Climate change is among the emerging global issues of the 21st century. Carbon sequestration stands as a strategic principle for mitigating the adverse effect of changing climate as it removes CO2 from atmosphere and stores in soil, plant or in water bodies. In simpler terms, it is a process of capturing CO2 and storing them in forest, ocean or in deep geological formations for long term and thereby reducing the concentration of CO₂ in the atmosphere. Soil can be considered as the largest carbon reservoir of the terrestrial carbon cycle for storing large amount of soil organic carbon. Agronomic practices such as reduced tillage, manuring, residue incorporation, crop rotation and mulching play important roles in sequestering soil carbon. Growing crops in rotation provides advantage of storing more Carbon in soil as compared to mono cropping. Minimum tillage practices as well as incorporation of residues increases the soil carbon content significantly. Adding organic manures and fertilisers to soil, Growing forest trees, revegetation of degraded land and following various land use options also adds to the soil carbon storage. Applying soil amendments not only improves soil characteristics but also checks CO₂ and methane emissions. Many of the practices that facilitate carbon sequestration are also found to improve soil aggregate formation, water holding capacity, fertility status of soil and food security. Therefore, Soil Carbon sequestration can be considered as a key principle for improving soil health, enhancing crop yield as well as reducing the adverse effects of climate change.


A coupled section, in general, should offer high isolation, high coupling factors, and large bandwidth. High isolation is achieved if the ratio of phase velocities of dominant even and odd modes is close to unity. The coupling factor is defined as the ratio of difference of even and odd mode characteristic impedances to the sum of even and odd mode characteristic impedances. The coupling factor plays an important role in the design of filters and couplers. Next, the bandwidth of a coupled section depends on the variation of both isolation and coupling factor with frequency. In general, the range of frequencies over which both coupling factor and isolation remain within specified limits gives the bandwidth of the coupled section. Bandwidth also depends on the frequency variation of input impedance, defined as the square root of the product of even and odd mode characteristic impedances. In addition, for broadband applications, e.g. those involving pulsed signals, it is desirable that both even and odd modes do not suffer modecoupling/mode conversion over a wide range of frequencies [127].


The conditions for the formation of human capital are constantly being improved and adapted to modern realities. There is no doubt that human capital is involved in solving the economic and social problems of rural areas. The formation of human capital in rural areas requires a systematic approach, taking into account all the features of their development and use of labor, taking into account factors that affect the quality of human resources, the demographic situation in rural areas. The article groups factors that affect the formation of human capital in rural areas of the Kurgan region and indicators that characterize the effectiveness of their functioning. The assessment of these factors revealed positive and negative changes and the reasons that caused them. The influence of these criteria is expressed in terms of integral indicators. The degree of influence of human capital on the development of rural territories and agricultural enterprises of the Zaural,ye is additionally determined. Calculations have shown that the studied criteria that characterize the formation of human capital in rural areas of the Kurgan region determine the effectiveness of their functioning by 40%.


ABSTRACT The decision to accept or reject an investment project is dependent on the capitalization rate of and the concept of the project free cash flow. This paper analyzes the impact of the definition of free cash flow that recognizes debt payments as obligations of the firm, and debt as capital resource supplied by outsiders to the firm, on the appropriate capitalization rate for projects and the definition of firm value. (ProQuest: ... denotes formulae omitted.) INTRODUCTION The value of a firm has traditionally been viewed as the sum of the market value of the firm's equity and debt. This view is derived from the accounting balance sheet identity wherein the sum of asset accounts is equal to the sum of liability and equity accounts. This identity merely expresses the source of funding for the asset acquisition, and hence can be misleading when applied to asset valuation. Moreover, this concept of valuation gave birth to the weighted average cost of capital, a crucial variable in the capital budgeting process. The objective of this paper is to show that the current firm valuation process, by ignoring the fact that debt holders have a fixed claim on the assets of the firm, and using the weighted average cost of capital for making investment decisions, can lead to investment decisions that are contrary to the objective of maximizing shareholder wealth. ORIGIN OF THE WEIGHTED AVERAGE COST OF CAPITAL Copeland and Weston (1988) provide a detailed derivation of the weighted average cost of capital (WACC). The derivation starts off by showing that when the cash flow is a perpetuity, the free cash flow for an all equity firm is equal to the after-tax operating income. For a levered firm, the free cash flow is defined as the net income available to equity holders plus the interest payment to the creditors. Following the Modigliani and Miller (1958) (MM (2) the value of a firm is the sum of the firm's equity and debt. These two concepts are responsible for the inappropriateness of the weighted average cost of capital as a capital budgeting tool. Ross, Westerfleld and Jordan (2003) distinguish between marketed versus non-marketed claims against a corporation's cash flow. The marketed claims represent claims by shareholders and creditors. Non-marketed claims are government and potential litigant claims. The total of the marketed claims is M&M's definition of the value of the firm. CONCEPTS OF VALUE The value of a firm is a concept that is economic unit specific. Warren (1999), writing on environmental land deals, notes "that environmental attributes valuable to Audubon are probably different from agricultural attributes valuable to Farmer Jones". In the same light, the value placed on a firm by a creditor is not the same as the value placed on that same firm by its owners. Value is a concept that is tied to the utility expected from the consumption ofthat good or service. To the shareholders, the value of the firm is the present value of the cash flow that the resources (part of the resources employed by the firm is capital supplied by its creditors) employed by the firm is expected to generate in excess of their costs. …


AIM: This study was done as the first phase of a Ph.D.-project where the overall aim is to investigate whether the fast-track treatment of patients with osteoporotic hip fracture can be improved by a telemedicine/tele-health solution, which promotes patients' self-care and empowerment. CONTEXT: Hip fracture most cause of hospitalization in an orthopaedic ward. The demographic changes with an of older people as poor diet, impact on health. Worldwide, the osteoporotic fracture The societal burden important health the


In this, our third, special issue we have chosen 19 reports, including both original and review papers, which represent 60% of the papers submitted to this new special issue. This is a sample that we have maintained the quality of the submissions as an essential requirement to get published in this new era of BioMed Research International (formerly Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology).


Great hopes are cherished for the Semantic Web. It is intended to make linking data as easy as HTML makes linking Web documents. For the cultural heritage world seamless linking of related but independently curated datasets has long been a dream. This paper looks at the practical and theoretical issues involved in converting data to RDF so that it can become part of the Semantic Web. I propose a simple generic design for cultural heritage data, and discuss the options for including published heritage thesauri. Scaleability is a key requirement for curators of large collections, and this work uses the whole of a real archive (the National Monument Record of Scotland) rather than a pilot sample.


Photochemical and Chemical Syntheses of Biologically Active 3-Oxazolines

Using the photoreaction of 2H-azirines with carbonyl compounds, the 2,2-dimethyl-3-oxazolines 5a, 5b, and 6a have been obtained which bear a mono- or dichlorophenyl substituent at C(4) of the five-membered heterocycle and pyridyl at C(5). These compounds exhibit interesting activities against phytopathogenic fungi. Because 6a had been selected for field testing, its photochemical preparation was supplemented by a chemical synthesis. However, the overall performance of 6a in the field was inferior to some of the recently introduced agricultural fungicides of the ergosterol biosynthesis inhibitor type. Although 16 additional 3-oxazolines with varied substituents have been prepared, the fungicidal activity found with 6a could not be improved.


The title compound, C 18 H 12 ClN 5 , was prepared by the reaction of 4,4'-dichlorophenylphosphazoanilide and N,N'-dipyridoylhydrazine. The X-ray analysis revealed that the pyridyl groups, the substituted benzene ring and the 1,2,4-triazole ring do not share a common plane.


A review of grounds, determining the synthetic structure of understanding is presented in the paper. The problem of knowledge principles and their competence never lost their relevance. The syncretism of the studied reality model gives reasons to believe that exactly retential-protential factors and its constituent are the basic elements both for a world picture and for a world structured. The retential and protential conditionality of the world model is formed by the world phenomenon.


This book is a treatment of some of the "ideas of classical physics with a brief mention of quantum properties of electromagnetic radiation...The subjects covered include Newton's Laws (with an emphasis on gravity and its importance), the special and general theories of relativity, thermodynamics, and the electromagnetic theory." (Choice).


The roles played by superoxide anion radical (O,J, hydrogen peroxide, and hydroxyl radical (OH.) in the macromolecular permeability increase seen after addition of xanthine oxidase to the hamster cheek pouch has been studied. Fluorescein-labeled Dextran, l& 150,000 (FITC-Dextran 150) was used to assess microvascular permeability. Application of xanthine oxidase was associated with a marked increase in the observed FITC-Dextran 150 leakage sites per square centimeter. This macromolecular extravasation was significantly reduced by the placement in the reservoir fluid of 50 p&ml superoxide dismutase, an O,scavenger, 50 p,g/ml catalase, and the OH. scavenger dimethyl sulfoxide, and especially by t.-methionine which can react with both OH. and quench singlet 0,. These findings suggest that O,and H20, generated during endogenous substrate-xanthine oxidase reactions result in further generation of OH. which causes the increased macromolecular extravasation possibly mediated through the interactions of OH. with plasmalemmal lipids. A concept of the roles of the individual radical species and their products is presented in the hope that it may aid in the understanding and treatment of inflammatory conditions.


