo. In general, the method of separation is to apply a buoyant force to the separation to cause the more buoyant sperm to attain a different level in a separation medium than 5


Abstract Trends among adolescents continue to be discouraging in terms of career and college readiness based on National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) achievement reports and high school graduation rate data. In response, this article presents five goals and eight strategies we have engaged in during a seven-year research study focused on building college and career readiness among adolescents. During our final year of helping students build college and career readiness, we found associated improvements in their academic-related perceptions, beliefs, and strategies; positive personal achievement and goal orientation; rising perceptions of college; improving trends in academic performance; and stronger perseverance in high school when compared to a control group. Because the students in this study have not completed their high school senior year, we do not have data that predict their college acceptance or career readiness.


S-mode principal component analysis (PCA) is performed on correlation matrices of precipitation data of Austria for summer and winter half-year totals for the period 1951–1980. Application of the dominant-variance selection Rule N (Overland and Preisendorfer, 1982) proves two or three eigenvalues to be significant, where three principal components (PCs) on average account for 68.3 and 79.4 per cent of total variance in the summer and winter half-years, respectively. The Varimax-rotated PC loadings allow for a subdivision of Austria into three homogeneous (with respect to the underlying processes) regions.

Intercomparison of the PC primary patterns, variances and time series of the principal components of three different networks confirms the spatial stability of these regions and turns attention towards seasonal differences. The three PCs are identified by assignment of large-scale weather types to them which are known to be precipitation producing in the region wherein the respective PC is dominant.

The results of this study and their wide variety of applicability reveal PCA and Rule N as useful tools in identifying homogeneous groups of variables which can be ascribed a physical meaning. The paper contains a short account of the analysis of empirical orthogonal functions, the theory of PCA and its connection to factor analysis.


The complex system of power quality control and improvement in power supply systems of oil-production enterprises is suggested. The main reasons of power quality level mismatch to standards requirements in distributive networks of oilproduction enterprises are developed. The recommendations for managing and carrying out the technical measures, which directed to control and improvement of power quality in power supply systems of oil-production enterprises are given and justified.


Objective To establish a method for the content determination of disodium clodronate in disodium clodronate injection.Methods The separation was performed on an anion-exchange column(DIONEX IonPac AS7 analytical column,10 μm,4 mm×25 cm;DIONEX IonPac AG7 guard columns).Derivatization solution was used for post-column derivatization online.A UV-detector was used for detection.The mobile phase consisted of 40 mmol/L HNO_3 solution.The flow was 0.5 ml/min.The post-derivatization solution was ferric nitrate solution containing perchloric acid,and flow was 0.25 ml/min.The detective wavelength was 300 nm.Results Disodiu clodronate was linear in the range of 100~300μg/ml(r=0.9999,n=7).The average recovery was 101.85% with RSD of 1.2%(n=9). Conclusion This method is simple,fast and reliable for the quality control of disodium clodronate injection.


The genus Olivella is represented in Argentine waters by four species: Olivella puelcha, O. tehuelcha, O. orejasmirandai, and O. santacruzence. These species are redescribed, and type material, radulae, opercula, and penes are illustrated by SEM images. The geographic distribution of each species is provided based on field observations as well as on museum records. A synonymy for each species is presented.


One of the greatest issues facing Egypt's agriculture sector is proper irrigation management. The Egyptian government is currently working to extent the area of cultivated land, especially in remote and rural areas. Since these areas are not connected to the national electric grid, it was necessary to migrate to the new and renewable energy alternatives. Due to Egypt's geographical location, solar energy is one of the most viable choices to these new technologies. Solar inverter is considered as one of the most important components of solar energy systems especially those operating irrigation pumps. This study details the design and development of a single stage solar photovoltaic (PV) inverter that powers a water pump for irrigation. The pump is driven by a three phase AC induction motor powered by the inverter output. A new control approach could be used to control the suggested three phase boost type inverter. The suggested inverter can inject sinusoidal currents into induction motors that drive pumps. The proposed topological design, as well as the analysis and operation concept, are addressed. To demonstrate the suggested inverter's effectiveness, simulation results are run in Matlab/Simulink software. Finally, Computer simulations and experimental verification have shown encouraging results and it is felt that the proposed topology has good potential for applications in water pumping systems.


The utility model discloses multi-station/parameter visual measuring and sorting equipment for a rotary part, which comprises a Y-shaped charging mechanism, a multi-station chain type feeding mechanism, a radial parameter measuring device, an axial parameter measuring device, a storage type three-dimensional sorting mechanism, a PLC (programmable logic controller) control module, a man-machine interaction and an upper computer control system, wherein the central line of a feeding waiting zone in the Y-shaped charging mechanism and the central line of a sorting waiting zone in the storage type three-dimensional sorting mechanism are aligned with the central lines of an inlet and an outlet of the multi-station chain type feeding mechanism; and the transferring of the rotary part is realized by a feeding air claw and a sorting air claw. The radial parameter measuring device and the axial parameter measuring device are connected with a data collecting card in the upper computer control system through a signal wire. The multi-station/parameter visual measuring and sorting equipment can be used for not only detecting errors in geometric dimension, shape and position of the rotary part, but also carrying out statistic analysis on the detecting results of the same batch of parts. With the adoption of the multi-station/parameter visual measuring and sorting equipment, people can master the fluctuation in the batch quality of products.


