Abstract The use of CDMA communication systems over fre-quency selective channels requires channel estimationor complex receiver structures to mitigate multi-user interference (MUI). Different classes of codes such as{Zold codes or wave let packets have been adopted. Butrecently new codes, called Lagrange codes, have beendesigned which include OFDM and multi-carrier trans-missions as special cases. With simple linear (so calledVandermonde) receivers, Lagrange codes offer completeMUI cancellation independent of the channels' impulseresponses, by converting the effect of frequency selec-i!ive channels into flat fading. In this work we analyzei!he performance of CDMA-Lagrange transmitters andVandermonde receivers, when each user transmits dif-~ferentially encoded binary symbols. With differentialdemodulation at the receiver, we circumvent residual jlat fading effects, while deep channel fades are han-dled via a root hopping technique. '1 Introduction In ideal propagation conditions, code division mul-tiple access (CDMA) offers advantages in terms of ef-ficiency and flexibility, with respect to other multiusercommunication systems. However, asynchronism andpropagation through frequency selective channels canseriously limit efficient use of the available bandwidth.Therefore, the design of simple linear receivers (zero-forcing or mean-square error), capable of accommodat-ing asynchronous users and offering resistance to near-far effects and multipath propagation has been a con-spicuous field of research (see e.g., [6], [4], [10]). Inwireless communications, the cost related to the use oftraining sequences increases considerably. Blind meth-ods offer one way to overcome frequent restraining, [9],15], [8]. But oftentimes, blind algorithms entail restric-tive assumptions, large data records and computationalcomplexity, or, reduced capability to suppress MUI. Onthe other hand, recognizing that CDMA can be inter-preted as a multirate system, several novel approacheshave emerged recently (e.g., [8]-[11]).A novel CDMA system was introduced in [3], wherejudicious design of codes (named Lagrange codes) offersrobustness to multipath and asynchronism, and leadsto low-complexity receivers which are pre-computableand capable of eliminating MUI completely, in the pres-ence of


Background: Adequate stent expansion plays a major part in the occurrence of thrombosis and restenosis in patients undergoing PCI. X-ray assessment of correct stent deployment can be difficult due to poor visualization of the stent structure and to rapid stent movement. The gold standard evaluation method is IVUS, but routine use is costly and time-consuming. Stent boost is a new technique improving fluoroscopy-based assessment of stent expansion. The purpose of the study was to assess the usefulness and impact of stent boost in routine practice. Methods : StentBoost ™ (SB ™ ) is a software developed by Philips. A short digital cine run is acquired with a deflated balloon in place. The software averages selected frames (centred on the stent) and creates an enhanced image improving signal-to-noise ratio. A total of 230 consecutive patients were prospectively included, (mean age : 6711years) and 278 coronary stents (mean size 18.85±6.5 2.96±0.48 mm) analyzed. Stent visibility was assessed using both standard angio and SB ™ and graded from 1 to 4 (1= poor, 2= average, 3= good, 4= excellent). The need for post dilatation was evaluated (0= well deployed stent, post dilatation not required; 1= inadequately deployed stent, post dilatation not performed; 2 = inadequately deployed stent, post dilatation performed). The usefulness of SB ™ compared with conventional angio images was graded: 0= not needed in the presence of sufficient angio data, 1= SB™ useful compared to angio data. Results : Visualization of adequate stent expansion was improved by the use of the stent boost system. Angiographic stent visibility was: 1= 26%, 2= 46%, 3= 26, 4= 2%; with a mean of 2.03±0.76. SB ™ visibility was 1= 11%; 2= 20%; 3= 54%,4= 15%with a mean of 2.76±0.94. The use of SB™ after each stent implantation was deemed useful in 72% of cases. Post dilation after stent implantation was performed in 31% of cases. Conclusion: Post angioplasty assessment of adequate stent expansion, by means of the stent boost system was deemed useful in a large majority of cases. This user-friendly system does not increase procedure duration and may decrease the risk of stent thrombosis.


FORMATIVE EVALUATION: AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENHANCE THE POTENTIAL FOR STUDENT LEARNING ON COMMUNITY COLLEGE CAMPUSES FEBRUARY 1994 LOIS A. ALVES, B.A. EMMANUEL COLLEGE M.S. BOSTON STATE COLLEGE Ed.D. UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by Professor David Schuman Community colleges offer a changing series of evolving academic programs and services. The question is: Can these offerings be evaluated in a way that increases their effectiveness? This dissertation suggests an evaluation approach intended to enhance opportunities for student learning on community college campuses. To respond to this question it is necessary to understand the factors in the community college environment that affect program evaluation, the reasons why educational evaluation has had a limited impact on improving educational programs and alternate evaluation approaches. Therefore, this dissertation includes a review of the literature on community college mission statements, the diverse ways in which they have been interpreted and operationalized and the resultant, institutionally unique student populations and organizational goals. A literature review which focuses on understanding the progress and limitations of each era of educational evaluation is also


The present invention relates to novel compounds selected from 2-(3- aminoaryl)amino-4-aryl-thiazoles of formula (I) that selectively modulate, regulate, and/or inhibit signal transductions mediated by certain native and/or mutant tyrosine kinases implicated in a variety of human and animal diseases such as cell proliferative, metabolic, allergic, and degenerative disorders. More particularly, these compounds are potent and selective c-kit inhibitors.


Silver nanoparticles have successfully synthesized by using tri-sodium citrate as reducing agent and Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as capping agent and demonstrated the effect of reducing agent concentration on size variation. Broadened XRD peaks confirmed the formation of nanosized silver nanoparticles with face centred cubic structure and is consistent with FESEM studies. Further XRD results confirmed the decrease of mean particle size with increase of reducing agent concentration. FESEM images illustrate the formation of spherical silver nanoparticles in nanometre regime. EDAX analysis confirms the presence of elemental silver indicating that silver peak is correctly identified ensuring the absence of impurities in the prepared nanoparticles. UV-Visible absorption studies revealed the blue shift of surface Plasmon resonance (SPR) band owing to decrease of particle size with increase of reducing agent concentration.


Recent results from analyses of electroweak and collider data and an expected sizeable in crease in statistics of collider data for both CDF and DO experiments at the Fermilab hadron ac celerator, demand more precise cross-section calculations and evaluation of production mecha nisms for the top quark. 2 We present results for the full o( CX s cx ) computation of the total cross-section for single top quarks. We briefly summarize preceding studies of this production mechanism and outline the calculations. Details on the choice of regularisation and factorisation scheme are given. Finally, a comparison between the total cross section as function of the top quark mass for semiweak and QCD pair production of top quarks at the Tevatron is presented.


This report describes theory and practice concerning portfolio management in the Government. Literature gives background for understanding the issue in the report. A comprehensive experience is gathered through interviews with keypeople in the industry and public sector. The findings are referred in the report. The report discusses a number of issues which complement the main subject of portfolio management. The connection to management of uncertainty in projects and government management in is highlighted. Based on the total picture of management in the state, the authors develop and describe a new method for portfolio management. The report gives directions and points out what is important to include in such a method. Discussion of these issues is included: Basic assumptions, selection of systematic uncertainty, foreign currency, market and price development, accrued reserves, sensitivity analysis, flexibility, unsystematic uncertainty (risks) and management by budgeting and organizing. Sum up of the method includes several important issues. An important notice is that the choice and priority of projects is a very important issue in portfolio management, although it is not a part of the mandate for this project. Division between ongoing and potential, future projects are important. The report also gives advice on reporting. What and how to report to make portfolio management efficient. The analysis included in the method is portfolio assessment, uncertainty analysis of single projects and sensitivity analysis. Conclusions and ideas for further work are found at the end of the report. Together with this report, a few easy to understand spreadsheet models for portfolio management is also developed. A guideline to these models is included as an appendix.


A new polymer grafting method, which is a solid-phase reaction but its grafting temperature is higher than the polymer melt point, is reported in this paper. This solid grafting reaction at high temperature can be achieved by using microwave which selectively heats the substance that can absorb microwave. Maleic acid-grafted polypropylene (PP-g-MA) was prepared by this new method. It is well known that polypropylene (PP) is transparent to microwave while maleic anhydride (MAH) can be heated by microwave. Under microwave irradiation, MAH dispersed in the micropores of PP spherical powder can absorb microwave to generate high temperature and cause PP nearby and MAH itself to generate free radicals. MAH-grafted PP (PP-g-MAH) can be prepared without using an initiator. The new method has many advantages that traditional methods do not have. For example, the prepared graft polymer has no initiator and MAH residue and thus is odorless; the prepared graft polymer also has excellent mechanical properties because ...


SUMMARY Aims: To compare the gestational age, weight and delivery of newborn belonging to public and private health system, Concepcion, Chile. Method: This study included 2540 newborn from the same number of pregnant woman with gestational age between 28 and 42 weeks from October 2004 to July 2005; 1531 newborn from public and 1009 from private health system. We use the health system as independent variable and gestational age, weight and delivery type as independent variable. Results: The premature rate was significantly higher in public system (10.68% versus 5.32%) and the mean neonatal weight was lower (2383 g versus 2786 g). The mean weight of term newborn from the private system was lower than the public system (3326 g versus 3458 g). The cesarean rate in the private system was 81.1%; 55.4% were elective and 63.1% of them were performed between 37 and 38 weeks. Conclusion: The access of public patients to the private system looks like an advance to get equality in health, but that doesn't reflect in better perinatal result and in the cesarean rate.


