This article is an exploratory analysis of the use of GPS for the study of visitors' behaviour in an open space. The Boi Valley is an open space that offers important tourism resources, so that the study of visitors' paths permits to analyse the response to many different stimulus. The results show that the use of GPS in open spaces give information of the social use of the tourism space and allows to use new forms of analysis.


Knowledge acquisition methodology is moving away, from reliance on the knowledge engineer, as a skilled interviewer, to the development of task and model driven tools, such as Mole [3], [5], Opal [6], More [5] and Knack (31. Such tools, based on strong domain models, are very useful in well structured areas such as medicine [6]. Our project investigates a more general approach based on the decomposition of expertise into generic tasks as advanced by [2], and the epistemological (four layer) description of conceptual/interpretation models of expertise in the KADS methodology [ l ] .


Simone Chambers Jeffrey Kopstein What is civil society? Today almost everyone agrees that civil society refers to uncoerced associational life distinct from the family and institutions of the state. Civil society is also often thought to be distinct from the economy. Where to draw the line, however, is a matter of some dispute. Some thinkers, particularly liberals and especially libertarians (Walzer 2002; Lomasky 2002) include the economy in civil society. Others, especially but not exclusively those on the left, exclude the economy (Cohen and Arato 1992; Keane 1998). Still others include economic relations only to the extent that they are folded into associational life, so for example, professional associations and trade unions might be included but GE or Microsoft are not (Post and Rosenblum 2002).


The research-based teaching of intensive reading combines classroom teaching with after-class practice,teacher's leading with students' self-study,and textbook reading with supplementary reading.This paper discusses the connotation and the theoretical basis of research-based teaching,analyzes the necessity of implementing research-based teaching in the course of intensive reading and exemplifies the teaching models,aiming to improve the teaching of intensive reading.


In today's increasingly fierce international competition,in order to reduce business costs and promote environ-mental protection,recycling will become a key issue for enterprise logistics.In this paper,the significance of recycling in enter-prise logistics is explained,and introduced the current situation and the improvement of recycling in the Chinese Enterprise.


Hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD) is a severe complication of neonatal asphyxia that contributes significantly to neonatal mortality, cerebral palsy, and delays in intellectual and motor development. Neuropeptide S (NPS) plays a role in the regulation of various physiological processes.
 This study aimed to determine the morphological localization of NPS in hypothalamic target neurons during HIBD, providing a basis for further investigation of HIBD. Seven-day-old SD neonatal male rats were assigned to a sham group and a model group to establish the HIBD model. Then, the rats
 in the model group were further averagely divided into the NPS group and the normal saline group. Immunohistochemical staining of Fos immunoreactivity (Fos-IR) found that NPS administration resulted in a significant increase in the count of Fos-IR neurons in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (122%),
 paraventricular nucleus (108%), dorsal tuberomammillary nucleus (174% and 386%), ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (116%), arcuate nucleus (167%), perifornical nucleus (320%), ventral tuberomammillary nucleus (441%), and lateral hypothalamic area (278%) (P < 0.0001), compared to
 the normal saline group. During HIBD, NPS can protect the above neurons and activate the above target neurons in the hypothalamus to participate in the sleep and wake cycle, mood, diet, circadian rhythm, temperature and neuroendocrine regulation.


Abstract Discommensurations in the incommensurate phases of Rb2ZnCl4 and quartz were observed by electron microscopy and their structural properties were studied. Dynamics of stripples and 'dislocations' of discommensuration lattices during the lock-in phase transition was directly observed and analysed.


National Center General Hospital Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo is one of the hospitals whose services haveused Hospital Management Information System (SIMRS). The SIMRS used in RSCM is called the ElectronicHealth Record (EHR). In its application, there were still obstacles that made the staff less satisfied with theEHR, one of which was the loading of the EHR. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the EHR in termsof user satisfaction using the PIECES method (performance, information, economic, control, efficiency,service). This type of research is qualitative research, by describing the results of interviews andobservations that have been conducted by researchers and assessed by the PIECES method. Respondentsin this study were 1 filling officer, 1 reporting officer, 1 warehouse officer, and 1 expedition officer. The resultsobtained in this study are that the EHR performance has produced data according to user needs and thereis still a fairly long loading. EHR is able to provide quality information that is easily understood and has beenintegrated with BPJS. that the EHR can produce data according to user needs and the EHR still needs timeif the officer inputs or loads. The EHR has a use value because it is integrated with BPJS Health and alsohas an EHR officer or improvement team. EHR users feel that having an EHR makes it easy for EHR userswhen performing health services such as searching for patient files and making reports. The conclusion isthat the EHR makes it easy for users to do their work. Suggestions given by researchers are to the UMSI toupdate the EHR and perform maintenance on the system and hardware.


The new genus is here proposed for six new species. Species belonging to this genus share dark spots and stripes with metallic shine on dorsal surface of abdomen, connexivum, intersegmental area of ventral abdomen and thorax; they also have distal ventral margin of proctiger projected posteriorly as a lip, and a dorsoposterior carina. Species are distributed in Guyana, French Guiana, Brazil and Peru. The species were illustrated and photographed. A key and distribution map for the species are also provided.


Currently, in this country solid fuel at industrial thermal power plants, as a rule, is burned by a layer or flaring method in boilers with generation of steam which is directed to a steam turbine. This technology of generating thermal and electrical energy is characterized by relatively low efficiency and significant emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere. At the same time, the use of solid fuel in industrial energy with its preliminary gasification can significantly increase the efficiency of electricity generation and at the same time reduce the negative impact on the environment. The results of an analytical comparison of two schemes to use solid fuel in industrial energy are used as the material of the research. These two schemes are a traditional scheme and an alternative one based on its preliminary gasification. In this paper, to assess the effectiveness of the schemes under consideration, the scientific methodology of system analysis is applied. It allows us to consider any energy object as a unified system consisting of interrelated elements. The system analysis is carried out based on mathematical modeling of the technological process to obtain thermal and electrical energy. A complex balance mathematical model of an industrial thermal power plant with preliminary coal gasification is developed. The results of calculation using a mathematical model have shown that the construction of industrial combined‒cycle thermal power plants with preliminary coal gasification instead of traditional steam turbine ones will increase the key indicator of the energy efficiency of thermal power plants, coefficient of fuel utilization from 60 to 74 %. Based on the methodology of system analysis, an optimal thermal scheme of an industrial combined-cycle thermal power plant with preliminary coal gasification has been developed. Numerical values of the basic operating conditions of the thermal power plants and energy efficiency indicators have been determined using a mathematical model. The use of solid fuel at industrial thermal power plants with its preliminary gasification is a very promising direction to develop industrial energy in Russia since this method to extract the bound chemical energy of solid fuel can significantly increase the fuel utilization coefficient and the production of electrical energy and at the same time reduce emissions of contamination material into the atmosphere


Hormonal metabolic function in idiopathic scoliosis was examined, obtaining the following summaries:1) Rhorer index pattern in the cases with scolisosis indicated that the cases in idiopathic group showed a tendency of emaciation.2) The results of the tests for endocrine function (B. M. R., Growth Hormone, Pituitary Gonadotropin, 17-OHCS level, Metopriron test, ACTH test, Blood sugar controll test) suggested that in the cases with idiopathic scoliosis there exists a hypofunction in the hypothalamo-hypophyseal system.


Targum Onqelos adopts a sequential approach to rendering of biblical poetry: even the passages that have been completely paraphrased imitate the parallelism membrorum structure, and supplementary words and clauses are well-fitted into the parallel verse scheme. Only a small number of passages may be defined as quasi-poetical forms which combine poetry with prosaic elements. On the other hand, the targumic parallel verse structure differs from its biblical counterpart in some syntactic details. This type of modified verse structure is inherent in the targums only, and may be considered as a specific kind of poetry in Aramaic.


For many years there have been differences of opinion concerning the part played by the environment in the evolution of life and the formation of new species and varieties. Some biologists would deny 'that the environment has any influence on the formation of species and the evolution of life; while others, notably the paleontologists, affirm that the environment is 'the chief factor and that the great changes in species and higher groups which have taken place during the millions of years that the existing life has been developing have been largely due to the great changes in the earth-the environment-which occurred synchronously with the biological changes. Some naturalists still believe that acquired characters are inherited. While most biologists now admit that it is the germ plasm that transmits new characters through the genes of the chromosomes, it is held by many zoologists and paleontologists that, while the heredity characters are transmitted through these determinators, the environment provides a directive stimulus which in some manner shapes the new organism so that it is in harmony with its environment. Paleontologists who have studied the great changes that have taken place during the long period of geological time, and field zoologists who have observed the multitude of living things in their diverse environments, cannot but believe that the environment has played a large part in the production of this infinite variety of living organisms. Geneticists and others who confine their studies to laboratory experiments on a few animals, usually under abnormal conditions of environment, are not in as good a position to judge of the effect of environmental changes as are the students who have spent years in comparative field observations. The truth of the matter is probably best expressed in a recent statement that the " environment permits and directs evolution but does not cause it " (Coe, '24, p. I47). Some zoologists-especially ecologists-may affirm that the environment, in directing evolution, does in fact cause the change, as for example, when a


This paper presents the design and development of a structural health monitoring (SHM) system specifically tailored for transportation infrastructure components such as bridges. If focuses mainly the application of statistical machine learning (ML) algorithms to classify deformation datasets of a bridge. A model of a steel bridge was constructed and contactless sensors were placed to collect deformation data. Four loads were applied at each of the pre-defined four locations identified to represent heavy loads across the real bridge. Computer simulation in ANSYS and application of gradient boosting neural networks were performed to produce a comparative and predictive analysis of the behavior of transportation infrastructures, which can be used to understand the health of the structure and make informed decisions. Deformation levels at 100 critical locations on the bridge model were collected in each experiment by using sensors. The experiments were repeated to get average data for processing. Python programming language was used for coding and the analysis was performed in a Google Collaboratory Notebook. Development and training of the models were done using the Pycaret, which is a Python based framework that supports a variety of ML tools. Performance of each ML technique was evaluated by means of the accuracy. The final is capable of simulating multiple load conditions on structures, identifying possible failure points, and detecting and predicting failure scenarios. Both hardware and software implementations of a model of a bridge were performed as a pilot project to validate the proposed system.