Cats have retractable claws which are versatile tools used for climbing, defence, balance, scratching and catching prey. They are also a formidable weapon which can inflict nasty scratches to animals perceived by the cat to be a threat (or a nuisance!). The most frequent victim is a younger dog, which is typically curious and has not yet learned to read hostile signals. They also do not develop a menace response until 8-12 weeks of age, reducing the protection that would otherwise be afforded to their corneas by blinking at the appropriate moment and retracting the third eyelid, globe and head. Brachycephalic dogs have shallow orbits and more exposed eyes, therefore they are even more vulnerable to injury.


Abstract The criminal courtroom is a place of competing narratives. Which narrative eventually becomes the basis of a conviction or an acquittal depends largely on how stories are told and how they are reconstructed by the fact finder. The construction and reconstruction of stories does not happen mechanically; lawyers and juries have a desire to create typical, exemplary narratives that resonate with their understanding of the world. This understanding can interfere with narratives that are not typical—the (potential) stories of innocence. Through the work of innocence projects, it has become clear that often the narrative that prevailed in court did not reflect what actually happened. Defendants were convicted for crimes they did not commit, and the stories of their innocence were lost. DNA evidence was used to exonerate many of the defendants, but this paper argues that even in the age of DNA evidence, the story model is still key to understanding the creation of legal reality because it allows the jury to develop narratives that have a much greater influence on the decision than facts or norms alone and that are basically unreviewable. Beyond individual cases, it is also the procedural, technical set-up—the blueprint—of a criminal justice system that choreographs storytelling. To exemplify this, I will contrast the adversarial system, which stresses the contest of narratives, with the inquisitorial model, where narratives are developed through an investigation by a judge.


In this paper, we would like to briefly illustrate the situation a physics teacher-to-be or a practising physics teacher has to face when assigning a role to modern experiments in his or her physics lessons. Afterwards, we would like to present good practices that suggest that computer-aided experimentation has entered public education in the country. We summarize the main aims and some results of the HAS Research Group of Technical Informatics Methodology in combining technical computer sciences with the education of physics. Finally, we present some typical 'textbook experiments' for basic conceptions of physics reconsidered using the Arduino platform and low-cost experiment setup.


The efficient management of primary classroom includes the integration and coordination of the psychological environment,the physical environment,information environment and some other environmental factors in classroom.Therefore,the article attempts to use motivation-hygiene theory as the guide,analyzing the restrictions of classroom environment'on efficient classroom management with typical cases.In addition,this paper tries to put forward countermeasures,such as creating a harmonious psychological environment as well as a scientific and reasonable physical environment,and achieves a classificationstratification development of the information environment,and finally broadens the perspective of two-factor theory in teaching management.


What explains the varied ways that Africans practice citizenship on an everyday basis? And how does the extent of state building (or neoliberal unbuilding) in a particular context affect the way individual Africans think about the rights, duties, and appropriate channels for exercising their citizenship? Over the past 20 years across most of sub-Saharan Africa, neoliberal economic reform has meant a major retrenchment of the state in the provision of health and education services. This article argues that Africans who have at least some experience with public schools and clinics are more likely to exercise their citizenship on a more frequent basis than those who have no experience of state social services at all. The article confirms the existence of policy feedbacks between the micro experience of state social policy and democratic consolidation in Africa.


In this paper which relates the results obtained in [4] jointly with A. Giacomini, we propose to investigate the homogenization of the evolution of a periodic multi-phase elasto-plastic composite without any regularizing e ect. ?e periodic framework is an unfortunate restriction which seems to transcendmere technicality. However, it allows us to resort to the very e cientmethod of two-scale convergence rst proposed by [6], [1] in a classical elliptic setting. In a long, introductory part of the talk, we recap the classical formulation of homogeneous elasto-plastic evolution and reframe it within the con nes of the more recent theory of variational evolutions a la Mielke [5]. We pay close attention to the issue of the duality between the stress elds which are essentially square-integrable functions and the plastic strains which are bounded measures. In that same introductory part we then discuss how such an approach can be tailored to the heterogeneous setting in the footstep of our previous contribution [3]. ?is necessitates an adequate de nition of the dissipation on the interfaces between the various phases. We nally come the homogenization process. ?e tools that are used there have to account forweak-* convergences inmeasure spaces. Two-scale convergence of boundedmeasures has already been extensively discussed, starting with [2] in a BV-setting. However, our measures are born out of the complex kinematics of elasto-plasticity, which is why we revisit the two-scale convergence process in this speci c framework. We then derive a two-scale variational evolution on the two-scale limits at each time, u(t, x), E(t, x , y), P(t, x , y), of the various kinematic elds, i.e., the displacement eld ue(t), the elastic strain ee(t), and the plastic strain pe(t). In the resulting evolution, the y-dependence – that is the dependence upon the micro-structural variable – cannot be integrated out. In which sense is this still an elasto-plastic evolution? ?e goal is to recover some kind of ow rule, a harbinger of plasticity. ?is is achieved by demonstrating that, at LN-almost every macroscopic point x, the two-scale plastic ow follows the rules of normality – that is that it is oriented along the normal to the yield surface, a y-dependent hypersurface – and this at all points of the periodicity torus Y . ?e proof of that result heavily relies upon various disintegration results which are necessary because there is no natural duality on the xbers between the two-scale stresses (which are L2 on the product space Ω ×Y where Ω is the domain) and the two-scale plastic strains (which are, more or less, bounded Radon measures on that same space).