New soluble and insoluble Tantalum pentachloride complex catalysts are prepared by simple procedures using pyridine and polymer-supported cross-linked (poly-4-vinyl pyridine) beads (PSCPVP) respectively as supports and Tantalum pentachloride as a catalytic moiety (TaCl 5 ). The prepared soluble Py-TaCl 5 and insoluble bead-shaped PSCPVP-TaCl 5 catalysts have been characterized with FT-IR, UV-Vis, SEM, TGA and elemental analysis techniques. The catalytic efficiency of these catalysts has been examined through acylation of ethanol as a model reaction under identical pseudo first order reaction condition. From the calculated k obs values, it has been noticed that both the catalysts are active and however, Py-TaCl 5 shown 1.65 fold has increased activity (k obs =11.42x10 3 min -1 ) than insoluble PSCPVP-TaCl 5 catalyst (k obs= 6.98x10 3, min -1 ). Although, PSCPVP-TaCl 5 has shown lesser activity than soluble due to its lower cost, recyclability and reusable nature up to third cycle, it has received greater recognition. Hence, in order to utilize this insoluble bead-shaped PSCPVP-TaCl 5 catalyst to pack in column reactor and to carry out the same reaction for continuous mode operation at industrial level, detailed kinetics study for acylation of ethanol has been conducted under pseudo first order condition by varying the different experimental parameters and has observed that each parameter has influenced the reaction. The obtained k obs value reveals that reaction rates increase with the increase in the stirring speed, [substrate], [catalyst] and temperature. The thermodynamic parameters viz., activation energy (E a ), entropy ( ∆ S  ), enthalpy ( ∆ H  ) and free energy ( ∆ G # ) for the reaction are also calculated for the first time and their observed values are 35.2 kJmol -1 , -64.6 kJ -1 mol -1 , 37.7 kJmol -1 and 57.3 kJmol -1 respectively. The prepared insoluble catalyst is stable even after its use for three times in acylation without losing its efficiency, thus it is better suited for industrial applications.


Meltblown nonwovens have been produced as 2D web structures for a variety of end uses. Investigation into the development of 3D structures, has led to the integration of meltblown and robotic technology to form the Robotic Fiber Assembly and Control System. The effect of curvature of the collecting surface on the structural properties of the webs such as the diameter and orientation distributions of the fibers and the pore size distribution on the webs has been investigated. The relative frequency of fibers oriented in the machine direction increased significantly when the curvature of the collecting surface increased, while the average pore size of the web decreases due to the increased orientation of fibers in the direction of collection.


GaAs 331 B. The layer is composed of alternating 11̄00 and 112̄2 -oriented segments, which grew on 110 terraces and sidewalls consisting of bunched steps, respectively. The shape of the thermal hysteresis curves in magnetization and resistance changes markedly with temperature cycles. The alteration is associated with improvements in the crystalline quality. Out-of-plane components of the phase-transition stress resulting from the nonplanar geometry of the layer are indicated to be the driving force for the annealinglike elimination of structural imperfections. Plastic flow of materials induced by the stress is evidenced to almost completely level the surface height modulations having an amplitude of about 50 nm.


As defined in the specification, pyrazolo of formula (Ia) or (Ib) - quinazoline derivatives and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, process for their preparation, and pharmaceutical compositions containing them are disclosed ; compounds of the invention may also, in therapy may be useful in the treatment of diseases associated with uncontrolled protein kinase activity such as cancer. .BACKGROUND


In this study, we investigated the effect of various yeast nutrients on stuck and sluggish fermentation of blueberry wine. Sugar consumption rates during fermentation were observed after the addition of yeast extract, diammonium phosphate, yeast energizer, raisin, or banana to fermenting blueberry wine. After fermentation, the alcohol concentrations of wines containing yeast extract (14.1%) and banana (13.3%) were higher than those of wines containing diammonium phosphate (12.6%), yeast energizer (12.4%), and raisin (11.4%). Correspondingly, levels of soluble solids were lower in wines to which yeast extract (3.9°Bx) and banana (2.5°Bx) were added than in wines to which diammonium phosphate (4.6°Bx), yeast energizer (4.6°Bx), and raisin (6.3°Bx) were added. Thus, we concluded that banana could be used as a nutritional supplement for yeast to solve stuck and sluggish blueberry wine fermentation.


Resilient circuits based on in situ timing monitoring adaptive voltage–frequency scaling (AVFS) eliminate excess time margins caused by process, voltage, and temperature (PVT) variations but suffer from 50% throughput loss during error recovery when operating at a half frequency. We propose a bi-directional adaptive clocking circuit to provide fine frequency tuning with zero latency for AVFS system. It can either stretch the clock cycle when there are timing errors to ensure correct function or compress the cycle when there are excess timing margins. To support a wide frequency range, we generate multiple phase clocks based on two delay lines and select one appropriate phase clock to obtain a stretched output clock, where balanced clock paths are obtained by a time-to-digital converter and dynamic-OR gates. Applied to a wide-operating-range AVFS system of an SHA-256 accelerator with transition detector (TD) latches, the whole AVFS system is able to respond to errors in one clock cycle, with dynamic-OR gates collecting all the errors in half a cycle and adaptive clocking circuit stretching at the current cycle. Fabricated in 28-nm CMOS, chip measurement shows that it achieves 38.6%–69.4% power gains at near threshold while reducing throughput loss during error recovery.


School of Economics, respectively. We would like to thank Phili ppe Aghion, Masahiko Aoki, Patrick Bolton, Avner Grief, Athar Hussain, Carla Krüger, Nicholas Lardy, John Litwack, Eric Maskin, John McMill an, Paul Milgrom, Dwight Perkins, Louis Putterman, Gerard Roland, Anna Seleny, Barry Weingast, Martin Weitzman, Jinglian Wu, and an anonymous referee for helpful discussions and comments. Qian's research is sponsored by the Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), the Hewlett Fund of the Institute of International Studies (IIS), and Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS) at Stanford University, and Xu's research is sponsored by the Center for Economic Performance (CEP) and the Suntory-Toyota International Center for Economics and Related Disciplines (STICERD) at London School of Economics. The Economics of Transition, 1(2):135-170, June, 1993.


A reversed-phase liquid chromatography with fluorimetric detection(HPLC-Flu) method to measure 3-nitrotyrosine in plasma was described,which involved 4-fluoro-7-nitrobenzofurazan(NBD-F) pre-column derivatization followed by a novel electrospun polymer nanofibers packed micro-column cleaning and concentration.The mobile phase was composed of solution(0.05M phosphate buffer-methanol,35:65,v/v) at pH 3.0 adjusted with orthophosphoric acid.The wavelengths of excitation and emission were 470 nm and 530 nm,respectively.The method had high sensitivity and accuracy for the determination of 3-nitrotyrosine levels in plasma.


This research was conducted to investigate the suitability of using two models; namely the artificial neural network (ANN) and adaptive system network model Neuro-Fuzzy (ANFIS) methods to predict the flexible pavement layer moduli. The falling weight deflectometer (FWD) data obtained from the Butterworth–Kulim Expressway (BKE) in year 2011 were used to test the models. The ANN and ANFIS models have been trained and tested continuously using different parameters until the optimum output is obtained. Thereafter, a validation process has been carried out to test the ability of whole models by calculating the coefficient of determination (R2), the mean absolute error (MAE), the mean squared error (MSE) and root mean squared error (RMSE). A total of 270 data sets have been used to develop the models. Based on the analysis conducted, it was found that both models are able to predict well the flexible pavement layer moduli(R2 > 0.90). However, a further comparison suggested that the ANFIS model yield a higher precision compared to the ANN model, with lower MAE, MSE and RMSE values. Therefore, it can be inferred that the neural network models have an excellent potential to replace the existing analytical and empirical models in predicting the flexible pavement layer moduli.


As with any pump, care should be taken in unpacking the pump so as not to damage or misalign the assembly. For pump and motor units mounted on a baseplate, the unit should be lifted by the base only. Slings or hooks should not be attached to the pump or motor, since this can cause misalignment. Also, the pump should not be run until it is properly installed, nor should it be run without a sealing liquid.


Motivations of APNs (Advanced Practice Nurses) who serve as advocates for their patients stem from various ethical vantage points, and should be examined self-reflectively as interventions are developed and evaluated [1]. From a deontological perspective, principles such as justice, beneficence, and autonomy are served by advocating for more resources for the poor and vulnerable. From a teleological view, APNs can work for ends such as policy options that result in improved health care and successful social and economic skills. APNs can recognize their own feelings (sympathy and empathy) for vulnerable patients as the ethic of care prescribes, and their character traits and those of their clients as virtue ethics expects. On the broader scale, nurses may act from concern about the community's health (communitarianism) and with assessments that distinguish characteristics of each case (casuistry). Any or all of these ethical benchmarks may be selected by nurses to determine actions that are appropriate for use with their patients, families, and communities.


The purpose is to answer the question: what are the consequences of the EU discourse on civilian crisis management for the social structures? Critical discourse analysis has been used, both as theory and as method together with social constructivism and the concepts of power and policing. Furthermore, semi-structured interviews with 16 Swedish police officers with experience from EU missions were conducted and the transcribed interviews comprise the main material combined with key texts.
The analysis shows that the EU discourse has had profound consequences for the social structures. It affects the identity of those working and their view of the other but more importantly it alters the social relationships, placing the EU in a situation of control versus the states the missions are assisting with a focus more on the internal security needs of the EU than of the receiving state. The discourse also affects the systems of knowledge and by taking for granted the meaning of concepts such as best European standard the officers are left with little guidance and continuity is not created. All in all, the EU is engaged in a strengthening and restructuring of the state legitimised through the discourse.