This work intend to provide an overview of some implementation aspects of Design of Testability through Level Sensitive Scan Design (LSSD) Techniques in two different IC designs developed by the IC Design Group at IBM Brasil Hardware Technology Center. Aspects include LSSD Design Methodology, test pin overhead, logic overhead, fault coverage, and test generation effort.


Oral health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate oral health decisions. Studies have revealed that literacy skills are strong predictor of individual's health status than age, income, employment status, education level, and racial or ethnic group. Dentist and dental staff are in unique position to help patients with low oral or general health literacy, thus empowering them to play active role in their oral healthcare. This review article introduces some of the key concepts and practical aspects of oral health literacy.


Nano-fertilizer has been dubbed 'the fertilizer of the 21st century', and it is already being used extensively in agriculture. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) have excellent biological properties and are expected to be an ideal choice for plant zinc fertilizer. Tea is one of the top three beverages in the world, and improving the quality of tea is a priority in its research field. In this study, different concentrations (0, 10, 50, 100, 150, and 200 mg·L−1) of ZnO-NPs were sprayed on tea leaves to investigate their effects on volatile aroma substances and biochemical aspects of tea leaves. The results revealed that various concentrations of ZnO-NPs had different effects on physiological indexes. The concentration of 150 mg·L−1 of ZnO-NPs enhanced chlorophyll content, while the 100 mg·L−1 concentration of ZnO-NPs promoted the accumulation of soluble proteins and the activity of antioxidant enzymes, including a decrease in the content of malondialdehyde. In addition, the ZnO-NPs spray reduced the content of tea polyphenols. A total of 27 volatiles were identified under six treatments, with benzene being the common compound with an average content of 45.97%. Ethanolamine and cis-3-hexenyl acetate were the other two major compounds. It was concluded that the presence of ZnO-NPs improved the antioxidant system of teas, increased soluble protein content and provided better reactive oxygen species protection for plants, especially in the case of ZnO-NPs at 100 mg·L−1. We highlighted that ZnO-NPs application was a favorable way to improve tea trees growth.


The strategy of buying and holding "net nets" has been advocated by deep value investors for decades, but systematic studies of the returns to such a strategy are few. We detail the returns generated from a net nets strategy implemented from 1984 - 2008, and then attempt to explain the excess returns (alpha) generated by the net nets strategy. We find that monthly returns amount to 2.55%, and excess returns using a simple market model amount to 1.66%. After controlling for a variety of risk factors and firm characteristics, and imposing several filters, we find a remaining significant excess return.


The present invention provides a three-dimensional image display apparatus and a driving method. 3D image display apparatus includes a panel, a barrier panel, the image collector and a timing controller. The panel comprising a plurality of left-eye pixels and a plurality of right-eye pixels. Barrier panel disposed at a front surface of the panel, and includes a light transmission region and a light blocking region. Image of the target image collector to collect. The timing controller using the image provided view map correction mode and storing the view map, and 3D viewing mode, determines which viewing area of the target located in the 3D image a plurality of viewing regions and are generated according to the determination result of driving a barrier panel the barrier control signal.


Review(s) of: Diggers, constables and bushrangers: The New Zealand gold rushes as a frontier experience, 1852-1876, by John Milton Hutchins, Lakewood, Colorado: Avrooma Apfelwald Press, 2010. Pp. i-xii, 284, including illustrations. ISBN 978-1-933933-03-0.


In this paper, we propose an area and power efficient pipeline FFT processor for 8×8 MIMO-OFDM systems. The proposed FFT processor is based on mixed-radix multipath delay commutator (MRMDC) architecture in terms of low complexity and high memory utilization. A conventional MRMDC FFT processor increases hardware scale due to delay commutators which are used to change the order of the input sequences. The proposed FFT processor employs pre- and post-commutators which can reduce delay elements and cooperate with other MIMO-OFDM processing blocks. The designed 128-point FFT processor reduced 49% in logic gate count and 67% in power dissipation on 90-nm CMOS technology.


Ecophysiological stimulators directly affect root morphology, especially in the embryonic stage. To enhance crop germination, an understanding of the root traits under abiotic inducers is needed. In this study, the combined impacts of white and red-blue light spectrums, cold stratification, and seed fortification involving various concentrations of bioactive chemicals namely simple nutrient addition program solution, gibberellic acid, α-naphthaleneacetic acid with thiamine hydrochloride were evaluated on loose-leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. Altima) seedling root architecture. The growth-promoting effects of these nutrients varied the growth rate and morphology of roots which are immediately shown during the radicle development. Integrated computer vision and computational intelligence were employed for phytomorphological signatures extraction of seedlings that were cultivated in a customized modulable spectrum experimental chamber (MSPEC). Root phenotype model was developed using graph-cut segmentation and region properties, and the ideal germination nutrient concentration was optimized using bioinspired models with firefly algorithm optimal result of 204.1 mg/L for nitrate, 238.15 mg/L for phosphate, and 158.08 mg/L for potassium. It was verified that lettuce seedlings can endure highly concentrated nutrients, however, it is more sensitive to phosphate as this macronutrient significantly promotes root growth with the increased whorl number on white light spectrum exposure with cold stratification.


The notion of American Nation has been developed using the images of the Founding Fathers, how they acted and thought the nation, based on their own values. According to this so-called "American's Creed", American society would be different and superior to the others, due to the fact that it was built by those who desired to be separated from the European Society and developed a Christian view of a "light


The mission of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals in North America, established in 1951, was updated in 1994 to identify performanceoriented goals for optimal healthcare delivery.1 The Commission evolved from assessing and mastering methods of quality assurance (QA) to focusing on quality improvement (QI). It has only been in the past 15 years that experts in the most advanced healthcare systems of the developed world have developed quality indicators for optimal IBD care.2– 4


A study on microwave assisted extraction (MAE) for berberine in Mahonia bealei was carried out in batch equipment. The mechanism of the extraction related to structural changes in the glands was discussed. The extracts were analyzed at 347nm by ultraviolet visible spectrophotometry. The parameters such as the solvent types, the intensity of microwave energy, the ratio (g/mL) of material to solvent volume were studied. The efficiency of microwave assisted extraction of different humidity material was investigated and optimized by means of the three factor and three level factorial design. Electron micrographs showed the mechanism of the extractions was related to structural change of the cells.


The Elusive Sovereign Philip Pettit | University of Toronto Law "Does a conception of the law like H.L.A.Hart's allow us to postulate a sovereign in the legal regime? Is it consistent with thinking that there is one supreme authority over the law? Or does his decentered model of the polity make no room for the idea of sovereignty? Surprisingly, it turns out that the idea of sovereignty can find a natural home within a mixed or decentered set of legal arrangements."


Highly porous functional materials such as membranes, bone-like composites with multimodal pore distribution or porous magnetic ceramics are of great interest due to their properties. In this work we studying a number of porous structures with typical pores size from tens nanometers to several micrometers by means of focused ion beam (FIB) nano-tomography. In this particular case SEM images of SPS-sintered Fe2O3 ceramic were obtained using an Helios NanoLab 450S (FEI, The Netherlands) with accelerating voltage of 1 to 5 kV and beam current 100 pA. To obtain information about the internal structure of the samples we carried out studies using the FIB technique. The focused Ga-ion beam allows to get precision cuts with step up to few nanometers [1]. To create three-dimensional reconstructions the FIB tomography technique was used. Series of slices were obtained automatically via FEI Auto Slice and View G3 software. The number of slices was about 200 300, with approximately slice thickness of 10-50 nm. Further, the resulting series were processed with FEI Avizo 9.1 software, which allows image processing, reconstruction and analysis of 3-d data. As a result, we can reconstruct three-dimensional internal structure of pores network. This helps to characterize the pores organization, their size distribution, anisotropy and connectivity.


With the continuous development of national economy, the problems of energy consumption are becoming more and more prominent. Similarly, the energy efficient scheduling problem in manufacturing has attracted much attention of the researchers. Some flow-shop scheduling problems have made progress on energy saving, but the research on hybrid flow shop with blocking constraint(BHFSP) is very few. Due to its NP-hard characteristic, in this paper, we suggest a mathematical model of BHFSP and a meta heuristic method named quick iterative greedy algorithm (IGQ) to solve this problem. Compared with other existing IG algorithms, for BHFSP, three main contributions of the IGQ are described as follows: First, we use the MME to initialize the solution. Second, we develop a quick local perturbation strategy to ensure the convergence of the algorithm. Third, a quick global perturbation strategy is proposed to guarantee the diversity of the algorithm. Computational results and comparisons verify the effectiveness of proposed algorithm IGQ for solving BHFSP.


A generalized mathematical model for current‐controlled fractional‐order memory elements is introduced in this work. The model characterizes constant‐phase elements (CPEs) when its nonlinearity parameter is zero ( k=0 ); otherwise ( k≠0 ), it characterizes three main types of fractional‐order memory elements (memristor, meminductor, and memcapacitor). Time‐domain analyses of the voltage and energy relations of the model are derived and verified via numerical and circuit simulations. Some new deductions on the effects of the respective fractional‐order values are recorded: Each fractional‐order element transposes into their corresponding resistive or memristive properties as their fractional‐order values are varied; the meminductor's voltage response have undesired initial trails due to the fractional differentiator; the hysteresis loop of the meminductor is only pinched when its fractional‐order values are unequal. A new CPE emulator circuit is designed, and a generalized memelement emulator is also designed and verified in PSpice circuit simulator: Circuit simulation results confirm the numerical analysis in all cases.