Objective This study was conducted to analyze the epidemic characteristics of measles and evaluate the serological diagnosis of borderline cases in Changning District of Shanghai. Methods Results of epidemiological survey and serological tests among borderline cases of measles in Changning District from Jan. 2002 to Mar. 2006 were taken into analysis. Results The positive rate of IgM antibody among 156 borderline cases of measles was 85.90%, significantly different among age groups, while the positive rate was higher in yonunger-than-8-month group and over 20-year-old adult group and lower in 8-month-old to 4-year-old group and 5-year-old to 19-year-old group. The positive rate was also significantly different among groups with different immunity history, lower in the immunized group than the non-immunized group and the one with unknown immunity history. The positive rate was different among groups with different serum-collecting time, lowest in the group where serum was collected on the day eruption appeared. Conclusion Conventional immunity of measles vaccine and enhanced immunity should be further conducted to control the incidence of measles among adults. Improving the sensitivity and specificity of immunological surveillance of measles would favor the control and prevention of measles.


............................................................................................................................... VII INDEX ........................................................................................................................................ IX LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES .................................................................................................... XI LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................................................... XIV INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 AQUACULTURE ............................................................................................................................... 1 EUROPEAN SEABASS DICENTRARCHUS LABRAX ...................................................................................... 3 AQUACULTURE CONSTRAINS ............................................................................................................. 5 MUCOSA ...................................................................................................................................... 6 SALTSKIN ASSOCIATED LYMPHOID TISSUE .......................................................................................... 7 AMINO ACIDS (AA) NEEDS UNDER AQUACULTURE CONDITIONS ................................................................. 8 IMMUNONUTRITION ........................................................................................................................ 9 METHIONINE ............................................................................................................................... 10 ARGININE ................................................................................................................................... 12 CITRULLINE .................................................................................................................................. 21 OBJECTIVES .............................................................................................................................. 22 MATERIAL AND METHODS ........................................................................................................ 23 TRIAL 1 EFFECTS OF METHIONINE AVAILABILITY ON EUROPEAN SEABASS IMMUNE CONDITION AND INFLAMATORY RESPONSE ....................................................................................................... 23 REARING CONDITIONS .................................................................................................................. 23 DIETS COMPOSITION ..................................................................................................................... 23 FEEDING TRIAL ............................................................................................................................. 25 BACTERIAL GROWTH AND INOCULUM PREPARATION ........................................................................... 26 TIME-COURSE TRIAL ...................................................................................................................... 26


The effects of the change in calibre are not entirely clear. The fact that quite gross irregularity can persist for weeks or months without causing symptoms suggests strongly that dilatation of the weaker zones may be accurately balanced by contraction of the stronger zones in other words that autoregulation does not necessarily break down. Nevertheless, it is usually only a matter of time before rats with this degree of hypertension develop serious or fatal symptoms which mimic quite closely the acute cerebral crisis of human hypertension. In such animals vital staining with intravenous trypan blue reveals multiple foci of acute vascular damage in the cerebral grey matter. In the early stages of a crisis these are minute zones of oedema in an otherwise normal cortex. But if the symptoms persist the cedema will spread rapidly to cause coma and death unless promptly corrected. The logical way to correct leakage from damaged hypertensive arteries is to arrest the leakage at source by lowering the blood pressure. In man, venesection does this, often with dramatic results. In the rat equally dramatic but permanent cure is effected by removing the clip from the renal artery.


Four commercially available in-line moisture meters were assessed using 40-mm-and 50-mm-thick Pinus radiata (radiata pine). Linear regression models were developed between the meter readings and the moisture content (MC) determined by ovendrying, and confidence intervals (CI) were determined to quantify the accuracy of the predicted actual MC. The CIs varied with MC, and surprisingly, the CI for the Lignomat and the Moisture Register Products meters decreased with increasing MC. The Elliott Bay meter predicted MC most accurately at MCs below 14 percent with its accuracy decreasing above 14 percent MC. The Lignomat meter gave the most accurate MC prediction above 14 percent. The Moisture Register Products meter was the least accurate of the meters over the range of 6 to 20 percent MC. The Wagner 683 meter had acceptable accuracy over the range of actual MC from 5 to 20 percent. Density had no effect on the Elliott Bay meter, which uses a resistance principle for determining MC. Density had a significant effect on all other meters, with the Lignomat being the least affected of the three non-resistance-type meters. However, the effect of density is considered to be insufficient to effect commercial use. Provided appropriate meter corrections are used and the meters are periodically calibrated, all four in-line meters should be acceptable for segregating unacceptably wet lumber from lumber of acceptable MC for remanufacturing uses.


Modern period is when common people could begin going on 'Tabi' fairly without restriction. The main reason of 'Tabi' boom around the nation is that Isemairi became prevalent instead of Kumano worship, which had been going on since the medieval period. The 'Tabi' before the modern time was a holy ritual based on strong devotion. The course was often harsh and painful that travelers on 'Tabi' sometimes had to risk their lives while at it. However, as the transportations and infrastructures get established and 'Tabi' becomes popular in modern times, common people began to combine worship with tourism and amusement. For them, 'Tabi' was a divine experience of communion with gods and Buddha, yet a best chance to get out of everyday life and to encounter broader world. The main purpose of this dissertation is to observe the common people's 'Tabi' related to religious belief : what they pursued through the 'Tabi', and furthermore what kind of effect the 'Tabi' brought to the society of modern time. Specifically, the historical background of worship will be studied, and 「Sinanonomichinoki」, written by Kyoto's poet Simura Kyouka after her worship on Zenkouzi, will be analyzed.


