van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures are receiving great attentions due to their intriguing properties and potentials in many research fields. The flow of charge carriers in vdW heterostructures can be efficiently rectified by the interlayer coupling between neighboring layers, offering a rich collection of functionalities and a mechanism for designing atomically thin devices. Nevertheless, nonuniform contact in larger-area heterostructures reduces the device efficiency. In this work, ion irradiation had been verified as an efficient technique to enhance the contact and interlayer coupling in the newly developed graphene/WSe2 heterostructure with a large area of 10 mm × 10 mm. During the ion irradiation process, the morphology of monolayer graphene had been modified, promoting the contact with WSe2. Experimental evidence of the tunable interlayer electron transfer are displayed by investigation of photoluminescence and ultrafast absorption of the irradiated heterostructure. Besides, we have found that in ...


Runlength-limited (RLL) codes, also known as (d,k) RLL codes, are used in digital magnetic recording and have potential use in soliton optical communication. We show how our approach to RLL coding can naturally incorporate multilevel error correction coding. It allows us not only to correct shift errors but also insertions and deletions of zeros. The main method for achieving this is to use Lee-metric codes. The component codes of the multilevel block code are chosen such that this code has a large minimum Lee distance and such that the (d,k) RLL code combined with the error correction multilevel code provides the highest possible rate. We emphasize that multilevel (d,k) RLL coding combined with multilevel block coding for error correction is well suited to multistage decoding. We also show that for an appropriate choice of the normalised thresholds of these parallel codes, the rate of the corresponding (d,k) RLL code converges to the capacity of the (d,k) constraint, as the dimension of each of the parallel codes goes to infinity.


The application of Loke velocity measuring device in speed controlling of flattening roll of aluminum cold rolling mill was described in the paper.


The bacteria contained in processed fresh edible sea urchin (uni in Japanese) were identified with high accuracy using 16S ribosornal DNA (rDNA) sequence analysis. The 586 isolates that were recovered from ten domestic products comprised 13 genera and 18 species. The food poisoning-related bacteria Bacillus cereus (B. cereus), Bacillus weihenstephanensis (B. weihenstephanensis), and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) were detected in 4/10 samples, while the causative agents of bacterial opportunistic infections, Staphylococcus equorum (S. equorum), Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (S. maltophilia), Burkholderia cepacia (B. cepacia), and Serratia proteamaculans (S. proteamaculans), were detected in all 10 samples. It is not known whether these pathogens were components of the sea urchin microflora or were the result of contamination from the environment or human contact during the manufacturing process. Nevertheless, strict quality control standards are needed for the processing of fresh edible sea urchin. This is the first comprehensive analysis of the bacterial microflora of processed fresh edible sea urchin.


Syntheses of the title compounds (7) and (8) are described. These new bis-heterocyclic analogues of dibenzo[b,f]azepines (4) were readily obtained from the di-β-chlorovinyl aldehydes (3), the latter prepared by formylation of the azepines (5). The thiophene analogue (10) of the antidepressant 'imipramine' was then synthesized by debenzylation of the dithienoazepine (8a) followed by condensation with an appropriate halide.


International trade is business transactions conducted across borders, which has the goal accumulated maximum profit (profit optimal). In this implementation, corporations often do business by unfair competition, such as dumping, which could damage the order of the importing country trading system. The problem is what factors are causing a corporation carrying out the practice of dumping, and also; and How is legal protection against a country as a result of dumping practices. Factors that cause dumping, to profit by setting lower prices in the import market and the monopoly in the market of the importing country. A form of protection for countries that suffered losses as a result of dumping practices which could impose "anti-dumping duty", as a punishment for the exporting country. Due to losses caused by dumping, the government should make a law that specifically regulates the protection of domestic industry due to the practice of dumping. Keywords: Domestic industry, dumping practices, law protection


The current work was performed in 2019 aiming to study the geomorphological and pedological characteristics as well as classification and capability evaluation for soils in the area southeastern El-Sadat City, Menoufia governorate, Egypt. The study area is located at the western side of the Nile-Delta in the east of Cairo-Alexandria desert highway adjacent to the Rashid branch of the River Nile, Menoufia governorate, Egypt. The integration of Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques was used to achieve this work.
The geomorphic map produced by processing and identifying the Landsat image using RS and GIS technology indicated that,the studied area has three main geomorphic units with different landforms.These three main units are 1) Alluvial Plain includes three landforms namely: High Terraces (17.33% of the studied area), Moderate Terraces (5.87%) and Low Terraces (11.48%); 2) Pediplain with two landforms namely: High Terraces (16.22 %) and Low Terraces (12.47%); 3) as well as Aeolian Plain with three landforms namely: High Terraces (7.08%), Moderate Terraces (4.97%) and Low Terraces (24.58%).
Nineteen soil profiles were chosen to represent the different geomorphic and landform units.The land and site features are observed and registered. Thesoil profiles were dug, morphologically described, and then samples were collected representing the subsequent layers in each profile for integrated physical and chemical analyses. Also, irrigation water samples were collected and analyzed especially for land capability evaluation.
The studied area has almost flat to slightly undulated topography. Soils were deep to very deep where they were well drained. Most of the soils have gravely sand to gravely loamy sand texture except the soils of low Alluvial plain terraces that have clay loam texture.
The analytical data revealed that, the studied soils are slightly to moderately alkaline, mostly non-saline and haven't sodicity effect. Few parts showed a sodic horizon feature. The soils are slightly to moderately calcareous having Low gypsum and Organic matter contents.
Most of the soils haven't any diagnostic horizons, therefore they were classified under Entisols. The few soils having sodic horizon were classified under Aridisols.
The land capability evaluation indicated that, most of the studied soils (92.18%) are affiliated to the Fair, C3 class. Rest of the soils are classified either as a Good capability class, C2, (4.52%), or as a Poor capability class, C4 (3.30%).


The learned Linnæus by his unwearied application having reduced the various productions of nature into one regular system, and clearly distinguished the numerous tribe of insects into their distinct classes and subdivisions, seems to me to have laid a more solid foundation for the natural history of these minute animals, than any other writer who has gone before him.


The Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem (CVRP) is one of the most extensively studied problems in combinatorial optimization. According to the property of the demand of customers, we distinguish three variants of CVRP: unit-demand, splittable and unsplittable. We consider k -CVRP in general metrics and general graphs, where k is the capacity of the vehicle and all the three versions are APX-hard for each fixed k ≥ 3. The ITP algorithm based on a given Hamiltonian cycle is a classic method to solve k -CVRP. It gives an ( α + 1 − Θ ( α/k ))-approximate solution for splittable and unit-demand k -CVRP and an ( α + 2 − Θ ( α/k ))-approximate solution for unsplittable k -CVRP, where α ≈ 3 / 2 is the approximation ratio for metric TSP. Very recently, there are two significant progresses: Blauth et al. improved the ratio to α + 1 − ε for splittable and unit-demand k -CVRP and to α + 2 − 2 ε for unsplittable k -CVRP, where ε > 1 / 3000 for α = 3 / 2 and any k ≥ 3; Friggstad et al. further improved the ratio to α + 1 + ln 2 − ε ′ for the unsplittable case, where ε ′ is around 1 / 3000 for α = 3 / 2 and any k ≥ 3. In this paper, we give (5 / − Θ ( ))-approximation for splittable and unit-demand k -CVRP a (5 / 2 + ln 2 Θ ( p /k ))-approximation k CVRP approximation ratio metric TSP / 2). our approximation ratio large , . . k , we design independent algorithms by using more techniques to get further improvements. For splittable and unit-demand cases, we improve the ratio from 1 . 934 to 1 . 500 for k = 3, and from 1 . 750 to 1 . 667 for k = 4. For the unsplittable case, we improve the ratio from 2 . 693 to 1 . 500 for k = 3, from 2 . 443 to 1 . 750 for k = 4, and from 2 . 893 to 2 . 157 for k = 5.


1H and 13C NMR data for a synthetic dimeric Lewis X octasaccharide derivative {Gal(β1–4)[Fuc(α1–3)]GlcNAc(β1–3)Gal(β1–4)[Fuc(α1–3)]GlcNAc(β1–3)Gal(β1–4)Glc[β1–(CH2)8CO2C2H5]} are reported. Some observations on C,H correlations over two and three bonds, which should prove useful in the assignment and structural investigation of oligosaccharides, are discussed.


A prospective analysis is presented for the discovery of the Standard Model Higgs boson in the CMS experiment at the LHC collider. The analysis focuses on the pp → H + X → ZZ(*) + X → e+e−e+e− + X channel for Higgs boson masses in the range 120 mH 300 GeV/c2. It relies on a full simulation of the detector response and usage of new detailed electron reconstruction tools. Emphasis is put on realistic strategies for the evaluation of experimental systematics and control of physics background processes. For an integrated LHC luminosity of 30fb−1, a Standard Model Higgs boson would be observed in the e+e−e+e− channel with a significance above 3 standard deviations for masses mH in the range from about 130 to 160 GeV/c2 and above 180 GeV/c2. A discovery with a significance above 5 standard deviations is possible for this integrated luminosity around mH 150 GeV/c2 and in the range from about 190 to 300 GeV/c2. The mass (cross-section) of the Higgs boson can be determined with a precision better than 1% (30%).


Objectives To explore the efficacy and feasibility of the transradial approach for diagnostic coronary angiography with 4F and 5F catheter. Methods All patients undergoing a coronary angiogram the first time were eligible to be included in the study. They were randomised to either 4F or 5F catheters. The success rate of angiography, image quality and vascular complications between two groups were compared. Two-dimensional and colour Doppler ultrasonic examination was performed on the right radial artery before procedures, 1 day and 4 weeks after procedures, respectively. Results A total of 847 consecutive patients were randomised to 4F catheter group (n=446), including 266 (63.4%) men and 5F universal catheter group (n=401), including 271 (67.6%) men. There were no significant difference between 4F catheter and 5F universal catheter group in success rate of angiography (98.6% vs 97.1%), image quality (2.83±2.1 vs 2.88±2.31 (p>0.05)). Both groups had no death, acute thrombosis and major bleeding. The radial artery spasm and radial artery occlusion was more often on women. Intima-media thickness of radial artery had significantly increased among female patients after procedures. Conclusion With low complication rate and better tolerance, 4F catheter should be selected in the diagnostic coronary angiography by transradial approach, especially for small built female patients.