Microbes mediating biological and many geochemical processes are the key components in marine ecosystems. In this chapter, we provide information on spatiotemporal variations in heterotrophic bacterial (Hbac) abundance and production in three ecologically disparate regions: Arabian Sea (AS), Bay of Bengal (BoB), and equatorial Indian Ocean (EIO). In the AS, Hbac abundances were the largest during fall intermonsoon (FIM) (0.35―1.51 × 10 9 L ―1 ), moderate during southwest monsoon (SWM) (0.20―0.45 x 10 9 cells L ―1 ), and least during northeast monsoon (NEM) (0.05―0.35 × 10 9 L ―1 ). Bacterial production (BP), ranging from 2.86 to 22.93 mg C m ―3 d ―1 , was the highest during spring intermonsoon (SIM) when autotrophic production was the least. In the BoB, Hbac abundance was more during FIM (0.07―1.85 x 10 9 L ―1 in the 0- to 120-m column) and lower during SIM (0.02-0.36 × 10 9 L ―1 ). Spatial and temporal variations were clearly seen in BP too, which was higher during SWM (0.18―6.75 mg C m ―3 d ―1 ) and NEM (0.35―18.56 mg C m ―3 d ―1 ), moderate during FIM (0.01―4.19 mg C m ―3 d ―1 ), and least during SIM (0.001―2.49 mg C m ―3 d ―1 ). Annual BP accounted for up to 56% of primary production (PP) in the BoB. Despite the lowest Hbac abundance and production, BP:PP ratios were high in the oligotrophic EIO. As evidenced from sizable Hbac carbon biomass and from the often high BP:PP ratios (≥1.0), Hbac-biogeochemical and trophodynamic processes are very important in some regions/seasons of low autotrophic production.


PBTI stress induced interface trap density in buried InGaAs channel n-MOSFETs with InGaP barrier layer and AI2O3 dielectric is investigated. DC Id-Vg measurements show both degradations of positive ΔVg and sub-threshold swing (S) in the sub-threshold region, also show degradation of positive ΔVg in the on-current region. The Id-Vg degradation is mainly contributed by generation of acceptor-like near interface traps under stress.


Vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) nanofibers (VNF) were synthesized through a simple electrospinning method, and their application as supercapacitor electrodes demonstrated. The effect of annealing temperature on the microstructure and morphology of VNF was investigated systematically through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area measurements. Electrochemical properties of the synthesized products as electrodes in a supercapacitor device were studied using cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge/discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in aqueous electrolyte of different pH and also in an organic electrolyte. The highest specific capacitance was achieved for VNF annealed at 400 °C, which yielded 190 F g−1 in aqueous electrolyte (2 M KCl) and 250 F g−1 in organic electrolyte (1 M LiClO4 in PC) with promising energy density of 5 Wh kg−1 and 78 Wh kg−1 respectively.


A paper deals with the urgent problem of studying the separation process of gas flow from fine-dispersed particles. A device developed to intensify gas flow separation from fine-dispersed particles. The principle of operation of the device is given. The effect of the shape of separation elements, gas flow velocity, as well as size and density of particles on device efficiency, has been investigated. As a result of the study, the maximum efficiency of gas flow separation (on average 85%) is achieved at a gas velocity of 8 m/s. Moreover, the separation increases when the density and diameter of the particles begin to grow. The double-T shape of separation elements was demonstrated as the most effective type of geometry.


Molecular immunology has served to better characterize the molecular defects underlying the two principal inherited abnormalities of Factor VIII-classic hemo philia and von Willebrand's disease. Of particular significance has been the ability of specific antibodies to detect Factor VIII molecules that are partially or totally deficient in their procoagulant activity. Such antibodies have served as molecular probes to establish the presence of a functionally defective Factor VIII molecule in classic hemophilia, in contradistinction to the true quantitative deficiency of the Factor VIII molecule in von Willebrand's disease. Appropriately characterized antibodies may serve as biological probes of fine molecular structure and can be utilized to discriminate between various intramolecular lesions. Thus it has been possible to identify one form of hemophilia in which absence of Factor VIII procoagulant activity is nevertheless accompanied by retention of antigenic determi nants apparently associated with the functional site. This contrasts with a second, more common, and usually more severe form of hemophilia, in which these func tional site-associated antigenic expressions are lost or modified in concert with the molecular change(s) associated with this form of functionally defective Factor VIII molecule. The application of serologic and more sophisticated immunochemical techniques has identified a molecule that is decreased or absent from plasma in von Wille brand's disease. This molecule, variably referred to as Factor VIII-like antigen or von Willebrand's disease antigen, is present in hemophilia in quantities comparable to that found in normal plasma. This von Willebrand's disease antigen, although biologically linked to Factor VIII in an as yet unestablished fashion, nevertheless appears to be distinct from the molecule possessing Factor VIII procoagulant


The architecture of a scalar-systolic array processor which is suitable for image processing is presented. Unlike other attached array processors, the systolic array in the design is an integral part of the main processor. The systolic portion of the processor is treated as an array of arithmetic logic units (ALUs), and it is controlled in very much the same way as a scalar ALU. The goal of this project is to design a novel processor that is capable of real-time image processing using off-the-shelf components. The architecture and the performance of this machine are discussed.<<ETX>>


Inversions in small finite fields are the most computationally intensive field arithmetic and have been playing a key role in areas of cryptography and engineering. The main algorithms for small finite field inversions are based on Fermat's little theorem, extended Euclidean algorithm, Itoh-Tsujii algorithm and other methods. In this brief, we present techniques to exploit special irreducible polynomials for fast inversions in small finite fields (2 ) n GF , where n is a positive integer and 0 16 n   . Then, we propose fast inversions based on Fermat's theorem for two special irreducible polynomials in small finite fields, i.e. trinomials and All-One-Polynomials (AOPs). Trinomials can be represented by polynomials 1 n m x x   and AOPs can be represented by polynomials 1 ... 1 n n x x     , where m is a positive integer and 0 m n   . Our designs have low hardware requirements, regular structures and are therefore suitable for hardware implementation. After that, our designs are programmed in Very-High-Speed Integrated Circuit Hardware Description Language (VHDL) by using integrated environment Altera Quartus II and implemented on a low-cost Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The experimental results on FPGAs show that our designs provide significant reductions in executing time of inversions in small finite fields, e.g. the executing time of inversion in 7 (2 ) GF is 18.80 ns and the executing time


The chair of the panel, Professor Alina Miron, asked Professor Oxman to address the following: Undoubtedly the first use of the mechanism of compulsory conciliation under Annex V of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea by Timor-Leste was a tremendous success, though not devoid of obstacles. What are the lessons that can be learned from this first experience? How different from the judicial mechanisms were the Commission's functions and procedures?


Since issued Government Regulation No. 10 of 1961 jo Government
Regulation No. 24 of 1997 on Land Registration, as the basis for the
implementation of Article 19 paragraph (1) Law No. 5 Year 1961 About the Basic
Regulation of Agrarian Affairs stated that in order to ensure legal certainty by the
government held registration land throughout the territory of the Republic of
Indonesia. However, in in fact the last 5 (five) decades of land registration in
Indonesia has only reached 30 percent of Indonesia. In accordance Presidential
Regulation Number 10 Year 2006 National Land Agency commissioned to do
governmental affairs in the area of land, among other things continue the
operation of the acceleration of land registration. One way of acceleration of land
registration is through the activities of Land Administration, (formerly known as
the PRONA). For 2009 the target implementation of Land Management, in South
Sulawesi province as much as 23,120 field that is divided into 20 (twenty) district,
specifically for the Palopo Land Office targeted areas as high as 1300. But
according to the physical and financial report of Regional Office of the National
Land Agency of the Republic of Indonesia South Sulawesi until the end of
December surrender the certificate through the activities of Land Management, in
2009 only reached 579 field or 44.54%.
This research uses descriptive method of analysis with a view to
seeking in-depth description of the acceleration of land registration policy
implementation through the activities of Procedure of the Land. In this research to
obtain data is done by observation, documentation and interviews. Interviews
were conducted with a number of parties, they are the Head Office of the Palopo
Land Office. The Head of Section in the Office of the Palopo Land Office and
executive staff of Land Management, and Land Management, the participants.
The results of research and analysis founded that the implementation
of the Land Administration Palopo Land Office has not reached the desired target.
The affecting factors are the persistence of personal attributes in determining the
participants in the Village, the old habits of land apparatus that work manually,
communication has not been going well between land and village officials as well
as between inter-section at the Palopo Land Office.
However, there are some things that need to be considered include the
need for a new paradigm for land forces in providing services, in determining the
potential participants in the activities of Land Management, the following year
using the special requirements of those receiving direct cash assistance or
recipient of Poor Rice and the existence of special financing major imposition of
Customs Acquisition of Land and Buildings on the implementation of Procedure
of the next year.