Low-carbon knowledge is seen as having a key role in interfering with household energy consumption behaviors by wide consensus from political and academic areas. Whether low-carbon publicity will help to reduce household energy consumption is still in dispute. By constructing an integrated knowledge-intention-behavior model and using 1335 detailed survey questionnaires of household energy behavior in Henan Province, the central area in China, this paper finds that in the developing area low-carbon knowledge or publicity cannot positively impact household energy-saving behavior even if mediated by energy awareness and energy-saving attitudes. Low-carbon knowledge does improve energy-saving attitude and attitude does not decrease household energy consumption directly. Familiarity with particular energy-saving knowledge would decrease the household energy consumption but not significantly in the statistics. Path analysis unfolds the reason that the heterogeneous effects of purchase-based intention and habitual intention explain energy consumption behavior. Subgroup analysis supports those economic factors of income and energy prices play key roles in explaining such household energy consumption behavior in the rapid urbanization area. This paper gives new evidence on the residential energy-saving behavior intervention among developing areas.


An interbody fusion cage belongs to the technical field of orthopedic internal fixing appliances and comprises a fusion cage body. The interbody fusion cage is characterized in that one or more bone grafting holes is arranged on the fusion cage body, and a toothed structure is arranged on the surface of the fusion cage body. The interbody fusion cage is simple and reasonable in structure, the toothed structure is arranged on the surface of the fusion cage, when external force is conducted, the fusion cage cannot shift, positioning is accurate during bone grafting, and positioning by the aid of hand feeling of doctors is omitted. The fusion cage is further provided with the bone grafting holes which are favorable for bones in the fusion cage to be fused with a vertebral body of a patient and surrounding tissues. The fusion cage conforms to physiological curve of the vertebral body of the patient, and is high in stability, low in risks, accurate in positioning and convenient in surgery operation when used.


The article considers the fact, that in symbolic discourse civilized identity may be conceptualized as a system of symbols, which represents the product of interacting of symbolically expressed organic identity of one civilization with the analogous organic identities of other civilizations.


In visual search tasks, observers look for targets among distractors. In the lab, this often takes the form of multiple searches for a simple shape that may or may not be present among other items scattered at random on a computer screen (e.g., Find a red T among other letters that are either black or red.). In the real world, observers may search for multiple classes of target in complex scenes that occur only once (e.g., As I emerge from the subway, can I find lunch, my friend, and a street sign in the scene before me?). This article reviews work on how search is guided intelligently. I ask how serial and parallel processes collaborate in visual search, describe the distinction between search templates in working memory and target templates in long-term memory, and consider how searches are terminated. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Vision Science, Volume 6 is September 15, 2020. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.


Optical frequency comb generators have been investigated as a signal source capable of generating highly stabilized ultrafast pulse lasers. The precise control of the optical frequency comb spacing by RF clock signals has led to a revolutionary paradigm shift in the precise measurement of time and frequency. Optical frequency combs also have advantages such as stable frequency spacing, stable number of lines, and robustness. Owing to these characteristics, optical frequency combs have been applied to the fields of high precision optical clock, communication, spectroscopy, waveform generation, and astronomy. In this article, we introduce the properties (i.e., generation methods, advantages, and so on) of various optical frequency combs, and discuss the expected future technological trends and applications.


The endotracheal tube introducer (ETI), commonly referred to as a "bougie" or "gum elastic bougie," is a useful intubation adjunct. It has been described as not made of gum, not elastic and not really a bougie (see callout). Perhaps our urological colleagues would argue that the bougie, useful for urethral dilatation purposes, rose to prominence within their specialty. Sir Robert R. Macintosh described the use of this catheter as an introducing adjunct for difficult intubations in 1949. Many years passed until Venn designed the currently used Eschmann introducer in the early 1970s, with alterations in its construction material to provide more stiffness while maintaining flexibility, lengthening it to 60 cm and adding the curved tip (35-degree coudé tip) to improve maneuverability. These changes contributed to the success of the ETI as an airway adjunct. THOMAS C. MORT, MD


Evolutionary Artificial Neural Networks (EANNs) has been highly effective in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and in training NPCs in video games. When EANNs is applied to design game NPCs' smart AI which can make the game more interesting, there always comes two important problems: the more complex situation NPCs are in, the more complex structure of neural networks needed which leads to large operation cost. In this paper, the Dynamic State Evolutionary Neural Networks (DSENNs) is proposed based on EANNs which deletes or fixes the connection of the neurons to reduce the operation cost in evolution and evaluation process. Darwin Platform is chosen as our test bed to show its efficiency: Darwin offers the competitive team game playing behaviors by teams of virtual football game players.