If M and G are topological spaces, a continuous transformation T(M) = G of M onto G is said to be monotone if the inverse image of each point of G is connected. In this paper we consider the case M = a compact 2-dimensional manifold without boundary, and we give a characterization of the class of all images G of M under monotone transformations. This problem has already been solved by R. L. Moore' in the case M = a 2-sphere. His result is that G is a cactoid,2 and every cactoid is a monotone image of a 2-sphere. Our results are highly analogous (see Theorem 5). If T(M) = G is monotone, the set of inverse images of points of G forms an upper semi-continuous collection of continua filling M. Conversely if G is an upper semi-continuous collection of continua filling M, the set G can be so topologized that the transformation sending P e M into the continuum of G containing P is a continuous monotone transformation of M onto G. Thus the study of monotone transformations is equivalent to the study of upper semicontinuous collections of continua. In addition to the characterization of G in the general case we find the effect on G of certain restrictions on the elements of G, considered as continua on M. Theorems 1, 2, 3, respectively give conditions both necessary and sufficient that G be (1) homeomorphic to M, (2) a 2-manifold, and (3) a generalized cactoid.


The purpose of this study to determine whether the use of learning sprinting chase chase game can improve student learning outcomes Class V SDN 01 Gandarum District of Pekalongan Kajen Year 2014 issues which are the subject of research as follows. This research is PTK using practice tests. Subjects were fifth grade students of SDN 01 Gandarum totaling 26 students, consisting of 17 boys and 9 girls. Instruments used observation and observation tests. The data analysis technique used in this study is to compare the data with the initial condition. The results of this study concluded that the learning using the game chase chase, can improve learning outcomes sprint. From the analysis of the first cycle is known percentage of 57.69% mastery learning student number 15, have increased in the second cycle of 100%, the number of completeness of 26 students. Advice given to teachers in the learning that is supposed to run faster using chase chase game because it can improve student learning outcomes. In addition, teachers also need to be more creative and innovative in the learning process).


This paper has studied the pavement materials and types, rainwater collection system, wetland landscape, irrigation method and reclaimed water utilization etc for gardens in Tianjin City with the concept of water saving based on the investigations on water saving measures for urban landscape gardens both at home and abroad. In consideration of the information from the related organizations including Tianjin Garden Administration Services, it has also made field investigation on the kinds of common plants as well as their drought and flood tolerance and the various typical green lands in Tianjin City. Finally, it identifies the shortcomings in water saving, and rainwater regulation & storage with respect to garden construction in Tianjin City. This study has carried out simulation test analysis about soil structure, type, permeability and water-bearing capacity for the landscape green lands in Tianjin City at first, and taken rainwater samples and performed analysis, then, proposed technical measures suitable for water saving in rainwater regulation (collection) storage for the green lands and squares in Tianjin City, and performed practical application: technical innovation and application of new-type concave green land design, new-type artificial wetland system design and new-type square rainwater regulation (collection) storage system design etc. Application of these water saving technology for garden rainwater regulation (collection) storage systems contributes to sustainable development of the urban landscape environment.


Salicylaldehyde hydrazones derived from acyldicarboxylic acids (H4Ln, where n = 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 14 and is the number of methylene units) of varying chain length have been prepared, and their dicopper(II) complexes have been isolated as bis analogues of antitumor carboxylate hydrazones. The predominant structural form adopted is polymeric, with [{Cu2Ln}m] formed in neutral or basic solution, [{Cu2(H2Ln)Cl2}m] from dilute HCl, and [{Cu2(H2Ln)}m]·(ClO4)2m from dilute HClO4. The crystal structures of [Cu2(H2L1)(H2O)2]·(ClO4)2·3H2O and [{Cu2(H2L4)(C2H5OH)2}m]·(ClO4)2m·m(C2H5OH) have been determined. The structure of [Cu2(H2L1)(H2O)2]· (ClO4)2·3H2O consists of discrete di-Cu(II) molecules with nonsymmetry-related Cu(II) centers. The copper atoms are square-planar with H2L1 supplying two tridentate, monoanionic ONO domains and water completing the coordination sphere. The two metal-binding domains are inclined at 80° to each other. For [{Cu2(H2L4)(C2H5OH)2}m]·(ClO4)2m·m(C2H5OH) the symmetry-related copper ...


If F (x) is a polynomial or a function which can be reduced to a polynomial then the sum can be evaluated by using Vinogradov's method; if F (x) is "van der Corput" type function then one uses van der Corput's method or Bombieri–Iwaniec method. Here by van der Corput (v.d.c.) type function of order k we mean a real-valued k times continuously differentiable function F (x) such that F (j)(x) Fj(x)/x (j = 1, . . . , k) with piecewise monotone Fj(x) such that if k > 1, then 1≪ Fj+1(x)/Fj(x) 1 and limx1−2/KF (x) 1;


Author(s): McNeil, Michael A.; Letschert, Virginie E.; Van Buskirk, Robert D. | Abstract: PAMS uses country-specific and product-specific data to calculate estimates of impacts of a Minimum Efficiency Performance Standard (MEPS) program. The analysis tool is self-contained in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, and requires no links to external data, or special code additions to run. The analysis can be customized to a particular program without additional user input, through the use of the pull-down menus located on the Summary page. In addition, the spreadsheet contains many areas into which user-generated input data can be entered for increased accuracy of projection. The following is a step-by-step guide for using and customizing the tool.


The purpose of this study was to evaluate bioequivalence of a combine formulation of pioglitazone/metformin 15/850 mg tablet with those of an established branded formulation. An open-label, single-dose, randomized, 2-way crossover study was conducted in fasted healthy Pakistani male volunteers. The concentrations of pioglitazone and metformin in plasma were analyzed by reverse phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The plasma concentration-time curves were used to obtain pharmacokinetic parameters including AUC 0-t , AUC 0-∞ , and C max . The formulations were considered bioequivalent if the 90% confidence intervals (CIs) for AUC, and C max fell within the interval of 80% to 125%, declared in bioequivalence guidelines. On analysis of variance, no period, formulation or sequence effects were observed for any pharmacokinetic property. The 90% confidence intervals of pioglitazone for the geometric mean ratios of C max , AUC 0-t and AUC 0-∞ were 93.34% to 103.12%, 86.15% to 106.03% and 85.62% to 107.41%, respectively. Similarly, the 90% CIs of metformin for the geometric mean ratios of C max , AUC 0-t and AUC 0-∞ were 87.64% to 100.85%, 86.68% to 116.15 and 94.14% to 122.71%, respectively, qualifying the predetermined criteria for bioequivalence based on the rate and extent of absorption.


Reduced absorption coefficients have been measured for the collision‐induced‐dipole (CID) absorption bands associated with the 5s–4d transition of atomic strontium perturbed by He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, and Sr. The main CID absorption band, assigned to 5sΣ–4dΣ, extends from the position of the atomic 5s–4d transition towards the shorter‐wavelength side for every perturber. For Xe and Kr, an additional small absorption band is seen at the foot of the atomic 5s–4d transition. The former 5sΣ–4dΣ band is interpreted to result from collisional mixing of the 5p state of atomic Sr into the molecular 4dΣ state for small internuclear separations, while the latter band is interpreted to result from the collisional quadrupole (strontium)–dipole (Xe or Kr) interaction.


In support of PEP-II, a high luminosity B factory, photo-desorption of Cu alloys were measured to demonstrate suitability for ultra-high performance under high radiation loads. Results show that {eta}{sub eff}{le}2{times}10{sup {minus}6} mol/photon is a practical design value for Cu vacuum chambers. Commissioning times to attain this value in B factories can be expected to be <50 h. Pre-cleaning with Ar glow discharge was shown to be effective.


Knowledge of the arterial elasticity can provide an important reference for understanding arterial wall changes that may occur before and during the early stages of atherosclerosis. In practice, the movements of arterial wall during the cardiac cycle are complex, which undergo not only translation but also rotation and deformation subjected to pulse pressure, transmural pressure and shear force. Conventional correlation based methods for arterial wall movement evaluation consider only the translational component and limit their accuracy. This study proposes a texture matching method based on ultrasonic B-mode image for accurately measurement the movement of the arterial wall with geometric transformations, improving the accuracy of elasticity measurement. Feasibility of the method was studied in an in vitro silicone tube phantom and in vivo carotid arteries of mice. The calculated elastic modulus for the in vitro silicone tube agrees well with the results obtained from mechanical testing, deviating only 6...


Introduction: The volume of solid organ transplantation in the US has increased in recent years. Few data are available characterizing thoracic transplantation patterns and outcomes by citizenship ...


The goal of this paper is to publish the first results of the e-balance project. This project is strictly related to the Smart Grid (SG) development and dedicated to the issue of local energy management with possibly high saturation of Distributed Energy Resources (DER) and different levels of availability of smart appliances at homes. Different aspects of this issue are addressed by the project, i.e., the proposed technical solution is accompanied by research on legal, social and economic aspects. The proposed solution aims at achieving the goal of increasing the efficiency of the energy grid by balancing energy generation and consumption in energy efficient smart neighbourhoods. Additionally, the increased grid monitoring and control means allow increasing the reliability of the energy system.


Specific design of barrier in the AlGaN-based near ultraviolet (NUV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) is investigated numerically. Simulation results reveal that NUV LEDs with the proposed p-type/n-type barrier can effectively reduce the polarization-induced electrostatic field, and thus enhance the spatial overlap of electron and hole wavefunctions in the wells.


In this paper shows the propagation of a one-dimensional extremely short pulse with an airy cross section in the medium of spatially oriented carbon nanotubes with a modulated refractive index. It has been proved that such pulses propagate steadily and retain their energy, which is localized in area.


