Using a quasi-experimental research design, this study examines the relationship between residential property tax abatement for new construction, and urban neighborhoods in four Ohio cities. Neighborhoods were defined as census tract. The purpose of this research is to determine if there is a statistically significant relationship at p < .05 between residential property tax abatement programs for new construction and several different measures of neighborhood outcomes. The neighborhood outcome measures can be grouped under the broad concepts of increased private investment, blight removal, decreased criminal activity, and property tax equity. Subsequent questions investigated are the direction of these relationships and the existence of a threshold level at which point relationships become significant. The utilization of a comparable comparison group addresses the counterfactual scenario. Independence of samples tests and multivariate cubic regression are employed to answer the research questions. Results indicate that there are no discernable effects between residential property tax abatement and the indicators of neighborhood change as defined in the study. Second, there appears to be no threshold at which the number of tax abated residential units becomes significantly associated with the indicators of neighborhood change. Third, there were no significant differences on the indicators of neighborhood change between subject and comparison groups. In essence, there are no effects from residential tax abatement policy seen at the neighborhood level.


Heavy-Fermion compounds comprise a great variety of strongly correlated systems such as two-dimensional (2D) quantum liquids (2D He and electrons in metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFETs)), heavy fermion (HF) metals, high-temperature superconductors, quantum spin liquids confined in insulators, quasicrystals, and even the Universe itself. Numerous experimental facts unveiling the thermodynamic, transport, relaxation, etc., properties are collected on all these objects, and these facts represent all fields of the condensed matter physics. One might say that the physics of HF compounds represents a new edition of the condensed matter physics, for the observed behavior is quite unique while the edition is still under construction. Therefore, the problem of presenting a theory of HF compounds is both arduous and of great importance. In this book, we construct the theory and illustrate it by numerous applications dealing with various physical phenomena and processes and explaining the corresponding experimental facts. To make the book understandable as much as possible, for the reader's convenience we, when considering a problem of the HF compounds, give the necessary elements of the theory within a particular place. Because of huge diversity in the considered topics, we hope that such a presentation allows the reader to learn the particular physical process without a laborious recursion to special chapters of the book. One of the most fruitful concepts of modern solid state physics is a paradigm of quasiparticles. This concept permits to represent any solid as certain ground state and its elementary excitations in the form of quasiparticles. In the quasiparticle language, a complex system of strongly interacting electrons and ions is reduced to a gas of low-energy excitations, whose behavior could be described by various (primarily perturbative) well-established techniques. The quasiparticles paradigm permits to achieve a significant standardization of the description of different types of quantum solids and, by this virtue, similar formalism can be applied across a wide range of Condensed Matter systems. Rapid development of condensed matter physics at the end of the twentieth century put many challenges to the conventional wisdom in this discipline, elaborated for previous 50 years. Such discoveries as high-Tc superconductivity, integer


The new heteronuclear compound Cs/sub 3/MoWCl/sub 8/H has been prepared and shown by x-ray powder diffraction and infrared spectroscopy to have the structure of Cs/sub 3/Mo/sub 2/Cl/sub 8/H. The infrared spectra of salts containing the anions Mo/sub 2/X/sub 8/H/sup 3 -/ (X = Cl, Br) and Mo/sub 2/Cl/sub 8/D/sup 3 -/ were redetermined and found to exhibit two bands in the region 1600 to 1200 cm/sup -1/ for the hydrides and 1120 to 890 cm/sup -1/ for the deuterides. On the basis of band intensities and known geometrical restraints the band of higher frequency was assigned as the symmetric M--H--M stretch and the band of lower frequency as the asymmetric stretch. Using equations relating frequencies of ..nu..(sym) and ..nu..(asym) to the M--H--M bond angle (..cap alpha..) and the known Mo--Mo distances in Rb/sub 3/Mo/sub 2/Cl/sub 8/H and Cs/sub 3/Mo/sub 2/Br/sub 8/H, values of d(Mo--H) = 1.90 and 1.93 A and ..cap alpha.. = 77.6 and 78.3/sup 0/, respectively, were determined for the Mo/sub 2/Cl/sub 8/H/sup 3 -/ and Mo/sub 2/Br/sub 8/H/sup 3 -/ anions.