Background and Objectives : Myocardial ischemia is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in all over the world. Previous studies demonstrated that myocardial ischemic patients subjected to coronary angiograph were more likely to have significant high serum proBNP. This study aimed to assess the level of serum proBNP levels in myocardial ischemia patients who underwent coronary angiography and to relate the proBNP levels to the severity of coronary artery disease and the components of metabolic syndrome. Methods: A total number of 128 patients admitted to the coronary angiography unit at Diyala Teaching Hospital in Diyala were recruited in the study. Indications of coronary angiography included; acute coronary syndrome, positive treadmill test, stable coronary artery disease and percutaneous coronary intervention. The severity of coronary artery disease was assessed by detecting the significant obstructed lesions in the number of obstructed vessels. Serum proBNP levels were measured after angiography. Results: The results showed non-significant differences in the characteristics of patients and fasting serum lipids in different categories of vessels obstructed. Significant high serum proBNP levels were observed with increasing number of vessels obstructed and weren't related to the existence metabolic syndrome components. Serum proBNP levels were significantly and inversely correlated (r =0.5, p < 0.001) with ejection fraction of left ventricle. Conclusions: Serum proBNP levels in myocardial ischemia patients are related directly to the severity of coronary artery diseases and inversely to the pumping function of the heart. Metabolic factors are not involved in significant high serum proBNP levels in myocardial ischemia patients


(191 articles) computational biology (196 articles) systems biology (39 articles) synthetic biology Articles on similar topics can be found in the following collections Email alerting service here right-hand corner of the article or click Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article-sign up in the box at the top Phosphorelays are extended two-component signalling systems found in diverse bacteria, lower eukaryotes and plants. Only few of these systems are characterized, and we still lack a full understanding of their signalling abilities. Here, we aim to achieve a global understanding of phosphorelay signalling and its dynamical properties. We develop a generic model, allowing us to systematically analyse response dynamics under different assumptions. Using this model, we find that the steady-state concentration of phosphorylated protein at the final layer of a phosphorelay is a linearly increasing, but eventually saturating function of the input. In contrast, the intermediate layers can display ultrasensitivity. We find that such ultrasensitivity is a direct result of the phosphorelay biochemistry; shuttling of a single phosphate group from the first to the last layer. The response dynamics of the phos-phorelay results in tolerance of cross-talk, especially when it occurs as cross-deactivation. Further, it leads to a high signal-to-noise ratio for the final layer. We find that a relay length of four, which is most commonly observed, acts as a saturating point for these dynamic properties. These findings suggest that phosphorelays could act as a mechanism to reduce noise and effects of cross-talk on the final layer of the relay and enforce its input – response relation to be linear. In addition, our analysis suggests that middle layers of phosphorelays could embed thresholds. We discuss the consequence of these findings in relation to why cells might use phosphorelays along with enzymatic kinase cascades.


Recent advances in computer graphics have produced images approaching the elusive goal of photorealism. Since many natural objects are so complex and detailed, they are often not rendered with convincing fidelity due to the difficulties in succinctly defining and efficiently rendering their geometry. With the increased demand of future simulation and virtual reality applications, the production of realistic natural-looking background objects will become increasingly more important. We present a model to create and render trees. Our emphasis is on the overall geometrical structure of the tree and not a strict adherence to botanical principles. Since the model must be utilized by general users, it does not require any knowledge beyond the principles of basic geometry. We also explain a method to seamlessly degrade the tree geometry at long ranges to optimize the drawing of large quantities of trees in forested areas.


The fabrication of Al x Ga 1-x As/Ge tandem solar cells requires a trade-off in the deposition of the Al x Ga 1-x As active layer between low-growth temperature for minimum interdiffusion and high-growth temperature for maximum crystalline perfection. In this paper, we report the results of different technical analyses of Al 0.85 Ga 0.15 As/Al 0.08 Ga 0.92 As/Ge heterostructuresgrown by metallorganic chemicxal vapor deposition in the temperature range 660°C


On the basis of a comprehensive survey of the universities' teaching situation of Taiji in Jiangsu Province,the author finds there still exist some problems in Taiji teaching in the universities,such as lack of teachinglearning time,weakness in teachers' professional knowledge and skill level , simple teaching methods etc.To improve the teaching quality of Taiji, the author comes up with some reasonable measures in the following essay.


With the growing competition in air cargo market,revenue management based on competition has become a hot topic under research in management science. This paper explores revenue management in the presence of competition with game models. Two airfreight carriers sell two kinds of capacities in a forward and a spot market with fixed,exogenously determined prices. The game models among three participants are established to explore the Stackelberg game between a freight forwarder and two airfreight carriers and the Cournot game of two airfreight carriers. The optimal capacity ordering policy of a freight forwarder is analyzed in the Stackelberg game. We also identify the best response of the incumbent and entrant in the Cournot game. It shows that the entrant should not offer any forward capacity if the incumbent does not do so. In other words,the forward market would not exist if the incumbent did not feel a need for it.


The transfer of technology to reduce the threat of global climate change is necessary to increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The transfer of technology from developed to developing countries has a powerful effect on economic growth and reducing the growth of greenhouse gas emission. This paper is adapted from Dr Margo Thorning's address, What Can Technology Deliver? presented to the APEC Conference held in Melbourne, 18-20 April 2007.


In many practical applications, columns are often fixed to a practically rigid concrete structure at the column base. This additional restraint should increase the real load‐carrying capacity if the section is susceptible to lateral‐torsional buckling. However, this effect is rarely taken into account in design, as most current design rules do not provide sufficient guidance on how to account for this additional rigidity, and so the column base fixity is often ignored. The background to the verification formulae for lateral‐torsional buckling (LTB) of I‐section beam‐columns in Eurocode EN 1993‐1‐1 consists of comprehensive parametric numerical studies for members with "end fork" conditions only, i.e. for members with free rotational and warping deformations at both ends. However, these specific boundary conditions are not clearly mentioned in the code.