1. Each year (during which Jupiter completes a twelfth part of his revolution) has to bear the name of the lunar mansion in which he rises; the years follow each other in the same order as the lunar months.


Ru(1-6-η-cyclooctatriene)(η2-dimethyl fumarate)2 (2), which is easily derived from Ru(1-2:5-6-η-cyclooctadiene)(1-6-η-cyclooctatriene) (1), reacts with bidentate nitrogen ligands, 2,2'-bipyridyl or 1,10-phenanthroline, to give novel ruthenium(0) complexes, Ru(1-2:5-6-η-cyclooctatriene)(η2-dimethyl fumarate)(N⌒N) (N⌒N = 2,2'-bipyridyl (3a) or 1,10-phenanthroline (3b)) quantitatively. On the other hand, the complex 1 reacts with dimethyl fumarate in the presence of N⌒N to give novel ruthenium(0) complexes, Ru(1-2:5-6-η-cyclooctadiene)(η2-dimethyl fumarate)(N⌒N) (N⌒N = 2,2'-bipyridyl (4a) or 1,10-phenanthroline (4b)), in high yields. The structures of the complexes 3a, 3b, and 4b were established by X-ray analyses, and the coordination geometry around the central ruthenium atom in these complexes was a distorted trigonal bipyramid. The two nitrogen atoms occupy an axial and an equatorial position, respectively, the two olefinic moieties of the cyclooctatriene or cyclooctadiene occupy an axial and an equatori...


The invention concerns a method for assembling metal parts without any risk of their being melted, when assembled at high temperature. It consists in using as filler material a powder whereof the melting point is not less than the melting point of the material from which the parts are made, when they are of similar type, or whereof the melting point is not less than that of the part whereof the melting temperature is the lowest when the parts are of different types. The assembly is induction-heated, the powder being melted without melting the parts by virtue of a temperature higher than that of the parts. The invention is useful for assembling any metallic parts made of metals or metal alloys and particularly useful for assembling parts of the same type using a powder of the same material.


Propagation of voltage sag after occurrence of fault in power transformer may develop high inrush current and subsequently may lead to failure of the transformer. Transformer inrush current have high magnitude and contain undesirable harmonics which may lead to unwanted tripping of protective relays, reverberation in the system and mechanical strain in the winding. This paper studies the effect of voltage sag propagating in the transformer due to various symmetrical and asymmetrical faults in a chronological manner. Though various studies has been carried out to express the effect of propagation and mitigation of voltage sag, the unique study presented in this paper very precisely describes and compares the propagation of voltage sag through different transformer connections in a methodical way. For the purpose of analysis different types of actual transformer of North Eastern Regional Transmission System has been taken and the analysis has been performed with the help of SIMULINK by considering the occurrence of all the major faults. The study presented in this paper will help the utilities to choose the best and appropriate connection of transformer leading to reduction in failure of power transformer and ensuing total reliability of the system and prevention of loss of economy.


The relative coordination strengths of a series of differently substituted Ar-BIAN ligands (Ar-BIAN = bis(aryl)acenaphthenequinonediimine) to a series of palladium complexes in both the formal 0 and 2 oxidation states have been determined. In all cases a good to excellent linearity of log Keq with respect to the Hammett σ constants of the substituents on the aryl fragments of the ligands was observed. The resulting ρ constant is proposed to be a good indication of the Lewis acidity of the metal fragment, a physical quantity for which experimental parameters have been determined only for a limited class of compounds. The obtained parameters allow a comparison not only of different olefin complexes among themselves but also with respect to different metal fragments such as Pd(OAc)2, Pd(Me)Cl, and a π-allyl complex. The Lewis acidity of the olefin complexes is extremely variable and ranges from the less acidic (Pd(Ar-BIAN)(DMFU); DMFU = dimethyl fumarate) to two of the most acidic (Pd(Ar-BIAN)(TCNE) and Pd(A...


The emerging proliferation of information and communication technology throughout the electricity grid enables technologies, such as Demand Response (DR) schemes, eventually creating a Smart Grid. This development is expected to produce effective DR systems where consumers get reduced electricity costs while their utility companies reduce their costs of services due to peak demand reductions with increasing efficiency. False data injection/data integrity attacks on these systems can potentially result in sub-optimal solutions for a majority of users while a potentially malicious subset of users receives benefits. Furthermore, such attacks might also affect the resilience of the Smart Grid. In this paper, we depicted a novel high impact FDIA and evaluate how an adversary can use a targeted strategic data integrity attack in order to get financial benefits through a realtime based pricing scheme. Our experimental results show how a small percentage of overall demand increase can lead to a significant cost reduction for the adversary. Based on our results we elaborate on the significance of this type of false data injection attacks on general distributed DR schemes.


A low-loss vertical transition between microstrip line and air-filled substrate integrated waveguide (AFSIW) at Ka-band is proposed. The objective is to be able to connect active components based on microstrip technology with passive components based on AFSIW technology. The coupling between the quasi-TEM mode of the microstrip line and the TE10 mode of the AFSIW guide is carried out by a slot and a copper line placed on one layer of the substrate. To obtain reliable measurements, a back-to-back transition has been designed and fabricated. The measured results obtained show that over a frequency range of 27.5 GHz to 29.8 GHz the proposed transition has a reflection coefficient of between −10 dB and −15 dB and insertion losses between 0.78 dB and 1.45 dB.


Constant-voltage DC arc-welding equipment is simple in construction and is capable of decreasing the quantity of large size welding spatter, current rise and fall rates being readily controllable. It has a DC power source to supply current btween workpiece and electrode through a switching element. A comparator compares voltage btween electrode and workpiece with a set value to provide a first difference signal, with means for delaying this signal. Similarly, current is detected and current control circuit derives a control signal by comparing signal proportional to detected current to the delayed voltage signal.


Three models are presented: AR (autoregressive), MA (moving average) and ARMA (autoregressive moving average) are common models used in time series forecasting. These three models are the various definition of each element of the General Linear Model: Y = a + b + c. For the study of linear behavior of data, these three models are helpful. However, the limitation of these models starts to surface when nonlinear behavior of data appears. Linear behavior is characterized by a straight line mapping the response variable (Y) to each unit change in the explanatory variable (X). If the research involves human emotion, preferences, or level of tolerance and the data series does not manifest a straight line, AR, MA and ARMA may not be as useful. Price tolerance versus utility, for instance is a good example to illustrate where the general linear model may not be useful. N such cases, a higher order polynomial modeling may be used.


The usual sensor for acoustic emission is the piezoelectric transducer. Although this transducer is readily available, reasonably inexpensive, and very sensitive to ultrasonic transients, it has several serious drawbacks as a transducer: It distorts the signals being measured, it exhibits resonances, it has limited bandwidth, it responds differently to surface acoustic waves and bulk waves (because of its large sensitive area), and its calibration is a matter of considerable uncertainty. Essentially, it is a qualitative transducer. Furthermore, it cannot measure local effects within a millimeter of an emission source, where the mechanisms causing the ultrasonic transient are presumably most clearly distinguishable. Optical transducers, on the other hand, have the great advantage of providing accurate, quantitative, highly localized information; they do not disturb the waves being measured and are not limited by frequency response.


Self-defining memories are crucial for the sense of self, yet we know little of how to cue their recall in old age. This paper reports on interviews with 3 participants in a 10 week craft project. Findings indicate the challenges of introspection, of recalling negative self-defining memories, and of inaccessible cues, and we conclude with three design implications for addressing them.


The geographical variations in prevalence of allergic diseases worldwide has indicated that affluence appears to be a major determinant of susceptibility (1). Even within countries there is a gradation of allergy risk associated with social class. Thus, studies have focused on delineating the factors within the environment in affluent and non-affluent communities which might account for the variation in allergy risk. Much attention has been devoted to microbial exposures with a particular focus on endotoxin and gut flora (2, 3). However, latterly attention has moved towards investigating the relationship between Helminth infections and allergy. The immune response to Helminth infection is very similar to that in allergy (4). A number of cross-sectional studies have shown an inverse relationship between various allergic manifestations and infection with Helminths with a particular focus on hookworm. This has been reviewed recently with a metaanalysis of studies (5). However, it is clear that rather larger studies are required to establish which parasites have a beneficial effect and which do not. Furthermore, there is a need to elaborate on the immune mechanisms which might underlie the inverse relationship. It is also important to understand at what stage the infection will have a long-term impact (6). While the simplistic view that mast cell IgE receptor saturation with parasite specific IgE might explain the phenomenon there is perhaps a greater credibility to parasite infections increasing regulatory T-cell activity. At the recent annual meeting of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology held in Warsaw there was an outstanding original abstract and presentation on this topic. This came from collaboration between the Uganda Virus Research Institute and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. It was presented in a sparsely attended paediatric allergy/epidemiology session. In my view, it was the best presentation in the whole meeting. It is quite rare to become so excited about a presentation at an international conference because so many are a re-iteration of known facts. Inevitably, my excitement is a consequence of my prejudice that events in foetal life are pivotal in sowing the seeds for susceptibility to allergic disease. The study from Uganda has shown that a controlled intervention trial of de-worming compared with no treatment of parasite infection during pregnancy was associated with a higher risk of eczema in the offspring. This was the case in relation to Albendazole treatment for predominantly hookworm and Praziquantel treatment for Schistosoma mansoni infection. Clearly, this raises many questions but the study group have a vast body of data and of biological specimens which will allow them to address many issues in relation to the early life origins of allergic disease (7). I hope that we will have the opportunity to publish many more papers in the journal on this topic.