Although the tensor interaction in the first order does not affect the single-particle splitting for closed {ital LS} shell nuclei, e.g., {sup 4}He, {sup 16}O, it causes the {ital j}={ital l}{minus}1/2 member of a spin-orbit pair to come towards or even below the {ital j}={ital l}+1/2 member for an open shell. With the bare Bonn {ital A} interaction, the splitting {epsilon}{sub {ital p}1/2}{minus}{epsilon}{sub {ital p}3/2} is 4.2 MeV for an {sup 16}O core but is {minus}3.0 MeV for a closed {ital p}{sub 3/2} core of {sup 12}C. In large space shell-model calculations, this single-particle energy inversion leads to too high an occupancy of the {ital p}{sub 1/2} orbit and pushes the wave functions of the low-lying states too much towards the {ital LS} limit. This manifests itself in too low a magnetic dipole transition rate from the ground state (0{sub 1}{sup +}) to the 1{sub 1}{sup +}, {ital T}=1 state. Various mechanisms are investigated in attempts to cure this problem including the relativistic effects of the Dirac-Brueckner-Hartree-Fock approach, also the effects of core polarization on the effective interaction and finally the effects of changing the meson masses in the nuclear medium as parametrized in the Hosaka-Toki interaction. The Dirac effectsmore » tend to increase the spin-orbit interaction while the change of the meson masses yields a weaker effective tensor force. Both effects improve the results of the nuclear structure calculations. The core polarization graphs involving phonon exchange also improve the results but other graphs, e.g., particle-particle ladders and hole-hole diagrams work in the opposite direction.« less


Government‐operated water quality monitoring programmes and their long‐term datasets are crucial to documenting improvements in water resource condition in response to changes in pollutant regulation. We present trends in the biological assessment of water quality (benthic macroinvertebrates) and water chemistry, to determine how these indicators of water quality have responded to shifts in pollutants and regulation in streams and rivers of NY between 1972 and 2012. Change in the results of NYS's multimetric index of biological integrity, the Biological Assessment Profile (BAP) score, was compared between four, 10‐year periods at 30 large river and 138 wadeable stream sites. Water Chemistry trends were analysed through calculation of Weighted Regression on Time, Discharge, and Season from 11 long‐term, large river locations from across NYS. Overall, results suggest small, incremental improvements in biological indicators and a shift from point source dominated pollution to nonpoint sources. From 1972 to 2012, 33% of large river sites sampled improved and 13% declined in biological assessment of water quality, 58% of wadeable stream sites sampled showed no change. Macroinvertebrate community models suggest that impact sources are now dominated by nonpoint nutrient sources. Trends in water chemistry concentrations suggest that ammonia, chloride, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, and total phosphorus had the strongest correlations with time. Total phosphorus and total Kjeldahl nitrogen decreased at base flow and increased during high flows, whereas ammonia decreased across a range of discharges, indicating the shift to nonpoint sources of nutrients and supporting the trends observed in biological indicators.


ISBN 978-93-82338-32-1 | © 2012 Bonfring Abstract--Stress is an inevitable and unavoidable component of life due to increasing complexities and competitiveness in living standards . It is obvious that reduction in stress levels would cause beneficial effects . Aromatherapy is a form of alternative medicine that uses essential oils for the purpose of altering a person's mind , mood , cognitive function or health . It provides essential oils extracted from aromatic plants for medical objectives . The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of aromatherapy and inquiring its efficiency on reducing stress levels in adults . The EEG activity of a subject was analysed to show the effects of aromatherapy on the brain and its functions . In this paper EEG activity for alertness and mood was assessed from one subject . 30 minutes of aromatherapy was given using popular aroma oils namely lavender , rose essential, lemongrass and sandalwood . The results were studied using signal processing techniques to ascertain the effects of essential oils on stress , besides identify the best aromatherapy oil for stress relief .


Objective To perform a meta-analysis of 4 core CSF biomarkers (β-amyloid [Aβ]42, Aβ40, total tau [t-tau], and phosphorylated tau [p-tau]) to assess which of these are most altered in sporadic cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). Methods We systematically searched PubMed for eligible studies reporting data on CSF biomarkers reflecting amyloid precursor protein metabolism (Aβ42, Aβ40), neurodegeneration (t-tau), and tangle pathology (p-tau) in symptomatic sporadic CAA cohorts vs controls and patients with Alzheimer disease (AD). Biomarker performance was assessed in random-effects meta-analysis based on ratio of mean (RoM) biomarker concentrations: (1) in patients with CAA vs healthy controls and (2) in patients with CAA vs patients with AD. RoM >1 indicates higher biomarker concentration in patients with CAA vs comparison population and RoM <1 indicates higher concentration in comparison groups. Results Three studies met inclusion criteria. These comprised 5 CAA patient cohorts (n = 59 patients) vs healthy controls (n = 94 cases) and AD cohorts (n = 158). Three core biomarkers differentiated CAA from controls: CSF Aβ42 (RoM 0.49, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.38–0.64, p < 0.003), Aβ40 (RoM 0.70, 95% CI 0.63–0.78, p < 0.0001), and t-tau (RoM 1.54, 95% CI 1.15–2.07, p = 0.004); p-tau was marginal (RoM 1.24, 95% CI 0.99–1.54, p = 0.062). Differentiation between CAA and AD was strong for CSF Aβ40 (RoM 0.76, 95% CI 0.69–0.83, p < 0.0001), but not Aβ42 (RoM 1.00; 95% CI 0.81–1.23, p = 0.970). For t-tau and p-tau, average CSF ratios in patients with CAA vs patients with AD were 0.63 (95% CI 0.54–0.74, p < 0.0001) and 0.60 (95% CI 0.50–0.71, p < 0.0001), respectively. Conclusion Specific CSF patterns of Aβ42, Aβ40, t-tau, and p-tau might serve as molecular biomarkers of CAA, but analyses in larger CAA cohorts are needed.


In this study, relative efficiencies of Regional Development Agencies (RDA) work in Turkey were determined using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The goal of DEA is to measure relative efficiencies of comparable Decision Making Units which produce similar input and output.  At the end of the analysis, reference decision making units will be determined for inefficient decision making units. To do this data are gathered from efficiency reports of Regional Development Agencies and based on these data, efficiency scores are calculated. At the end of the study, recommendations are given with the help of findings to improve RDAs performances.


Wave data collected during ARSLOE at distances 3, 6, 12 and 34 km offshore are used to examine the growth of wind waves with fetch. Nondimensional energy, \bar{E} , and peak frequency, \bar{f}m , are computed and related to nondimensional fetch, \bar{X} , for a variety of windspeed and atmospheric stability cases. Relations for \bar{E} vs \bar{X} , \bar{f}_{m} vs \bar{X} , and \bar{E} vs \bar{f}m are compared to those reported in the literature. The JONSWAP equations are found to be appropriate, despite the presence of significant swell.


This chapter contains sections titled: Framework and Topology of the NGN The NGN Functional Reference Model Relationship between NGN Transport and Service Domains Enterprise Role Model Security Allocation within the NGN Transport Stratum Example Converged Network Management (TMN and eTOM) General Network Security Architectures Chapter Summary Further Reading and Resources Exercises


Congenital hematological disorders are excellent models for investigating the regulation of hematopoiesis in humans. For instance, Severe Congenital Neutropenia (CN) is a heterogeneous syndrome characterized by a maturation arrest of granulopoiesis at the level of promyelocytes with no mature neutrophils in the peripheral blood. Even though G-CSF treatment results in increased neutrophil numbers in more than 90 % of CN patients, G-CSF-dependent granulocytic differentiation is severely affected in these patients. CN patients are found to be at increased risk of developing acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome (AML/MDS) (cumulative incidence ~ 20 %). Since AML/MDS are not observed in cyclic or idiopathic neutropenia patients treated with G-CSF, an underlying defect down stream of G-CSF signaling rather than G-CSF therapy per se predisposes to malignant transformation in CN. STAT5 is activated by G-CSF signaling pathway and has also been found to be activated in AML. Recently we found that downregulation of LEF-1 transcription factor and its target gene C/EBPa are a common pathologic mechanism for CN. Therefore, we investigated the effects of G-CSF on the phosphorylation status of STAT5a in CN and whether it leads to the down modulation of LEF-1 expression and functions. Indeed, we detected elevated phosphoSTAT5 expression in CD34 + cells from CN patients before G-CSF stimulation in vitro , as compared to these cells from healthy individuals. Moreover, treatment with G-CSF resulted in a significantly higher phosphorylation of STAT5a in CN. Intriguingly, levels of phosphoSTAT5 in myeloid blast cells from one CN patient who developed AML was even higher and was in line with undetectable LEF-1 protein expression. Transduction of constitutive active STAT5a (STAT5a 1*6) in CD34 + cells from healthy individuals resulted in significant downregulation of LEF1 levels in a dose dependent manner. A screen of 10 kb upstream region of LEF1 gene revealed two putative STAT5 binding sites (−3891bp to −3909bp and −3714bp to −3732bp) and the specificity of this binding was confirmed in the nuclear extracts of CD34 + cells by chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. We found enhanced and prolonged STAT5a binding to the LEF-1 promoter in G-CSF treated CD34 + cells from CN patients, as compared to healthy individuals. Additionally, transfection of CD34 + cells with LEF-1 cDNA resulted in elevation of LEF-1 promoter activity, which suggests a strong LEF-1 autoregulation. Co-transfection with STAT5a 1*6 significantly disrupted LEF-1- dependent activation of LEF-1 promoter. Moreover STAT5a 1*6 severely abrogated the LEF-1 dependent regulation of C/EBPα gene promoter. Taken together phosphorylation of STAT5 is upregulated in hematopoietic progenitors from CN patients which lead to subsequent down regulation of LEF-1. These downstream effects of activated STAT5a may contribute to the malignant transformation of myelopoiesis in CN.