This article presents findings from the Sri Lanka Norway Music Cooperation (SLNMC, 2009-2018) launched immediately after a twenty-four year long civil war in Sri Lanka. The project responded to a stated need of rebuilding a fractured society and re-establishing relations between Sinhala and Tamil populations of the island. The SLNMC comprised school concerts and public concerts, music education, heritage documentation and digitalization, in addition to skill training for musicians and technicians, festival organizers and other actors in cultural life.

The article offers a critical phenomenological approach to the concept of harmony, where both phenomena of musical and socio-cultural harmony are displayed and discussed in relation to each other. I set out to investigate whether harmony in the SLNMC was a taken for granted, ´dead metaphor´ or an actual creative and impactful tool for implementing musical activities in a post-war context. Theoretically, my point of departure is Howell's conceptual investigation of harmony in multicultural musical projects (Howell, 2018) and specifically in the South-Asia context (Howell, 2019). I have combined elements from her framework with Sykes (2011 and 2018a) as well as insights from my own research data to present a schema of three musical and three socio-cultural definitions of harmony paired and discussed in relation to each other. In conclusion, I argue that attention to various types of musical and socio-cultural harmony can cast new light on existing art for reconciliation-practices as well as generate fresh and fertile views on how to conceive, implement and assess such initiatives in the future.


In order to accelerate the cultivation of high-quality skilled talents in our province, vocational education should strengthen students' professional innovation literacy and cultivation. This paper focuses on the research object, and on the basis of full research, uses the correlation analysis of big data data analysis technology, calculates the covariance and correlation coefficient matrix through the cov() function and corrcoef0 in the numpy database, and determines the composition and weight of the primary and secondary indicators, The index system of innovation literacy of higher vocational students is constructed, which lays a foundation for how to cultivate the core quality of vocational innovation of higher vocational students.


average daily weight gain were monitored. After the feeding trial, blood samples were collected from the animals through the ear vein for haematology and serum biochemistry. 3 animals were stunned and sacrificed per treatment and samples of visceral organs and primal parts were collected from the animals. Data obtained were subjected to one-way analysis of variance. Dietary treatments had no significant effect on feed intake and feed conversion ratio, but weight gain, cost/kg feed and feed cost/kg weight gain were significantly affected. Feed cost/kg weight gain was significantly (p < 0.05) lowest in diet 3 and highest in diet 2. Apparent digestibility coefficients for dry matter, crude protein, and crude fibre were significantly (p < 0.05) affected. The organ weights were not affected by diets except for the lungs and thigh. It is concluded that garcinia kola leaf meal can be used to replace maize in the diet of growing rabbits without any adverse effect on the performance, haematology and carcass parameters.


This article presents the relevance of the evaluation of technical condition category when inspecting constructions, built in the second half of the 20th century. One of the tasks, arising at the stage of instrumental technical inspection, is determination of strength characteristics of materials for further testing calculation. Applying to reinforced concrete structures, it is necessary to determine the concrete strength at compression and parameters of reinforcement. In the theoretical part of the study the main issue was the comparative analysis of the existing control methods of the aboveground reinforced concrete structures. In the empirical part of the study the main concern was finding out the reliability of the test results, received with the use of elastic rebound method by different tools. The results of the study indicated that there is the necessity of application and improvement of nondestructive control equipment.


It analyzes the features of urban grid and its two kinds of generating mode.Based on the awareness that urban grid is organic,it studies urban grid from the aspects of inner control mechanism and outer limiting factors in the hope of providing theoretical support for the rapid expansion of city.


8031 Background: The outcome of patients with CNS relapse of aggressive lymphoma (secondary CNS lymphoma, SCNSL) is poor with no standard therapy established thus far. Here we present the final analysis of a prospective multicenter phase II study using an intensive induction regimen followed by high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem-cell transplantation. Methods: Adult immunocompetent patients ≤65 years with SCNSL were eligible. Induction chemotherapy consisted of two cycles MTX/IFO (methotrexate 4g/m2 iv. d1, ifosfamide 2g/m2 iv. d3-5 and i.th. liposomal cytarabine 50mg d6) and one cycle AraC/TT (cytarabine 3g/m2 d1-2, thiotepa 40mg/m2 iv. d2 and i.th. liposomal cytarabine 50mg d3). Then, patients without progression received high-dose chemotherapy with carmustine 400mg/m2 iv. d -5, thiotepa 2x5mg/kg iv. d -4 to -3 and etoposide 150mg/m2 iv. d -5 to -3 followed by ASCT d0. Results: Thirty eligible patients (median age 58 years) were enrolled. Three patients had T-cell and 27 aggressive B-cell lymphom...