Electrochemical polishing (ECP) is widely used for scratch- and damage-free finishing of metal components. Though the polishing effect of ECP has been confirmed in many researches, the influence of polishing parameters on evolution of surface roughness is still ambiguous owing to the use of different ECP systems. In this paper, the universal factor determining the evolution of surface roughness during ECP is studied by theoretical analysis as well as experiments. Theoretical analysis based on viscous layer mechanism demonstrates that the material removal thickness is the key parameter governing the roughness evolution of the polished surface regardless of other parameters including the voltage, current and electrolyte concentration and so forth. A series of experiments were designed and carried out to verify the proposed hypothesis. Both the experimental results and already published researches proved the validity and universality of the newly developed hypothesis on surface roughness evolution. This work is of great significance for further understanding the finishing mechanism of ECP and process control for its practical applications.


Research findings indicate that response times in personality scales are related to the trait level according to the so-called speed–distance hypothesis. Against this background, Ferrando and Lorenzo-Seva proposed a latent trait model for the responses and response times in a test. The model consists of two components, a standard item response model and a supplemental response time model. The authors could demonstrate that the consideration of response time increases the precision of trait estimation. However, the use of the model is not limited to trait estimation. The consideration of response time additionally enhances the calibration of the item response model. Due to limitations of the suggested estimation method for model calibration, Ferrando and Lorenzo-Seva were not able to exploit this additional benefit of response time modeling. In the article, an improved estimation method is proposed that is faster and more efficient than the original approach. It can be shown that the standard deviation of the parameter estimates of the item response model can be reduced up to 25% when applying the new method.


It is of great significance to build a high-level undergraduate education, comprehensively improve the ability of personnel training, and implement the "double ten thousand plan" for first-class undergraduate majors. Since its establishment in 1985, the applied chemistry major of ECUST has exhibited distinctive characteristics of major. This article summarizes the ideas, practical experience and achievements of the specialty reform from the aspects of cultivation objective orientation, comprehensive reform, and points out the shortcomings of the specialty construction and the direction of continuous improvement.


Deprotonation of a bis(amino)phosphane H2L = PhP(HNBtd)2 bearing a heterocyclic Btd = 2,1,3-benzothiadiazol-4-yl substituents at nitrogen atoms by silylamides LiNTms2 and Y(NTms2)3 (Tms = trimethylsilylamide) results in lithium and yttrium complexes with the deprotonated HL– and L2– forms as κ2-N and κ4-N chelating ligands. A binuclear complex [LiHL]2 was crystallized from Et2O, and was shown to reversibly dissociate in thf (tetrahydrofuran) with the NH(soln)–PH(crystal) tautomeric shift; the compound [Li2L] was spectroscopically characterized. Yttrium readily forms stable bis-ligand complexes [YL2]– and [YL(HL)]. In the latter, the H atom in HL resides on phosphorus; the coordination sphere remains accessible to another ligands, and it was crystallized as [{YL(HL)}2(µ-dioxane)] species (YN8O coordination). In the former complex, the coordination sphere was saturated (YN8) by closer bound ligands; it was crystallized as a salt with [Li(thf)4]+. The monoligand complex could not be cleanly obtained in a 1:1 reaction of H2L and Y(NTms2)3, and was only crystallographically characterized as a dimer [YL(NTms)2]2. Partial oxidation of the central P atom with the formation of phosphine-oxide ligands PhP(O)(NBtd)2– was observed. They co-crystallize in the same position as non-oxidized ligands in [YL2]– and [YL(NTms2)]2 species and participate in bonding between two units in the latter. TD-DFT calculations reveal that main transitions in the visible region of electronic spectra correspond to the charge transfer bands mostly associated with the orbitals located on Btd fragments.


The automatic document recognition is fundamental for office automation becoming every day a more powerful tool in those fields where information is still on paper. Document recognition follows from data acquisition, from both journals, and entire books in order to transform them in digital objects. We present a new architecture for document recognition that follows the open source methodologies for documents segmentation and classification, which turns to be beneficial in terms of computation efficiency, general-purpose availability and cost


Patients with CKD are at higher risk of developing peripheral artery disease (PAD) and have worse outcomes than persons without CKD ([1][1],[2][2]). Current PAD treatment strategies include exercise, medications, and revascularization techniques. However, it is likely that persons with advanced CKD


Serious games have been used as a tool to support learning in several areas and subjects. To achieve its educational goals, a serious game must consist of a set of game elements that are related to the learning outcomes. In Computer Science, educators are also using serious games and their elements to enhance learning of programming-related disciplines, which are often considered challenging by first-year students. It is important for educators in Computer Science to know what are the types of game elements used in games to learn programming. Besides that, it is also important to know how game elements are evaluated and what are the game elements that mostly contribute to learning achievements. In this work, we aim to verify how serious games and their composing elements are used and evaluated to support learning programming. To achieve this goal, we conducted a systematic mapping study on the use and evaluation of game elements for learning programming. Our results indicate that game elements are only evaluated indirectly by means of their serious games. Furthermore, we identify some shortcomings in game elements evaluation, such as the lack of evaluation in some primary studies and low number of quantitative studies.


This article examines the correspondence between the credit hour standards proposed by the AGHE Standards Committee for research methods and statistics courses and the number of credit hours actually required of offered by a sample of gerontology programs at the various degree levels in the United States. It was found that only 28% of the bachelor's programs and 65% of the master's programs are currently in compliance with the standards for research methods courses and that less than one-half of the master's programs are in complicance with the standard for statistics. It is proposed that the content of research methods courses by taught more selectively and differentilly across the degree levels and that more effective ways for teaching statistics and computing be found.


BACKGROUND:
Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among females in India with increasing mortality. Most of the patients presents to the hospital in advanced stage of the disease. Locally advanced breast carcinoma (LABC) includes stage IIb, IIIa, IIIb. Multi-disciplinary approach with Chemotherapy, Surgery, Radiotherapy and Hormone therapy is the main stay of treatment which improves the quality of life and prolongs disease free interval.
OBJECTIVE:
To find the age incidence, various presentations, response to neo adjuvant chemotherapy, various modalities and the disease free survival of patients with LABC.
METHODS:
This Prospective study was conducted on the patients with Locally advanced breast carcinoma who attended surgical OPD in Surgery Department in Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital, Salem. After complete evaluation, Neo-adjuvant Chemotherapy was given to downstage the tumour followed by Modified Radical Mastectomy. Adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy was given to reduce further metastasis and prevent Loco-regional recurrence.
OBSERVATION & RESULTS:
In my study, the highest age incidence for LABC is from 40-49 years of age, predominantly in post-menopausal age group, TNM Stage III B is the common stage of LABC in this group of people. Most patients responded very well to Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy with minimal side-effects. Post-operative Chemotherapy, Radiotherapy reduces the overall local recurrence to 5% and systemic metastases to 7%.
CONCLUSION:
This Multi-disciplinary approach therefore enhances the quality of life of the breast carcinoma patients by reducing the morbidity and improving the overall survival rate and disease free survival, when combined properly.


This study was conducted to determine the optimum concentration and duration of using Ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS) on garlic callus in order to enhance the genetic variability of garlic. Garlic calluses were soaked in EMS with various concentrations (0.2, 0.4 and 0.5 %) for diverse durations (1, 2 and 3 hour). The main obtained results revealed that the reduction in the average number of sprouts per callus, total number of sprouts, number of sprouts forming plantlets, plantlet length and root numbers were observed with increase in the concentration of EMS and its duration of exposure. More specifically, the maximum value for the previous parameters were recorded when callus treated with lowest EMS concentration (0.2 %) for a short duration (1 h). However, the maximum root length was observed in plantlet formed from callus subjected to 0.2% of EMS for 2 h. Moreover, highest leave numbers were obtained from 0.4 % of EMS for 2 hour. In contrary, the treated callus with 0.5 % for 3 h gave the biggest bulblet diameter.


The volatility price in the capital market is influenced by many factors. Information is one of the indicators that affect stock price fluctuations . The actual economic value of information is important note to investors reacted quickly and accurately. The Capital market reaction when an event that information is published as an announcement can be measured by using the method Event Study. Event announcements that Jokowi become a presidential candidate on 2014 touted affecting Indonesian capital market. Then the event is known as the effect of Jokowi is information that can be reacted in the capital market .
 The purpose of this research is to analyze Indonesian capital market reaction to Jokowi Effect issue announcement that indicated with the average abnormal return in the event. The research has focused on event announcement of election results 2014 The sample for this study consists of all all publicly traded LQ 45 over the period February-July 2014 in Indonesia stock exchange.
 The results of this research found that events of the announcements that Jokowi become a presidential candidate on 2014 have the information content. It can be seen by the abnormal return which significant happened inside the Index LQ 45 in the Indonesia Stock Exchange on period around that event.


In this study, we investigated molecular mobility of a soft segment in the poly(oxypropylene) glycol (PPG), 4,4′‐diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) and 1,4‐butane diol (BD)‐based polyurethane elastomers (PUE) with and without elongation by dynamic viscoelastic property measurement and pulse nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurement. The peak position of the loss tangent (tand) curves shifted to the lower temperature region with increasing elongation. In the pulse NMR measurement, the long spin‐spin relaxation time (T2) component appeared at −18.0(e = 0) and −26.0 °C(e = 1.5), respectively, with increasing temperature. Since this temperature seems to be related to the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the soft segment in the PUE, it is likely to consider that the Tg decreased with increasing strain. These results might be attributed that the size of cooperative motion during the glass transition decrease due to the orientation of the soft segment, and the soft segment phase approach to a pure phase o...