The optical activity and the conformational energy of the amino acids tyrosine, o‐tyrosine, and m‐tyrosine have been calculated as a function of molecular conformation. A new graphic technique, rotatory strength–conformational energy maps, was developed for the presentation of these calculations. Experimental circular dichroism spectra were determined by utilization of a new experimental technique that involves complete computer control of a Cary spectropolarimeter. This permitted repetitive scanning with signal averaging over extended time periods and resulted in a greatly enhanced signal to noise ratio. On the basis of these calculations, it, was concluded that the Kirkwood "coupled oscillator" mechanism is capable of explaining the observed optical activity of the aromatic chromophores of the molecules that were investigated.


rather a curious one, in that it is a collection of surgical cases and observations from all the Parisian hospitals, and the practice of many or most of the distinguished surgeons of that city. The cases are selected and arranged at the will of the collector, and their description seems sometimes to be in the words and from the point of view of the observer?sometimes to be in the ipsissima verba of the master who gave clinical commentaries on his own cases. J-hey are arranged in different ways. Now, we have an account of the cases illustrating certain forms of disease from the wards of a single


OBJECTIVES
Despite significant medical advances, infective endocarditis (IE) remains an infection associated with high morbidity and mortality. The objective was to assess the safety and efficacy of high-dose daptomycin, defined as ≥ 8 mg/kg/day, in patients with confirmed or suspected staphylococcal and/or enterococcal IE.

METHODS
This was a multicentre, retrospective observational study (2005-11). Adult patients, not undergoing haemodialysis, with blood cultures positive for staphylococci or enterococci and a definitive or possible diagnosis of IE, who received daptomycin ≥ 8 mg/kg/day (based on total body weight) for ≥ 72 h were included.

RESULTS
Seventy patients met the inclusion criteria and comprised 33 (47.1%) with right-sided IE (RIE), 35 (50%) with left-sided IE (LIE) and 2 with both RIE and LIE. Several patients had concomitant sites of infection, with bone/joint infection being most prevalent (12.9%). Sixty-five patients received daptomycin as salvage therapy. Pathogens were isolated from 64 patients, with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus as the most common organism (84.4%), followed by vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (7.8%). The median (IQR) daptomycin dose was 9.8 mg/kg/day (8.2-10.0 mg/kg/day), and was similar in RIE and LIE patients (9.8 and 9.3 mg/kg/day, respectively). A total of 24 (34.3%) received combination therapy. For those patients with pathogens isolated (n = 64), the organism was eradicated in 57 (89.1%) patients. Among 64 clinically evaluable patients, 55 (85.9%) achieved clinical success. No patients required discontinuation of high-dose daptomycin due to creatine phosphokinase elevations.

CONCLUSIONS
Patients with both RIE and LIE had successful outcomes with high-dose daptomycin therapy. Additional clinical trials evaluating high daptomycin dosages in patients with IE are warranted.


Abstract Community involvement and participation in California's Fair Fitness Program yield exciting results. Outcomes of Sonoma County's fair demonstrations include a greater awareness of the values of fitness for young and old.


Four series of experiments were carried out with 200 g. white rats in order to confirm the data presented by Ts. V. Dishe (Nucleonic acids, Moscow, 1957) on total x irradiation effects on the excretion of substances in the urine. The preliminary data confirmed the previously obtained results, moreover, it was also found that in addition to the excretion of substances containing desoxyribose, the irradiation induces an increase of other substances which produce rose coloration with 75% sulfuric acid. (R.V.J.)