THE NATIONAL TEACHING & LEARNING FORUM 9 distinguishes the two, that's a problem for your institution, he said. Finally, Robertson made the point that without well-thought-out evaluation processes, your institution doesn't have a very good idea of the internal return on investment of online course development. "We've got to be able to look at [online course development] and say, where are we wasting time and money, and how can we get a better quality product out in less time, at lower cost?" Robertson said, adding those questions can really only be answered through thorough 360-degree evaluation, gathering responses from students, faculty and online course designers. Of those institutions who were doing robust evaluation of missionaligned online course development, Robertson said he developed the following takeaways: • Create a library of instructional strategies. Rather than reinvent the wheel every time an online course is developed and created, Robertson said institutions with strong evaluation practices would look at what worked in their online offerings, and then catalog resources about successful instructional design practices in a library for future use. That way, if a faculty member has crafted thoughtful, missionaligned learning practices into a course, they can share them with other faculty members or course designers to use in future course creation. • Integrate mission-driven components into teaching. It's much more effective to embed and demonstrate mission-aligned principles into teaching, rather than simply teaching about those principles, Robertson said. For example, Robertson shared his idea for a virtual examen (a Jesuit practice of reflection) embedded into course design. "Imagine an online business ethics course where [in an examen] students are asked to think about a time when they were asked to compromise their own values. When was it? What were they feeling? What did that experience teach them?" Robertson said, adding that such a practice would be both more aligned with a Jesuit mission, and a more effective learning tool than answering an online multiple-choice quiz. Read more about Robertson's research at https://bit.ly/3bi836z. You can email him at roberrol@lemoyne. edu. ❖


A riot is not "all hell breaking loose," but a complex sociopolitical process. Patterns not apparent on the surface characterize different forms of riotous behavior, can be uncovered through systematic analysis, and do shed new light on the rioting phenomenon. Nearly 2,000 Los Angeles riot events of four discrete classes have been coded by census tract location. Stepwise multiple regression analysis employing sociodemographic and retail-establishment-location variables has revealed remarkably ordered and structured patterns. Looting emerges as a qualitatively different phenomenon from the other riot event-types considered, calling into question the simplistic characterization of "rioting mainly for fun and profit" drawn by Banfield, and suggesting that what is needed are studies which address rioting in some measure of its true complexity. Two sociodemographic variables consistently emerge as highly predictive of riot event spatial patterns, allowing speculation concerning the sociodemographic fertile ground for violent political protest.


The recommended technique for porosity measurements in field conditions is the water replacement method, in which a sediment sample is taken and the amount of water needed to fill the pores of the sample is measured. Division of pore volume by total volume of the sample then returns the porosity. The weakness of this technique is the determination of the in-situ sample volume. Normally, this is done by positioning a plastic ring on top of the sediments prior to sampling and placing a plastic liner is into it. After shaping the liner to conform to the irregular soil surface, the ring is filled with water. After removing the water and liner, a sediment sample is taken, and the pit is covered with the liner and filled with water again. The difference in water volume before and after excavation of the pit represents the sample volume. Because it is very difficult to fill the pit two times to exactly the same level with water, the uncertainties in sample volume can be large. Moreover there is a risk of holes in the liner, and the technique becomes very time-consuming if large samples are needed (for instance in case of heterogeneous coarse sediments).


ABSTRACT In Nigeria's Niger Delta, oil pollution has significantly harmed the natural environment on which the local people in the Niger Delta depend for their livelihood and sustenance. The direct consequence of oil pollution is that it has led to multidimensional and protracted conflicts in oil-bearing communities. Drawing on fieldwork data, this article examines the ways in which oil pollution harms water resources and fuels conflicts in the local communities. It explores the socio-economic dynamics of the conflicts and insecurity, and how they are aggravated by the ineffectiveness of the measures adopted by the state to manage the conflicts. It argues that the role of local actors in the ecological dislocation have been downplayed and not factored into the measures devised to tackle the intractable conflicts. This article demonstrates how the network of interactions among localised, national and globalised actors aggravate environmental pollution and the complex conflicts in local communities.


The display apparatus is disclosed. The display apparatus includes a display unit; It can provide power to the external device, a power supply and; A control unit for the power supply is controlled to supply power wirelessly from a power supply to an external device which is located a preset image representing one area on the available display unit in the displayed preset image, and displayed on the display unit with respect to an external device It characterized in that it comprises.


Freshmen's quick adaption to university life is the key to the completion of their studies. Some causes are looked into such as the freshmen's blindness to the university life, the fragility of the only-one child, and inproper attitudes to study. It's suggested the freshmen can be taught to be content in their majors, to be independent in their lives and to lead a healthy university life to ensure a quick adaption.


Purpose
The purpose of this study is to describe the design and validation of a three-dimensional (3D)-printed phantom of a uterus to support the development of uterine balloon tamponade devices conceived to stop post-partum haemorrhages (PPHs).

Design/methodology/approach
The phantom 3D model is generated by analysing the main requirements for validating uterine balloon tamponade devices. A modular approach is implemented to guarantee that the phantom allows testing these devices under multiple working conditions. Once finalised the design, the phantom effectiveness is validated experimentally.

Findings
The modular phantom allows performing the required measurements for testing the performance of devices designed to stop PPH.

Social implications
PPH is the leading obstetric cause of maternal death worldwide, mainly in low- and middle-income countries. The proposed phantom could speed up and optimise the design and validation of devices for PPH treatment, reducing the maternal mortality ratio.

Originality/value
To the best of the authors' knowledge, the 3D-printed phantom represents the first example of a modular, flexible and transparent uterus model. It can be used to validate and perform usability tests of medical devices.


In this work we analyze the quality of a strategic information system as a determinant factor in an organization productivity improvement. To do so, we make an empirical study in a sample of financial institutions. We apply the Rasch Model analysis methodology to valuate and filter the used measures. On the other hand, we analyze the potential positive relationship between the quality of the system and the benefits perceived by the users. This analysis is made with the PLS prediction technique, based on estructural-equations multivariant analysis. We conclude the work with the interpretation of the reached results.