An optical-phonon-limited velocity model has been employed to investigate high-field transport in a selection of layered 2-D materials for both, low-power logic switches with scaled supply voltages, and high-power, high-frequency transistors. Drain currents, effective electron velocities, and intrinsic cutoff frequencies as a function of carrier density have been predicted, thus providing a benchmark for the optical-phonon-limited high-field performance limits of these materials. The optical-phonon-limited carrier velocities for a selection of multi-layers of transition metal dichalcogenides and black phosphorus are found to be modest compared to their n-channel silicon counterparts, questioning the utility of biasing these devices in the source-injection dominated regime. h-BN, at the other end of the spectrum, is shown to be a very promising material for high-frequency, high-power devices, subject to the experimental realization of high carrier densities, primarily due to its large optical-phonon energy. Experimentally extracted saturation velocities from few-layer MoS2 devices show reasonable qualitative and quantitative agreement with the predicted values. The temperature dependence of the measured vsat is discussed and compared with the theoretically predicted dependence over a range of temperatures.


New double rollers clamping expanding spinning process was adopted to manufacture the fan casing,and using FE simulation code ABAQUS/Explicit,the 3D simulation model of expanding spinning process for fan casing was built,and the spinning process and material deformation were simulated.Distribution of equivalent stress,equivalent strain and wall thickness of fan casing were obtained.And then effects of roller feed rate on the stress,strain and wall thickness difference of formed fan casing were studied.Results show that equivalent stress and equivalent strain decrease with the increase of roller feed rate,while maximum wall thickness difference increases with the increase of roller feed rate.Comprehensive consideration suggests that the value of roller feed rate should be 0.16 rad·r-1.


Denial in patients with a first-time myocardial infarction : relations to pre-hospital delay and attendance to a cardiac rehabilitation programme.


This chapter considers the use of organic catalysts for the depolymerisation of polymers. This is an increasingly important topic within polymer science, given the large amount of plastic that is manufactured each year, and has recently been highlighted to be entering our environment and food chain. Organic catalysts present a more environmentally friendly method than using metal-based catalysts for converting this waste into either monomers or other products. The advances in this field are thoroughly reviewed herein.


Birds of the World.—Les Beletsky. 2006. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland. 513 pp., 1690 color illustrations, 6 tables. ISBN 978-0-8018-8429-2. $50.00 (cloth in plastic slipcover). This is a book aimed at beginning to intermediate birders, and which is designed to provide a general introduction to worldwide avian diversity. The book is divided into a short (11-page) Introduction, the "family" accounts, which make up the bulk of the book, and a concluding section entitled Avian Diversity and Biogeography, followed by a two-page bibliography, consisting only of books, rather than primary literature, and a useful index. The Introduction first discusses why people are attracted to birds and then describes the general layout of the accounts of bird groups, with oneto several-paragraph summaries of classification, diversity, distribution, morphology, ecology, behavior, and conservation status, which are the subsections that are treated in each group account. The group accounts make up the bulk of the book and are generally arranged by taxonomic families, but in some cases, several families are lumped (e.g., ratites). A total of 133 of these "family" accounts are included, and nearly 1300 species are illustrated. Some species illustrations include both male and female (for strongly sexually dimorphic species), and some include immature plumage illustrations, if juveniles differ substantially from the adults (e.g., gulls). The illustrations were produced by several artists and are of the two-dimensional field guide variety, but nevertheless, they are generally of very good quality, although in some cases, the color seems a little washed out (e.g., Horned Lark [Eremophila alpestris], Blackburnian Warbler [Dendroica fusca]) or a little off (e.g., Scott's Oriole [Icterus parisorum] and Yellow Grosbeak [Pheucticus chrysopeplus] are a little too green, and the red for the Red Knot [Calidris canutus] is not bright enough). The illustrations do, however, effectively serve their purpose of providing a general sense of the physical appearance of birds in the different families, and I greatly enjoyed perusing them. Each "family" account is limited to two pages, so, necessarily, only very general characteristics of the group are treated. The classification section describes the general characteristics of the family, the order to which the family belongs, relationships with closely related families or orders, and any questions regarding classification of certain species within the group. The accounts also briefly and generally treat species diversity, distribution, habitat affinities, behaviors, breeding systems, and conservation status of the families. Because the family accounts are short, they tend to be very general in their coverage of material. For example, in the wood warbler account, Beletsky notes that


This study conceptualizes and investigates career-relevant parent-child conversations and other actions over time as a family project. Dyads composed of a parent and an adolescent from 20 families participated in a videotaped career-related conversation to determine a family career-development project that was subsequently monitored for a 6-month period and followed up with a 2nd videotaped conversation. On the basis of a systematic qualitative analysis, several dimensions were identified as facilitating the family career-development project, including joint goals, communication, goals-steps congruence, and individuation. These family career-development projects were organized as part of broader relationship, identity, parenting, and cultural projects that also played a decisive role in the success of the family career-development projects themselves.


These texts have been selected and prepared by expert scholars and translators who are also committed undergraduate teachers. Like all Norton Anthologies, the Expanded Edition in One Volume of The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces is foremost a teaching anthology, edited to meet the needs of today s students discovering a range of literary traditions for the first time."


The assumptions of the Hawking-Penrose singularity theorem are not covariant under field redefinitions. Thus we propose to study singularities in field space, where the spacetime metric is treated as a coordinate along with any other fields. We show that the field-space Kretschmann scalar for the DeWitt field-space metric is everywhere finite. This fact could be interpreted as an indication that no singularities actually exist in pure gravity for any gravitational action. In particular, all vacuum singularities of General Relativity result from an unhappy choice of field variables. The extension to the case in which matter fields are present, as required by singularity theorems, is left for future development.


The continuous improvement in quality are no longer used only in the industrial area to become a powerful tool that can be harnessed in the area of health care.
Implement the PDCA method developed by Deming in the surgical area of a clinic of aesthetic surgery will brings a number of benefits that are based mainly on patient satisfaction. In addition, this will reduce the costs caused by the no quality of the process.
The determination of the cost of implementing of the PDCA system, will allow the realization of budgets for the implementation of this powerfull tool in other areas of the clinic.


In this paper an approach has been discussed to automatically detect the presence of elephant by the detection of a low frequency sound produced by elephant called rumble. A detection system has been developed which uses features of rumbles as input to recognize the rumbles. Feature extraction techniques have been used to extract the features of rumble which includes the greenwood function cepstral coefficients (GFCC) and first three formant frequencies. The GFCC features have been extracted in a procedure similar to mel frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC) extraction while the formant frequencies have been extracted using linear predictive coding (LPC). A robust feature vector has been created by cascading the formant frequencies to the GFCC features. The detection system has been developed using feed forward neural network which is trained using backpropagation algorithm.


The cause and risk factors of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are largely unknown. Studies on possible radiation‐induced AD‐like pathogenesis and behavioral consequences are important because humans are exposed to ionizing radiation (IR) from various sources. It was reported that total‐body irradiations (TBI) at 10 cGy of low linear energy transfer (LET) X‐rays to mice triggered acute transcriptional alterations in genes associated with cognitive dysfunctions. However, it was unknown whether low doses of IR could induce AD‐like changes late after exposure. We reported previously that 10 cGy X‐rays induced early transcriptional response of several AD‐related genes in hippocampi without late AD‐like pathogenesis and memory impairment in mice. Here, further studies on two low doses (5 or 10 cGy) of high LET carbon‐ion irradiations are reported. On expression of 84 AD‐related genes in hippocampi, at 4 hr after TBI, 5 cGy induced a significant upregulation of three genes (Abca1, Casp3, and Chat) and 10 cGy led to a marked upregulation of one gene (Chat) and a downregulation of three genes (Apoe, Ctsd, and Il1α), and, at 1 year after TBI, one gene (Il1α) was significantly downregulated in 10 cGy‐irradiated animals. Changes in spatial learning ability and memory and induction of AD‐like pathogenesis were not detected by in vivo brain imaging for amyloid‐β peptide accumulation and by immunohistochemical staining of amyloid precursor protein, amyloid‐β protein, tau, and phosphorylated tau protein. These findings indicate that low doses of carbon‐ion irradiations did not cause behavioral impairment or AD‐like pathological change in mice. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Neuroscience Research Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


The article considers the natural and economic climate and agro-climatic conditions, the geological structure, the soil-vegetation cover of the mountain-irrigated zone of Azerbaijan in the example of individual areas where the natural moisture content of soils is strongly tested, in the presence of an acute lack of field water and an uneven distribution of atmospheric precipitation. At the same time, in the region, traditional methods of surface watering in agricultural production for intensifying development have been widely differentiated: various kinds of erosion (like irrigation, water, razhnye etc.) in the erosion region. The soil productivity indicators and the potential risk of erosion in the vertical zone are predetermined, as well as the problems of preventing the danger of these types of degraded


Northern Algeria is a part of the Eurasia-Africa tectonic plates boundary, consequently, it is a prone area for occurrence of earthquakes. We propose in this work to assess and map peak ground acceleration in northwestern Algeria by using the PSHA method. The methodology includes the following four steps: (i) Identification of seismic sources, (ii) Determination of sources parameters, (iii) Definition of ground motion attenuation model and finally, (iv) Assessment and mapping of seismic hazard. The obtained results are shown in terms of curves of annual frequencies of exceedance versus acceleration (PGA), as strong motion scenario for the Oran city by performing a deaggregation analysis and a uniform hazard spectrum (UHS), as well as 475 years return period acceleration map.