The principles of extropy, supported by Max More, which are the foundation of transhumanist philosophy, are increasingly more often found in the individual's incidence space, through the effects of the augmentation, technologization and artificialization of sexuality, through pornography. Here, pornography leads to a deterritorialization of the natural regions of sex and to a reterritorialization of artificial and technologized pornography into a simulacrum of sexuality. The general objective follows the operating mechanism, together with the possible effects/benefits of a situation where we are talking about sexuality/pornography within the limits of singularity, starting from Ray Kurzweil's theories. That is where sexuality in pornography transitions from the physiological and natural paradigm, to the artificial paradigm of neural implants or nanobots. The theoretical objective is aimed at analyzing the shift of paradigm (in the sexual field) from the humanist man to the transhumanist individual, involving the Nietzschean argument of the Overman. With the purpose of emphasizing the often-ignored importance of technology's imminence into the life of human nature, resulting in the death of metaphysics and, in this situation, to human sexuality being reduced to functionalism. The methodology used is the argumentation of Friedrich Nietzsche's and Rene Descartes' philosophy, of Ray Kurzweil's theories, of Gilles Deleuze's deconstruction, together with the principles of Max More's extropianism. How to cite: Schussler, A.E. (2017). Pornography in Transhumanism – Towards a Sexuality of Singularity. Postmodern Openings , 8(1), 41-56, http://dx.doi.org/10.18662/po/2017.0801.04


This article pursues several goals related to testing of indigenous language learners: to explain the need for formal testing, to describe the test preparation process, and to present the pilot results of using these tests. 1 I discuss the creation of vocabulary and grammar tests for the purposes of screening participants and assessing the effectiveness of language learning programs for the Labrador dialect of Inuktut (also called Inuktitut). The speakers of this dialect call it Inuttitut or Inuttut (the Labrador pronunciation of 'Inuktitut' and 'Inuktut', respectively).


The problem of guiding a flock of agents to a destination by the repulsion forces exerted by a smaller number of external agents is called the shepherding problem. This problem has attracted attention due to its potential applications, including diverting birds away for preventing airplane accidents, recovering spilled oil in the ocean, and guiding a swarm of robots for mapping. Although there have been various studies on the shepherding problem, most of them place the uniformity assumption on the dynamics of agents to be guided. However, we can find various practical situations where this assumption does not necessarily hold. In this paper, we consider the situation in which we are given a flock of agents consisting of normal agents to be guided and other variant agents. Under this situation, we propose a shepherding method for guiding the normal sheep. Specifically, in this method, the shepherd discriminates normal and variant agents based on their behaviors' deviation from the one predicted by the potentially inaccurate model of the normal agents. As for the discrimination process, we propose two methods using static and dynamic thresholds. Our simulation results show that the proposed methods outperform a conventional method for various types of variant agents. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT


We use the calculus of variation and Fourier analysis to study the existence of homoclinic orbits of the second-order Hamiltonian systems when the potential function to meet certain conditions. The traditional method is to use the mountain pass,looking saddle point type critical point to address the existence of homoclinic orbits. In this paper,we use the direct method is not commonly used variational and we promote the previous conclusion. Finally,we prove the existence of homoclinic orbits when the potential function satisfies the conditions of weakness.


The effect of cyclophosphamide (CY) 300 mg/kg was observed on lymphoid tissue labelled with 5-iodo-2-deoxyuridine-125I (I-UDR). A generalized reduction was observed in the radioactivity in


A MEMS high-resolution inclinometer is presented in this paper. Unlike traditional approaches, a transduction mechanism based on the measurement of pull-in voltages is used for the realization of the sensor. The advantage is on-device capability for auto-calibration and thermal compensation, and more relaxed specifications for the capacitive readout electronics. In addition, dedicated MEMS microstructures with extra proof-mass are proposed and tested for high-resolution applications. The microstructures have differential actuation electrodes (with a common electrode) resulting in two pull-in voltages that change differentially with applied acceleration. The device shows a sensitivity of 300 mV/° with a non-linearity below 0.5%FS (Full Scale of ±10°). The measured noise level of 3mV sets the system resolution at 0.01°, above the theoretical resolution limit of 0.001° (due to the actuation voltage resolution of 300μV).