Biomedical investigations still rely on the use of laboratory animals, mice and rats are the most commonly used on experimentations. Past experimentations with these animals showed that they could be affected by environmental conditions and infections, causing interferences on researches. Colonies of mice and rats can be parasitized by ectoparasites. Ectoparasites may interfere with scientific researches, typically exacerbated when the animals are immunosuppressed, however, is not common to cause mortality on mice. The plant known as Delphinium staphisagria has been used for years on the treat of skin wounds caused by insects and other parasites such as scabies. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the plant Delphinium staphisagria on


We present direct evidence of quantum coherence in a high-spin molecular nanomagnet with coherence times as long as T2 = 630 ns. In addition, we can dramatically increase the coherence time by deliberately modifying the matrix in which the molecular nanomagnets are embedded. We demonstrate that the electron spins are coupled to the proton nuclear spins of both the molecule itself and interestingly, also to those of the solvent. The clear observation of Rabi oscillations indicates that we can manipulate the spin coherently, an essential prerequisite for performing quantum operations.


In some salmonid populations, multiple smolt age classes co-emigrate owing to variation in the duration of freshwater residence. While it is assumed that smolts prolong freshwater residence to maxi...


. A semigroup is called E -separated if for any distinct idempotents x,y ∈ X there exists a homomorphism h : X → Y to a semilattice Y such that h ( x ) 6 = h ( y ). Developing results of Putcha and Weissglass, we characterize E -separated semigroups via certain commutativity properties of idempotents of X . Also we characterize E -separated semigroups in the class of π -regular E -semigroups.


A list of papers, dealing with Rotifer investigations in A fric& inland waters, is brought together in order to complete our knowledge on the Rotifer fauna in the black continent and the surrounding islands. Al1 publications dealing with African Rotifers which we could trace and which were published between 1985 and 1989, are analysed and the data classified by country. We have added also some older data, which do net figure in our " Checklist" of 1986.


In this article we propose wild bootstrap implementations of the local generalized least squares (GLS) de-trended M and ADF unit root tests of Stock (1999), Ng and Perron (2001), and Elliott et al. (1996), respectively. The bootstrap statistics are shown to replicate the first-order asymptotic distributions of the original statistics, while numerical evidence suggests that the bootstrap tests perform well in small samples. A recolored version of our bootstrap is also proposed which can further improve upon the finite sample size properties of the procedure when the shocks are serially correlated, in particular ameliorating the significant under-size seen in the M tests against processes with autoregressive or moving average roots close to −1. The wild bootstrap is used because it has the desirable property of preserving in the resampled data the pattern of heteroskedasticity present in the original shocks, thereby allowing for cases where the series under test is driven by martingale difference innovations.


Effect of the short - term simulated weightlessness (SWL), radiation and SWL plus radiation on immune function in rats was studied and the mechanism were investigated. The result showed that: (1)after 3 d of SWL, no change was found in T lymphocyte proliferation, activity of IL-2 and IL - 1. After 7 d of SWL, T lymphocyte proliferation decreased significantly, the activity of IL-2 and IL- 1 tended to decrease. (2)after 3 d of 2 Gy60Co whole body irradiation, decrease of T lymphocyte proliferation and activity of IL - 2 was observed, but activity of IL- 1 increased significantly. After 7 d irradiation, these parameters tended to increase, but still less than these in nomal group, the activity of IL- 1 was increased, but still highter than these in normal group. (3)after 3 d of SWL plus radiation, decrease of T lymphocyte proliferation and activity of IL - 2 was observed; after 7 d, the change of activity of IL- 2 was similar to that after 3 d and activity of IL - 1 tended to increase. (4) after 3 d stimulation of three factors, production of β - endorphin(β - EP) in pituitary tended to deerease (especialy after irradiation), after 7 d, the production of β- EP decreased significantly. The change of immune function showed the similar tend with the change of production of β -EP. These results demonstrated that the decrease of immune function observed in this study might be related to the decrease of production of β- EP.


Globally, has been an increase in the use of silver fluoride products to arrest carious lesions and a variety of products are available.


We report a comprehensive study on the intrinsic spin Hall conductivity (SHC) of semimetals MoTe2 and WTe2 by ab initio calculation. Large SHC and desirable spin Hall angles have been discovered, due to the strong spin orbit coupling effect and low charge conductivity in semimetals. Diverse anisotropic SHC values, attributed to the unusual reduced-symmetry crystalline structure, have been revealed. We report an effective method on SHC optimization by electron doping, and exhibit the mechanism of SHC variation respect to the energy shifting by the spin Berry curvature. Our work provides insights into the realization of strong spin Hall effects in 2D systems.


In this paper, a BLSTM-based adaptive finite-time control structure has been constructed for a class of aerospace unmanned systems (AUSs). Firstly, a novel neural network structure possessing both the time memory characteristics and high learning speed, broad long short-term memory (BLSTM) network, has been constructed. Secondly, several nonlinear functions are utilized to transform the tracking errors into a novel state vector to guarantee the output constraints of the AUSs. Thirdly, the fractional-order control law and the corresponding adaptive laws are designed, and as a result, the adaptive finite-time control scheme has been formed. Moreover, to handle the uncertainties and the faulty elevator outputs, an inequality of the multivariable systems is utilized. Consequently, by fusing the output of the BLSTM, the transformation of the tracking errors, and the adaptive finite-time control law, a novel BLSTM-based intelligent adaptive finite-time control structure has been established for the AUSs under output constraints. The simulation results show that the proposed BLSTM-based adaptive control algorithm can achieve favorable control results for the AUSs with multiple uncertainties.


Laser-target interaction represents a very promising field in several potential applications, from nuclear physics to medicine. On the other hand optically accelerated particle beams are characterized by some extreme features, often not suitable for several applications, as an high peak current, a poor shot-to-shot reproducibility and a wide energy and angular distribution. Therefore many efforts are currently ongoing for the development of specific beam transport devices in order to obtain controlled and reproducible output beams. In this framework, this work want to report about a transport beamline solution dedicated to laser-driven beams and made of two main sections: a quadrupole-focusing device and an energy selector system. A test beam-line consisting of prototypes has been realised at INFN-LNS (National Institute of Physics-South National Laboratories, Ct, I) and partially tested with conventional accelerated proton beams. Moreover, some of these prototypes have been already tested with laser-driven beams. Several simulations have been also performed using the Geant4 Monte Carlo toolkit, in order to best exploit the beamline potentiality. Preliminary simulations of a transported beamline to select 5 MeV and 24 MeV proton beams are here reported.


The present invention relates to a frame (1) for two-wheeled vehicle, in particular a bicycle, comprising: - a front frame (2) having an upper tube (6) having a front end (24) and a rear end (26), and a down tube (8) having an upper end (16) and a lower end (14), and - a rear frame (4) connected to said front frame (2) by a damping system, the damping system having a front end mounted on the front frame (2) by a first pivot connection (92), and a rear end mounted on the rear frame (4) by a second pivot connection (94). The top tube (6) has an open section for accommodating at least partially the damping system, the damping system extending inside the upper tube (6). The invention also relates to a two-wheeled vehicle including such a frame (1).


Patients with vestibular schwannomas (VS) must have formal audiology during their workup, according to multiple national guidelines (including NICE).

 This retrospective study sought to audit the percentage of VS cases undergoing formal audiometry at a tertiary neurosurgical centre. An illustrative sample was selected randomly from local databases (2006-2019). Data collected included audiometry types (speech discrimination [SD], pure tone audiometry [PTA]), management pathway (surgery, radiotherapy or conservative) and symptom profile.

 200 cases were assessed, 7 were excluded (private patients, patients referred but not formally seen). Of the 193 cases included, 186 (96.4%) had ≥1 Pure Tone assessment [PTA], with 135 (70%) also tested on Speech Discrimination [SD]. The surgical cohort had the highest audiometry rates at 38/38, followed by 116/121 (96%) for surveillance and 32/34 (94%) for radiotherapy subgroups. Reasons for no audiology were: profound hearing loss at presentation (2/7), audiometry at local centres (4/7) and patient compliance (1/7).

 Our service is highly compliant (96.4%), consistent across management categories. The rate of SD (70%), a functional measure of hearing impairment, can be improved. Monitoring surgical outcomes via formal audiometry should be standard, particularly surgical approaches that preserve hearing are chosen. Follow-up audiometry regimes can be standardized for those on surveillance pathways.


Using event-history analysis, this study of workmen's compensation analyzes how fast American state legislators responded to the work accident problem. States were quicker to adopt legislation when productivity and work-accident litigation were high and when nonagricultural workers outnumbered agricultural ones. Despite the influence of capital and labor in shaping workmen's compensation in other analyses, the speed of state legislation was unaffected by the presence or interests of capital and labor groups. This suggests that the speed of adoption was shaped by a different aspect of capital-labor relations than is seen when studies focus on the activities of specific actors or groups.


Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) treatment for patients with intractable epilepsy has been shown to effectively lower seizure frequency and improve quality of life. However, due to stimulation of the vagus nerve, alterations in both central regulation of breathing and laryngeal muscle stimulation can precipitate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). While there have been case reports describing OSA following VNS implantation, there has yet to be a detailed evaluation of this complication in a large cohort of VNS patients. The objective of this meta-analysis was to determine OSA rates in patients following VNS implantation.

 English full-text articles were searched for on Pubmed, Scopus, and Embase databases. Articles had to follow patients before and after VNS implantation; report apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), respiratory disturbance index (RDI), or OSA rates following VNS implantation; be from a clinical trial, cohort, or case-control study. Two reviewers reviewed articles and a third settled disagreements. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and the Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies were used. Following Freeman-Tukey transformation, the generic inverse variance method with random effects model was used for meta-analysis.

 Ten studies, seven retrospective and three prospective, representing a cohort of 306 patients were included in this study. Pooled OSA rates following VNS implantation were 27.3%, 95% CI: 15.1 - 41.5%. Subgroup analysis found no difference in rates between studies of pediatric populations (22.1%, 95% CI: 8.2 - 40.5%) and adult populations (31.9%, 95% CI: 18.9 - 47.5%) following VNS implantation (P = 0.39). There was significant heterogeneity in pooled analysis (P < 0.00001, I2 = 100%), but no inter-subgroup heterogeneity (I2 = 0%).