Synthesis and characterization of magnetite-nanoparticles (MNc) were successfully carried out by coprecipitation of both Fe3+ and Fe2+ ions for the potential use in the environmental application. The obtained MNc was characterized by VSM (Vibrating Sample Magnetometer), X-Ray Diffraction, and Scanning Electron Microscopy, and then it was compared to the commercially available magnetite (MNo). Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) is also carried out to investigate the adsorption efficiency of the obtained MNc towards various types of heavy metals. The resulting MNc was superparamagnetic, as noted by a zero coercivity value. The pure MNc synthesized in this study showed X-Ray Diffraction patterns of several peaks in the 2θ range of 5° to 70°, which were the main characteristic peaks of the crystal plane indicating the formation of magnetite nanoparticles. These results show a higher purity of magnetite than that of MNo. Based on the Scherrer method, the main crystal size of magnetite nanoparticles was around 9.859958 nm. Further, the SEM results showed that the morphology of Fe3O4 was spherical nanoparticles, but they tended to agglomerate into large particles with a size of about 1.5 ± 0.9 μm. The ICP analysis showed that the obtained MNc could adsorb several types of heavy metal ions, such as Cd, As, Cr, Se, Ti, Ni, Pb, Be with a percentage of efficiency in the range of 3-64%. As expected, the MNc also afforded better metal ions adsorption performances compared to commercially available magnetite (MNo).


Tomorrow's Church: Transforming the Body of Christ for the Mission to Come Wesley C. Telyea Doctor of Ministry School of Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary 2018 Organizational transformation is unavoidable yet necessary for institutional health. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is at a crossroads today as it is coming to grips with this reality. The issue the ELCA will face in the coming decade concerns how it will be transformed to respond to the missio dei. In this dissertation I will address this issue first by exploring the cultural landscape the ELCA occupies. By analyzing current religious trends from the Pew Research Center, self-reported numbers from the ELCA, and cultural commentaries from contemporary thinkers, I will argue the ELCA is in an unprecedented situation where it needs to be transformed. Looking for a contemporary example from which the ELCA might be able to learn, I will argue the missional church movement is one area that offers the ELCA valuable insights. After a literary review, I will argue that an ecclesiology structured around the identity of being sent is the direction in which ELCA congregations should look to be transformed. This kind of transformation can be learned from Murray Bowen's concept of self-differentiation. At the heart of this section is the conviction that personal transformation leads to corporate transformation. Following this exploration of self-differentiation for cultural transformation, I will then apply these insights to ministry practices. I will present three tools that pastors and leaders can use to increase their self-differentiated leadership capacity, grow in understanding of where God has worked in the past and is currently leading, and help make sense of the current cultural situation. In the conclusion, I will propose an ecclesiology for the future of the ELCA. I will assert that even though organizational transformation is difficult, it is the key to helping congregations breath life back into the ELCA as it seeks to join in the missio dei. Content Reader: Clayton J. Schmit, PhD Words: 298


To elucidate the functional erection rate after prostate stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and to develop a comprehensive prognostic model of outcomes after treatment.


ARTIS V2043 (Advanced Road Traffic Informatics in Spain) project aims at evaluating different ATT (Advanced Transport Telematics) systems in Spain. ARTIS is supported by the Spanish Road Traffic Administration (DGT, Direccion General de Trafico) and it is structured in five work areas. ARTIS-7 (Hazardous Goods Transport Monitoring and Control) is one of these work areas that aims at evaluating different aspects of a Hazardous Goods Monitoring system, which follows the requirements of the DGT, through the realization of a field trial in a double corridor, namely: both from a Mediterranean harbour in Castellon, one to Madrid and the other to Valencia. After a first positive technical analysis this paper aims at giving a generalization of the system in a full scale. Finally some methodology will be defined in order to provide a socio-economic evaluation of the system at national level. (A) For the covering abstract see IRRD 887751.


PURPOSE: A Rhizopus strain is provided to ensure high activity of alpha-amylase and glucoamylase and to be used for brewage, organic acid fermentation, and production of an enzyme product such as amylolytic enzyme. CONSTITUTION: A Rhizopus strain has an alpha-amylase activity of 500 U/g and a glucoamylase activity of 10,000 U/g. A method for culturing the strain comprises: a step of sterilizing a solid medium containing 45-55 % of moisture; a step of cooling the solid medium at 35-40 deg. C; a step of culturing the strain in a medium for 110-130 hours; and a step of drying the culture for 18-24 hours. [Reference numerals] (AA,BB) Culture under the condition of a table 1


Although the serum protein α1 ‐acid glycoprotein (AGP) or orosomucoid has been extensively studied, its relationships with other proteins have been controversial and its precise physiological function has remained unclear. It is shown here that AGP is significantly similar in amino acid sequence and in the locations of introns in its structural gene to members of a protein superfamily that includes serum retinol‐binding protein (RBP), β‐lactoglobulin (LG), α2u ‐globulin, and protein HC (α1‐microglobulin). The view that the three‐dimensional structure of AGP is closely similar to the published structures of RBP and LG is supported by its homology with these proteins, similarities in disulfide bond arrangements, and its secondary structure profile, predicted from the amino acid sequence. The relationship of AGP with this particular protein family indicates that its well‐characterized ability to bind lipophilic drugs and certain steroids is a reflection of its true biological role. It is proposed that AGP and the other members of this extensive group of proteins should be designated lipocalins to reflect a common ability to bind lipophiles by enclosure within their structures in a manner that minimizes solvent contact.—Pervaiz, S.; Brew, K. Homology and structure‐function correlations between α1 ‐acid glycoprotein and serum retinol‐binding protein and its relatives. FASEB J. 1: 209‐214; 1987.


An experiment was conducted to examine bacteria sterility and bacteria inhibitory properties of haemolymph of two species of Giant African Land Snails. A total number of 18 A. achatina and A. marginata snails each were used for this experiment. The shell and foot of the snails were washed with distilled water for isolation of bacteria flora and bacteria load. The experiment was a 2 x 2 x 3 factorial arrangement with 3 replicates in a completely randomized design. To isolate bacteria, a sterile inoculating loop was used to pick a portion of each dissimilar colony and transferred into another appropriate fresh sterile medium in a culture plate and streaked in a quadrant streak plate method to obtain pure cultures of the isolates. The method was aimed at trimming down the microbial load to allow for isolates to grow in pure cultures. The plates were incubated at 37 0 C for 24 hours, after which the pure isolates were observed and inoculated into McCartney bottles containing nutrient agar slants. The bottles were incubated for 24 hours at 37 0 C and stored in the refrigerator for further biochemical analysis. Haemolymph of the two species studied was not sterile irrespective of the type of haemolymph. To test for haemolymph inhibitory properties, Haemolymph was collected from each snail into sterile and labeled containers in the laminar flow chamber. Microorganism was seeded into the agar plate, after the agar has solidified, holes were bored into the agar using a sterilized hole borer. One ml of the haemolymph collected was poured into each well in agar plates and incubated at 37 0 C for 24 hours observing for zones inhibition. Equally, there was no evidence of bacteria inhibition by the haemolymph despite the three methods of bacteria inhibition used: agar diffusion method, disk diffusion method and serial diffusion method. It could be concluded from this study that the haemolymph of the two snail species did not exhibit bacteria sterility and inhibition. Â


We investigate the validity of the method of computing ground-state energies, at a given angular momentum, with Monte Carlo methods applied to the functional integral formulation containing pairing fields. Calculations have been performed for several erbium isotopes and a few dysprosium isotopes. It is found that some residual sign fluctuations, which seem to be associated with a small neutron number above the $N=82$ shell closure, are present, but that they do not affect the feasibility of the calculations. Such sign fluctuations disappear as the neutron number is increased. Also, an efficient improved method for the computation of the functional integral in the case of an odd number of particles is presented. The Monte Carlo method of Metropolis et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 21, 1087 (1953)] is used in the evaluation of expectation values.


Abstract The purpose of this article was to prove the existence of quality-price relations among Parmigiano and Padano Cheese markets and explain their consequences in terms of marketing strategies using the quality as a factor to affect the customer's choices at different market levels. A statistical analysis, based on cointegration and Granger causality, was used to test the existence of these relations within the chain and across the two chains. The results suggested the evidence of cross price cointegration between Parmigiano and Padano prices at the wholesale market level, but this condition was not confirmed when testing the chain cointegration between wholesale and retail market levels for the same product. The conclusion was that at the wholesale level, the commercial quality of Padano led the market and the pricing strategy was dictated by the Padano's operators. Between wholesale and retail, there was not a clear quality-price leadership effect in both the Parmigiano and Padano markets. At the r...


With the rapid development of Internet,it has been difficult for existing network architecture to meet the development of new applications,and ossification has grown to some extent.Network virtualization is considered to be the main means of solving the ossification problem.In network virtualization,virtual network mapping problem researches how to map virtual networks with nodes and links' constraints to substrate network,which is surveyed in this paper.First,a formal definition of virtual network mapping problem is proposed,which is used to describe the problem in abstraction level.Meanwhile,challenges and solving goals of the problem are also investigated.Second classification of solving methods for this problem is analyzed,and,on the basis of the classification,many typical solving methods are introduced and compared.Finally,future research trends of the solving methods for this problem are reviewed.