Research Question: What is the current status of self-efficacy beliefs towards research and research utilization (RU) of University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Medicine and Surgery (UST-FMS) graduates who had Clinical Epidemiology in their basic medical education curriculum? Significance of the Study: There is an increase in research and RU trends globally as adherence to practice based on evidence results in improved patient outcomes. Limited studies are available in describing research and RU of Filipino physicians and there is no study available specific for UST-FMS graduates. Objectives: The study aims to describe self-efficacy beliefs towards research and RU of UST-FMS graduates' batches 2012-2016 who had Clinical Epidemiology in their basic medical education. Study Design: A single-center, quantitative descriptive survey design was used. Methodology: Participants were graduates of UST-FMS batches 2012-2016, currently working at the University of Santo Tomas Hospital. Evidence-based Practice Confidence Scale (EPIC scale) and Edmonton Research Orientation Survey (EROS) were used to assess the research and RU of the participants gathered through snowball sampling. Statistical Analysis: Descriptive statistics such as means and standard deviations were used to analyze the EPIC and EROS scores. Results: The UST-FMS graduates value research and are generally confident in their ability to participate in evidence-based medicine. However, they rarely conduct research and have a low understanding of statistics. Conclusion: The self-efficacy beliefs of UST-FMS graduates towards research and RU may be attributed to several factors. Clinical epidemiology as a subject may be improved by adding more lectures on statistics while hospitals should create avenues to support the conduct of research. Keywords: self-efficacy belief, research and research utilization, Clinical Epidemiology, medical education curriculum


Introduction. THE THEORY. Basic Strategy of Predictive Control. Extended Strategy and Properties. Adaptive Systems within the Context of Predictive Control. APCS Stability. Theory. THE APPLICATIONS. Multivariable Control of a Bimary Distillation Column. Design of an Autoplilot for the F-8 Aircraft. Control of a Bleach Plant in a Pulp Factory. Active Control of Flexible Structures. THE OPTIMIZATION.The APCS Optimization: Application to the Cement Industry. APCS Optimization of a Cement Kiln. APCS Optimization of Milling Processes. Closure: The Strength of the Concept. Appendices. References. Index


The purpose of the research is to identify the features of management by financial – economic security of building corporate enterprises taking into consideration the current mixed business conditions in Ukraine. Aa a result of the research the elements that influence the formation of financial – economic security of building corporate enterprises have been discovered. They are the organizational management structure, the subjects management, the object management, which characterizes the financial – economic security, management functions, process management, management mechanism. It is grounded that the financial – economic security of building corporate enterprise includes management mechanism of financial – economic security and consists of a set of principles, methods, tools and incentives. Their aim is to increase efficiency and effectiveness of the measures as for the creation and usage of financial – economic security. It is proved the necessity of creation of building corporate enterprises security service, which is based on the next criteria: comprehensiveness, independence, uniqueness, fairness, etc. The principles of formation of financial – economic security for building corporate enterprises are identified. It is substantiated that the concept (policy) of security is defined as the system of beliefs, decisions and actions in the field of security that create the conditions for achieving business objectives. To manage the financial – economic security of building corporate enterprises the following areas are proposed: identification of priorities and financial interests in the development of their systems; analysis of existing threats to the financial – economic security; evaluation of the financial – economic security of corporate enterprises of building industry; development of measures to ensure financial – economic security, development of recommendations from their use in the enterprise; planning of the budget of implementation of developed set of measures to ensure financial – economic security; implementation of measures; monitoring the progress of implementation of the measures; operational management of the financial – economic security. The directions and characteristics of monitoring the implementation of measures to realize the financial – economic security for building corporate enterprises are determined.