Fatigue crack growth at intermediate rates was measured in compact tension specimens of the microstructurally contrasting alloys Ti-6Al-4V (Imperial Metal Industries, Ltd. [IMI] titanium 318) and Ti-6Al-5Zr-0.5Mo-0.25Si (IMI titanium 685). Sinusoidal loading was used with a ratio of minimum load to maximum load R of 0.1. The incidence of crack closure was examined during fatigue with both direct current potential drop and crack-opening-displacement (COD) methods; COD was found to be more reliable for closure measurement than potential drop. In contract to the fine-grained IMI 318, the coarse-structured IMI 685 showed substantial load transfer across the crack faces during fatigue and this was attributed to mismatch of the fracture faces. It was shown that the large differences in crack growth rate between the two alloys could be substantially accounted for by an effective stress intensity factor range concept. Marked reductions in growth rate produced by variable amplitude loading of the IMI 318 could not be explained in terms of crack closure.


In high power laser system, the wavefront quality of large optic elements in the mid-frequency region plays a critical role in the system performance and safe operation. A simple and efficient measurement method for mid-frequency wavefront error is used, which employs the extended ptychographical iterative engine algorithm and has simple structure, low environment requirement and flexible adjustable frequency ranges. This method has been successfully implemented for the wedge focused lens to achieve accurate mid-frequency measurement. Further it can be extended to a wide range of large optical components, especially for which the wavefronts are not easy to be measured using interferometers.


Nematodes are elongated, multi-cellular, pseudo-coelomic, bilaterally symmetrical invertebrates. Most nematodes live hidden in soil or in plants. Most are plant parasitic. Few have obvious direct effects on humans or their activities. Here we investigated whether or not plant parasitic nematodes exist in the geographically varied areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. For this, five different localities; Dergai, Warsak, Dera Ismail Division, agriculture research institute Tarnab and Peshawar University of KhyberPakhtunkhwa province, were surveyed. Root samples and soil samples from around the roots of tomato, okra, maize and banana plants were collected from all the aforementioned areas. Nematodes were collected and counted from both the soil and from the roots of host plants. Interestingly, we characterized 16 species of plant parasitic nematodes, 11 of which, we reported for the first time in this region. More interestingly, we identified 4 new species, not previously reported in Pakistan. The highest number of species and nematodes as well were found in Dergai, followed by Dera Ismail Khan, Warsak and agriculture research institute Tarnab, while, in Peshawar University, no nematode was found.


Corporate entities enjoy legal subjectivity in a variety of forms, but they are not human beings. This paper explores, from a normative point of view, one of the limits that ought to be imposed on the capacity of corporations to be treated "as if" they had a human nature, their recognition as legitimate bearers of basic human rights. The assertion that corporations, like living persons, are entitled to constitutional protection was famously brought to the fore by a number of recent Supreme Court cases, most notably the Citizens United and the Hobby Lobby cases. In the rational choice analysis that follows this paper concludes that the new jurisprudence emanating from Citizens United may be justified in the relatively insignificant cases of small companies with egalitarian distribution of shares, but ought to be rejected in the more meaningful cases of large public corporations with controlling stockholders. Hobby Lobby, on the other hand, presents a more nuanced dilemma and has some normative advantages that are not apparent in situations resembling Citizens United.


Abstract Male hypogonadism is characterized by symptoms and deficiency (<300 ng/dL) in levels of in total testosterone (TT), a critical hormone for sexual, cognitive, and body function and development. TLANDO, a testosterone undecanoate (TU) comprising lymphatically delivered oral testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) option not requiring dose titration, treatment has demonstrated effective restoration in hypogonadal men of TT levels to the eugonadal range in multiple clinical studies. TLANDO therapy resulted in decreased sex hormone binding globulin with increased free testosterone (FT). TLANDO's unique delivery system enables consistent restoration of TT regardless of meal fat content. Moreover, TLANDO has shown potential to improve liver health through resolution of fatty liver disease in hypogonadal men and is not known to have any adverse liver effects. However, it is unclear if fixed dose TLANDO therapy without dose adjustment improves symptoms of psychosexual functions. The objective is to assess key sexual and mental domain Patient Reported Outcomes (PRO) post 52 weeks of treatment using TLANDO on the to-be-marketed dosing regimen in comparison with a widely used topical TRT, Androgel 1.62%. Data analysis was performed in in hypogonadal males post TLANDO treatment without dose adjustment, and in patients on the active control from a randomized, multi-center, open label, active controlled 52-week trial (SOAR, NCT02081300). Sexual and mental domain function PROs were measured at baseline (BL) and end of study (EOS) using Psychosexual Daily Questionnaire (PDQ) and Short Form (SF)-36 surveys and compared between TLANDO and active control. Post treatment with TLANDO dosing regimen not requiring dose titration, key sexual domain function PROs at week 52 were significantly (p<0.05) improved from BL: positive mood (BL:4.5 vs EOS:5.1, p<0.001), negative mood (1.8 vs 1.4, p<0.01), overall sexual desire (2.5 vs 3.7, p<0.001), sexual activity (2.5 vs 4.0, p<0.001), highest pleasure with partner (2.0 vs 2.8, p=0.06), highest pleasure without partner (1.8 vs 2.4, p<0.05), weekly maintained erection (3.3 vs 4.5, p<0.001), and weekly full erection % (50.5% vs 68.9%, p<0.001). Most sexual and mental function PROs were comparable to Androgel 1.62. TLANDO therapy was well tolerated through 52 weeks of treatment exposure. In conclusion, TLANDO, a novel easy to use and prescribe TRT not requiring dose titration, demonstrated improvement in sexual and mental PROs, a significant unmet need in hypogonadal males. Further placebo-controlled studies are warranted to better elucidate these improvements.


We study the nonlinear dynamics of collective excitation in an N -site XXZ quantum spin chain, which is manipulated by an oblique magnetic field. We show that, when the tilted field is applied along the magic angle, theta_{0}=+/-arccossqrt[13] , the anisotropic Heisenberg spin chain becomes isotropic and thus an freely propagating spin wave is stimulated. Also, in the regime of tilted angles larger and smaller than the magic angle, two types of nonlinear excitations appear: bright and dark solitons.


Objective
To summarize the experience of thoracoscopic patch repair of a giant neonatal congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) under high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV).

Methods
Retrospective reviews were conducted for the clinical records of neonatal CDH undergoing thoracoscopic patch repairing under HFOV. Optimal timing, selection criteria and surgical approaches were systematically summarized.

Results
One fetus with left side CDH, ultrasonically detected in second-trimester, was transferred to our fetal care center and then received standardized perinatal management. Mild pulmonary hypoplasia was diagnosed after evaluating fetal magnetic resonance imaging in late gestation. After immediate intubation, the child was transferred into surgical neonatal intensive care unit with conventional mechanical ventilation. HFOV was applied due to unstable cardiopulmonary status during the second hour of life while pulmonary hypertension was confirmed by echocardiography. Cardiopulmonary status stablized and pulmonary hypertension disappeared after 3 days. A thoracoscopic patch 4-port repair of CDH was performed under HFOV and there was no intraoperative hypercapnia or acidosis. Extubation occurred at the seventh postoperative day and discharged at Day 34 postoperatively. No dyspnea and recurrence was observed during a 3-month follow-up period. No detailed indication for thoracoscopic CDH repair under HFOV was found in four English literature reports.

Conclusions
Thoracoscopic patch repair for CDH under HFOV may be accomplished with a coordination of multi-disciplinary team. And larger series are required for further evaluating its safety.

Key words:
Congenital diaphragmatic hernia; High frequency oscillatory ventilation; Thoracoscopy; Treatment


Using data from G5 developed countries, this paper investigates the impact of the financial crises on the integration of the financial markets. To this end, a modified version of the Fama and French two-factor model (1998) so that the currency risk is incorporated as an additional economic risk factor in the excess return equation, and the model is incorporated as the mean equation of the GARCH model. The results show that the financial markets of the developed markets become more integrated after the financial crises which mean that the diversification benefits are reduced after the financial crises.


The present invention provides substituted acyl anilide compounds and uses thereof for treating various diseases or conditions of a subject, particularly including muscle wasting disease and / or disorders or bone-related diseases and / or disorders.


This article analyzes the relationship between the level of bank risk and equity in Indonesian commercial banks. The 3SLS technique was used in the analysis. The findings indicate the existence of negative relationship between bank risk and equity. Banks assets and the 1997 financial crisis, positively influence the level of bank risk. The level of exchange rate and bank foreign liquidity negatively influence bank equity level. Some of the implications of the research results are the existence of incentives for banks to invest in risky assets without increasing bank equity, showing noncompliance with prudential banking principles. Increased compliance with sound banking principles should be encouraged, augmenting bank capital, and enhancing control over bank involvement in transactions denominated in foreign currency.


Tau neutrinos are expected to comprise one third of both the astrophysical and cosmogenic neutrino flux, but currently the flavor ratio is poorly constrained and the expected flux at energies >100 PeV is low. We present a new concept for a radio detector called BEACON sensitive to tau neutrinos with energies greater than 100 PeV in which a radio interferometer searches for upgoing tau neutrinos from a high elevation mountain. Signals from several antennas are coherently summed at the trigger level, permitting not only directional masking of anthropogenic backgrounds, but also a lower trigger threshold. Simulation studies indicate that a modest array size and small number of stations can achieve competitive sensitivity, provided the receivers are at high enough elevation. As a proof of concept, an array of four 30-80 MHz dual polarized antennas was deployed at the White Mountain Research Station.


I think it was irresponsible of Dr. Zanga to use the bully pulpit afforded him as president of the Academy to initiate a dialogue on Physician-Aid-in-Dying by first invoking the specter of the Holocaust with the Martin Niemoller quote and the reference to the activities of a single deranged pathologist. Physician-Aid-in-Dying has to do with adults, certified to be terminally ill and mentally competent, requesting the aid of their physicians in ending their suffering when pain control and other palliative methods have failed. It has nothing to do with genocide or doctors killing people who don9t want to die.


This paper introduced the present research situation of the service quality of property management both at home and abroad,and made a comparative analysis on the evaluation models for service quality. By using methods of correlation analysis and fact analysis,the paper adjusted these indexes,and formed a final evaluation index system,and validated its credibility and the validity. Finally,it applied the evaluation system to the housing districts of Daxuecheng and Taishan in Xuzhou,put forward several measures to improve service quality of property management during analysis.