VERY typical Mendelian segregation is based on an alternative or qualitative E variability. This applies to characters controlled by one or a few pairs of alleles clearly following the Mendelian laws, each with a pronounced individual effect. These individuals as carriers of the characters concerned can be divided into clearly separate classes; hence an analysis of the separating units (genes) in the segregating generations no longer presents any fundamental difficulties. The position is different in the case of characters with continuous or quantitative variablity. Here the individuals as character carriers cannot be divided into clearly separate groups; they differ only with regard to the degree in which the character is pronounced, so that instead of groups there are numerous transitions. In the segregating generations there is no clear Mendelian segregation into definite phenotypical groups corresponding to the individual genotypes ( RIEGER and MICHAELIS 1958). interaction means characteristic differences in characters:


Control of crystal habit and size of cefmatilen hydrochloride hydrate (1) with a habit modifier is described here. One of the related substances, impurity 2, which has a diphenylmethyl group at the N3-position of the triazolyl group of cefmatilen, acts as a habit modifier. The crystal habit and size of compound 1 depended upon the amount of impurity 2 in the crystallizing system. Since the amount of impurity 2 can be controlled by the temperature during the addition of AlCl3 to a suspension of compound 3 in the deprotection step, the crystal habit and size can be controlled by the temperature of addition of AlCl3. The addition of small amounts of hydroxyalkylcelluloses or polyvinyl derivatives to the crystallizing system can also modify the crystal habit and size of compound 1.


The method of radionuclide diagnostics of cancer diseases based on the registration of radiation when radiopharmaceuticals are injected into the patient's body is one of the most highly sensitive and effective. However, at present, there is no universal program for quality assurance of such examination of patients in the Department of Nuclear Medicine in the world. The necessity and relevance of developing a system of quality control and quality assurance of diagnostic equipment in the department of radioisotope diagnostics of a medical institution have been substantiated. The conditions of quality control, stages, and algorithms of daily quality control, requirements for quality assurance of diagnostic devices, including tomograph cross-calibration, stability check, homogeneity test, pixel noise check, spatial resolution and contrast, table position check are considered.


The relationship between the coincidence indices of a lattice Γ1 and a sublattice Γ2 of Γ1 is examined via the colouring of Γ1 that is obtained by assigning a unique colour to each coset of Γ2. In addition, the idea of colour symmetry, originally defined for symmetries of lattices, is extended to coincidence isometries of lattices. An example involving the Ammann–Beenker tiling is provided to illustrate the results in the quasicrystal setting.


are many persons in every town who, for one reason or another, have been deprived of a normal home life. Many are without relatives ; others, such as pensioners, are in straitened financial curcimstances, and some others are forced into lodging-houses owing to overcrowding at home. These background factors create a group of men in every town who tend to drift into the category of being social misfits or social outcasts. The provision of proper hostel accommodation for these persons will do a great deal to prevent them from being considered as abnormal members of the


A unique radiation monitor has been developed for performing wide-area field surveys for radiation sources. This device integrates the real-time output of multiple radiation detectors into a hand-held personal computer (e.g., a PDA) containing an intuitive graphical user interface. An independent hardware module supplies high voltage to the detectors and contains a rapid sampling system for transferring the detector count rates through an interface to the PDA. The imbedded firmware can be changed for various applications using a programmable memory card. As presently configured, the instrument contains a series of Geiger-Mueller (GM) tubes in a flexible detector string. This linear array of multiple sensors can be used by US Coast Guard and Customs container inspection personnel to measure radiation intensity in stacks of transport containers where physical access is impeded.


In this paper, the antipyretic and analgesic actions of actinodaphnine, isolated from Illigera SP, were studied. The results are as follows: 1. The normal body-temperature in mice, rats or rabbits was reduced by actinoaphnine ip; 2. The fever induced by colibacillus and peptone in rabbits was also markedly reduced by actinodphnine ip; 3. The writhing response in mice was inhibited and the pain threshold was markedly elevated by actinodaphnine ip; But the effect of actinodaphnine on the pain threshold in mice (i. c. v) was not obvious.These results indicate that: actinodaphnine had antipyretic and analgesic actions. The antipyretic action of actinodaphnine was recognized as increasing the loss of heat from the body-surface. The analgesic action (hot plate method) of actinodaphnine appears to be not of central nature, but related to reduction of the skin temperature of the palm of mice or to the production of local anesthesia.


Background Training nurses in ultrasound-guided peripheral intravenous catheter placement might reduce the use of more invasive venous access devices (peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) and midline catheters). Methods We implemented an abbreviated training in ultrasound-guided peripheral intravenous catheter placement for nurses on an inpatient medical unit and provided a portable ultrasound device for 10 months. Results Nurses on this unit placed 99 ultrasound-guided peripheral intravenous catheters with a high level of success. During the implementation period, PICC and midline catheter placement decreased from a mean 4.8 to 2.5 per month, meeting criteria for special cause variation. In the postimplementation period, the average catheter use reverted to 4.3 per month on the intervention unit. A comparison inpatient medical unit without training or access to a portable ultrasound device experienced no significant change in PICC and midline catheter use throughout the study period (mean of 6.0 per month). Conclusions These results suggest that an abbreviated training in ultrasound-guided peripheral intravenous catheter placement for nurses on an inpatient medical unit is sufficient to reduce PICC and midline catheters.


This study compares the prevalence of titin gene mutations in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy receiving standard pharmacological therapy with and without recovery of systolic function.


This article investigates the dynamic multi-dimensional processes through which the poor become excluded from social participation. Drawing on social capital literature, it traces how bridging and bonding capital do not always translate into expected levels of social participation. It does so by detailing research findings from low income focus groups undertaken in Dunedin, New Zealand. These describe the experiences of group members in attempting to manage connections around employment, their own broader social participation or the participation of their children. In each case, the study highlights the difficulties of translation they experienced: in particular, translating available bridging or bonding capital into useful social, cultural or economic resources which could mitigate their social exclusion or enable fuller social participation.


Abstract The performances of predictive discriminant analysis (PDA) and logistic regression (LR) for the 2-group classification problem were compared. The authors used a fully crossed 3-factor experimental design (sample size, group proportions, and equal or unequal covariance matrices) and 2 data patterns. When the 2 groups had equal covariance matrices, PDA and LR performed comparably for the conditions of both equal and unequal group proportions. When the 2 groups had unequal covariance matrices (4:1, as implemented in this study) and very different group proportions, PDA and LR differed somewhat with regard to the classification error rates of the 2 groups, but the classification error rates of the 2 methods for the total sample remained comparable. Sample size played a relatively minor role in the classification accuracy of the 2 methods, except when LR was used under relatively small sample-size conditions.


Recent reconstructions of Sea‐Surface Temperatures (SSTs) for the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, 21kyr BP) based on foraminifera and dinoflagellate proxies suggest that the north Atlantic may have been warmer than estimated by CLIMAP [1981]. To better understand the impact of such a warm north Atlantic on the global LGM climate, we used two different AGCMs to perform sensitivity studies. With the new, warmer SSTs, both models simulate a hydrological cycle and temperatures very different from those obtained with the CLIMAP boundary conditions. The most noticeable differences occur in winter over North America and Siberia whereas southern Europe is only weakly affected at all seasons. Whichever the conditions prescribed over the north Atlantic, both models underestimate the large cooling recorded by continental proxy data over the Mediterranean Basin.


Using a new data source on the reservation wages of IT workers, we argue that IT workers often accept lower pay in exchange for acquiring new technical skills on-the-job. This drives a wedge between workers' pay and their perceived market value that is a) larger for IT workers than for other professionals, b) larger for midcareer IT workers, c) increasing in job tenure and d) larger for IT workers in high-tech regions. These effects are largest at employers that are investing in new technologies and for workers with the human capital that is most impacted by recent technological innovation, both of which are consistent with an explanation based on skill acquisition. These findings are also robust to a number of alternative explanations for why high-tech workers accept lower wages, including greater use of stock options, perks, and other non-wage compensation by high-tech employers, immigration-related mobility restrictions, and explanations based on labor market information asymmetries. The implications of this wedge for some notable features of the IT labor market— such as IT turnover rates and age-based sorting of IT workers across firms and IT industries—are discussed.


Research Paper "Solar Planet Motion Trajectory Is A Square And Not An Ellipse" Abstract The Solar Planet Motion Trajectory Is A Square And Not An Ellipse, And We See This Trajectory As Ellipse Because Of The Earth Moon Structure I provide here a clear claim …. let's summarize it in following: 1-The solar planet motion trajectory is a square and not an ellipse, 2-We see the planet motion trajectory as ellipse (kepler 1st law is correct) 3-The moon orbit geometrical structure prevents us to see the solar planet motion real trajectory (the square) and covers it by an imaginary trajectory (the ellipse) This paper tries to prove this claim Gerges Francis Tawdrous


Reactive 3,4-Disubstituted Derivatives of 1,6-Methano[10]annulene and their Synthetic Possibilities

Ethyl 4-bromo-1,6-methano[10]annulene-3-carboxylate (4) is synthesized in three steps from cycloheptatriene-1,6-dicarbaldehyde 1. The key step of this conversion is a highly selective monoolefination of 1. The synthetic possibilities of 4 are discussed.


The third and last White Paper on primary health care has been released by the Department of Health. Barry Blatt reviews the implications for practice nurses.


Perhaps the most important concept in wide use by social scientists for the analysis of political attitudes and behaviour has been the left-right dimension. Not surprisingly therefore, the terms "left" and "right" themselves have been used in survey research on public opinion in Canada, and have subsequently been central to the data analysis of several recent articles on Canadian politics. Important to these papers has been the assumption that the terms "left" and "right" are understood by the average Canadian in such a manner that data gathered in response to questions using these terms will be valid. This paper argues that this assumption is mistaken.