This research aims to test the relationship between personality factors of the HEXACO model and employees' well-being. The HEXACO Personality Assessment Inventory and Ryff"s Psychological well-being scale were applied to a batch of 34 employees. Study results showed that the factor Honesty is not in relation to any of the dimensions of employees' well-being. Factors Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Openness are positively related to well-being. In conclusion, results of this study represent a starting point in studying the relationship between personality and well-being in an organizational context. Cuvinte cheie: Modelul HEXACO de personalitate, starea de bine psihologic, starea de bine psihologicîn contextul muncii.


In order to achieve the best performance and innovation, every organizations have to achieve its competitive advantage. The advantage which comes from the employee is the extra role behaviour (Organizational Citizenship Behaviour or OCB). As the requisite for it, the other supporting factors are needed. Those factors are Servant Leadership and Organizational Commitment. In this research, Organizational Commitment is significantly affect OCB, and Servant Leadership is not significantly affect OCB. But Servant Leadership could affect OCB, through Organizational Commitment as an intervening variable at the green campus context.


The contribution deals with the development of two unusual borough settlements in the southwest part of Slovenia along the routes to the sea. The borough Senožece originates from the Middle Ages and differs from the majority of boroughs by walls, which separated it from the village of the same name. In the second half of the 16th century, the development of the borough was strongly marked by a colony of Italian tradesmen that brought it prosperity and a modest autonomy. In the first half of the 18th century the small borough decayed entirely because of the changed economic policy of the Habsburg state; thus, around 1750 it counted only three populated houses. In subsequent decades it consequently lost the borough title, and recovered it only after 1800 when the neighbouring village Senožece was included in the borough. The other borough, Prem, as well died away and slipped to the degree of a village in the 18th century. Prem was by its significance all along strongly behind Senožece, and the borough title, proven as late as the early modern age, was above all a result of the ambitions of its landed proprietors.


The fragmented and unstable nature of the construction industry associated with unpleasant working milieu caused the diminishing preference of potential manpower to participate in the construction industry. An increasing number of construction firms are experiencing severe outflow of the workforce, not limited to loss of manpower, but contemporaneously, expertise and valuable experiences too. The construction industry is conservative and particularly resistant to synchronise with hectic and rapid changes to content and accommodate current demands. Accumulation of a few causes such as the refusal of locals to involve, unsatisfied working conditions, labour-intensive trades and as like caused workforce paucity as the supplies unable to overcome and cope in-parallel with the demands. The aim of this study is to generate strategies to enhance or improve the skills of the foreign workers. The respondents are mainly the foreign workers at construction sites. The questionnaire focus on the worker's perspective on various parties roles' that might help them to increase their construction skills. From the result gathered, most respondents are interested in incentives in employee training, certification program and better standardised wages, that can help them to further enchance the skill level and subsequently upgrade their living status.


The question which the assessment team must address is what public-private mix in a specific country can most effectively increase coverage of ORT programs and reduce infant mortality. Because of market imperfections the private sector does not always operate at least cost and when left unregulated can rarely be expected to produce socially equitable outcomes. Whatever its purpose method or virtues public-sector production of health services is almost never efficient. This chapter considers 2 elements of the private sector: private voluntary organizations (PVOs) and other initiatives with particular attention to employee benefit plans through health cooperatives health maintenance organizations social security plans and insurance programs. In the area of PVOs the key issues are: replicability; sustainability; institutional building through training linkages and participation of consumers; and benefit distribution. In considering other private-sector initiatives the key issues are: designing an analytical framework for public policy goals; targeting program opportunities; considering organizational structure and management; and financial development and planning. Constraints and options are summarized. Key issues in the commercial sector are: the acknowledgment of the current role of commercial health care providers; identification and use of effective approaches to commercial-sector involvement; intersectoral cooperation; evaluation of mass communication and marketing efforts; the role of the commercial sector in local production of ORS; the sale of ORS in the commercial sector; and training and education of commercial-sector health care providers.