What is the purpose of the DARS? The purpose of the DARS service is to provide an independent, confidential and informal route through which disagreements related to Special Educational Needs and provision may be avoided or resolved, BELB, NEELB, SEELB, SELB and WELB Related Information.


This research aims to obtain empirical evidence the influence of competence, motivation, role and work experience on the effectiveness of internal control cooperatives in Semarang either partially and simultaneously. The population in this research are 132 Koperasi Pegawai Republik Indonesia (KPRI) in Semarang in 2017. The sampling technique used is simple random sampling and used sample size with non-statistic technique. With this technique gained as much as 31 sample research of Koperasi Pegawai Republik Indonesia. Collecting data uses questionnaires. While the analysis method used is multiple regression analysis with the analysis tool is SPSS Statistic 23.The results showed that competence and motivation partially have a positive and significant effect on the effectiveness of internal control cooperative. Role and work experience partially failed to show any significant effect on the effectiveness of internal control. While the results of competence, motivation, role and work experience simultaneously have a positive and significant impact on the effectiveness of internal control. The conclusion of the research are obtained evidence that competence and motivation have a positive and significant effect on the effectiveness of internal control. Meanwhile, role and work experience does not have effect on the effectiveness of internal control.


Olfactory esthesioneuroblastomas are relatively well necognized neoplasms with oven 1 00 cases having been descnibed [1 -9]. Still rarer is their initial manifestation with neunologic symptoms [9]. In the reported cases, the neurologic symptoms have been produced by contiguous intracranial spread of the tumor, usually under the frontal lobes. If the three types of esthesioneunoma (esthesioneunoepithelioma, esthesioneunocytoma, and esthesioneunoblastoma) are combined, then six such cases have been reported where the initial manifestation was intracranial tumor [91 3]. However, if only esthesioneuroblastoma itself is considered, then the list is reduced to three [9, 1 2, 13]. A case of a sellan-parasellan esthesioneunoblastoma without involvement of the olfactory apparatus is reported because of its unique location. A brief review of the origin and radiographic features of this neoplasm is presented.


Data are presented on the validity of donating tokens to a charity as a measure of altruism in 45 girls aged 6 to 10 yr. Such measures are shown to relate significantly positively to both teachers' ratings of children's generosity and to sharing candies with a best friend.


Diethyl 4-(benzothiazol-[2-14C]-2-yl)benzylphosphonate ([14C]KB-944), a new calcium antagonist, was prepared from labelled carbon dioxide.

The synthetic intermediate, [14C]p-toluic acid, obtained by the Grignard reaction was condensed with 2-aminothiophenol, brominated with N-bromosuccinimide, and followed by the Arbuzov reaction.

[14C]KB-944, having the specific activity 52.7 mCi/mmol, was obtained in 36% overall yield from [14C] barium carbonate and its radiochemical purity was 99.3% in reverse isotope dilution analysis.


(Re)Entering data from a networked collaborative project exploring how sound operates as a mechanism for attuning towards cultural difference and community literacies, this article examines one primary grade classroom's participation to investigate the rhythmic rituals of 'emergent listening' in early childhood literacy. Thinking with sound studies and more posthuman ways of knowing/being/doing, this article details how the sonic was felt not only as an actor on the scene of young children writing but also as an intra-active agent of what the teacher called 'making space' and community. Exploring 'emergent listening' through a diffractive entanglement of stories and concepts, this paper focus on two pieces of early writing: a digitally produced audio clip and a 'body built' (Ms Lionel's words) tableau depicting the sensorial process and thinking behind children's making moments. The findings highlight how particular actions of emergent listening generated new forms of embodied knowledge-in-motion. Encouraging educators to consider the modal affordances of sound and sonic composition, this article expands definitions of young children composing with material realia and explores how, as this article suggests, emergent listening opens up pedagogical spaces where creative energies are generated and mobilized to bring to fruition an ethico-onto-epistemological world view.


Deinococcus radiodurans is an extremophilic bacterium well-known for its extraordinary resistance to ionizing radiation and other DNA damage- and oxidative stress-generating agents. In addition to its efficient DNA damage repair and oxidative stress resistance mechanisms, protein family expansions and stress-induced genes/proteins are also regarded as important components that add to the robustness of this bacterium. D. radiodurans encodes specific expansions of 13 DinB/YfiT homologs, which is a relatively large number when compared to those found in Gram-positive bacteria. In this study, we investigated the expression profiles of 13 dinB genes after γ-irradiation, mitomycin C and H2O2 treatment. dr0053 had the highest expression levels after DNA-damage inducing γ-irradiation and MMC treatment, increasing ∼200-fold and ∼16-fold, respectively. We also determined the crystal structure of DR0053 at 2.07 A resolution. DR0053 adopted a typical four-helix bundle structure that is characteristic of DinB/YfiT proteins. A putative metal binding site was occupied by zinc even though the highly conserved His triad of DinB/YfiT proteins was replaced by Glu-Asn-His.


Usher's syndrome is responsible for the majority of deaf blindness. It is the most common form of the syndromes associated with retinitis pigmentosa. People with Usher's syndrome represent one sixth of people with retinitis pigmentosa. The prevalence of Usher's syndrome is thought to be 3 cases per 100,000. It is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern. It is divided clinically in to 3 major groups: Type I, Type II and Type III. We hereby report a case of Type II Usher's syndrome.


The recent 9th World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production (WCGALP) was held from 1 to 6 August 2010 in Leipzig, Germany. WCGALP provides an opportunity to take stock of global research efforts involving livestock breeding every four years. The relative contribution that stemmed from scientists in the developing world in relation to the rest of the world, can be assessed simultaneously.


In order to correctly assess the interactions between the electric propulsion subsystem and the spacecraft, modelling tools are necessary to predict effects such as materials sputtering, disturbing forces and torques and contamination. The OHB approach is based on a compromise between using a simplified ray-tracing approach and a more complex hybrid Particle-In-Cell method. This paper details each of the methods and their physical assumptions. Controlling the numerical and physical convergence of the simulation in the case of a PIC method is explained whereas the limitation of the ray-tracing approach is described. The erosion modelling approach used in the industry is discussed in this paper as well as the plume modelling. The main outcome from our work is the confirmation that despite the advantages and shortcomings of the different tools, the quality of the results depends mostly on the choice of input data. Nomenclature r = distance from the thruster exit plane to the far field Te, 0 , e T = Electron temperature, Electron reference temperature ne , n0, nij = density of electrons, density reference of electrons, density of atomic species i α = adiabatic exponent qe = charge on an electron λD = Debye length  , 0  = Potential, Potential reference Cd = Current density dS = Surface crossed by ions I, Irev = Current, Integrated current θ = Angle of rotation φ = Angle around thruster axis ε0 = permittivity of free space kb = Boltzmann's constant Ti = ion temperature χ = ratio of the potential change over electron temperature ξ = ratio linking potential change to the Debye length ζ = criteria linkingχ, ξ and mesh resolution ηa = acceleration efficiency Y = Erosion yield 1 Propulsion and Environment Analysis Expert, Propulsion department, email@example.com 2 Propulsion Analysis Engineer, Propulsion department 3 Propulsion Analysis Intern, Propulsion department 4 Head of propulsion department, Propulsion department


The article is dedicated to the complex consideration of the sociological and demographic portrait of the modern euroscepticism. The author claims that it cannot be explicitly stated that eurosceptics can only form diversified groups, united by the temporal rather than long-term interests. In this context, it is worth mentioning that the very fact of the euroscepticism's existence as a social and political phenomenon was an unclear topic among the academic society for at least last 15 years. For now it's clear that in order to understand the logic of the last political events we need to analyze comprehensively the social structure of the phenomenon. In order to evaluate the core trends of euroscepticism the author also refers to the national statistics data on the public preferences and exit polls from different elections in the EU countries. The above-mentioned approach enabled the author to make the following conclusions. Firstly, the electoral support of eurosceptic parties strongly correlates with the economic position of a voting social group. Secondly, euroscepticism is a popular phenomenon among young men and this fact, supposedly, can also be understood in connection with the previous statement. Thirdly, there is a correlation between euroscepticism and the deep traditions of nationalismб which still matter for a part of the EU middle class. The analysis of the eurosceptic parties' programs showed that there is a huge political division between those parties. For instance, some of them tend to criticize the EU in a comparatively "soft" way, whereas others take a more radical position. At the same time, in some leading EU member states eurosceptics became a significant national force, what puts the question of euroscepticism in the actual agenda of the EU.


For testing the practicability of using portable non_destructive meter of SPAD_502 and Agriexpert PPW_3000 for measuring the chlorophyll and leaf nitrogen changes during leaf autumn senescence, two local species of Syringa oblata, Maackia amurensis and one introduced species from north China, Amorpha fruticosa were measured from late summer (September) to late autumn (October) of 2003 by these SPAD_502, PPW_3000 and standard chemical method. The results showed that: 1) Readings from the two instruments could represent chlorophyll a,b and a+b and nitrogen content per unit leaf area, rather than per unit leaf fresh mass; 2) Although a general linear tendency between readings of PPW_3000 and SPAD_502 and real values of chlorophylls and nitrogen through 3 species was observed (R~ 2 =0.51~0.65),readings from these 2 instruments alone could not effective identify the real difference among these 3 species. Therefore, a calibration line for each species between real values and the readings should be determined in the interspecies comparison; 3)When description of chlorophyll and nitrogen difference in different phases of leaf autumn senescence, two equipments could effectively descript the chlorophyll and nitrogen changes of two local species of S. oblata, M. amurensis (R~20.82). However, they could not make effective description in the case of introduced species of A. fruticosa (R~20.66), and sometimes the correlation was not significant. The reason for this might be attributed to the fact that, comparing with local species, chlorophyll of introduced species didn't degrade simultaneously with leaf autumn senescence and dewatering. Thus, these two instruments are more suitable for measuring local species with simultaneous changes in leaf senescence and chlorophyll degradation; 4)Comparison on the practicability between PPW_3000 and SPAD_502 showed no obvious difference on the description of chlorophylls and nitrogen changes in the case of local species of S. oblata, M. amurensis. However, PPW_3000 showed better description on nitrogen changes of introduced species of A. fruticosa than SPAD_502.