Rieske oxygenases are widespread in nature and catalyze a diverse set of oxidation reactions including cis-dihydroxylation, monohydroxylation, desaturation, sulfoxidation, and Oand N-dealkylation. Recently, we reported the characterization of a Rieske N-oxygenase, aminopyrrolnitrin oxygenase (PrnD), which catalyzes unusual arylamine oxidation reactions. Although arylamine oxidases seem to be widely distributed and used in a variety of metabolic reactions, PrnD represents one of only two known examples of arylamine oxidases or N-oxygenases involved in the formation of nitro groups, the other being AurF involved in aureothin biosynthesis. PrnD is involved in the biosynthesis of antibiotic pyrrolnitrin[3-chloro-4-(2'-nitro-3'-chlorophenyl)pyrrole] (1), which is produced by many Pseudomonads and displays broad-spectrum antifungal activity. In the proposed biosynthetic pathway of 1 (Scheme 1), PrnD catalyzes the oxidation of the amino group of aminopyrrolnitrin (2) to a nitro group to form 1. Although PrnD has been characterized, no experimental evidence has been available for the mechanism of conversion of the arylamine. Therefore,


Background: The natural history of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection is divided into different phases including immune tolerance (IT), immune clearance (or immune active [IA]), inactive carrier (IC), and reactivation. Despite utilizing high-throughput data, the distinct immunological mechanisms of these phases have been insufficiently investigated. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to determine candidate disease-associated genes and significantly altered biological processes for each phase of CHB infection. Methods: The gene expression profiles of 83 CHB patients (22 IT, 50 IA, and 11 IC phases) were obtained from gene expression omnibus (GEO dataset: GSE65359) and analyzed by bioinformatics tools. Several plugins of Cytoscape software were used to construct proteinprotein interaction (PPI) networks and measure their topological properties. Subsequently, functional annotation and signaling pathway enrichment were carried out using the database for annotation, visualization and integrated discovery (DAVID) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG). Results: 449 and 452 deregulated genes were identified in IT-IA and IA-IC patients, respectively. Gene ontology and KEGG pathway analyses showed that several immune response-associated genes and signaling pathways (i.e. cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, chemokine signaling pathway and T cell receptor signalling pathway) were upregulated in the IA phase, but downregulated in the IC phase. The LCK (encoding a tyrosine kinase) was determined as the most important hub gene of both constructed PPI networks. Furthermore, other immune response-associated genes such as CXCR3, VCAN, MYC, and STAT1 were found to be the important hub genes in clinical phases of CHB. Conclusions: The immune response-related pathways were found to be up and downregulated in the immune clearance phase and inactive carrier phase of CHB, respectively. The LCK hub gene might help the pathogenesis of different phases of CHB and serve as a therapeutic target for the treatment of hepatitis B virus.


A simple method is presented for the design of annular diffusers that can take into account the effects of compressibility and of canted configurations by use of the area bisector line. No complex boundary layer calculations are required.


The use of large-scale experimentation to screen product innovations is increasingly common. This is a practical guide on how to use treatment effect estimates from a large number of experiments to improve estimates of the effects of each experiment. When thousands of new features are A/B tested by internet companies, the winners tend to be a combination of good features and features that got lucky experimental draws. Empirical Bayes methods are a commonly used tool in statistics to separate good features from lucky draws. We give a user-friendly overview of both classic and recent approaches to this problem.


Multimedia events are part of contemporary society. Music, theatre, and visual arts have been increasingly collaborating with each other to offer aesthetic experiences that are as immersive and multisensorial as possible. Film music has also entered the multimedia arena. Indeed, a very successful type of concert presentation of the film-music repertoire is the multimedia form: a live orchestra plays to projected film clips. This multimedia presentations of film music should be of interest not only to music scholars – film music has undeniably become a favourite repertoire to fuel concert programmes, and multimedia presentations are the most fitting form to present film music. Multimedia presentations should also be of interest to film scholars, as multimedia presentations are a revival of past film-viewing experiences that can be traced back to the silent era. The case study here is John Williams's conductorship of the Boston Pops Orchestra, which has been seminal not only because it brought more film music into concert programmes, but also highly influential for its experiments with the multimedia presentations.


Preface. Introduction K.A.D. Swift. The Total Synthesis of Synthetically Interesting Perfumery Natural Products K.A.D. Swift. Advances in the Trandition Metal (Rh, Ru)-BINAP-Catalysed Asymmetric Synthesis of Chiral Compounds for Flavours and Fragrances and Their Associated Sensory Properties T. Yamamoto. Towards Environmentally Friendly Chemical Processes R.A. Sheldon. Advances in the Industrial Synthesis of Medium to Large Ring Molecules S. Ellwood, T. Haines. Analysis Technology A. Chaintreau. Flavour Matrix Interactions A.J. Taylor. Biotransformation in the Flavour Industry R.G. Berger, et al. Lipid Derived Flavours W. Fitz, et al. Safety and Legislation of Flavourings F. Grundschober. Index.


Surgically induced astigmatism is a part of cataract surgery. Surgically induced astigmatism varies with distance the incision is made from limbus and site of incision. Small incision cataract surgery a suturless technique of cataract surgery can be done through both temporal and superior sclerocorneal incisions. Since majority of patients undergoing cataract surgery have an against the rule astigmatism, a temporal sclerocorneal incision is better than superior sclera incisions in respect to astigmatism


Abstract In the present work, microstructure and superparamagnetic properties of two types of carbon‐coated magnetic Ni and Fe nanoparticles [Ni(C) and Fe(C)] are reviewed. High‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), electron diffraction (SAED), and x‐ray diffraction (XRD) analyses have been used to reveal the distinct structural morphologies of Ni and Fe nanoparticles. Moreover, novel carbon‐coated Ni nanoparticle assemblies offer us great opportunities for studying the mechanism of superparamagnetism in particle assemblies. Magnetization measurements [M(T) and M(H) curves] for assemblies of Ni nanoparticles indicate that modified superparamagnetic properties at T > T B, have been found in the assemblies of Ni(C) particles. The blocking temperature, T B, is determined to be near 115K under a certain applied field. Above T B, the magnetization M(H, T) can be described by the classical Langevin function L using the relation, M/M s (T = 0) = coth (μH/kT) − kT/μH. It is suggested that these assemblies of carbon‐coated Ni nanoparticles have typical single‐domain, field‐dependent superparamagnetic relaxation properties. Finally, Mössbauer spectra and hyperfine magnetic fields at room temperature for the assemblies of Fe(C) nanoparticles confirm their distinct nanophases that were detected by structural analysis. Modified superparamagnetic relaxation is observed in the assemblies of Fe(C) nanoparticles, which is attributed to the nanocrystalline nature of the carbon‐coated nanoparticles.


Over the recent years, internationalization of the educational process draws heightened interests to foreign students, which in turn, entails a surge of research dedicated to the problems of their adaptation. The goal of this article lies in analyzing the cross-cultural adaptation of foreign students from non-CIS states who study in Russia. The subject of this article is the targeted work of the academic staff on the adaptation of foreign students. Methodological framework is comprised of the following approaches: individual, personality-oriented, activity-oriented, humanistic, and cross-cultural, which takes into account the ethnic and cultural-specific peculiarities of foreign students. The relevance of this topic is justified by the globalization trends of international educational space, as well as strategic tasks of the Russian higher education – stimulate the export of educational services, attract foreign students, and promote the integration of foreign specialists in the Russian job market. The scientific novelty lies in determination of the factors that either contribute to or obstruct the adaptation of foreign students in the Russian universities, as well as the agents of adaptation. On the example of Moscow State University of Technology "STANKIN", the author analyzes the peculiarities of adaptation process, as well as the factors that improve the living and learning conditions of foreign citizens in the new sociocultural environment, increase the level of multicultural interaction within the framework of the educational institution. It is established that the adaptation of foreign students depends on the psychophysiological, educational-cognitive, sociocultural and casual factors, which are closely interrelated. The problems faced by foreign students are associated with submerging to a new sociocultural and educational environment of the university; therefore, the process of their adaptation should be organized, targeted, and integrated.


Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs) always bring challenges to the designers in terms of its security deployment due to its dynamic and infrastructure less nature. In the past few years different researchers have proposed different solutions for providing security to MANETs. In most of the cases however, the solution is targeting a particular attack or multiple attacks but fails to find the root cause of it. In this paper we use system level security for deploying the overall security in MANETs. The system level security is the security at node level as we believe that if nodes behave properly and in a coordinated fashion, the insecurity level will go drastically down. Our simulation results gives the advantage of using this approach


In this paper, we introduce a new class of sets called generalized α regular-closed sets in topological spaces (briefly gαr-closed set). Also we discuss some of their properties and investigate the relations between the associated topology. AMS Subject Classification: 54A05


By concentrating on the approaches to succession in Japanese and overseas Chinese family businesses, this article attempts to come to terms with the question of why Japanese firms enjoy corporate longevity while overseas Chinese firms do not. Succession in the overseas Chinese family (coparcenary) is different from succession in Japanese families (primogeniture) at every relevant point, and these differences have important consequences for overseas Chinese family business. The article also discusses economic, historical, and social functions of the two inheritance systems.


The Australian Community Climate and Earth System Simulator (ACCESS) has been extended to include land and ocean carbon cycle components to form an Earth System Model (ESM). The current version, ACCESS-ESM1.5, has been mainly developed to enable Australia to participate in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) with an ESM version. Here we describe the model components and changes to the previous version, ACCESS-ESM1. We use the 500-year pre-industrial control run to highlight the stability of the physical climate and the carbon cycle. The long spin-up, negligible drift in temperature and small pre-industrial net carbon fluxes (0.02 and 0.08 PgC year−1 for land and ocean respectively) highlight the suitability of ACCESS-ESM1.5 to explore modes of variability in the climate system and coupling to the carbon cycle. The physical climate and carbon cycle for the present day have been evaluated using the CMIP6 historical simulation by comparing against observations and ACCESS-ESM1. Although there is generally little change in the climate simulation from the earlier model, many aspects of the carbon simulation are improved. An assessment of the climate response to CO2 forcing indicates that ACCESS-ESM1.5 has an equilibrium climate sensitivity of 3.87°C.