Social Work is situated in the tension between theoretical knowledge and a knowledge that comes from professional intervention in social reality. In opposition to the history of Social Work in Brazil, the formation of Social Workers in Germany is struggling – since the beginning of the
professionalization – for its academic recognition. The essay shows that the sub estimation of practical experience as a fountain of knowledge pertains to modern science which is based on the idea of an instrumental ratio. With the example of the history of the obstetricians as a professional will be
remembered the classical concept oh "phronesis" as a practical knowledge that attributes to Social Work – by the means of selfreflexion of the praxis in front of theory and vice versa – the quality of a comprehensive science, apt to found as well the praxis, as the theory and their mutual relationship.
 Key words – Theory and praxis. Phronesis. Comprehensive science. Professionalization. Social Work.


The role of coxsackie virus infection in the pathogenesis of idiopathic inflammatory muscle disease (HMD) has been investigated by many workers with conflicting results. This study uses in situ hybridization, with digoxigenin–labelled oligonucleotide probes complementary to the coxsackie B virus genome, to investigate the presence of virus RNA in muscle biopsies from 26 patients with HMD. In the five cases of inclusion body myositis studied, there was focal probe–binding to nuclei and cytoplasm, and in nine cases probe–binding to mast cells was seen. In both of these instances probe–binding was non–specific and not due to hybridization. None of the cases showed the presence of coxsackie virus RNA within muscle and it is concluded that lytic infection of myocytes by coxsackie virus does not occur in IIMD.


There has been limited research that explains the breakdown of the relationship between M3 and real activity after the financial deregulation in Australia. This paper contributes to the existing body of literature by examining the stability of money demand as a function of real income, interest rate and economic uncertainty index. We use the Johansen procedure of cointegration to estimate the long-run stationary relationship between an Australian monetary aggregate (M3) and the explanatory variables. We use the GARCH (1, 1) model to construct an economic uncertainty index. When we account for economic uncertainty, our results establish a long-run equilibrium relationship for the post-deregulation and for the entire sample period, and show an improvement in excess liquidity. Our result has an implication for reopening an important policy question on the viability of framing monetary policy around monetary aggregate.


This article discusses the issue of energy efficiency of power regulators used at testing stations of traction electric motors of rolling stock. It mentions the main disadvantages of modern power regulators. The elimination of these shortcomings occurs through the use of additional filter-compensating equipment, which significantly affects the reliability of the design of the testing station as a whole. The paper also analyzes the modern equipment of testing stations based on mathematical modeling. Mathematical modeling made it possible to visually see the switching dips in the curves of the sinusoid of the supply voltage, as well as the non-sinusoidality of the current curve consumed by the thyristor converter. There are also switching dips in the curves of the sinusoidal supply voltage. These dips are caused by the fact that in the switching interval there is an interphase short circuit of the switched phases. Based on the updated energy conservation law, a device has been proposed which, by changing the input electrical resistance, regulates the power of the test station. The paper analyzes the influence of existing and proposed equipment of testing stations on the supply network. The data obtained showed that when using semiconductor diodes, the full potential of the power source is used. The proposed technical solution makes it possible not to load the mains with additional currents. This device provides a power factor close to unity and maintains high electromagnetic compatibility of the testing station with the power supply network over the entire range of power control.


Mineral dust aerosols have complex nonspherical shapes and varying composition. This study utilizes data on morphology (size and shape) and composition of dust particles to determine the extent to which the optical properties of real particles di8er from those of spheres. A method for modeling the optical properties of complex particle mixtures is proposed. The method combines dust particle composition–shape–size (CSS) distributions reconstructed from the electron microscopy data, e8ective medium approximations and discrete dipole approximation. The method is used to compute optical characteristics of realistic dust mixtures representative of Saharan and Asian dust. We demonstrate that considered CSS distributions result in various di8erences in the extinction coe<cient, single scattering albedo, asymmetry parameter and the scattering phase function relative to the volume-equivalent spheres and the mixtures of the randomly oriented oblate and prolate spheroids. Implications of these di8erences for radiation/climate modeling and remote sensing are discussed. ? 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.