 Obstructive sleep apnea is a common adverse effect following VNS treatment and patients should be monitored following implantation. There are no differences in OSA rates between pediatric and adult populations. Routine screening for OSA following VNS implantation may be a reasonable choice.

 No institutional or NIH funding was received for this project


Inorganic carbon fluxes were simulated by a mathematical model using an equilibrium hypothesis for a wide range of conditions in a closed system composed of air-grown cells of Synechococcus UTEX 625 in a reaction vessel connected to a mass spectrometer. The metabolic scheme took into account the input fluxes of CO2 and HCO3− transport into the cells, the output fluxes of CO2 and HCO3− efflux, the diversion of Q toward the formation of the internal C2 pool, and photosynthetic CO2 fixation. The equations expressed the variation in concentration of each inorganic species outside and inside the cell as a function of time. The input fluxes were previously characterized by their kinetic constants (K1/2 and Vm) both during initial uptake occurring upon illumination of the cells and under steady-state photosynthesis conditions. The efflux rates of the various Ci species from the cells were investigated under a wide variety of experimental conditions. Using these efflux rates, the permeability coefficients of the ...


Peripheral blood leukocyte DNA methylation status has been proposed to be a surrogate marker for evaluating susceptibility to gastric cancer (GC). Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) infection, smoking, and alcohol consumption are known to induce gene methylation. A case‐control study was performed to investigate the interactions between the methylation of two candidate genes and H pylori infection, smoking, and alcohol consumption in the risk of GC.


Making use of several analytical techniques, four erudite and four popular Portuguese baroque wooden sculptures were studied. The materials and techniques employed were identified and the relationship between their artistic quality and the materials used was investigated. In general, the pigments were common at the time, but one pigment discovered in the beginning of the 18th century and two rare arsenic pigments were also identified. In popular sculptures cost-saving was detected, particularly concerning the gold leaf. Regarding some technical procedures identified, recommendations found in historical documents did not seem to have been entirely followed, neither in erudite nor in popular sculptures.


Following a recent work [Sevryuk and Lahiri, Phys. Lett. A 154, 104 (1991)], we study the bifurcation of four-dimensional reversible maps in which the eigenvalues of the Jacobian of the map at a symmetric fixed point move off the unit circle along a pair of conjugate rays as some parameter \ensuremath{\epsilon} crosses a threshold value. We construct a perturbation scheme to show that, depending on a control parameter \ensuremath{\gamma}, the bifurcation can be either ``normal'' or ``inverted'' in nature. In the former case, two one-parameter families of elliptic invariant curves passing arbitrarily close to the fixed point (which coexist with Kolmogorov-Arnold-Moser tori) merge together and move away from the fixed point. In the latter case, the families of elliptic invariant curves meet a family of hyperbolic invariant curves. As \ensuremath{\epsilon} is varied, all these invariant curves shrink to the fixed point and are annihilated. The problem of determining whether an invariant curve is elliptic or hyperbolic is related to a tight-binding model on a linear quasiperiodic chain familiar in solid-state theory. Numerical evidence confirming these results is presented. A few areas for further study are indicated.


Nottingham, England ? A British study suggests that companies touting the effectiveness of their acne treatment products can?t always back their claims with hard evidence.


Objective To analyze the effect of Shandong provincial TB control project-role of community health facilities in TB control in order to explore working way of TB control in Communities.Methods Project quarterly reports,baseline data and questionnaires of TB patients from four project counties were collected and used for analysis.Results During the project implementation,reporting rate of pulmonary TB and TB suspects in these 4 counties reached 78.9%,referral rate was 67.7%,referral in place rate reached 84.1%,tracing rate was 100%,in place rate after tracing reached 93.1%.Meantime,Patients under the jurisdiction were supervised and managed according to the project requirement.Conclusions The project promoted the work of community health facilities in TB control,and provide theoretical basis for TB control in communities.


Impairments of dendritic trees and spines have been found in many neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), in which the deficits of melatonin signal pathway were reported. Melatonin receptor 2 (MT2) is widely expressed in the hippocampus and mediates the biological functions of melatonin. It is known that melatonin application is protective to dendritic abnormalities in AD. However, whether MT2 is involved in the neuroprotection and the underlying mechanisms are not clear. Here, we first found that MT2 is dramatically reduced in the dendritic compartment upon the insult of oligomer Aβ. MT2 activation prevented the Aβ‐induced disruption of dendritic complexity and spine. Importantly, activation of MT2 decreased cAMP, which in turn inactivated transcriptional factor CCAAT/enhancer‐binding protein α(C/EBPα) to suppress miR‐125b expression and elevate the expression of its target, GluN2A. In addition, miR‐125b mimics fully blocked the protective effects of MT2 activation on dendritic trees and spines. Finally, injection of a lentivirus containing a miR‐125b sponge into the hippocampus of APP/PS1 mice effectively rescued the dendritic abnormalities and learning/memory impairments. Our data demonstrated that the cAMP‐C/EBPα/miR‐125b/GluN2A signaling pathway is important to the neuroprotective effects of MT2 activation in Aβ‐induced dendritic injuries and learning/memory disorders, providing a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of AD synaptopathy.


This research investigated the relationship among achievement goals, motivation, foreign language learning anxiety, and English reading achievement for college students. The concept of approach and avoidance was incorporated into mastery goal and performance goal for a 2X2 framework of achievement goals. A required orientation was added to the dichotomy of integrative and instrumental orientation with factor analysis. Correlation and regression analysis were employed to test the relationship among the orientation of achievement goal, motivation, and language anxiety, and to predict English reading achievement with these variables. Results indicated that mastery approach and performance approach of achievement goal were negatively correlated to the 'course required' motivation. Performance avoidance and 'required' motivation were positively correlated to language learning anxiety. Analysis of the regression between English reading achievement and the other factors showed that only mastery approach could predict English reading achievement.


Utilizing hydrogen in energy sources plays a crucial step towards a complete transition to renewable energies since production at‐scale is possible. The study works towards developing monitoring and control strategies of proportionally induced hydrogen in existing pipeline infrastructure. With this aim, a scalable model is utilized to compute the flow of composite gas along a pipe. The transient model is solved using finite element discretization and error convergence is studied for a test case. Coupling of species transport to track mixture composition along the pipe is also studied for a test case and error behaviors are investigated. Finally, simulations performed for a practical testcase are compared with a recently available open‐source tool for studying flow dynamics. The study highlights the deployment and usage of state‐of‐the‐art simulation tools against existing industrial necessities while providing invaluable insights into dynamics of gas mixtures.


The azabicyclic endo compound 3 was synthesized by reaction of enamine 1 with 2-benzoyl-1,3-dichloropropane (2). The thermodynamically more stable exo isomer 4 was obtained by epimerization of 3 with sodium methoxide. The reduction of 3 and 4 was carried out with different reducing agents. The syn/anti isomeric amino alcohols 7a/7b and 8a/8b were separated either by fractional crystallization of their fumarate salts or by column chromatography. The relative configurations at C-7 and C-9 and the conformations of the molecules were determined by chemical and/or NMR spectroscopic methods.


The Chinese globalization does come naturally from the historical Silk Road which has a long history of 2000 years. The ancient Silk Road became famous again with Macau, the first point of globalization in the seventeenth century. At present, the BRI is essential to develop globalization since 2013 and was renamed the Belt and Road Initiative in 2017.The Greater Bay Area, called before 2017 the Pearl River Delta, was well known in the past with Canton, now Guangzhou. The global Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, continues to be important economically and financially. Macau (SAR), part of China since 1999, remains historically essential and its Casino Capitalism will continue to be important. It was the first gaming city of the world before 2012. China, the second economic power of the world, is really global in the 21st century, the BRI is essential for its success.Research, reading, and interviews on globalization are key elements to understand what is the present Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).


[1] This work presents seismic strain rate maps for the Western Alps and Northern Apennines (northern Italy) as derived from an earthquake catalog collecting both historical and instrumental data. Strain rates are calculated on the basis of the rate of seismic moment release using the Anderson method. Unlike previous applications, which determined the total strain rate associated with specific seismogenic sources, we have employed an innovative zoneless approach based on a spatially smoothed seismicity method. In addition, a Monte Carlo simulation procedure is applied to allow for uncertainty in the input data (e.g., magnitude to moment conversion, seismogenic thickness, maximum earthquake magnitude). Strain rate maps are developed by summing the moments of the earthquakes reported in the catalog and by using two different earthquake recurrence relations. Our results indicate that deformation rates are quite high, ranging from about 2 to 12 × 10−9 yr−1 in the Northern Apennines and from 0.5 to 6 × 10−9 yr−1 in the Western Alps. These values, however, are ∼1 order less than those derived from Global Positioning System measurements, suggesting that a portion of the recent deformation in northwestern Italy is related to aseismic processes. The discrepancies between seismic and geodetic strain rates may also indicate that the record of seismicity may not provide a sufficient time window for assessment of secular rates of moment release (or secular deformation rates) and rates of recurrence of large magnitude earthquakes in the study area.


In order to improve the quality of image restoration, a quantum neural network model, whose input of each dimension is a discrete sequence, is proposed. This model concludes three layers, in which the hidden layer consists of quantum neurons, and the output layer consists of classical neurons. The quantum neuron consists of the quantum rotation gates and the multi-qubits controlled-not gates. By using the information feedback of target qubit from output to input in multi-qubits controlled-not gate, the overall memory of input sequences is realized. The output of quantum neuron is obtained from the entanglements of multi-qubits in controlled-not gates. The learning algorithm is designed in detail according to the basis principles of quantum computation. The characteristics of input sequence can be effectively obtained by way of "breadth" and "depth". The simulation results show that the quality of image restoration of proposed model is obviously superior to that of classical artificial neural network.