Bongard Problems and Symbolic Approaches: A Skeptical Look Alexandre Linhares (email@example.com) EBAPE/FGV, Praia de Botafogo 190 Rio de Janeiro 22257-970, Brazil Introduction to Bongard Problems Three decades ago the intelligence theorist Mikhail Bongard (1970) posed an outstanding challenge to artificial intelligence, bringing a remarkable set of 100 visual pattern understanding problems where two classes of figures are presented and the pattern recognizer (either a human or a machine) is asked to identify the conceptual distinction between them. Sometimes the classes are opposite in terms of this conceptual distinction, such as large figures versus small figures, and other times there may be properties or relations holding between boxes in one class, but not in the other, such that there is always some aspect to distinguish the classes. Figure 1 displays two very simple Bongard problems. One of the most important characteristics of such problems is that, although humans can generally solve them intuitively, their automation is simply daunting: there is always much relevant information to be perceived and much irrelevant information to be discarded. discard the raw geometrical information in favor of a simple symbolic description, such as that presented? TRIANGLE (coordinates, line_width, … remaining properties) LINE_SEGMENT (coordinates, … remaining properties) Figure 2: Raw geometrical information versus symbolic descriptions. This is the core question of our investigation. We argue that such approach is unattainable, as it leads to the inadequate philosophical grounds of metaphysical realism. Purely symbolic representations are not capable of containing all forms of concepts and categories expressed (and expressible) in Bongard problems. Furthermore, they lead to inadequate architectural models, which can easily be seen to falter (Linhares, 2000; see also Hofstadter 1979, Hofstadter 1995a, Hofstadter 1995b). Finally, we propose that the philosophical grounds sketched in Smith (1984) are sound alternatives to current theory. References Figure 1: Bongard problems BP#91 and BP#38. What abstract aspect distinguishes the boxes on the right (class 1) from the boxes on the left (class 2)? [From M.M. Bongard (1970) Pattern Recognition, Spartan books] A philosophical problem Let us focus on the following issue: suppose that a specific Bongard problem includes the following box shown in figure 2. Would it be appropriate (as done in Saito and Nakano 1994; Saito and Nakano 1995) to Bongard, M.M. (1970) Pattern Recognition, Spartan Books, New York. Hofstadter, D.(1979) Godel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid, Basic Books, New York. Hofstadter, D. (1995a) Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies. New York: Basic Books. Hofstadter, D. (1995b) On seeing A's and seeing As, Stanford Humanities Review, 4, 109-121. Linhares, A. (2000). A glimpse at the metaphysics of Bongard Problems, Artificial Intelligence,121, 251- Saito, K. and R. Nakano (1995), A concept learning algorithm with adaptive search, in: K. Furukawa, D. Michie, and S. Muggleton, Machine Intelligence 14 – Applied Machine Intelligence, pp. 347-363, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Saito, K., and R. Nakano (1994) Adaptive concept learning algorithm, IFIP Transactions A – Computer Science and Technology, 51, 294-299. Smith, B.C. (1996) On the origin of objects, MIT Press, London.


Solar desalination is a rapidly growing field of research. The coming global oil crisis implies that  alternatives  to  the  conventional  desalination plants  based  on  fossil  fuels  must  be  developed.  Solar desalination  can  be  either  direct,  with  collectors and  condensers  integrated  with  each  other,  or  indirect, with condensers externally connected to the condensers. Direct solar desalination requires large land areas and has a relatively low productivity compared to the indirect technologies. It is however competitive to indirect desalination plants in small-scale production due to its relatively low cost and simplicity. Indirect solar  desalination  usually  means  combining  conventional  desalination  techniques,  such  as  MSF,  ME  or RO, with solar collectors for heat generation. The main advantages of the investigation is providing for water purification process in the desert of K.A.S. The paper presents the performance evaluation of one-side vertical solar still tested under desert climatic conditions of K.A.S. Hourly and daily measurements of  still  productivity,  temperatures  of  water  film, glass  cover,  inlet  of  brackish  water  into  solar  still, ambient air temperature and solar radiation were recorded. The highest value of hourly still efficiency is 59 % recorded at 15:30.


and polysaccharides. studied the structure and enzymicsynthesis of fructose oligomers in higher plants,1 ~~8) and morerecently reported the content of sucrosyloligosaccharides in leaves of forb plants in cool temperatures.9) a method for separating isomers by anion-exchange chromatography that will be useful in future studies to determine the role of fructooligosaccharide isomers in the growth of temperate plants.


If we define a wake as a post-burial party where we celebrate the accomplishments and the influence (upon our individual selves) of the deceased, it contrasts sharply with the funeral where we mourn the dead. My problem with Isserman (1993, 1995) is that it is too much of a funeral dirge, aggravated in the last two pages by an unconvincing plea and hope for a resurrec tion. The fact is that Walter Isards dream of a "regional science" was just that, only a dream. Most of the reasons are discussed in the Isserman paper: the early preoccupation with abstraction and measurement and the associated neglect of "real places"; the failure to convince enough young academics from mainstream disciplines that regional science was a safe route to tenure; a preference for technique combined with a distaste, if not a disdain, for policy; and an invasion of the territorial preserve of geographers, giving them the option of reclaiming this temtory by incorporating the techniques and approaches of regional science within the geographical method. In addition, I would emphasize two other important considerations for the failure of a regional "science." First, you cannot build a whole new and sustainable discipline around a concept as narrow and ambiguous as a "region." You can organize a research agenda focused on a region, but not a discipline. Second, even if spatial analysis were a sound organizing principle, the word "regional" in regional science has resulted in a bias that has de-emphasized the metropolitan and urban levels by focusing on macroregions or abstract space. An analysis of the subject breakdown over the years in periodicals such as the Journal of Regional Science makes this very clear. This bias, among other effects, helps to account for the relative neglect


The 1980s in Germany ended in intense political and cultural upheaval. Yet for the majority of the decade, relations between East and West Germany were quite stable. Despite the ascension to power of a conservative West German party that had advocated isolating East Germany in the past, relations between the two states improved markedly during the 1980s. This thesis examines why this occurred, focusing mostly on the period from 1982 to 1987. In particular, questions of nuclear security, individual actions, and financial links are discussed in the context of explaining the German "Coalition of Reason" of the 1980s.


Abstract Coconut groves have been described as important, historic resources of Ghanaian coastal agro-ecological zones. Although some recent surveys have revealed serious declines in coconut groves because of disease, woodcutting, settlement expansion, and coastal erosion, few studies document the situation of coconut groves within the larger socioenvironmental context of the Ghanaian coastal and inland agro-ecosystem. This paper uses an integrated methodology based on time series aerial photographs, ecological and GIS analysis, and age- and gender-based social surveys, to document the cultural biogeography of coconut groves in a case study of coastal Ghana. Although there is evidence of deforestation, moderate coconut conservation was also documented. It is concluded that long-term assessments, including forecasting, are possible if based on an integrated framework. This provides an effective complement for informed policy.


The article introduces a hybrid asynchronous, distributed audio/video group conferencing system. One of the chief benefits of Internet communication systems is that they allow communicators to write messages when they need to, and read messages when they can. However, most theories of interactive technologies suggest that users would achieve more accurate interpersonal perceptions and more efficient work transactions if all visual and auditory nonverbal cues were available via desktop communication systems. Synchronous multimedia communication technologies achieve this, but forego the benefits of store-and-forward and retrieve-on-demand. The technological barrier has been in wedding asynchronous communication to the storage, indexing, and retrieval of sound and video. The paper reviews the literature on the costs and benefits of synchronous and asynchronous interaction, and full- versus partial-cue messaging that prompted development of the system. It also discusses the technological basis of a working prototype asynchronous audio/video (a/v) conferencing system, including its facility for a nonlinear indexing system. Validation tests for the utility of asynchronous a/v that are being conducted are discussed. These address the affective, co-presence, satisfaction, and effectiveness outcomes such a system provides.


Abstract This paper investigates empirically the effect of corruption on countries' economic efficiency. By using a sample of 79 countries for the time period 2000–2006 the paper applies DEA window analysis and econometric panel data techniques. The results reveal that there is a U-shaped relationship between countries' corruption perception levels and economic efficiency. Furthermore, it appears that corruption has a negative effect on countries' economic efficiency. For the first time the turning points of such a relationship are being produced indicating that on average terms and regardless of countries' economic structure, Corruption Perception Index (CPI) above five initiate a positive effect on a countries' economic efficiency.


Sovereign immunity — Foreign States and State-owned corporations — Immunity from pre-judgment attachment of property — Waiver — Requirement that waiver of immunity be express — Whether United States-Iran Treaty of Amity, 1955, constitutes waiver of immunity from pre-judgment attachment — Effect of Presidential Order blocking Iranian assets — Whether depriving Iran of immunity from pre-judgment attachment — Nature of sovereign immunity — Whether a right or merely a privilege accorded by one State to another — The law of the United States


Management of sludge produced in urban sewage filtration plants is essential and inevitable due to great volume of water, contamination with pathogens, organic material and high expenses of such filtrations. Purpose of this research is to evaluate the possibility of using urban sewage sludge in producing light concrete. In order to conduct this study, mouldswith dimensions of 15 x 15 x 15 cm were prepared. In each series of production of light concrete samples, dry sludge was taken from Ghods filtration plant and lime was added to the sludge 24 hours before making concrete samples, in order to increase its pH to 12 and destroy microorganisms. Sludge was used at the weight percentages of 0. 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 of the cement , and the produced concretes were tested for pressure resistance after being processed with the moisture caused from perspiration of the blocks at the ages of 7, 28 and 90 days and determination of the specific gravity.