Market conditions demand flexible strategies of refurbishment For long times conditions of the housing market in Germany were in favour of landlords. Since the middle of the 90ies of the last century, however, perspectives for a change can be observed. The demand has decreased and for the first time in Germany empty housing is not only a theoretical problem but is going to touch the economic foundations of housing companies in Eastern Germany. To hold their position in the market even under conditions of increasing competition, housing companies have to adapt their offers to a changing demand and its respective conceivable development. A look at the structure of their housing stocks shows that over the years large parts of it have fallen behind the general development and current standards of new buildings. So housing companies are facing new tasks with regard to managing and refurbishing their stock. Taking into account the demand, decisions on the scope of refurbishment can no longer be taken by looking at technical urgency and feasibility alone, also the financial means at the disposal of the companies as well as market conditions for letting housing at present and the perspectives for the near and distant future have to be considered thoroughly. For the refurbishment of the housing stock differentiated concepts including specific measures for a limited scope of refurbishment are, therefore, needed, in order to be able to refurbish dwellings, housing and housing areas according to demand and customers' interests. Refurbishing housing from bottom to top, leading issue of former renewal programmes, may be an option only in cases of severe damages when refurbishment has been neglected over a very long time as may be the case in parts of the stock of east German housing companies. Objectives of the study Refurbishment activities restricted to specific objectives must be based on different considerations of technical aspects and must be carried out in a different way than refurbishment activities aimed at refurbishing a building as a whole. The interventions must fit into the frame of the existing building, and should not be an obstacle to further refurbishment. In a study elaborating solutions for step by step refurbishing, which had been produced for the RKW (the German Economic Centre for Rationalisation and Innovation, Eschborn) the technical conditions to optimise scope and succession of defined steps of refurbishment are presented in detail. The study presented here, however, focuses on eco1 Former publications on the technical aspects of refurbishment – even if tenants' interests were respected – were focussed on refurbishing a building as a whole equal to the standard of new construction; cf. e.g. Gesamtverband der Wohnungswirtschaft (GdW) (ed.): Modernisierung und Entwicklung des Wohnungsbestandes. Ziele, Verfahren, Standards, Techniken, Kosten, Akzeptanz. GdW Schriften 43, Köln 1994 2 Krings, Edgar: Stufenlösungen bei der Altbaumodernisierung. Study contracted by Bundesverband Freier Wohnungsunternehmen (BFW) and Rationalisierungsgemeinschaft Bau / Rationalisierungsund Innovationszentrum der Deutschen Wirtschaft (RG-Bau im RKW); Eschborn 2000


Researching the problem of building QoS controlling mechanism and reassemble the resource effectively which are resulted from the confliction of the shortage of Internet resource and more QoS needs from different kind of services..Aim at the problem of low efficiency of QoS Policy Control System,it is particularly essential to establish a more scientific method of economic processes based on the system modeling,simulation,analysis and optimization. In this article,QoS maneuver controlling process is modeled using Petri Net.The model is accurate,clear and easy to be understood.Through mathematical derivation and the Petri net verification regime theory,the conclusion is obtained that the model is a highly efficient model for QoS Policy Control System,its precise,clear,intuitive and understandable, and has practical application value for IP Network QoS Policy Control Modeling.


Experiments were performed to compare pesticide drift from various methods of application, weather conditions, and locations. The methods of applications involved a high clearance ground sprayer, a mist blower, and aerial application by use of an airplane. The residue was collected by glass plates, alfalfa samples and Andersen Air Samplers. Results revealed that drift residues from aerial applications 1/4 to 1/2 mile downwind can be reduced by as much as 80% when changing to high clearance sprayer application. The pesticide drift from the mist blower was only slightly greater than the aerial applications.


In this study, for the first time we developed a mathematical model showing that the reduction in parameters such as total body mass, total fat mass, visceral fat mass, waist circumference, hip circumference and body mass index (BMI) can be described using exponential equations. Constants kt, kf, kfv, kBMI, kp, kb that occur in particular equations characterize individual features related to these anthropometric parameters. The presented model was verified using experimental data obtained by analysis of body composition. These individuals were overweight in the initial moment of the experiment and eliminated or limited easily digestible products containing sugar from their diet. We showed that there is a critical time, when each individual achieved normal values of body mass index, fat mass, visceral fat mass, waist circumference, hip circumference, and waist-hip ratio. This critical time ranged between 35 and 46 weeks.


In this study, carbon fiber/thermoplastic (Elium®) honeycombs were manufactured using the resin infusion process in a customized metallic mold. Honeycomb cores, based on different carbon fiber layers, were manufactured to achieve four different fiber weight fraction composites. Two different types of specimens, based on a single honeycomb cell and five honeycomb cells, were prepared and subjected to compression loading. The results of these tests were compared with data from similar honeycomb structures based on carbon fiber–reinforced epoxy composite. It has been shown that the compressive strength and the specific energy absorption capacity of the honeycombs increase rapidly with increasing fiber weight fraction. The specific energy absorption capability of the novel thermoplastic honeycomb structures has been shown to be as high as 50 kJ/kg which compares favorably with other energy-absorbing core materials. The thermoplastic honeycomb specimens exhibited a similar specific energy absorption capability and an improved compressive strength compared to their epoxy counterparts. Furthermore, the CF/thermoplastic honeycombs exhibited enhanced structural stability and displayed a more uniform and progressive core failure mode than the longitudinal splitting observed in the CF/epoxy honeycombs. The honeycomb core that exhibited the best performance was then used to manufacture thermoplastic sandwich specimens based on CF/thermoplastic face sheets. Three point bend tests were conducted to determine the flexural strength of the sandwich samples and to identify the failure modes. Optical micrographs revealed that the flexural damage was primarily due to the core crushing and adhesive failure between the core and the composite skins.


The fluid-phase behavior of binary mixtures of cholesterol with phosphatidyichoilnes is investigated using magnetic resonance methods. Phospholipid biradicals provide the electron spin resonance spectroscopic resolution of two Immiscible fluid phases in the dlpalmitoylphosphatidylcholinecholesterol system. Isotropic chemical shifts of the phospholipid carbonyl carbons in binary mixtr with cholesterol measured using solid-state high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance methods furnish evidence for a putative hydrogen bond between the 3P-hydroxyl of cholesterol and the sn-2 carbonyl of the phospholipid. The location in the bilayer of cholesterol in the two fluid phases is determined by measuring spin label-enhanced spin-lattice relaxation rates of the 13C nuclei of both the phospholipid and cholesterol molecules. These results suggest, in a time-averaged sense, that in the cholesterol-poor fluid phase the cholesterol molecule essentially spans the bilayer, whereas in the cholesterol-rich fluid phase the molecule is present in both monolayers of the bilayer. A number of studies on two-component, two-phase lipid bilayers and monolayers have examined conditions under which two immiscible phases coexist (1, 2). Interest has centered on the size, shape, and connectivity of the phase domain structure in these systems. The characteristics of this domain structure are functions oftemperature, pressure, and chemical composition and reflect the interactions between the component lipid molecules. In almost all cases studied the two coexisting phases in phospholipid bilayers have been solid/solid or fluid/solid. This has been the case also for cholesterol-phospholipid systems (3-5). However, recent work has called to attention the coexistence of two immiscible fluid phases in phospholipid bilayers containing cholesterol (6-9). The phase diagram for the 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3phosphocholine (DPPC)-cholesterol multilamellar lipid bilayers is shown in Fig. 1B. The phase diagrams for mixtures of cholesterol with other phospholipids, differing in both the acyl chain and the headgroup composition, have the same overall shape and consist of three one-phase regions and two two-phase regions as shown in Fig. 1B (8). The phases are denoted solid-ordered (so), liquid-ordered (4o), and liquiddisordered (4d). In the two-phase regions there is coexistence of the so and 4o phases or of the two fluid phases, 4 and eo. The occurrence of fluid-phase immiscibility has been suggested by a triphasic dependence on cholesterol concentration of the hyperfine interactions of phospholipid spin labels incorporated into cholesterol-containing phospholipid bilayers (6, 8). In this communication, we present magnetic resonance evidence further substantiating cholesterol-induced fluidphase immiscibility and suggesting the existence of hydrogen bonding between cholesterol and phospholipid molecules. We conclude by proposing a bilayer model specifying the time-averaged location of cholesterol in the Ed and 4o phases. MATERIALS AND METHODS Materials. Unlabeled phospholipids were purchased from Avanti Polar Lipids (Birmingham, AL). Phospholipid monoradicals and 'IC-enriched phospholipids were synthesized as described (8). The biradical was synthesized by acylation of sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine with the corresponding fatty acid spin labels (11). ESR Spectroscopy. The ESR spectra were recorded on an X-band Varian E-line spectrometer. The sample preparation protocols and the details of instrumentation are as described earlier (8). The monoradical spin label concentrations used were 1 mol % unless otherwise specified. The biradical concentrations were 0.5 mol %. NMR Spectroscopy. 13C NMR spectra were recorded at 90 MHz on a Nicolet NT-360B spectrometer equipped with a variable-temperature magic-angle spinning probe from Doty Scientific (Columbia, SC). The samples contained in zirconium rotors were spun at speeds between 1 and 3 kHz, which yielded spectra free from rotational side bands. The spinlattice relaxation times were measured by the 180-T-90 inversion-recovery pulse sequence. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Spectroscopic Resolution of the ed and e4 Phases. Fig. 2 shows the ESR spectra ofa phosphatidylcholine monoradical spin labeled at the 16th position in the sn-2 chain, 1-stearoyl2-[16-(4,4-dimethyloxazolidine-N-oxyl)stearoyl]-sn-glycero3-phosphocholine (16-doxyl-PC), and of a phosphatidylcholine biradical spin labeled at the 16th position in both the sn-i and the sn-2 chains, 1,2-di-[16-(4,4-dimethyloxazolidine-Noxyl)stearoyl]-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (di-16-doxylPC) (see Fig. 1A), incorporated into DPPC-cholesterol mixtures in the 4d and the 4. phases. The monoradical spectra reflect the well-known effect of a stronger cholesterolinduced motional restriction ofthe phospholipid molecules in the 4. phase relative to the 4d phase. The biradical preparation was found to contain a small proportion of the monoradical as clearly revealed in spectrum d in Fig. 2. The spectra of the biradical in the 4d and the 4. phases, from which the experimental monoradical spectra were subtracted, are shown in Fig. 2, spectra e and f, respectively. The spectrum of the biradical in the ed phase (Fig. 2, spectrum e) corresponds to a singlet state for a spin-1/2 system, with the 14N hyperfine interaction giving rise to the three lines. The three lines are strongly broadened both by dipole-dipole and by exchange spin-spin interactions between the two nitroxides. In contrast, the ESR spectrum of Abbreviations: DPPC, 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine; 16-doxyl-PC, 1-stearoyl-2-[16-(4,4-dimethyloxazolidine-Noxyl)stearoyl]-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine; di-16-doxyl-PC, 1,2-di[16-(4,4-dimethyloxazolidine-N-oxyl)stearoyl]-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine. 8686 The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88 (1991) 8687


Professional ethics education is one of the most important content for university students' ideological and political education and one of general education purposes is to realize the unity of students' thoughts and behaviors,which provides a new angel to enhance students' professional ethics education and puts forward new demand on cultivating qualified successors and constructors of socialism with Chinese characteristics. In order to enhance the level of university students' professional ethics education,some key points must have been done such as sticking to the ideal and belief,improving curriculum system,innovating teaching models,optimizing appraisal system and realizing the professional ethnic education of university students.