Abstract We examined induced androgenesis in vitro in the dioecious plant Melandrium album and aimed to produce complete plants from cultured immature microspores. Flow cytometric analysis of nuclear DNA content was used to screen ploidy levels in regenerated plants and to estimate the nuclear genome size in plants differing in sex. Haploid and spontaneous dihaploid (polyhaploid) females dominated among androgenic regenerants. Androgenic males occurred sporadically. They were exclusively dihaploid and genetically supermales (AAYY). The progenies obtained as a result of the crosses between supermales and standard females contained only males. This is the first report on complete androgenesis in M. album from the microspores carrying the Y chromosome.


Eye observation was used to evaluate the segregation degree of asphalt pavement, which was not much creditable. To the asphalt pavement, road surface texture measuring method which has appeared recently can identify gradational segregation; but it can't reflect the influence of the temperature segregation. However, using infrared temperature detector to evaluate the segregation must be taken during paving, which brings much inconvenience. In this paper, measuring the air voids distribution using non-nuclear density gauge to evaluate asphalt pavement segregation was introduced. Result shows that this method can directly reflect the comprehensive results of the two types of segregation in a high efficient and accurate way. Moreover, using the sketch map of segregation area can help to analyze the segregation reason visually.


1 F-nmr spectroscopy and laser Raman spectroscopy are used to interpret conformational properties of 5SrRNA. When 5-fluorouracil i s added to a medium containing a c t i v e l y growing E. c o l i c e l l s i t is incorporated into the 5SrRNA (FU-5SrRNA) of the. bacteria. The 1 F-nmr spectra of FU-5SrRNA, at 94.1 MHz and 254 MHz, are presented. They cover a chemical s h i f t range of approximately 8 p.p.m.. At 254 MHz the spectrum consists of 8 peaks and 2 shoulders, representing fluorine resonances from approximately twenty 5-fluorouracil residues in FU-5SrRNA. The most exposed residues have been assigned by comparison of the resonance frequency of the 5-fluoro-2'deoxyuridine monophosphate monomer with that of the heat denatured FU-5SrRNA. The remainder of the fluorine resonances (about 70% of the total) are believed to be due to buried 5-fluorouracil residues. A l l the T^ values of the individual peaks were approximately the same (between 0.3 and 0.4 seconds). This i s in contrast to the T^ value of the 5-fluoro2 *-deoxyuridine monomer which i s approximately 5 seconds. A nuclear Overhauser enhancement experiment confirms that these residues are r i g i d l y situated within the FU-5SrRNA molecule and that their molecular co r r e l a t i o n time (T) must be the same as the o v e r a l l correlation time of the macromolecule. Two important r e s u l t s are obtained from l a s e r Raman s p e c t r o s c o p i c s t u d i e s presented i n t h i s work. F i r s t , 5 f l u o r o s u b s t i t u t i o n a f f e c t s c e r t a i n v i b r a t i o n a l p r o p e r t i e s of the u r a c i l base. Second, from the comparison of N-5SrRNA s p e c t r a with FU-5SrRNA s p e c t r a , i t appears evident that 5 f l u o r o u r a c i l s u b s t i t u t i o n i n 5SrRNA causes only minimal p e r t u r b a t i o n of the s t r u c t u r e ; thus, c o n c l u s i o n s r e s u l t i n g from a study of FU-5SrRNA s t r u c t u r e should be a p p l i c a b l e to N-5SrRNA.


Relative permeability of reservoir is very important for making a development program in an oilfield.It is often tested by an unsteady state flow experiment and calculated by JBN method,which is only fit for Darcy flow through medium-high permeability with high velocity of displacement because of taking neither non-Darcy flow nor capillary attraction into account.Formulas of calculating relative per-meability with starting pressure gradient,capillary attraction and gravity are derived respectively according to water wet core and oil wet core.The formulas can not be restricted by high experimental displacement velocity.This method can be used to deal with lab determination and calculated method for unsteady state relative permeability of low permeability reservoir.


An airfoil-aileron combination is modeled as a three-degree-of-freedom system oscillating in plunge, pitch and aileron angular deflection, and subject to incompressible flow. The aeroelastic behaviour of the system is investigated taking into account freeplay nonlinearities in the pitch and aileron restoring moments of the airfoil. Then, the time series of the nonlinear system response are analyzed using the nonlinear dynamics methodology of parameters identification. The estimated parameters obtained via the signal processing technique are then compared with those directly calculated from the model. In the signal processing technique, first the phase–space is reconstructed using the mutual information function and the percentage of false neighbours methods. The dynamics of the system is then determined from the Lyapunov exponents. This paper discusses the limit cycle oscillations and chaotic behaviour of the 3 -DOF aeroelastic system, and the tools to analyze these phenomena.


The variable space grid method based on finite differences is applied to the one-dimensional Stefan problem with time-dependent boundary conditions describing the solidification/melting process. The temperature distribution, the position of the moving boundary and its velocity are evaluated in terms of finite differences. It is found that the computational results obtained by the variable space grid method exhibit good agreement with the exact solution. Also the present results for temperature distribution are found to be more accurate compared to those obtained previously by the variable time step method.


Air pollution in India is a serious health issue. A countrywide lockdown was imposed in India in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, firstly for three weeks starting from March 24 to April 14, 2020, and then extended until May 3, 2020. Because of the restrictions imposed, pollution levels in cities all over the country have dropped dramatically in just a few days, raised questions among scientists about lockdown as the most effective alternative approach for reducing air pollution. Hyderabad was chosen for this study because it is India's 5th largest city by area and 4th largest city by population, as well as major industrial centre in South-East Asia with strong air quality statistics. In light of the recent COVID-19 outbreak around the country, a detailed analysis based on air quality parameters from six distinct air quality monitoring sites in Hyderabad, Telangana, has been performed. For simple interpretation of air quality data, establishing a correlation between different pollutants, identifying sources of pollution, and determining the most significant parameters, different multivariate statistical approaches such as Cluster analysis (CA), Principle component analysis (PCA), correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression analysis (MLR) were used. The aim of this study is to evaluate the major air pollution sources in Hyderabad and to identify the most significant air pollutants based on their individual contributions to the Air Quality Index (AQI). Variation in air quality parameters collected for six air quality monitoring stations were represented using box or whisker plots. The data set has been grouped into four major clusters depending on the similarities in the air quality data. Major sources of air pollution in each cluster were identified using PCA. MLR analysis was used to create models for predicting AQI for each cluster based on concentrations of important air contaminants. The findings revealed that PM10 and PM2.5 play a significant role in determining AQI levels. © 2023 Author(s).


Polarized electron beams are used widely for DIS, parity violation, and other experiments. I discuss the methods and instrumentation used to measure the electron beam polarization, as well as the prospects for the future facilities. A number of recent achievements and projects are discussed. More details on the subject can be found in a 1998's review.


To examine Victorian food processors' beliefs and barriers with regard to the production, distribution and promotion of plant foods and plant-based food products, a questionnaire was mailed to 200 food processing businesses, with 48 completed questionnaires returned. Difficulties of strongest concern to 79% of participants were drought/lack of water, to 33% lack of domestic demand/market saturation, and to 29% lack of supportive legislation for the plant food industry. Most participants (77%) represented businesses directly involved with promotion of plant-based products, particularly via advertising. Lack of money and other resources to conduct market research and for promotion were of strong concern to 38% and 33% of participants respectively. In order to increase consumption of plant foods, it is important to address these barriers. For example, government support for a national campaign on plant foods and plant-based foods may increase demand for such products among Australian consumers.


This article is a theoretical and pratical study elaborated from research developed between 2008 and 2012. Its main purpose is studying the symbolic and material creation of new real state products in the outskirts of Fortaleza. It uses as spatial area, the Regiao da Agua Fria, southeast front of metropolitan expansion. Area of strong incorporation of real estate that covers horizontal and vertical residential condominiums; comercial and office towers; and shopping malls. Therefore, it uses interviews with developers and research in major city newspapers about the subject as source. It concludes that the redesign of urban form results of a political economy of space, which combines finances, earns varied rents and generates profits.


Important issues such as NICs, the difference between IAS 11 and IAS 2 phases of a construction project, and construction costs are covered. According to the knowledge of the company and the different concepts and use them as a basis for management model for inventory control, which are the main procedures, process control, flow charts and forms to be used as as the activity of building the application of IAS 11.


The needs of control system of reentrant manufac- turing system are analyzed and the double-feedback-based col- laborative control strategy for reentrant manufacturing system is proposed.To decrease the complexity of control system for manufacturing system,a layered collaborative control mechanism is addressed,which includes the system layer coor- dination mechanism,machine group/machine layer one,and rescheduling one.Based on principal of mixed control,a multi-agent-based architecture of autonomous control system which integrates central coordination and local one is proposed so as to make the requirement of non-linear dynamic control of reentrant manufacturing system,it has the main characteristics including distribution,intelligence,robustness,openness, real-time,etc.To implement the proposed architecture of col- laborative control system,an HLA/CORBA-based multi-lever software framework is designed,which includes the base level, distributed object level,agent level and application level.The experiment results show the collaborative control mechanism above proposed takes precedence of the dynamic scheduling in machine groups and the scheduling of heuristic rule in the daily throughput of wafers and the utilization rate of machine groups.