ABSTRACT It has been found that D-timolol is equipotent or slightly less potent than L-timolol to lower the intraocular pressure (IOP) in normotensive rabbits, water loaded ocular hypertensive rabbits, α-chymotrypsin induced glaucoma rabbits, hypertonic saline infused IOP recovery model of rabbits, normotensive human volunteers, glaucoma patients and ocular hypertensive human individuals. Although L-timolol has been used widely for the treatment of glaucoma and ocular hypertension, it produces numerous side effects including cardiovascular disturbances, asthmatic attack, psychological depression, etc. Since D-timolol has much weaker affinity toward β-adrenergic receptors, it was found to have 1/80-1/300 the β-adrenergic blocking potency of L-timolol to block β-adrenergic receptors in guinea pig tracheal preparations and 1/90 of L-timolol to block β-adrenergic receptors in guinea pig atrial preparations. As a result, D-timolol showed no subjective nor objective side effects on pupil size, conjunctiva, corn...


The effects of tart cherry tissue added at an 11.5% level on the oxidation of lipids in raw and cooked ground beef patties and on the formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) in the fried patties were investigated. Oxidation was significantly influenced by the addition of tissue from two varieties of tart cherries, Montmorency and Balaton. Thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances values for raw and cooked ground beef patties containing cherry tissue were significantly (p < 0.05) smaller than those for the control beef patties. Cholesterol oxidation was also influenced by the presence of cherry tissue. After 4 days of refrigerated storage, cholesterol oxides represented 5.2% of the total cholesterol content of cooked control beef patties and 2.0 and 1.7% of the total cholesterol in patties containing Montmorency and Balaton cherry tissue, respectively. The formation of mutagenic/carcinogenic HAAs during frying of the patties was inhibited by components in the cherry tissue. The concentrations of 2-a...


This paper introduces a method for carrying a flexible payload with multiple attached flying vehicles. A model for a particular class of flexible structures is presented, and an estimator is derived that observes the pose of the structure in space as well as the magnitude of some characteristic deformation modes. A control strategy that controls the flexible payload to a desired pose while also controlling the deformations to zero is introduced. The presented methods are validated in the ETH Zurich Flying Machine Arena by flying with a thin, flexible ring that is carried by six quadrocopters.


Present investigation was aimed at studying personality traits and gender difference among management students. This study included total 120 participants (60 boys & 60 girls) of age range 21 to 25 years (M=23yrs). For personality assessment, Raymond Cattell's 16 Personality Factor questionnaire (Form C) was used. In this test, there is assessment of total 16 traits, but only 5 traits like warmth (A), reasoning (B), emotional stability (C), dominance (E) and liveliness (F) are taken into consideration in this study. Data were analysed by t-statistic. The result revealed that there is significant difference between boys and girls in traits like warmth (A), reasoning (B) and dominance (E). While for emotional stability (C) and liveliness (F), gender difference is not significant. This investigation concluded that girls are better in warmth and reasoning traits, while boys show more dominance level than girls.


The letter from CINP President-Elect Professor R. H. Belmaker commenting on the CINP Antidepressant Task Force report (CINP Task Force, 2007) raises several crucial points that the CINP Antidepressant Task Force already addressed during the work on the report and the publication of the review. Some of the issues were resolved, others will continue to require attention in psychopharmacological research and in teaching, in pursuit the major goal of improving recognition and treatment of depressive disorders.

(1) Professor Belmaker emphasizes that the CINP is an organization which should promote interactions between clinicians and scientists. He questions whether a review based primarily on a computer-based search in electronic databases truly reflects an unbiased approach. He is understandably concerned that most published trials are funded predominantly by pharmaceutical companies and that non-patented treatment alternatives are investigated often in smaller samples with inferior methodology which might have influenced the result of the Task Force review.

We regret this assertion because we were at great pains to adopt a proven methodology for minimizing bias. In our opinion the published review represents an excellent example for the promotion of interactions between psychopharmacologists working in research for universities or industrial companies and in medical care by the CINP. As Figure 1 indicates, during the process of the review a computer-based search of several databases was solely the basis for the production of the initial draft and a helpful tool for the writing of the second draft of the review. Several subsequent steps added expert opinions from all over the world. Thus, for example, we have included information about promising treatment options about natural remedies although the evidence about these treatments needs improvement (e.g. chapter 9.1.11 on herbal preparations, chapter 184.108.40.206.10 on Ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids). Information published in languages other than English about treatment options only …


L-cysteine (ligand) modified Wax Impregnated Graphite Electrode (WIGE) is used for detection of copper ions in aqueous solution. The L-cysteine modified WIGE is characterized by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The electrochemical behavior of copper ions on L-Cysteine modified WIGE is studied through scan rate effect and pH study. The results indicated that cyclic voltammetric peak currents have a linear relationship with scan rate. The detection limit could be estimated as 5x10-5mM for Cu(II) ion by cyclic voltammetric method. The interference study is performed for equal molar concentrations of Cu(II), Cd(II) and Hg(II) ion on ligand modified WIGE. The diffusion co-efficient values for copper on electrode surface is calculated from chronocoulometry method


one case states "In considering lawfulness of medical and surgical treatment given to a patient who for any reason, temporary or permanent, lacks the capacity to give or to communicate consent to treatment, it was stated to be axiomatic that treatment which is necessary to preserve life, health or well being of the patient may lawfully be given without consent." In emergency treatment, where decisions need to be taken quickly, the legal position may be far from clear cut and medical staff may be open to prosecution for assault under common law. Most medical staff have little or no appreciation of the lack of clarity in the legal position governing the treatment of patients against their wishes in emergencies. The case concerning the Jehovah's Witness raised "for the first time in English courts the question of whether an adult has the constitutional right to die."2 The patient described here made a complete recovery. Several weeks later he came to the outpatients department without an appointment to thank us profusely for having saved his life. The laws governing the treatment of drug overdose should be clarified to protect doctors who otherwise may face legal proceedings for acting in good faith and with compassion.


Infiltration is an important process that affects the efficiency of center-pivot irrigation systems. No-till planting systems potentially influence the hydraulic properties of soils and, consequently infiltration. The result of long-term no-till use could be higher infiltration, lower irrigation runoff, and may allow for lower-pressure nozzle packages, thus reducing energy requirements for irrigation. This potential was investigated at two locations in eastern and south central Nebraska. Paired treatments were used at each location, one that has been no-till planted for over seven years and one that uses two to three operations per year for seed-bed preparation and cultivation. The Green and Ampt equation was used to develop infiltration functions that are applicable to the analysis of infiltration under center pivots. Saturated hydraulic conductivities were higher in no-till fields (6.2-8.21 cm/h) compared to tilled (2.8-3.9 cm/h). Green and Ampt curves illustrated zero percent runoff with a depth applied in three of the fields. In one tilled field, 11% runoff was calculated. Greater runoff is expected under center pivots on tilled fields.


Maximal visual acuity and normal color vision are closely associated with foveal receptor function. When the fovea is destroyed or altered by intense laser irradiation, severe and sometimes permanent losses in visual acuity ensue. In this paper we have shown that the threshold for long-term functional alterations in the fovea is determined not only by the wavelength and corneal exposure power of a laser flash but also by the types of performance criteria used to assess visual functioning. Chromatic acuity provides a much lower threshold for permanent alterations (Krypton — 6 mW; Argon — 3 mW) as opposed to achromatic targets (HeNe — 11 mW). Further, the use of chromatic acuity to assess post-exposure functioning can more accurately delineate the specific cone process most affected by the exposing source. The data from these studies also suggest that some relatively long-term (24 h) cumulative process within the retina is occurring which obviously will affect any threshold value determined.


In April 1204, the army of the Fourth Crusade captured Constantinople. For the leading princes, it was self-evident that they would install an imperator of their own in the Queen of Cities. Their choice fell on Baldwin IX/VI, count of Flanders/Hainault. In this contribution, we aim to analyse how Baldwin and his successors saw their emperorship, and how they and their empire were seen by others in Byzantium and the West. The current historiographical term, 'Latin Empire of Constantinople', reflects the prevailing view that an entirely new political construct had been set up replacing the former Byzantine Empire. However, contemporaries, both the emperors themselves as well as outsiders, consistently referred to the empire using both Latin and Greek terms that, prior to 1204, had been commonly employed to refer to the Byzantine Empire. Yet eastern and western conceptions of the nature of the empire before 1204 differed greatly: it was 'Greek' in Latin eyes, 'Roman' in Byzantine eyes. The Constantinopolitan...


Abstract The need for greater teacher effectiveness in the higher education sector is an area of concern. Whilst the economic and political constraints currently imposed may have precipitated the need for increased efficiency, it is the body of academics concerned with staff development who have redefined the problem in terms of effectiveness. Much research has concentrated on the outcomes of the teaching‐learning experience in order to try and measure teacher effectiveness. Whilst it cannot be denied that these researchers have recorded some interesting observations, it is shown that this perspective on the problem presents a less than complete picture. The research methodology was developed primarily to examine in detail the ways in which different teachers play their roles in the teaching‐learning process and to explore the perspectives of students on the variety of pedagogic styles utilised. It became evident that repertory grid techniques provided a valid means of evaluating teaching effectiveness in...