Processes of cutting and movement of potash ore during operation of «Ural-20R» heading-and-winning machines are followed with its breakage leading to the increase of number of non-washable powdered classes (particle size less than 0.25 mm) in the breakage products. The sources analysis of dust-like classes formation during the work of «Ural-20R» machines is performed. The regions of rational (by minimum output of dust-like classes) values of breaking parameters of potassium solid mass in use of checkered and consistent cutting schemes are defined. The analysis of the operating parameters compliance of the planetary-disk operating members of «Ural-20R» machines of various modifications with rational cutting parameters is carried out. Technical proposals on improving the operating members of «Ural-20R» machines by use of the crossed procedure of potassium solid mass breaking are reported. It is proved that the proposed solutions will reduce the number of dust-like classes in the breakage products and reduce the specific energy consumption of the potash ore production processed.


Individuals with limited ambulatory skills are at high risk for all physical inactivity-related diseases, such as coronary disease and diabetes. Increased physical activity can significantly lower risks of these diseases. However, quantifying recommendations for increased physical activity remain challenging for individuals who use wheelchairs for mobility. In this paper we introduce a smart wheelchair that utilizes a smartphone with its built-in sensors to capture and record physical activity of manual wheelchair users in both unstructured and structured environments. We develop algorithms for data acquisition and processing on the smartphone and implement them in an Android application called mWheelness. The application is successfully tested in laboratory and free-living experiments using several modern smartphones.


Private browsing session is started in the network computer system, the network computing device is communicatively coupled via a network to another computer device. Private browsing session stores one or more browsing memory corresponding to the activities between the network computer system and other network computers device limitation. Browsing one or more network memories are stored limiting or restrictive in under protection private credentials. When private browsing session is terminated, the authentication information received is presented unless conform to private authentication information, access to a private browsing session is prohibited. If the authentication information received is presented was consistent private authentication information, private browsing session is resumed while accessing one or more network browsing memory.


The magnetic rotating motor of the present invention includes a rotating part made of a nonmagnetic material provided with a permanent magnet group inclined at a predetermined angle on an outer circumference thereof, an electromagnet group disposed close to the rotating part so as to face the permanent magnet group, the permanent magnet A position sensor for detecting the position of the group, a controller for applying a current to the electromagnet according to the detection signal from the position sensor, and a power generation unit for obtaining power from the coil of the electromagnet. By repeating the rotation mode and the power generation mode, power generation is performed while the function as a motor is performed. Magnetic rotating motor, permanent magnet, rotating part, electromagnet, position sensor, controller, power generation part


The COVID-19 pandemic has generated an uncertain and changing context that has greatly affected the development and sustainability of all sports organizations. In this hostile context, adaptation of the business model (BMA) can be a strategic alternative for sports clubs. A change in value proposition, change in target market, and change in value delivery are some of the aspects considered in this study in relation to the social performance variable. It is well-known that sports clubs have a marked social function, therefore analyzing their social cause performance is of great importance in modern society. However, there are still few studies that have analyzed BMA in relation to this type of variable in sports clubs. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to find out what perceptions of the environment can influence the BMA, and to investigate what influence the BMA has on the social performance of this type of entity. To this end, 145 Spanish sports clubs were analyzed during a period of limitations and restrictions arising from COVID-19. The results show that there are differences in BMA according to the perceived impact of the crisis and the perception of risk. In addition, BMA predicts the social performance of sports clubs, and this study provides new information for academics and professionals. Practical implications and management proposals were developed based on the results, and conclusions drawn.


Based on coal mine safety monitoring systems and coal mine power monitoring systems,the paper builds a coal comprehensive safety monitoring system.The system can well solve the problem that the environmental electric locking is bypassed,which greatly improves the safety of coal production.The coal mine comprehensive safety system makes use of the electrical power monitoring system to form the closed-loop control of the electric locking.On one hand,the system can realize electric locking safely and reliably so that it can solve completely the jilt electric blocking problem.On the other hand,it provides environmental protection for the safe and reliable operation of coal mine mechanical and electrical equipments.


Topoelectrical circuits are meta-material realizations of topological features of condensed matter systems. In this work, we discuss experimental methods that allow a fast and straightforward detection of the spectral features of these systems from the two-point impedance of the circuit. This allows to deduce the full spectrum of a topoelectrical circuit consisting of N sites from a single two-point measurement of the frequency resolved impedance. In contrast, the standard methods rely on $N^2$ measurements of admittance matrix elements with a subsequent diagonalization on a computer. We experimentally test our approach by constructing a Fibonacci topoelectrical circuit. Although the spectrum of this chain is fractal, i.e., more complex than the spectra of periodic systems, our approach is successful in recovering its eigenvalues. Our work promotes the topoelectrical circuits as an ideal platform to measure spectral properties of various (quasi)crystalline systems.


Monitoring of the oceans from satellite requires frequent updates - preferably with global coverage in one day, excluding effects of cloud. This demands optics covering swath widths up to about 3000km, within which spatial resolution in the order 250m or less is desirable for observation of coastal zones. Wide field angles, typically around 90°, are needed for optical systems operating from altitudes that are typical for polar orbiting satellites. At least 15 resolved spectral bands are needed in the visible and near-IR regions, requiring wide-field imaging spectrometers or designs using multiple filters. Other constraints on optical design include requirements for radiometric calibration, precise spatial registration of spectral bands, good control on stray light, and insensitivity to polarisation. The paper describes two design forms in which a single optical channel provides the complete wide-angle field, with appropriate allowances for calibration etc. In the first design, a wide angle telescope is followed by a spectrometer and an area-array detector. The spectrometer uses refractive dispersion for stray light control, and gives good spatial and spectral registration. In the second design, spectral resolution is provided by a set of filters with linear array detectors. In-field separation of detectors is used to avoid a need for dichroic beam splitters or dispersive optics; spatial registration in this case demands exceptional distortion correction, that takes account of Earth curvature. Both designs provide an external entrance pupil for location of calibration hardware.


A new unaveraged 3D parallelized numerical model has been developed that will allow investigation of previously unexplored FEL physics. Unaveraged models are required to describe such effects as amplification of Coherent Spontaneous Emission and non-localised electron dynamics (see e.g. [1] and refs therein). A previous parallelized 3D model [2] was based upon a mixed finite element/Fourier method, however, there were some limitations in the parallel algorithm and numerical routines. These limitations are removed in the new model presented here by using only transforms in Fourier space enabling more effective data or-ganization across multiple parallel processors and therefore allowing larger, more complex FEL systems to be studied. Furthermore, unlike the previous 3D model, which uses commercial numerical packages, the new simulation code uses only open-source routines.


This article investigates the penetration of the cult of Athena into Anatolia beyond the old-established Greek cities of the coastline. A major problem is how to treat numismatic evidence; whereas in inscriptions in many regions, Phrygia above all, Athena is almost unattested as a recipient of cult, she appears on the coinage of many cities.  I argue for a differentiated approach which will allow coin depictions to be taken as evidence for cult only under specific conditions.  If that restriction is accepted, the presence of Athena in Anatolia emerges as very uneven.   Where she is most prominent,  as Athena Oreia in Cilicia, her cult has assumed unusual characteristics which are perhaps to be explained by a substrate.