The location of Cu(II) exchanged into mesoporous AlMCM-41 material and its interaction with various adsorbate molecules were reinvestigated by electron spin resonance (ESR) and electron spin echo modulation (ESEM) spectroscopies. In contrast to previous work, it seems that Cu(II) is fully cordinated to adsorbates and interacts only with oxygen in an AlMCM-41 channel only in the absence of adsorbates. Cu(II) is octahedrally coordinated to six water molecules, as evidenced by an isotropic room temperature ESR signal. This species is located in an AlMCM-41 channel and rotates rapidly at room temperature. Evacuation at room temperature removes some of these water molecules, leaving the Cu(II) coordinated to fewer water molecules and anchored to oxygens in an AlMCM-41 channel wall. Adsorbate molecules such as water, methanol, ammonia, pyridine, aniline, acetonitrile, benzene and ethylene on dehydrated Cu-AlMCM-41 cause changes in the ESR spectrum of Cu(II), indicating complex formation with these adsorbates. C...


In this paper, a Monte Carlo method has been applied to calculating the multipath spread of HF signals from VOACAP predictions. This method uses the predicted SNR probability distribution functions rather than just taking the median SNR to provide a probability distribution of multipath spread values. Predictions are compared with measurements over two paths, one at mid-latitudes and the second at sub- auroral latitudes. At mid-latitudes, the predictions are generally consistent with observation at higher frequencies, but underestimate the spread at lower frequencies during the day. For the sub-auroral path, the predicted spreads are higher than those observed at all times of day. The new method will be useful to those planning or operating digitally modulated radio systems in the HF band since these can be adversely affected by multipath spread.


An ontological investigation of data quality reveals that the quality of the data must be the result of the observation processes and the imperfections of these. Real observation processes are always imperfect. The imperfections are caused by (1) random perturbations, and (2) the physical size of the sensor. Random effects are well-known and typically included in data quality descriptions. The effects of the physical size of the sensor limit the detail observable and introduce a scale to the observations. The traditional description of maps by scale took such scale effects into account, and must be carried forward to the data quality description of modern digital geographic data. If a sensor system is well-balanced, the random perturbations, size of the sensor and optical blur (if present) are of the same order of magnitude and a summary of data quality as a 'scale' of a digital data set is therefore theoretically justifiable.


Companies are always seeking differentiation from their competitors. Efforts are made by providing the best service to consumers, fast order fulfillment, reliable delivery times, and better response to inquiries about products, orders, and deliveries. This paper aims to provide an overview of joint distribution planning between distribution centre and manufacturing industry with DRP logic. Distribution Resources Planning (DRP) is a method that can be used to integrated inventory policy in distributors and manufacturing. DRP implementation starts from managing sales forecasts, creating master schedules, and running DRP. The DRP represents a way of thinking with respect to managing the entire function of distribution. The DRP Method can be known the optimal number of order lot sizing, frequency of ordering, safety stock at each distribution centres. DRP can reduce the frequency of ordering so that the cost of the order becomes minimize. DRP implementation reduces 23,9% of order frequency and saves order cost 42,9%.


This study presents a technology development for creating 3D finite-element full-scale bridge models based on a data processing platform (DPP) and explores the trial fatigue analysis to serve as an important reference for future practical applications. Until now, the model generation, validation and calculation for a large-scale model of conventional method consume huge time and money. Currently, developments in High- Performance Computing (HPC) and preparation for large parallel computers make numerical simulation operation more efficient. Moreover, through the grouping structure technique, different types of data can be linked together. In this research, a 3D finite-element full-scale bridge superstructure model was created using the DPP. A trial fatigue analysis was performed using a high-performance computer. By considering the details such as the position of each reinforcing bar, prestressed tendon, the slope, etc., the DPP model more closely captures the real structure. Therefore, it could be said that the model made by the DPP has higher analytical accuracy. This research paved the way for the implementation of large-scale fatigue analysis, which has significant engineering applications prospects.


The significance of the copper sulphate as Solution I of the peroxidase reagent of Sato and Sekiya has been studied, together with the influence of other metal salts. The copper salt is always of decided influence, to whichever cation it may be combined, and the sulphate salt is generally of decided influence too, to whichever anion it may be combined. Most chlorides and most nitrates are of no influence. The copper sulphate has, thus, the double advantage in itself. This will explain why the copper peroxidase reaction is so sensitive and gives so distinct a picture.


The document is a reference document in the Instrument Interface Description for NOAA-2000 Instruments (GSFC-S-480-53). The requirements reflect the fact that these instruments must be compatible with a number of different polar orbiting satellite vehicles including the NOAA-OPQ satellites and the EUMETSAT METOP satellites. The instrument payload will interface to the spacecraft via several standardized communication busses. The document defines a uni-directional point-to-point single-user interface for transfer of high rate data (greater than 100 kbs) between instruments and a spacecraft system.


This paper presents a synchronous rectifier in a LLC half bridge topology. The proposed synchronous rectifier is used to a current driven synchronous rectifier(SR). Voltage driven synchronous rectifier may introduce voltage and current surge during the zero dead times. To solve this problem, we propose to use modified current driven synchronous rectifier. Finally, the prototype is built and comparison on the current and voltage driven synchronous rectifier(SR).


The aim of this bachelor thesis was to create a set of graphs of elementary mathematical functions and derived functions. Options of Wolfram Mathematica 7 software were used for graphical visualization. This set of graphs can be used as a support of ?Matematika 1? course by students at TBU in Zlin.


Global Positioning System (GPS) surveys were used to determine coseismic displacements within the epicentral region of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake near Santa Cruz. The California Highway Department (Caltrans) conducted the preearthquake survey in February and March 1989 using single-frequency GPS receivers. In March 1990, we reoccupied eight of the Caltrans stations using dual-frequency receivers. Relative displacements were computed by differencing the station coordinates determined from these two surveys. Displacements were determined relative to sites remote from the earthquake by incorporating GPS measurements from Loma Prieta (station LP1) to the Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) site at Fort Ord. Examination of repeated measurements in the single frequency preearthquake survey indicates precision is ∼10 mm in the horizontal, although it may be as low as ∼40 mm in the weakly connected part of the network. The precision in the vertical is generally 30–40 mm. In contrast, the largest observed coseismic displacement is 410 mm horizontal and 341 mm vertical. We use a quasi-Newton method to estimate the parameters of the uniform rectangular dislocation source that best fits the observed displacements. The best fitting dislocation dips 68°southwest, extending from 3 to 16 km depth, strikes N66°W, and has 1.8 m of dip slip and 1.2 m of strike slip. The best fitting dislocation overlaps the aftershocks but is rotated 15°counterclockwise from the trend of the afterhock zone. We find that the data can be fit nearly as well with a dislocation that is constrained to lie in the plane of the aftershocks, In this case the fault extends from 5 to 15 km depth. The constrained model explains 96% of the data. Both models have a moment of M0 = 2.9 × 1019 N m. We also use the quasi-Newton method to estimate rectangular dislocation models from the leveling data of Marshall et al. (1991), and the trilateration and GPS data of it Lisowski et al. (1990). In contrast to the previous studies, we find that both of these data sets are independently best fit with dislocations embedded within the aftershock zone.


The development of a country's public library has become one of the important symbols of its economy,culture,education,technical level and citizen's artistic appreciation.Both Chinese and Russian libraries enjoy historical origins.The former Soviet Union's library information theory and thinking had influence upon a generation of Chinese libraries.Although the circumstances changed,Russian library experience can be used for reference.


The possibility of implementing the double-sampling (DS) technique in IIR first- and second-order switched-capacitor (SC) decimator building blocks is considered. The circuits which result follow the same design procedure of standard IIR decimators, and only a different switched-capacitor implementation results with a re-organized clock phasing. The main advantage is that the time allowed for the op amps to settle can be equal to the output sampling period rather than one half of it. Using the proposed double-sampled decimator allows one to design high-frequency SC filtering systems (anti-aliasing decimator filter and core double-sampled filter) where the speed requirements in each block are similar so as to optimize the overall circuit design.<<ETX>>


The Darboux method is used to construct integral invariant for 3D Lotka-Volterra systems by quadratic polynomials. The deduced integral invariant is employed to study the 3D predator-prey Lotka-Volterra systems and some new results are obtained.


Network routing has a direct impact on the fairness and efficiency of the whole network .In order to improve the fairness of the network, each node should take into account the choices of other nodes. In this paper, a routing algorithm was proposed on the basis of the coalitional game theory. First, different coalitions will be formed dynamically in the routing process. Then the solutions to these coalitions will be given in the form of Shapley value that is considered to be the symbol of fairness in the game theory. Accordingly, the expected payoffs of the nodes are defined, and the characteristic functions of the coalitions form by network nodes are given. Finally, a method is presented for distributing the probabilities fairly to each routing path in a coalition. Experimental results show that our method is effective.


Medical image classification aids in diagnosis eases the work of physicians. In this paper, we propose an image classification method for lymphoma ultrasound image classification. We make the model more focused on the lymphoma lesion region by fusing the features of the original image and the image of the lesion region obtained through semantic segmentation in parallel, which is used to solve the problem that the grayscale values of the lymphoma lesion region and the background region are similar and difficult to distinguish. The problem of generalization of different lymphoma ultrasound images obtained from different instrument scans is handled by adding a causal attention mechanism to the model. Finally, we use counterfactual interpretation to perturb both the original image and the lesion image to obtain the instance-level interpretation. It is demonstrated experimentally that the method effectively improves the performance of classification.