Three diagnostic methods for canine parvovirus(CPV) infection were employed to test 120 feces samples collected from dogs with diarrhea and/or vomit in this study.The CPV positive samples were 60,49 and 68,respectively by detecting CPV antigen or nucleic acid using Antigen Rapid CPV Ag Test Kit,haemagglutination/haemagglutination inhibition(HA/HI) and PCR assay.The results of these three methods were evaluated.The percentages showed 100.0%,84.5% and 90.8%,respectively in relative sensitivity,specificity and overall agreement between Antigen Rapid CPV Ag Test Kit and HA/HI,and 85.3%,96.2% and 90.0 %,respectively between Antigen Rapid CPV Ag Test Kit and PCR.These results indicated that HA/HI was more specific than Antigen Rapid CPV Ag Test Kit but had a relatively lower sensitivity.PCR was sensitive and specific,but it was not a suitable test in clinic.The Antigen Rapid CPV Ag Test Kit was the first choice for detecting CPV infection if correctly used.


Break-even analysis allows a simple way to determine how the changes in sales volume, sales prices, as well as variable and fixed costs influence the achieved profit result. The paper analyzes the relationships valid in break-even analysis and graphically shows the relationships in the form of the break-even point graph with the multi-component assortment and the break-even point graph after the technical assessment of the production capacity of production facility. The paper explains how to use the theoretical basis of the break-even analysis in the practice of business entities. The aim of the paper is to define relations valid for the complex application of the break-even analysis as a managerial tool in business practice. This paper presents mathematical formulations applicable in company practice, namely the mathematical formula applicable to the multi-component assortment structure and the mathematical formula applying the productive time fund to the break-even point graph. Additionally, the paper provides graphical solutions of the mentioned areas.


Abstract Investigations of the effect of various fungicides and antagonistic species on the radial growth in culture of three pathogens of oil palm and rubber showed only phenylmercury acetate and cycloheximide to be effective against Corticium salmonicolor Berk. & Br. below 10 μg a.i./ml. Other promising fungicides were examined and seven were effective against Rigidoporus lignosus (Klotzsch) Imazeki and eight against Ganoderma sp. Trichoderma spp. were antagonistic to all the pathogens. The practical application of these results in the field are discussed.


Emotions recognition from speech is one of the most important sub domains in the field of signal processing. In this work, our system is a two-stage approach, namely feature extraction and classification engine. Firstly, two sets of feature are investigated which are: 39 Mel-frequency Cepstral Coefficient (MFCC) coefficients and 65 MFCC features extracted based on the work of [20]. Secondly, we use the Support Vector Machine (SVM) as the main classifier engine since it is the most common technique in the field of speech recognition. Besides that, we investigate the importance of the recent advances in machine learning including the deep kernel learning, as well as the various types of auto-encoder (the basic auto-encoder and the stacked auto-encoder). A large set of experiments are conducted on the SAVEE audio database. The experimental results show that DSVM method outperforms the standard SVM with a classification rate of 69.84% and 68.25% using 39 MFCC, respectively. Additionally, the auto-encoder method outperforms the standard SVM, yielding a classification rate of 73.01%.


WANG Junwei , CHE Mingguang 2, , SONG Xiao , SU Jian , and ZHANG Jian 4 1) Liaohe Oil Company of PetroChina, Panjin 114010, Liaoning Province, P. R. China 2) Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development PetroChina, Beijing 100083, P. R. China 3) University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, Anhui Province, P. R. China 4) Great Wall Drilling Company of CNPC, Weiyuan 642450, Sichuan Province, P. R. China Abstract: To evaluate the reliability of obtaining rock mechanics parameters and calculating the rock brittleness index using small core samples, the nanoindentation technology is applied to obtain mechanical parameters with the small-scale core samples or cuttings of 1 mm × 1 mm. Before nanoindentation testing, the mineral phase analysis is carried out. The scale is upgraded by the convolution method to obtain the micromechanical parameters. Compared with the mechanical experimental results of nanoindentation, the absolute error is less than 10%, which meets the needs of brittleness index calculation. The proposed method can obtain rock mechanical parameters using broken core samples or cuttings, providing a new technical method for obtaining experimental parameters for brittleness evaluation.


A method for manufacturing a highly air-permeable foldable material with adsorptive properties, wherein a highly air-permeable textile carrier material in the form of a nonwoven web having a basis weight of 20 to 50 g / m


Because the thickness and depth of consolidation layer vary at every location, the consolidation settlement and time have to be evaluated spatially. Also, for a rational evaluation of the uncertainty of the spatial distribution of consolidation settlement and time, it is necessary to adopt a probabilistic method. In this study, mean and standard deviation of consolidation settlement and time of whole analysis region are evaluated by using the spatial distribution of consolidation layer which is estimated from ordinary kriging and statistics of soil properties. Using these results and probabilistic method, the area that needs adopting the prefabricated vertical drain as well as raising the ground level for balancing the final design ground level is determined. It is observed that such areas are influenced by the variability of soil properties. The design procedure and method presented in this paper can be used in the decision making process for a geotechnical engineering design.


A certain number of consequences show up in terms of spouses and children along with the divorcement. The consequences that are related to spouses can be classified as personal and financial. Spouses, along with the divorcement, gain a new statue due to the marital breakdown. However, divorcement has financial results, too. Financial results, on one hand, aim to end financial relationship which arise during the marriage; at the same time regulate the demands of alimony and damages which show up with the divorcement and its compensation. Divorcement can cause pecuniary or non-pecuniary loss to the spouse who is disadvantaged. The Turkish Civil Code allows the spouses to claim damages if the disadvantaged spouse is flawed or defective (TMK. M. 174/II). Our study has focused on non -pecuniary damages and how to decide its circumstances; its amount and its manner have been evaluated. In addition, in the event of divorce due to adultery emerging from court decision, the possibility of seeking non– pecuniary compensation from the third person with whom the unfaithful spouse is in relation has been examined.


Although the object detection accuracy with a single image has been significantly improved with the advance of deep learning techniques, the detection accuracy for pig monitoring is challenged by occlusion problems due to a complex structure of a pig room such as food facility. These detection difficulties with a single image can be mitigated by using a video data. In this research, we propose a method in pig detection for video monitoring environment with a static camera. That is, by using both image processing and deep learning techniques, we can recognize a complex structure of a pig room and this information of the pig room can be utilized for improving the detection accuracy of pigs in the monitored pig room. Furthermore, we reduce the execution time overhead by applying a pruning technique for real-time video monitoring on an embedded board. Based on the experiment results with a video data set obtained from a commercial pig farm, we confirmed that the pigs could be detected more accurately in real-time, even on an embedded board.


Cardiac amyloidosis is a common cardiac condition and is still significantly underdiagnosed. Autopsy studies revealed that myocardial tranthyretin amyloid deposition is found in up to 30% of patients with HFpEF (heart failure with preserved ejection fraction). A study in 2015 reported that 13% of patients hospitalised due to HFpEF (older than 60 years old and with left ventricular hypertrophy - LVH) had moderate to severe uptake on the Technetium DPD scintigraphy. Strain imaging through Echocardiography can be a useful diagnostic tool and can provide valuable clues towards the aetiology of LVH. Relative "apical sparing" pattern of longitudinal strain has been reported to have good sensitivity and specificity in differentiating patients with cardiac amyloidosis from controls.

 A 66 year old man presented with progressive breathlessness and peripheral oedema. His past medical history included peripheral neuropathy, bilateral decompression procedures for carpal tunnel syndrome and IgM Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance (MGUS). His B-type natriuretic peptide levels were elevated and his ECG showed normal sinus rhythm, RsR" pattern on the anterior leads and no evidence of LVH. The transthoracic echocardiogram showed moderate concentric LVH, normal left ventricular systolic function and mildly impaired left ventricular diastolic function. No evidence of pericardial effusion. Urine protein:creatinine ratio findings were consistent with nephrotic range proteinuria. He had a cardiac MRI that confirmed normal biventricular wall motion and systolic function and a moderate increase in the wall thickness of both ventricles, but showed no evidence of late gadolinium enhancement.
 At this point, we repeated his transthoracic echocardiogram with the use of strain imaging and it revealed a pattern of apical sparing suggestive of cardiac amyloidosis. After collaboration with the Haematology team, a bone marrow biopsy was performed that showed that the MGUS had progressed to IgM multiple myeloma. There was however no evidence of amyloid deposits. He was subsequently referred to the national amyloidosis centre (as per family request), where a SAP (serum amyloid P) scan showed renal and splenic amyloid deposits confirming Light-chain Amyloidosis. To exclude the possibility of TTR Amyloidosis, he also had a 99mTc-DPD scintigraphy which did not detect any amyloid deposits. He was treated under the care of the Haematology team with Velcade/Cyclophosphamide/Dexamethasone chemotherapy.