The following study of the Markan Gethsemane pericope is part of a more ambitious undertaking the purpose of which is to subject to critical analysis the conventional form-critical assumption that there existed prior to the Markan redaction a coherent passion narrative, complete in itself. While form criticism has demonstrated that the bulk of the gospel material is made up of originally isolated tradition units which were not incorporated into a unifying frame until the Markan redaction began to operate, it was also form criticism which singled out the passion story as the one exception to this golden rule of gospel composition. In the words of R. Bultmann: "... Mark was not the first to make a continuous narrative from the individual stories available to him, but he had already before him a Passion story that was a continuous narrative/' As part of a comprehensive reexamination of the origins and nature of the Markan passion narrative, it is with the following questions in mind that we approach our analysis of the Gethsemane pericope. Is it possible to stake out an identifiable pre-Markan Gethsemane tradition ? If so, what would be its religious motivation and kerygmatic markings? To what extent can redactional activity be held accountable for the pericope? Has Mark adopted a tradition without theological reflection of his own, or has he redacted what he inherited so as to give expression to his own concerns and those of his community ? Or is Mark perhaps to be considered the sole creator and composer of the Gethsemane story, relying at best upon a minimal core of tradition ?


Heavy metals concentration in fishes are important indicator geomorphological or environmental integrity in aquatic habitats. Aiming to evaluate metal concentration in fish muscles in Apa River, upper Paraguay basin, we analyzed 124 individuals of eight fish species at Cachoeira do Apa district (Porto Murtinho) from 2013 to 2014 belonging to Brycon hilarii , Leporinus friderici , Megaleporinus macrocephalus , Megaleporinus obtusidens , Piaractus mesopotamicus , Prochilodus lineatus , Pterodoras granulosus and Salminus brasiliensis . The samples were frozen and in the laboratory the musculature was removed, the samples were digested using the triacid method, and later the concentration of heavy metals was quantified in a flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer. There is a significant difference in the concentration of metals in fish (F=27.79, p<0.001). Considering the multivariate comparison o f studied species, we observed that P. lineatus have a more different pattern of metal concentration, with P. granulosus also presenting a different pattern of others species. None species presented the concentration of metals above the limit defined by Brazilian legislation, however, species differed in their metal concentrations according to the position in the water column and feeding, suggesting that the integrated assessment of the concentration of metals may be an indicator of ecological differences in the obtaining of resources by species in aquatic communities. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17807/orbital.v10i1.1040


The conjugated evolvement between land use/cover change (LUCC) and landscape pattern are appeared as their relevancies in space-time scale. In this paper, the data resources are combined the conventional maps and statistics with two temporal TM images in the middle and lower reaches of the Hanjing Basin in 1995 and 2000, and the system analysis are made to the coefficient of land use intensity (the COLUI), composite index of landscape pattern (the CILP), and their changes. The platform of spatial data processing is software ERDAS and ARC/INFO, and the attribute data are calculated with software ACCESS, EXCEL and SPSS. The results of statistical and correlation analysis show the rules of conjugated evolvement between LUCC and landscape pattern, that is, there is a remarkable negative correlation between the COLUI and the CILP in this region. In 1995, the correlation coefficient between the COLUI and the CILP is -0.572 with the confidence level 0.01, it means that the probability of negative correlation is 99%. In 2000, this correlativity is increased, the correlation coefficient is -0.683 with the confidence level 0.001, meaning that the probability of negative correlation between the COLUI and the CILP is 99.9%. The spatial analysis shows that the correlativity is associated markedly with relief types in spatial distribution in the study region. The correlativity between the indexes in the plain and mountainous regions is higher than in the hilly county, meaning that the land use structure and landscape pattern are illogicality. In the hilly county, the COLUI and the CILP are high, but the correlation is illegibility, meaning that the land use structure and landscape pattern are in reason. The temporal analysis shows that the degree of correlation is trended to increase with time.


White matter lesion (WML) is one of the prominent cerebral abnormalities, which indicates the death of white matter of the human brain. Recent studies have shown significant correlation between the brain WML and diseases such as Stroke, Dementia, Parkinson's. Early diagnosis of WML is important to prevent these life-threatening diseases. While Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the brain is frequently used to diagnose white matter lesion (WML) volume, it is impractical for regular screening of a patient because of its high cost and unavailability. Thus, early diagnosis of the WML volume/load becomes extremely difficult, especially in the rural, remote areas and developing countries. Research studies have shown that the changes in the retinal microvascular system reflect the changes in the cerebral microvascular system. Therefore, we have proposed a retinal image-based WML volume and severity prediction model, which is very convenient and easy to operate. Our model can aid the physician in detecting the patients who need immediate MRI screening for a detailed diagnosis of WML. The proposed model uses quantified measurement of retinal microvascular signs (such as arteriovenous nicking (AVN), and focal arteriolar narrowing (FAN) as input, estimates the WML volume/load, and classifies its severity. Our main contributions in this research project is a novel and accurate WML volume and severity prediction model. Our model uses quantified retinal microvascular signs such as FAN and AVN to predict WML volume. Besides the WML prediction model, our research also finds some novel MRI and colour retinal image analysis algorithms such as automatic WML segmentation method and novel and robust FAN and AVN quantification methods. We have evaluated our proposed model on a dataset, consisting of 111 patients, chosen from the ENVISion study, which holds the retinal and MRI images of every patient. Our model shows a high degree of accuracy in estimat-


Sensitive, simple and fast kinetic spectrophotometric method for determination of ascorbic acid has been described. The procedure is based on reduction of iron(III) to iron(II) by ascorbic acid and formation of a complex between iron(II) and 2,2'-bipyridine. Reaction rate was monitored spectrophotometrically by measuring the increase in absorbance of the formed complex at 522 nm. Ascorbic acid was determined using a fixed-time (3 min) method in two concentration ranges: 0.1-15 mg nL - 1 and 20-45 mg mL - 1 ; the corresponding correlation coefficients were 0.998 and 0.999, respectively. Relative standard deviation for 10 replicate determinations of ascorbic acid in 2 mg mL - 1 solution was 0.47% and detection limit equalled 0.032 μg mL - 1 . The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of ascorbic acid in pharmaceutical formulations. Reliability of determination was confirmed applying standard iodimetric method.


Background:  Narcotic bowel syndrome (NBS) describes disabling chronic severe abdominal pain that worsens despite continuing or escalating doses of opiates. Therapy is very limited.


What is one to do with a work whose modest opening lines by the editor proclaim it to be "one of the most crucial documents in European Marxism since … well, since maybe ever"? Almost as if to reinforce this claim, the book comes padded with no fewer than three introductions, three prefaces, and a long epilogue. This alone should alert the unaware reader that the impenetrability of the text is due not to any conceptual profundity — as epigones would have it — but to an unimaginable theoretical confusion. The publisher's PR frontwoman seeks to market Negri as a "Eurocommunist theoretician" jailed for his explosive revolutionary views.


We have reported a study on the non-resonant and resonant third-order nonlinear optical response of a charge-transfer salt (NBu4)2 [Zn(dmit)2] (dmit=2-thioxo-1,3-dithiole-4,5-dithiolate) with fundamental frequency 1064 nm and doubled-frequency 532 nm picosecond pulses. Under 532 nm excitation, the solution exhibits strong saturable absorption (SA) and negative third-order nonlinear refractive index attributed to self-defocusing contrary to that under 1 064 nm excitation; and the nonlinear absorption coefficient β=-2.94 cm/GW. The resonance factor was calculated as 32.2, the third-order nonlinear refractive index in the same conditions enlarge 102 compared with that under 1 064 nm excitation. The molecular second hyperpolarizability γ (esu) at λ=1064 nm and 532 nm is 1.18×10^(-32) and -3.77×10^(-30), which are obtained from the experimental calculated results, respectively. And the sample reveals large optical limiting effect under 1064 nm excitation.


The term "glass ceiling" has been used since the late eighties, to designate an invisible barrier that prevents highly qualified women from reaching positions of responsibility in the organizations they work. (1) At first, this concept was used to analyze the career of women who, having a professional career and a high level of competition in their workplaces, encountered an interference when trying to advance in their careers. (2). The so-called "glass ceiling" refers to a last barrier based on prejudice towards women that prevents them from advancing to high-level positions.Currently, there is almost the same number of men and women affiliated to the Mexican College of Rheumatology (CMR). The position of president is the highest directorial position, we undertook the task of evaluating the percentage of women who have historically held that leadership position.To assess the percentage of woman who have occupied the position of president of the Mexican College of Rheumatology.Observational, cross-sectional study. We evaluated the number of man and women who have historically held the position of president of the CMR.Currently, the CMR has 630 active members, 308 women (48.9%) and 322 men (51.1%). Among rheumatologists younger than 40 years of age, women represent 58% (n=128). We found that historically the CMR has had 48 presidents, of which only 4 (8.3%) are women.There is a big gender gap between presidents of the CMR. It is important to talk about the gender perspective and recognize the causes that have originated this gap. Incorporating the gender perspective in senior management is a pending issue for our CMR.[1]Barberá E, Ramos A, Sarrió M, et al. Laberinto de cristal en el liderazgo de las mujeres. Psicothema 2011;23(2):173-179.[2]Bustos O. Mujeres rompiendo el techo de cristal: el caso de las universidades. OMNIA - Revista de la Coordinación de Estudios de Posgrado 2002(41);1-7.We have no acknowledgements to declare.None declared


As more and more medical practice organizations consider the addition of a Nurse Practitioner on staff, many fears, concerns, and questions arise within the organization, from both staff and patients. This paper addresses those issues and provides suggestions on how to manage the transition.


This paper deals with the calculation of the power-frequency electric field generated by the extra high voltage transmission lines. When the ground surface under the transmission line is not flat, the traditional charge simulation method cannot be used to calculate the electric field. In the paper, we present the use of surface charge method (SCM) for this purpose. A two-dimensional electric field model is established and calculation equations are derived by using the method. The electric field distribution has been analyzed for three types of ground surface. A comparison of the electric field strength 1.5 m above ground surface is included. The results show that the method is applicable to complex landscapes.