Conditions providing for maximum efficiency during intracavity laser pumping of active media have been analyzed. It is shown that the occasional parasitic oscillation shift of the pumping laser can be eliminated without any loss of laser pumping efficiency. An experimental study has been made on two possible energetically efficient methods of stabilizing the oscillation spectrum of a neodymium glass laser with an intracavity load of ytterbium-erbium glass: introduction of a small-base Fabry-Perot etalon into the cavity and use of mirrors with a sharp drop of the spectral characteristic as laser cavity mirrors. An optimum variant of the multilayered coating of such mirrors has been selected.


Social networks have experienced a meteoric rise recently. They provide a number of functionalities such as network of friends or business contacts listings, content-sharing, profile surfing, discussion and messaging tools. Interoperability among social networks being a key challenge, the Google-powered open social alliance has partly solved it and unveiled a new breed of strategies to gather data from social network users. In this paper, we build on the open social functionality and combine it with filtering and ranking algorithm to enhance email management.


Muddy sediments are elastic solids through which morphologically diverse animals extend burrows by fracture. Muddy sediments inhabited by burrowing infauna vary considerably in mechanical properties, however, and at high enough porosities, muds can be fluidized. In this study, we examined burrowing behaviors and mechanisms of burrow extension for three morphologically diverse polychaete species inhabiting soft muddy sediments. Worms burrowed in gelatin, a transparent analog for muddy sediments, and in natural sediments in a novel viewing box enabling visualization of behaviors and sediment responses. Individuals of Scalibregma inflatum and Sternaspis scutata can extend burrows by fracture, but both also extended burrows by plastic deformation and by combinations of fracture and plastic deformation. Mechanical responses of sediments corresponded to different burrowing behaviors in Scalibregma; direct peristalsis was used to extend burrows by fracture or a combination of plastic deformation and fracture, whereas a retrograde expansive peristaltic wave extended burrows by plastic deformation. Burrowing speeds differed between behaviors and sediment mechanical responses, with slower burrowing associated with plastic deformation. Sternaspis exhibited less variability in behavior and burrowing speed but did extend burrows by different mechanisms consistent with observations of Scalibregma. Individuals of Ophelina acuminata did not extend burrows by fracture; rather individuals plastically deformed sediments similarly to individuals of the related Armandia brevis. Our results extend the range of natural sediments in which burrowing by fracture has been observed, but the dependence of burrow extension mechanism on species, burrowing behavior, and burrowing speed highlights the need for better understanding of mechanical responses of sediments to burrowers.


A general strategy is demonstrated for achieving a cubic nanoassembly of complex oxide nanocrystals such as yttrium aluminum garnet. The synthesis route is based on the principle of surface energy minimization whilst taking advantage of the material's crystallization pathway. The results show that each nanocrystal in the ensemble is around 10 nm in size and the cubic nanoassembly stretches its dimensions to about 200 nm. Modifying the mechanism that minimizes surface energies during crystallization suggests a new route to structural changes. Doping large cations into the material system transforms the cubic nanoassemblies into single-crystal nanocubes. These approaches provide the general procedures to a template-free ordered nanostructure. They are likely to attract significant interest in a myriad of applications and provide opportunities to fundamentally explore their collective properties.


Abstract : The need to adopt a systems engineering approach throughout the defence acquisition cycle, in order to ensure satisfactory system integration, has been recognised in recent years. In the UK, the 1997 Strategic Defence Review resulted in Small Procurement which has been introduced as a result of a number of factors such as cost over-runs and slippage, increasing complexity and diversity in defence systems, rapidly advancing teclinologies, aiid tlie changing defeiice iiidustry structure in the USA and UK.