Purpose – The purpose of this work in progress is to build a methodology for evaluating the searching capabilities of e‐shops. The emphasis of the evaluation is on ease of use and on the characteristics THAT influence the retrieval of products in non‐English queries.Design/methodology/approach – Initially an evaluation model is built in the paper, based on previous studies and on the attributes of worldwide search engines. Next, this model is applied in the evaluation of the searching effectiveness of Greek e‐shops with the aid of real users who define the importance of each criterion of the model. The results of this review are then presented and analysed.Findings – The methodological evaluation revealed several inefficiencies of the local search engines related to interface issues and most importantly to their searching effectiveness. The evaluation showed that the search engines do not take account of the morphology of the queries, which is significant in a non‐English and non‐Latin language like Greek...


We investigate four-dimensional cosmological vacuum solutions derived from an effective action invariant under global SL(n,R) transformations. We find the general solutions for linear axion field perturbations about homogeneous dilaton-moduli-vacuum solutions for an SL(4,R)-invariant action and find the spectrum of super-horizon perturbations resulting from vacuum fluctuations in a pre big bang scenario. We show that for SL(n,R)-invariant actions with n>3 there exists a regime of parameter space of non-zero measure where all the axion field spectra have positive spectral tilt, as required if light axion fields are to provide a seed for anisotropies in the microwave background and large-scale structure in the universe.


The study provides specific information concerning changes in the types of problem-solving skills learning disabled and nondisabled children employ while working with LOGO. The results suggest that minimally, working in the LOGO programming environment provided children an opportunity to practice already mastered problem-solving skills. However, the results also indicate that programming in the LOGO environment under specific conditions used in this study allowed some children to refine and extend their use of problem-solving skills both within and across computer and noncomputer contexts. Finally, the study provides information concerning the instructional role that may be filled by LOGO.


Purpose

The importance and complexity of proposing radically new meanings are well-established in the literature. However, a limited number of contributions have analyzed how they can be developed. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the development of radically new meanings at the basis of the Slow Food movement to contribute to the topic.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to better understand how social movements can propose radically new meanings and how companies can take inspiration and build a competitive advantage by leveraging the proposed meanings, the authors deeply analyzed the genealogy of Slow Food, interpreted as an inspiring case study; the authors adopt a narrative approach.

Findings

The analysis of how Slow Food emerged and evolved into an international movement reveals an alternative way to develop innovative meanings in collaboration with groups of radicals. The authors identify three main phases in the evolution of innovative meanings: generation, institutionalization and development.

Practical implications

In terms of managerial implications the authors contribute highlighting the importance of a new type of collaborative innovation: the collaboration with radical circles and social movements in their early stage.

Social implications

From a societal point of view, if the authors acknowledge the importance of social movements in contesting and actively changing institutions, the authors can see the importance for policy makers to create loci and opportunities for the emergence of radical circles and their experimentations.

Originality/value

The authors propose that new meanings are frequently the result of small groups of individuals gathering in radical circles. The core attribute of such circles is group validation. The group supports the Slow Food leader in refining the meaning and confronting the dominant paradigm.


The response of glutamine and glutamate ki-netics were studied in five healthy young adult men on diets containing deficient (0. 1), adequate (0.8), or surfeit (2.2 g. kg. d ') amounts of protein. Glutamate, glutamine, and phenylalanine kinetics were measured in the postabsorptive state at the end of each diet period. Urinary urea and ammonia cx-cretion correlated with protein intake (the sum of the two was 2.1 ± 0.2, 5.7 ± 0.3, and 11.9 ± 1.2 g N g.kgg .d' for the respective 0. 1, 0.8, and 2.2 g. kgg. dd protein intakes). Glu-tamate and glutamine concentrations varied inversely with protein intake. Phenylalanine concentrations and phenylalanine flux did not change significantly with the changing protein intake. Both glutamate and glutamine fluxes varied inversely with protein intake (glutamate flux was 177 ± 15, 120 ± 10, and 125 ± 1 1 imol. kg'. h' and glutamine flux was 373 ± 29, 343 ± 26, and 318 ± 15 mol. kgg. h' at the respective 0.1, 0.8, and 2.2 g. kgg. dd protein intakes). These changes in gluta-mine or glutamate flux in response to alterations in dietary protein intake were attributable to changes in de novo production.


This study presents the results of 10 years of field investigation in Fuente de Piedra Playa Lake located in southern Spain. These field observations along the playa's shore revealed evidence of a forced convective flow and the existence of density interface below the playa basin. An upward flux of groundwater from underlying formations could be a considerable part of its recharge. These groundwater fluxes mostly occur during the summer when the playa is a salt-flat. On this basis, a numerical model was applied in order to examine the effects of upward fluxes on the geometry of the salinity interface. On the other hand, hydrochemical classification and stable isotope analyses were employed to determine the processes that control surface water and groundwater chemistry. Water budget results also confirm the conceptual model developed of the system.


This paper is dedicated to expose an state of question about the temple of the Claudio Marcelo�s street in Cordoba, at the present, the most important religious building discovered in the ancient Colonia Patricia.


The citizens' participation is an inseparable part of a country's political democracy and political civilization.Its rising and development is related to many value foundations such as technology,system,organization,theory,culture and so on.However,with the change of value foundations of public management,the traditional management gradually cannot meet the public wishes and demands.Therefore,we should get rid of the blocks and find new ways for the citizens' participation in such aspects as public policy,election,social responsibility,public service and public properties to enrich the contents of public management and ensure the realization of public benefits.