ABSTRACT
Purjiyo/ A410120157. EXPERIMENT PROBLEM BASED LEARNING AND DISCOVERY LEARNING MODELS MATHEMATICS LEARNING IN TERMS OF STUDENT'S LEARNING ACTIVENESS CLASS VII SMP MUHAMMADIYAH 5 OF SURAKARTA YEARS 2015/2016. Research Paper. Faculty of Teaching and Education Training. Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta. Maret 2016.
This study aims to examine (1) the effect of mathematics learning with Problem Based Learning and Discovery Learning models on the result of mathematical learning , (2) the effect of students' learning activeness on the result of mathematical learning, (3) the interaction between the Problem Based Learning and Discovery Learning models seen from the students activeness on mathematics learning. The type of the research is experiment with quasi experimental design. The population of the research was all students of VII Grade of SMP Muhammadiyah 5 Surakarta year 2015/2016. The research sample consisted of two classes namely VII C grade as Problem Based Learning class and VII D grade as Discovery Learning class. The sampling technique used is cluster random sampling. Technique of collecting data with method test, questionnaire method, and documentation. Technique for analyzing data uses is two-way analysis of variance test with unequal cells, previously performed prerequisite analysis to test for normality and homogeneity test. From the results of data analysis at the level of 5% was obtained that: (1) there is effect of Problem Based Learning and Discovery Learning models on the result of mathematics learning with F_A=4.352 (2) there is effect of students' learning activeness on the result of mathematics learning with F_B=311.107 (3) there is no interaction between of Problem Based learning and Discovery learning models seen of the students' learning activeness on the result of mathematics learning with F_AB=0.206.
Keywords : Discovery Learning, the result learning, learning activeness, Problem Based Learning.


Cosmetics are free sale products that are used daily by consumers who usually not concerned about the possible health implications by the use of these products. It is necessary to perform a post-sale monitoring for these products, since in recent years they have been associated with adverse reactions. For this reason was built the cosmetovigilance concept as well as the need to implement a system to perform this task. This systematic review found a limited number of publications about the current cosmetovigilance status and tendencies at world level. Nevertheless, it was possible to define the concept and identify the countries that have developed and implemented this system. European Union is the leader in this topic, with investigations, regulations, development and implementation of an harmonized cosmetovigilance system. These activities include the participation of distributors, manufacturing industries, health professionals and consumers. Cosmetovigilance is a sanitary vigilance area that is still under development and therefore it is important to keep on investigating about this topic until achieve an efficient and useful system, for both European Union members and developing countries such as Colombia.


In the recent days, there are rapid advancements in the web 2.0 contents (texts, images and videos) and in the computational complexity. The next generation in computing is predictably in the mobile arena. A lot of applications are being developed to cater the needs of mobile device users. This research is based on the question: How can we benefit from the rapidly proliferating web 2.0 contents in the mobile device with staggering technological developments? This paper presents a surprisingly impressive novel dynamic multimedia encyclopedia, multimedia, that augments reality on the mobile device. This system supersedes the traditional texts or maps retrieved. A group of estimation and sensors to track objects and keep information on them used. An augmented reality based multimedia encyclopedia on mobile device which is dynamic is presented. It is dynamic and mines resources on the web. We demonstrate how this device can be utilized to bring relevant information to users in a much more enriched manner than traditional texts. ARM is dynamic and is distinctive in 3 ways. It fetches multimedia contents for users through automated intuition and dynamically updates content from the web. It uses recent multimedia content to produce answers which are versatile. New mediums like videos & languages can be incorporated into the framework. This system takes advantage of the mobile camera, location and orientation sensors to augment reality. Live camera view and retrieve dynamic data. A Combination of algorithms is used to analyze and demonstrate our ARM.


There is hypoxia in malignant glioma tissue, which would promote malignant progress and resistance to chemoradiotherapy. Hyperbaric oxygen can enhance dissolve oxygen in blood. Hyperbaric oxygen may restrain glioma growth through inhibition on cell proliferation, angiogenesis and promotion on apoptosis. Clinical research also found that combination of hyperbaric oxygen and chemoradiotherapy may ameliorate prognosis of glioma patient. But all results of previous studies still need further confirmation from multi-center, prospective, randomly controlled study.

Key words:
Hyperbaric oxygen; Glioma; Radiotherapy; Chemotherapy


Spontaneous regression of a cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) is a rare and poorly understood phenomenon. We present a case of unruptured cerebral AVM in a patient presenting with intermittent headache. In order to reduce hemorrhagic risk, the patient underwent partial embolization of the AVM with Onyx glue. Follow-up digital subtraction angiography (DSA) showed complete obliteration of the residual AVM three months after the treatment. In conclusion, partial Onyx embolization of cerebral AVM may be an etiological factor of spontaneous regression. In order to reduce hemorrhagic risk, targeted partial embolization of the AVM may be an alternative treatment for some cases.


In Reply. —The statements made by Mr Festag should not go unchallenged. He claims to be a researcher and has made statements that require reasonable expertise in radiation biology and nuclear energy. However, neither the Science Citation Index nor Index Medicus from 1980 to the present cites any of his research efforts in these fields. Mr Festag cites reports by Gofman, Stewart et al, Bross, Mancuso, and others. From these sources, he concludes that I have erred in my analysis of the effects of low-level radiation exposure. He further states that I "insult science by pretending certain studies do not exist." If he had taken time to look at the references provided in my article, he would have found that not only did I take issue with various publications of the individuals mentioned above, but many respected scientists have done so as well. Two of the references included herein deserve


This study examined the pattern of students/teachers' population in schools as a result of the crises witnessed in Josand its consequences on quality of teaching as well as peaceful living in Jos. Stratified simple random samplingtechnique was used to select the 18 schools that were used for this study. Questionnaire was used to collectqualitative and quantitative data on students' enrolment/population by religion; teachers' mix by religion; and ongeneral information on how the crises affected the schools. The data collected were analyzed using percentages andfrequencies as presented in tables and charts. The study revealed that a significant difference exists between thestudents' population before 2001 and from 2001 to 2014 along religious lines in schools as a result of the crises. Itwas also revealed that quality of learning was affected negatively in many schools as a result of movement ofChristian teachers from their earlier settlements to seemingly new safe places. The paper recommends among othersthat the pattern of settlement along ethnic and religious lines should be discouraged by the government. In order toachieve this, result oriented dialogue should be facilitated by the state and local government, where ethnic, religiousgroups and individuals should be encouraged to embrace peaceful co-existence. Besides this, to assuage the scourgeof the crises, houses and other properties burnt and destroyed during the crises should be built by the government oradequate compensation paid where necessary.


ABSTRACT A field experiment was conducted during the rainy season of 2014, in the steeply sloping agricultural land of northern Laos to determine the factors that cause the generation of surface runoff water and sediment (i.e., soil erosion). Four treatments (upland rice cropping, maize cropping, maize cropping with mulch treatment, and bare land) were installed on a 2 square meters plot sloping 25°, or 45%. The surface runoff water was measured at 10 min intervals, and the total eroded water and sediment were collected after each rainfall event. The total rainfall during the experiment was 1,480 mm, equivalent to more than 80% of the annual rainfall, with the largest rainfall of 413 mm occurring in July. Strong rainfall, exceeding 10 mm in 10 min, occurred frequently (26 times). More than 50% of the surface runoff water and sediment were generated during the mid-rainy season. Short-term water budget analysis revealed that the amount of the surface runoff water and sediment depended on the soil surface conditions and the initial volumetric water content of the soil. Specifically, 1) rapid water infiltration and percolation suppress the surface runoff water and sediment during the early rainy season, 2) water saturation in the surface soil, clogging of soil pores, and sealing induce soil loss during the mid-rainy season, and 3) crust formation and/or clogging of soil pores induces surface runoff during the late rainy season. Mulching suppressed surface runoff generation by facilitating water infiltration into the soil and mitigating the disturbance of the soil surface by raindrops.


Dense large-scale antenna deployments are one of the most promising technologies for delivering very large throughputs per unit area in the downlink (DL) of cellular networks. We consider such a dense deployment involving a distributed system formed by multi-antenna remote radio head (RRH) units connected to the same fronthaul serving a geographical area. Knowledge of the DL channel between each active user and its nearby RRH antennas is most efficiently obtained at the RRHs via reciprocity based training, that is, by estimating a user's channel using uplink (UL) pilots transmitted by the user, and exploiting the UL/DL channel reciprocity. We consider aggressive pilot reuse across an RRH system, whereby a single pilot dimension is simultaneously assigned to multiple active users. We introduce a novel coded pilot approach, which allows each RRH unit to detect pilot collisions, i.e., when more than a single user in its proximity uses the same pilot dimensions. Thanks to the proposed coded pilot approach, pilot contamination can be substantially avoided. As shown, such a strategy can yield densification benefits in the form of increased multiplexing gains per UL pilot dimension with respect to conventional reuse schemes and some recent approaches assigning pseudorandom pilot vectors to the active users.


In the nationwide city construction,it is urgent to plan cities rationally.While keeping the regular functions of a city,the planners should take it for emphasis to build the famous brands of the city.Four cards become the important means to show the attractions of a city.The cards are fitting for residence,filling with history and culture,having low-carbon environment protection,and having public participation.


We study the effects of drift motions and the advection by a Galactic wind on the propagation of cosmic rays in the Galaxy. We employ a simplified magnetic field model, based on (and similar to) the Jansson-Farrar model for the Galactic magnetic field. Diffusion is allowed to be anisotropic. The relevant equations are solved numerically, using a set of stochastic differential equations. Inclusion of drift and a Galactic wind significantly shortens the residence time of cosmic rays, even for moderate wind speeds


This paper is a re-evaluation of heat-aged test data reported in a recent study by Dixson and Nelson. The Study presents much worth-while data. However, the method selected for plotting the folding endurance and tear resistance data is not always reliable and, therefore, many of the conclusions drawn were based on inaccurate evidence. When the data are replotted appropriately on semilogarithmic graph paper, values on the regression line are compatible with those in previous studies made by Barrow. The data properly projected show that writing papers follow a deterioration pattern during extended heat aging similar to that of book papers.