 In patients with a clinical suspicion of cardiac amyloidosis, Echocardiography with strain imaging can be very useful and should be performed routinely. Furthermore, in patients with high clinical suspicion of cardiac amyloidosis, diagnostic investigations should persist even if the initial workup does not yield specific findings.
 Abstract P1707 Figure. Strain imaging findings


of hope, where tragedy so often presents a picture of utter waste. The great epics, therefore, each convey an 'idea'. So the Iliad is 'about heroism, specifically about heroic honour, and its effects and price' (8); the Odyssey heroizes and moralizes by arming the suitors and presenting their slaughter as a just punishment; the Argonautica confronts the problem of civilizing the Heroic Age; the Aeneid has as its theme 'the genius of the Roman people' (98); the Bellum Civile's lament for lost liberty raises it to epic status, 'its unity' being 'its issue' (125); while it is only by contraries that Silius Italicus, Valerius Flaccus and Statius demonstrate that 'the idea is paramount' (134). It hardly comes as a surprise that within the space of 150 pages of main text H. has little room in which to elaborate these main 'ideas' in any depth. Some specialists will, for example, be surprised by the bald statement that the Iliad refuses to consider the notion of 'just governance in the present' (33), or by H.'s acceptance of the idea that the heroes of the Argonautica undergo modernization, or by the unqualified restatement of the old doctrine of the pietaslfuror opposition in the Aeneid (104 f.). But H. has set himself the task of proving that the eidos of classical epic is centred on the ideas of the genre's individual members, and can argue quite fairly that a detailed analysis of the ideas per se was outside his brief. Much of H.'s material will sound familiar to specialists, but even they will find much enjoyment in the deft way H. sets the scene for each of the epics, and much stimulation, for example in the particularly sane, allusive and concise explanation of the problem of distance for post-Homeric epic, and the gradual foregrounding of the poet's personality as literary epic added its sharper personal viewpoint. Stimulating too is H.'s answer to the question whether Virgil's public voice is 'forced'; this answer is based on arguments for the ethical incompatibility of the Homeric model and the Aeneid''s Augustanism, together with a welcome resuscitation of the Servian line on the death of Turnus (104) (even though Virgil did not write 'sunt lacrimae rerum ...' of Aeneas: 91, 114). H. also provides a refreshingly judicious and undogmatic definition of the status of Ovid's Metamorphoses as a post-Virgilian epic, according to which 'In this case a refusal to imitate was the sincerest form of flattery' (119). Non-specialists, who are after all H.'s targeted readership, will most certainly be stimulated (part of the secret to H.'s enviable ability in achieving this lies in his powers of assured and nuanced formulation). They will find reliable and clear discussion of problems ranging from Greek and Roman epic metre, diction and style, through the constricting moralism and prescriptiveness of the ancient literary criticism of epic, to the role of nationalism in the tradition. They will find an admirably proportioned treatment of the individual epics, and sufficient, if terse, citation of secondary works to initiate further study. All this, quite apart from a persuasive overall thesis which will in itself constitute a significant contribution to the study of classical epic as a genre.


The invention provides a multi-joint dispersion driving mechanical arm which comprises a vehicle body base, a mechanical arm rotating table installed on the vehicle body base, a first mechanical arm assembly, a second mechanical arm assembly, a third mechanical arm assembly, a fourth mechanical arm assembly, a mechanical claw assembly, a rotating table motor and a driving motor. The first mechanical arm assembly is arranged on the mechanical arm rotating table, every two of the four mechanical arm assemblies are connected, the rotating table motor drives the mechanical arm rotating table to rotate relative to the vehicle body base, and the driving motor conducts power transmission through a power chain formed by the first mechanical arm assembly, the second mechanical arm assembly, the third mechanical arm assembly, the mechanical claw assembly and the fourth mechanical arm assembly and enables rotating joints of the mechanical arm assemblies to conduct bending operation in the transmission process. According to the mechanical arm, every two of the four mechanical arm assemblies are connected, and the mechanical arm assemblies form the power chain, so that power from the driving motor is transferred to the rotating joints of the mechanical arm. Compared with the prior art, the mechanical arm has the advantages of being light in weight, good in flexibility and multiple in degree of freedom.


Abstract The aim of this study was to determine the dynamics of the process of a course of ice creation phenomena in two small water bodies located in the Silesian Upland. The studies and observations of ice formation on the water bodies were conducted during the period 10th November 2011 to 23rd March 2012. The following parameters were determined each day: degree of ice coverage on each water body, thickness and ice structure and thickness of snow cover on each water body. From the studies it results that a course of the ice formation of both water bodies was almost identical. The same maximum ice thickness was recorded in both cases. It was 36 cm in that season, with slight differences in average thickness. The course of particular phases of ice formation in different water regions was also very similar. The number of days with the ice phenomena and the number of days from the beginning to the end of the ice phenomena were identical in both cases, being 96 and 131 days, respectively. The slight differences over several days were recorded in the case of: number of days with shore ice (lb), number of days with partial ice cover (lcz), number of days with an incomplete ice cover (lnp), number of breaks in the ice cover (B). Additionally, with daily measurements of ice cover thickness the relationships between the course of the average daily air temperature from the meteorological station of Faculty of Earth Sciences of University of Silesia and the daily changes in the ice thickness in the water regions in question were determined by using Spearman's correlation coefficient. In both cases the relationships were strong and they were r= −0,84(p<0,001) for the Amendy water body and r= −0,87 (p<0,001) for the Żabie Doły S water body. The maximum and average ice thickness, duration of the ice phenomena and ice cover and the obtained correlation coefficients between the air temperature and the changes in the ice thickness show that the water bodies in question are characterized by a quasi-natural ice regime.


Today, most object detection algorithms differ drastically from how humans tackle visual problems. In this thesis, I present a new paradigm for improving machine vision algorithms by designing them to better mimic how humans approach these tasks. Specifically, I demonstrate how human brain activity from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can be leveraged to improve object classification. Inspired by the graduated manner in which humans learn, I present a novel algorithm that simulates learning in a similar fashion by more aggressively penalizing the misclassification of certain training datum. I propose a method to learn annotations that capture the difficulty of detecting an object in an image from auxilliary brain activity data. I then demonstrate how to leverage these annotations by using a modified definition of Support Vector Machines (SVMs) that uses these annotations to weight training data in an object classification task. An experimental comparison between my procedure and a parallel control shows that my techniques provide significant improvements in object classification. In particular, my protocol empirically halved the gap in classification accuracy between SVM classifiers that used state-of-the-art, yet computationally intensive convolutional neural net (CNN) features and those that used out-of-thebox, efficient histogram of oriented gradients (HOG) descriptors. Further analysis demonstrates that my experimental results support findings in neuroimaging literature about the roles different cortical regions play in object recognition.


Herein, we propose a scheme for the realization of two-dimensional atomic localization in a λ-type three-level atomic medium such that the atom interacts with the two orthogonal standing-wave fields and a probe field. Because of the spatially dependent atom-field interaction, the information about the position of the atom can be obtained by monitoring the probe transmission spectra of the weak probe field for the first time. A single and double sharp localized peaks are observed in the one-wavelength domain. We have theoretically archived high-resolution and high-precision atomic localization within a region smaller than λ/25 × λ/25. The results may have potential applications in the field of nano-lithography and advance laser cooling technology.


We present experience of implementing and evaluating a platform purpose designed to integrate interoperable telehealth and telecare. We chose the IEEE 11073 standards for all devices and used ZigBee wireless to support many devices concurrently and exploit its mesh networking to extend range around the entire house. We designed the home gateway to be unobtrusive; in project Hydra we used the smart meter and in other projects (Reaction, inCasa) we have developed a purpose designed plugtop ZigBee to GPRS gateway. All use common protocols and are interoperable. Technically the projects have been a success, and we have already implemented a wide range of devices on the common platform (BP, weight, SpO2, glucose, PIR, medication monitor, bed/chair sensor). Immediate feedback from participants has confirmed our goal of simplicity and convenience of use (and thus encourage adherence); and it is interesting that in discussion they then focus on the data rather than the technology. Our current goal is to exploit the potential for combination of physiological and environmental data to determine if change of habits can be detected and how this correlates with change in health. We are using this functionality to manage the frail elderly within project inCasa and we propose to present preliminary findings.


In his novel, Der Auftrag, Friedrich Dürrenmatt turns Werner Heisenberg's idea, that reality cannot be observed without changing reality by observing it, from a nuclear-physical theory into a social one: human behaviour depends on the knowledge of being or not being observed. A lot of acts just happen because people know they are being watched or because they want to be watched. This concept has an existential aspect: individuals can never get in touch with an 'authentic' reality. But there is also a political aspect, or better: it includes a theory of mass media. In Dürrenmatt's novel, the reporter F. observes a war, which is staged in an anonymous middle-east-state to be observed and to hide the political reality. That offers a new perspective on war-journalism: There is no 'reality itself ', which can be reflected 'truly' or 'falsely' by mass media (which is the common argumentation of criticism of war-journalists' 'propaganda'). According to Dürrenmatt's theory, the mass media create a reality which would never exist without them.


Approximate expressions for the spatial correlation of cylindrical and uniform rectangular arrays (URA) are derived using measured distributions of angles of departure (AOD) for both the azimuth and zenith domains. We examine massive multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) convergence properties of the correlated channels by considering a number of convergence metrics. The per-user matched filter (MF) signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) performance and convergence rate, to respective limiting values, of the two antenna topologies is also explored.


In the current field experiment we evaluate a structural solution to a real-life social dilemma by examining the effects of a carpool priority lane on judgments and preferences concerning the decision to commute by carpool (i.e., the presumed cooperative option) or driving alone (i.e., the presumed noncooperative option). Our general hypothesis was that this intervention would evoke a process of self-justification in solo drivers, arising from feelings of relative deprivation andlor cognitive dissonance. Consistent with predictions, we found that in comparison with judgments made before the implementation of the carpoollane, solo drivers tended to decrease the importance of an attribute inherently linked to carpooling (i.e., low travel costs) and to increase the importance of an attribute inherently linked to driving alone (i.e., flexibility). Moreover, solo drivers exhibited a weaker preference for ca/pooling af ter the establishment of the ca/pool lane. This finding suggests that the negative side effects of this structural measure were more pronounced than the intended ca/pool-promoting effects .