This study was conducted to determine whether the plant endogenous antioxidant concentration is responsive to exogenous hormone-containing products (HCPs) in two turfgrass species subjected to drought. Two-week-old seedlings of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) and creeping bentgrass (Agrostis palustris Huds. A.) were treated with two HCPs , seaweed extract (SWE) at 326 g ha-1 or humic acid (HA, 25% a.i.) at 5 L ha-1, applied alone or in combination and grown under either -0.03 or -0.5 MP a soil moisture for 5 wk. Growth and antioxidant status of leaves were determined subsequently. The HCP treatments significantly improved leaf water status (LWS) and shoot and root growth of the grasses grown under high (-0.03 MPa) and low (-0.5 MPa) soil moisture. alpha-Tocopherol concentration increased significantly and ascorbic acid concentration remained unchanged for drought-stressed compared with nonstressed turfgrass. The HCP treatments significantly increased alpha-tocopherol and ascorbic acid concentration of the grasses grown under high and low soil moisture. Positive correlation between antioxidants and shoot or root growth was found in the two grass species. Improvement of growth and LWS of turfgrass treated with HCPs may be related to its high antioxidant concentration.


With the ever increasing popularity of motorcycles as a mode of transport in Malaysia and several other countries in Southeast Asia, numerous of legislation, enforcement and other legal compliance are available to improve their effectiveness toward motorcyclists. The awareness level among motorcyclist toward legal compliance is very important to the motorcyclist to check and balance their knowledge and attitude toward road safety. The main objective on this study is to measure the level of compliance among motorcyclist towards Road Safety Legislations. Furthermore, the common errors done by motorcyclist during riding, and also legal compliance related to motorcycle are discussed in this study. A descriptive and cross sectional study was used to identify the level of awareness among motorcyclist towards legal compliance by using observation and a set of questionnaire. The result from the study revealed that knowledge and attitude among motorcyclists were good toward legal compliance of Road Safety regulations.


The Mississippian Limestone on the shelf margin of the Anadarko Basin in Northern Oklahoma can be a highly productive formation and has had a significant increase in activity during the last 15 years. Well-known tripolitic chert fields have long been exploited on the shelf margin, with areas of the formation with less matrix porosity but significant fracture porosity now being targeted with horizontal drilling. Limestone and cherty limestone can be heavily fractured in this study area. Knowledge of areas with higher fracture intensity can help prioritize wells with increased fracture porosity and permeability.


Context-aware applications that require access to physical space and time are a necessity in cyber-physical systems. We focus on the design of a cyber-physical operating system in which a space-time scheduler is the core-component responsible for resource management. Given a set of space-time tasks and a set of mobile robots that move through physical space, a main objective remains in finding a mapping of tasks to robots. In this paper, we address the problem of scheduling a set of tasks with spatio-temporal constraints in space and time. We present an online-scheduler that computes collision-free spatio-temporal trajectories for the robots in order to execute the space-time tasks. As side condition, collisions with static as well as dynamic obstacles must be avoided at all times. The scheduler consists of two components: a job scheduler that uses a heuristic and performs a coarse-grained scheduling and a trajectory planner that takes the output of the job scheduler and computes spatio-temporal trajectories.


...................................................................................................................................... viii Acknowledgements..........................................................................................x Chapter 1: General Introduction ................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Background ............................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Research Gap .......................................................................................................... 2 Chapter 2: Literature Review ...................................................................................................... 3 2.1 The role of soil in ecosystem functioning ............................................................... 3 2.2 Nutrient requirement and crop growth .................................................................... 7 2.2.1 Nitrogen .......................................................................................................... 9 2.2.2 Phosphorus ................................................................................................... 12 2.3 The impact of industrial agriculture on the ecosystem ......................................... 14 2.4 Farming strategies that promote soil health and nutrient cycling ......................... 16 2.5 The use of rocks in crop production ..................................................................... 18 2.6 Spanish River Carbonatite .................................................................................... 20 2.7 The role of root exudates in mineral acquisition .................................................. 24 2.8 Plant root-microbe interactions exploited in mineral acquisition ......................... 25 2.9 The roles of cover crops in agroecosystems ......................................................... 27 2.10 Legume-Rhizobium symbiosis .......................................................................... 31 Chapter 3: The use of an integrative strategy in enhancing nutrient acquisition and restoring soil health ..................................................................................................................... 32 Chapter 4: Research Design and Methodology ........................................................................ 36


The performance of a single semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA)-based ultrafast nonlinear interferometer that is simultaneously driven by two ultrafast data streams with respect to the timing deviation between these signals and the standard clock input is theoretically studied and investigated. For this purpose, a numerical model is applied to simulate the operation of the specific module in pattern-operated dual rail-switching mode and under the presence of such imperfect synchronization. The thorough analysis and interpretation of the obtained results allows one to evaluate the impact of this temporal offset on the achievement of both bitwise logical correctness and high quality at the output. In this manner, the conditions that it must necessarily fulfill are derived and the dependence of its permissible margin and accordingly the way the latter can be extended is revealed, while its optimal amount for maximizing the defined metric is quantified by the difference between the orthogonal polarization clock components' relative walk-off and the control pulse width. These findings can help compensate for the existence of this effect as well as strengthen the tolerance against it so that it can be properly handled in the context of the considered type of SOA-based interferometric switch.


Abstract Hurricane Sandy damaged or destroyed 76,000 buildings with over 300,000 housing units; nine percent of the total housing in New York City. Sandy also damaged 405 New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) buildings, affecting 35,000 units. Affected residents were forced to move in with family, temporary housing, or endured long periods without heat or electricity, as most building systems were located in flooded basements. Additionally, workers, volunteers, and residents who engaged in cleanup were potentially exposed to raw sewage, mold, asbestos, lead, dust, carbon monoxide, as well as electrocution; slips, trips, and falls; and construction-related safety hazards. Stress and trauma were also significant. These exposures may cause death, disease, and injury. The need to provide protection programs and effective training crosses a number of populations including day laborers, volunteer groups, and residents who are involved in cleanup and rebuilding. The National Institute of Environmental Health S...


It can be assumed that the main objective of the tax policy – both from the macro- and microeconomic perspective – is the implementation of the fiscal function of taxes, consisting in the accumulation of tax revenues to fulfil the tasks and functions of public finance sector entities. Tax revenues are used to finance budget transfers, e.g. to the public sector, while affecting the allocation processes between taxpayers and the public finance sector. Taxes and the tax system also perform non-fiscal functions of taxation, influencing – inter alia, through tax allowances and tax exemptions – the implementation of various stimulus, economic and social objectives (often overextended and mutually contradictory). An example of non-fiscal goals of taxation is the use of tax instruments to influence changes in the economic or social structure at the municipality level. The amount of revenue obtained by municipalities from local government taxes and fees in Poland was influenced by the tax policy pursued by municipalities and the resulting reduction of the maximum tax and fee rates, which are tools for supporting local systemic development.


This article exemplifies a mode of analysis in which the novel is read as a practice of self-making under decolonization. The argument is illustrated through attention to Lee Kok Liang's novel London Does Not Belong to Me. Written describing Lee's experiences as a Malayan law student in London in the 1950s, the novel was published posthumously in Malaysia fifty years later. Comparison of the published text with Lee's journal of his student days enables a careful study of the process of the novelization of the self as an example of larger processes of subjectification through authorship in the process of decolonization, and in the creation of elite citizen-subjects in the nation-state of Malaya and its successor states of Malaysia and Singapore.


Modern data analysis applications are driven by the Network databases. They are pushing traditional database and data warehousing technologies beyond their limits due to their massively increasing data volumes and demands for low latency. There are three major challenges in working with network databases: interoperability due to heterogeneous data repositories, proactively due to autonomy of data sources and high efficiency to meet the application demand. This paper provides the two ways to meet the third challenge of network databases. This goal can be achieved by network database administrator with the usage of PL/SQL blocks and bind variable. The paper will explain the effect of PL/SQL block and bind variable on Network database efficiency to meet the modern data analysis application demand.


An offline routing and wavelength assignment method applied in hierarchical wavelength division multiplexing networks was proposed.The algorithm is called offline band priority algorithm(or offline BPA).The offline BPA targets to maximize the number of waveband paths under the condition of minimum number of wavelengths,and solves the RWA problem with waveband grooming to reduce cost.On the basis of circle construction algorithm,waveband priority function was introduced to calculate the RWA problem.The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm achieves significant cost reduction in WDM network construction.


Background: Bennett lesions are often observed in throwing athletes, and, although usually asymptomatic, they can sometimes become painful and disturb an athlete's throwing ability. Because it is clinically difficult to determine whether a Bennett lesion is symptomatic or whether pain is from another lesion, the outcome of surgical treatment is variable. Hypothesis: Arthroscopic resection of Bennett lesions diagnosed according to our criteria and arthroscopic treatment of associated lesions performed simultaneously were effective for treatment of baseball players with symptomatic Bennett lesions. Study Design: Prospective cohort study. Methods: The following criteria for diagnosis of a symptomatic Bennett lesion were used to identify 16 baseball players who later underwent arthroscopic removal of the symptomatic Bennett lesion (arthroscopic Bennett-plasty): 1) detection of a bony spur at the posterior glenoid rim on radiographs; 2) posterior shoulder pain during throwing, especially in the follow-through phase; 3) tenderness at the posteroinferior aspect of the glenohumeral joint; and 4) relief of pain by injection of local anesthesia. Results: After a minimum follow-up of 1 year, there was no tenderness at the posteroinferior aspect of the glenohumeral joint in any of the patients. Throwing pain disappeared in 10 shoulders and was mitigated in 6 shoulders. Eleven patients returned to baseball at their previous level of competition. Conclusions: Accurate diagnosis and minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery are important for appropriate treatment of baseball players with symptomatic Bennett lesions.