Thyroglossal cyst is the most common congenital anterior neck swelling in childhood. Commonly present as painless swelling in the 2nd decade of life but the cases are reported in the elderly age group also. It represents the persistent epithelial tract from the foramen cecum to the thyroid gland. Clinically can be diagnosed and can be differentiated with other mid-line swelling by movement with the protusion of tongue. It is usually related to the hyoid bone and may be supra-hyoid, infra-hyoid, lower part of the midline or rarely lingual in position. Ultrasonography is the investigation of choice for this cystic condition. It is safe, economical and easily available investigation among all the radiological study. MRI is helpful to diagnose cervical extension and lingual cyst. Inspite of close relation to the laryngeal structure it rarely present as laryngeal mass and causes stridor or sleep apnea as in our case. Classic Sistrunk procedure is the treatment of choice for the condition. Endoscopic CO2 Laser is useful in situation where only intraoral cyst present without cervical extension. Marsupialization is reserved for lingual cyst especially in Neonate. We are reporting this case which was present in the elderly and reported with long standing anterior neck swelling with inspiratory stridor on lying down position.


Background An ideal animal model is very important for the investigation of the immune mechanism of high-risk rejection corneal transplantation. Objective This study was to compare three methods of creating a high-risk corneal transplantation model in rabbits to study high-risk rejection corneal transplantation.Methods Forty-five New Zealand white rabbits were utilized and assigned randomly to three groups of different modeling methods,with 15 rabbits for each group.The high-risk corneal transplantation models were created by suturing with 5-0 silk thread in 4 quadrants,inducing alkali burn with 1 mol/L NaOH or corneal xenotransplantation.In the suturing group and alkali burning group,the rabbits received a unilateral 7.25 mm diameter corneal allograft after corneal neovascularization was induced,and in the xenotransplantation group,corneas from cats were used as donors.Rabbits were followed-up for 4 weeks in all groups.Corneal neovascular area was calculated and compared among the three groups.The amount of rejection,inflammatory index ( IF),neovascularization and histology of grafts were clinically scored to calculate the reject index (RI). Results There were 14,15 and 15 rabbits that survived the high-risk penetrating corneal transplantation,respectively,in the suturing group,alkali burning group and xenotransplantation group.Two weeks after operation,the IF scores were 0.543 ± 0.103,0.811 ± 0.054 and 0.191 ±0.087,and the RI were 2.111±0.928,7.0±0.816 and 3.182±0.751 in the suturing group,alkali burning group and xenotransplantation group,respectively,showing statistically significant differences among the three groups (x2 =25.736,22.432,P =0.000).The IF value was lower in the xenotransplantation group compared with the suturing group and alkali burning group (Z =3.841,3.993,P =0.000),and that of the suturing group was lower than the alkali burning group (Z =3.568,P =0.000).The RI value of the xenotransplantation group was significantly raised in comparison with the suturing group and declined in comparison with the alkali burning group (Z =2.373,P =0.018;Z =3.936,P =0.000),and that of the suturing group was lower than the alkali burning group (Z =3.729,P =0.000 ).The survival times of the grafts were ( 17.9±2.0 ) days,( 13.4 ±2.4) days and ( 15.5 ±2.0 ) days in these three groups with a significant difference among them ( F =9.474,P =0.001 ).The neovascularization area in the xenotransplantation group was smaller than the suturing group and alkali burning group (P< 0.05 ).Histological examination revealed a large number of inflammatory cells infiltration in the grafts 2 and 4 weeks after transplantation in the suturing group and alkali burning group,but less inflammatory cells were seen in the xenotransplantaion group.Immunofluorescence staining showed abundant CD4+ T positive cells in the grafts in the three groups. Conclusions The cat-rabbit corneal xenotransplantation can induce stable and moderate immune rejection.This animal model has milder inflammatory response and less corneal neovascularization than the suture and alkali burn models.This method therefore is an ideal model for high-risk corneal transplantation.

Key words:
Organ transplantation/cornea, high-risk;  Animal model;  Rejection;  Xenotransplantation


Lattice design of a compact storage ring for laserelectron X-ray generator at the energy 45 Mev is discussed. A quasi-monochromatic X-ray radiation is produced in the process of Compton backscattering of laser photons by counter propagating relativistic electrons. Requirements to characteristics of the electron beam and lattice structure are formulated. The basic parameters of the storage ring are listed. INTRODUCTION Nowadays the problem of construction of the compact X-ray source with a narrow spectrum is widely discussed [1] – [3]. Quasi monochromatic source is demanded by various applications including medicine, biocrystallography, custom and security, where conventional X-ray tubes are widely used now. However, the X-ray tubes intensity is too low to be monochromatized and tuned to absorption lines of specific chemical elements, which are used as contrast agents. Meanwhile SR research confirmed the effectiveness of application of narrow band X-ray sources in mammography, angiography, terapy and other fields [4]. So Compton scattering X-ray source is expected occupy a niche between robust, nonexpensive and compact tubes that provide wide band X-rays and modern storage rings with insertion devices that are capable to provide high power monochromatic X-ray beams but are too expensive and large for practical applications. One of possible approaches to narrow band X-ray source is the usage of the laser beam Compton scattering on relativistic electrons. Compton scattering X-ray generator may be constructed on the basis of picosecond laser, a storage ring and optical resonator [3]. Such generator utilizes multiple interaction of laser radiation stored in optical resonator with electrons, circulating in a storage ring. The effect of laser cooling allows to receive low emittance electron beams [1] which increases efficiency of light-electron interaction and opens new possibilities for electron beam applications. We propose lattice design of a compact storage ring to realize the scheme mentioned above. Figure 1: Layout of the storage ring 213 Proceedings of RuPAC XIX, Dubna 2004


Barbiturate dyes containing either a dipolar or polarizable chromophoric system have been synthesized and their solvatochromism investigated. The effect of specific and non-specific solvent interactions on the position of their UV/Vis absorption bands has been evaluated by using the Kamlet–Taft and Catalan solvent parameter sets. Furthermore, the effect on the solvatochromic behaviour of different substitution patterns on the barbiturate moiety has been examined. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2008)


The atmospheric weighted mean temperature (Tm) is an important parameter in calculating the precipitable water vapor from Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals. As both GNSS positioning and GNSS precipitable water vapor detection require high spatial and temporal resolutions for calculating Tm, high-precision modeling of Tm has gained widespread attention in recent years. The previous models for calculating Tm have the limitation of too many model parameters or single-grid data. Therefore, this study presents a global high-precision Tm model (GGTm-H model) developed from the latest Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, version-2 (MERRA-2) atmospheric reanalysis data provided by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The accuracy of the GGTm-H model was verified by combining the MERRA-2 surface Tm data and 319 radiosonde data. The results highlighted that 1) When the MERRA-2 Tm data were used as a reference value, the mean annual RMSE of the GGTm-H model was observed to be 2.72 K. When compared with the Bevis model, GPT2w-5 model, and GPT2w-1 model, the GGTm-H model showed an improvement of 1.5, 0.33, and 0.21 K, respectively. 2) When the radiosonde data were used as a reference value, the mean bias and RMSE of the GGTm-H model were −0.41 K and 3.82 K, respectively. Compared with the other models, the GGTm-H model had the lowest mean annual bias and RMSE. The developed model does not consider any meteorological parameters while calculating Tm. Therefore, it has important applications in the real-time and high-precision monitoring of precipitable water vapor from GNSS signals.


A number of sub-optimal, but faster, search algorithms have been proposed in the literature, in order to alleviate the complexity associated with motion estimation by the full-search method. A new sub-optimal center-biased adaptive search algorithm for motion estimation is proposed; we refer to this algorithm as center-biased dynamic MInima Bounded Area Search (MIBAS) algorithm. The novelty of MIBAS is the checking point pattern at each subsequent step, composed of points lying in the area bounded by two local minima found at the present step, rather than points lying in a small neighborhood around a local minimum. The simulation results show that, compared to other fast algorithms, the center-biased MIBAS is more robust and produces smaller prediction errors and more reliable motion vectors, while it has a comparable computational complexity.


This thesis is a linguistic examination of the construction of identity in two urban German-Canadian Canadian communities: Edmonton, Alberta and Waterloo, Ontario. Combining the complementary frameworks of van Dijk's (1995) Discourse Analysis as Ideology Analysis and Carbaugh's (2007) Cultural Discourse Analysis, this thesis takes a cultural approach to examine how German-Canadian immigrants construct identity, position membership, and enact belonging. Through an examination of 91 interviews recorded with self-described GermanCanadians, this thesis identifies specific linguistic tools by which these participants make Germanness and Canadianness relevant in conversation. It examines the means by which community and belonging are expressed, and it considers the categories of membership which participants wittingly and unwittingly construct.


Adsorption refrigeration systems are promising, sustainable solutions for many cooling applications. The operating range and the performance of an adsorption cooling cycle are strongly dependent on the properties of adsorbents, adsorbates, and bed coatings. Therefore, further research and analysis may lead to improved performance of adsorption coolers. In this paper, studies on working pairs using natural refrigerants and the properties of adsorbent coatings were reviewed. The selected working pairs were then thermodynamically characterised and ranked in terms of refrigerant evaporation temperature values. This was found to be a key parameter affecting the applicability of a given adsorbent/adsorbate pair and the value of SCP (Specific Cooling Power), COP (Coefficient of Performance) parameters, which are now commonly used comparison criteria of adsorption chillers. In the analysis of the coating studies, the focus was on the effect of individual parameters on the performance of the cooling system and the effect of using coated beds compared to packed beds. It was found that a fundamental problem in comparing the performance of different cooling systems is the use of different operating conditions during the tests. Therefore, the analysis compares the performance of the systems along with the most important thermodynamic cycle parameters for the latest studies.


Curved beams tested in four point bending were used to measure interlaminar tensile strength, and straight beams loaded in three point bending to measure interlaminar shear strength. Results from specimens of 16, 32 and 64 plies with all dimensions scaled showed significant size effects. The average interlaminar tensile strength dropped from 109 MPa for the smallest specimens to 61 MPa for the largest, whilst the interlaminar shear strength was reduced from 97 MPa to 85 MPa.