Continental rupture models emphasize the role of faults in extensional strain accommodation; extension by dike intrusion is commonly overlooked. A major rifting episode that began in September, 2005 in the Afar depression of Ethiopia provides an opportunity to examine strain accommodation in a zone of incipient plate rupture. Earthquakes recorded on a temporary seismic array, direct observation of fault patterns, and geodetic data document ongoing strain and continued dike intrusion along the ~60 km-long Dabbahu-Wal'is rift segment. Epicentral locations lie along a ~3 km-wide, ~50 km-long swath that curves into the SE flank of Dabbahu volcano; a second strand continues to the north toward Gab'ho volcano. Two additional dike intrusions in June and July, 2006 indicate a central feeding source for basaltic magmas (Keir et al., 2009; Hamling et al., 2009). We interpret the depth distribution of microseismicity as the dike intrusion zone; the dikes rise from ~10 km to the near-surface along the ~60 km-long length of the tectono-magmatic segment. Focal mechanisms indicate slip along NNW-striking normal faults, perpendicular to the Arabia-Nubia plate opening vector. The seismicity, InSAR, continuous GPS, and structural patterns all suggest that magma injection from lower or sub-crustal magma reservoirs continued at least 3 months after the main episode. Cote et al (submitted) measure the low frequency content of volcano-tectonic earthquakes recorded on a temporary broadband seismic array following the September 2005 dike intrusion and volcanic eruption sequence in the Afar rift, Ethiopia. Stations at all 9 sites show signals with long low frequency codas. Strong variations in signal amplitude, frequency content and coda length are seen even between stations separated by only 2 km. The patterns of seismicity after the 2005 dike intrusion provide a 3D perspective of magma feeding systems maintaining the along-axis segmentation of this incipient seafloor spreading segment. Background Diking events result in an instantaneous and localized extension marked by intense swarms of shallow, commonly small magnitude, and sometimes low frequency earthquakes, with or without effusive volcanism (e.g., Einarsson and Brandsdottir, 1980; Rubin et al., 1998a, b). Migrating earthquake swarms and harmonic tremor recorded on seismic arrays, and satellite geodetic techniques allow us to map the vertical and lateral migration of magma during multi-episode, tectono-magmatic episodes, as well as the transient response of the plate to the stresses induced by the dike intrusion itself (e.g., Sigmundsson, 2006). Seismicity accompanies dike intrusion when ambient stress levels are near failure (Rubin et al., 1998). Dikes emanating from shallow reservoirs will solidify over the time periods of propagation (e.g., Fialko and Rubin, 1998), but dikes rising from greater depths, and, higher temperatures, may cool over periods of weeks to months, effectively maintaining an open conduit at depth (Buck et al., 2007). In September 2005 a tectono-magmatic event of unprecedented scale and intensity occurred along a previously identified segment of the southern Red Sea rift in northern Ethiopia (Fig. 1). The brief event consisted of an ~60 km-long dike intrusion signaled by 163 5.5 > mb > 3.9 earthquakes between 4 September and 4 October (NEIC); models of InSAR data suggest 2.5 km of magma were emplaced during the month-long episode (Wright et al., 2006; Ayele et al., 2007) (Fig. 1). The 2005 Afar seismo-volcanic crisis NERC Geophysical Equipment Facility View more reports on our website at http://gef.nerc.ac.uk/reports.php


Measurement of soil properties under cyclic and dynamic loading conditions is a critical task in the solution of most geotechnical earthquake engineering problems. The main dynamic properties of soils are usually expressed in terms of shear modulus and damping ratio that are generally obtained from laboratory tests. To date, the resonant column test is considered one of the most accurate ways to determine dynamic soil properties at low to medium-strain levels. Because it allows for investigation of a wide range of strain amplitudes, it is a valuable tool for characterizing the shear soil behavior for a large number of practical geotechnical problems. One of the approaches followed in estimating the damping ratio from the resonant column test is the free vibration method (also called logarithmic decrement or amplitude decay method). It consists of analyzing the time history of the damped free vibrations of the specimen once harmonic loading is cut off after reaching the resonant conditions. The soil damping ratio is determined measuring the logarithmic ratio of the amplitude of any two successive peaks of the system damped motion (logarithmic decrement). In this article, the influence on the damping ratio of the shear strain level, the plasticity index, the confining pressure, and the time interval between the peaks selected in calculating the logarithmic decrement is evaluated from the results of resonant column tests performed on 51 undisturbed isotropically consolidated fine-grained soil specimens.


Aiming at the characteristics and the lack of agro-meteorological applications software adaptability,this paper sums up variables and the change features of agro-meteorological software.It applies parameter adapttive method and combination adaptive method to agro-meteorological applications designed adaptive model.From the operating system layer,data layer,the system component level,advanced function layer model discussion platform choice and adaptive model and gives practical ideas and methods to solve.Combined with the application of business practices to achieve the separation of aggregate function and system framework,to achieve the data changes to the parameters of the transformation.Business changes into changes in parameter variations and combinations to reduce costs and change the software to change the scope of agro-meteorological applications enhanced adaptability to the environment.


There is an increasing popularity of people posting their feelings on microblogging such as Twitter. Sentiment analysis on the tweets allows organizations to monitor public' feelings towards a product or brand. In this paper, we model sentiment analysis problem as a multi-classification approach that utilizes various feature types, including predicate-argument relation, hashtag, mention and emotion in the tweets. We describe a Content-Structure Correspondence (CSC) model that is able to represent diverse feature types in a tweet. We present a conceptual hierarchy to express the characteristics of a tweet. A multi-classification approach is used to map tweet content to the conceptual hierarchy. The mapping patterns are learned to identify the sentiment of a tweet.


The present paper deals with possible similarity solution of unsteady boundary layer flow over a vertical plate in the presence of internal heat generation, thermal radiation and buoyancy force. Under suitable similarity transformations, the non-linear partial differential equations are transformed into a set of ordinary differential equations. The transformed ordinary differential equations with boundary conditions are then solved numerically by using sixth order Runge-Kutta integration scheme. The effects of the governing parameters on the flow and thermal fields are investigated and shown graphically for various parameters in the velocity and the temperature distributions. The most essential case is discussed in this paper.


An innovative photosensitive gaseous detector, consisting of a GEM like amplification structure with double layered electrodes (instead of commonly used metallic ones) coated with a CsI reflective photocathode, is described. In one of our latest designs, the inner electrode consists of a metallic grid and the outer one is made of resistive strips; the latter are manufactured by a screen printing technology on the top of the metallic strips grid The inner metallic grid is used for 2D position measurements whereas the resistive layer provides an efficient spark protected operation at high gains - close to the breakdown limit. Detectors with active areas of 10cm x10cm and 10cm x20cm were tested under various conditions including the operation in photosensitive gas mixtures containing ethylferrocene or TMAE vapors. The new technique could have many applications requiring robust and reliable large area detectors for UV visualization, as for example, in Cherenkov imaging devices.


As a fire erupts, the first few minutes can be critical, and first respondents must race to the scene to analyze the situation and act fast before it gets out of hand. Factors such as road traffic condition and distance may not allow quick rescue operation using traditional means and methods, leading to unmanageable spreading of fire, injuries or even deaths that can be avoided. FireFly drone-based rescue consists of a squad of highly equipped drones that will be the first responders to the fire site. Their intervention will make the task of the fire rescue team much more effective and will contribute to reduce the overall damage. As soon as the fire is detected by in-building implanted sensors, the fire department would deploy a set of FireFly drones that would fly to the site, scan the building, and send live fire status information to the Fire fighter team. The drones would have the ability to identify trapped humans using AI based pattern recognition tools (using sensors and thermal cameras) and then drop them rescue kits as appropriate. The drones will also be equipped with fire detection and recognition capabilities and be able to drop fire extinguishing balls as first attempts to put off seeds of fires before they evolve. The integration of drones with firefighting will allow for ease of access and control of fire outbreaks. Drones will also result in increased response time, prevention of further damage, and allow relaying of vital information to out of reach places regarding the characteristics of the fire scene.


The levitation effect for high-speed vehicle ground transportation is considered. Use is made of the electromagnetic force known as traveling force or levitation force to keep the air gap between rail and vehicle constant. The authors focus on the importance of reducing the vehicular weight factor while maintaining the capability to generate the allowable driving force as well as levitation force. Accordingly, the material selection and sizing, etc. of linear motor become the focal point. The authors' approach is to keep the flux density constant while doing calculations on all kinds of forces and to find the optimal value of slip.<<ETX>>


This paper presents a Monte Carlo simulation method for fatigue failure, by which the randomness of two material properties as well as that of the applied load can be incorporated into a stochastic model using an appropriate failure criterion to predict the statistical characteristics of fatigue life under constant and random amplitude cyclic loading conditions. In this technique, both the endurance limit S sub e and the fatigue strength coefficient S sub f are treated as stochastic variables. The combined effect of the randomness of S sub e, S sub f, and the applied stress on the statistical characteristics of fatigue lives is predicted analytically using digital simulation of fatigue tests. The life distributions and their statistical characteristics are found to be in good agreement with those obtained from analyzing the experimental results, indicating that the proposed technique and the underlying assumptions and hypotheses are adequate. The suggested method is believed to be an effective, fast, and easy-to-use design tool which is suitable for use on electronic computers. It is ideal for parametric studies compared with the costly and time-consuming laboratory fatigue tests. Minimum experimental data are needed as a basis for the analysis. New results are presented which show the effect of the randomness of the loads and material properties on the randomness of fatigue life distribution.


Abstract Researchers agree that students' critical thinking and decision making skills are enhanced through exposure to new cultures and global markets. Thus, one way of bringing about improvement in these areas is through international travel courses. The purpose of this study is threefold. One, to describe the process involved in the creation of a required for-credit international travel course; two, present the findings of a research study designed to investigate graduate business students' perceptions of the educational value provided by an international travel course; and three, describe the ongoing process of closing the assessment loop as it relates to the internationalization of MBA and MACC curricula. The results of this study are encouraging. In general, students perceived that the international travel course added value to their educational experience and enhanced their relationships with other students. Items receiving weaker support were concerned with "thinking skills", such as multi-disciplinary integration and improved decision-making. These results have important implications for future improvements to the international travel course.


In this paper, we review the state of the art in imaging radar polarimetry, examine current developments in sensor technology and implementation for recording polarimetric measurements, and describe techniques and areas of application for the new remote sensing data.


Floristic study is a pre-requisite for understanding the biological wealth of a particular region and is not yet complete in parts of India. The systematic botany or botanical exploration carried out for a period of over four years in Virudhunagar district hills has resulted in the collection of 4500 specimens. These specimens belong to a total of 739 species in 451 genera spread across 134 families. The richness and diversity of the flora in Virudhunagar hills have always fascinated the inquisitive biologists. The forests of Virudhunagar hills are considered to be an inestimable reservoir of timbers of diverse kinds. It is evident from the investigation that the hills are facing threats in varied extent. Since tropical rain forests as a whole experience rapid decline as a world natural resource, Virudhunagar hills must be regarded as a prime example of this ecosystem in South India. The complexity and greater diversity of flora make these hills an important gene pool for future use and should be preserved at any cost.