Temperature dependence of peak intensity and peak intensity ratio of photoluminescence (PL) from garnet crystal sensor is evaluated for fluorescence thermometer application. Peak intensity of PL from YAG sensor decreases exponentially with temperature. Intensity ratio of PL peaks at 690nm, 688nm and 688nm, I678/I689, I707/I689, I725/I689, increases linearly with temperature from 299 to 473K. Cr doped YAG is potentially useful sensor material in fluorescence thermometer based on temperature dependences of PL intensity, and PL intensity ratio


Abstract : A Flight Test program was conducted to obtain landing-gear loads and airplane responses associated with field landings under controlled conditions. A total of 209 landings was made with a Model A4D-2 airplane during the period from 8 September 1960 to 2 November 1960 to obtain 29 landings satisfying the desired touchdown conditions. Landings were made at two values of sink speed at each of two different approach speeds on two types of runway surface, dry concrete and concrete coated with approximately one eighth inch of non-skid deck compound. Landings were also completed at three sink speeds with external fuel tanks installed on the wing pylons. Additional landings were made to obtain unsymmetrical touchdown conditions and others were made to run over a cross-deck pendant with the tires bottomed. Data are presented in this report in the report in the form of time-history plots for 26 satisfactory landings, since calibration data were found to be invalid for the early landings. The data from the 26 landings were used by the Douglas Aircraft Company to compare with predicted loads (analysis) and drop test loads obtained with the identical instrumentation.


Rye was cut in full
blossom,natural dried by air,containing dry matter 89.43%,crude protein 10.47%,crude fiber
37.21%,calcium 0.33%,total phosphorus 0.22%,total energy 16.36MJ/kg,and essential amino
acid(mean) 0.27%,including lysine 0.34%,methionine 0.19%,threonine 0.35% and tryptophan
0.05%.Four gestating sows were involved in this study.Basal diet(corn-soybean meal) was
substituted with the rye hay in proportion as 10%,20% and 30%,respectively.44 Latin Square
design was used.The aparrent fecal digestibilities of total energy were 79.38%,74.69%,65.18%
and 59.88%,of crude protein 78.93%, 76.37%72.43% and 69.16%,and of dry matter
77.30%,74.51%,66.16% and 61.60%,respectively,in group 0%,10%,20% and 30%.By the means
of regression analysis,the digestibilities of total energy,crude protein and dry matter were
11.54%,47.65% and 22.30%,apparent fecal digestibilities (mean) of total amino acids,essential
amino acid and non-essential amino acids were 37.98%,37.78% and
38.23%,respectively,including lysine 18


To evaluate the knowledge sharing degree objectively is the precondition of upgrading the knowledge sharing level in supply chain enterprises.In this paper,having analyzed the factors that affect supply chain enterprise knowledge sharing,the systemic model used to evaluate supply chain knowledge sharing level is constructed,then using AHP to determine the index weight,using entropy to amendment index weight,and using fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method to evaluate the level of knowledge sharing in the supply chain.


Measurements of positron lifetime changes from 100K to the onset of trapping at vacancies in Al, Cu, Ag and Au are presented. The extracted temperature coefficients of positron lifetimes increase with temperature so that they become greater than theoretical predictions based on expansion of a static lattice. In addition, a simple representation of a one-dimensional momentum distribution is used to establish a relationship between changes in positron annihilation rates with temperature and the corresponding changes in shape parameters of the momentum distributions observed in angular correlation or Doppler broadening measurements, permitting a comparison of theoretical predictions of the temperature dependence of annihilation rates with various experimental determinations of the temperature coefficients of the momentum shape parameters.


From a comparative perspective the health system of the United States has a history that is both representative and idiosyncratic. Like other advanced industrial nations, it witnessed the rise of biomedicine to professional dominance in the later 19th century, followed by the transformation of the hospital into a temple of high-tech healing, the growth of a pharmaceutical industry ministering to body and mind, and organized structures of access that combined insurance, public funding and private payment. It has been in the balance between these different modes of financing that the disparity between American health care and its peers has been most observed. Unlike other Western nations, which followed either Bismarckian Germany in instituting compulsory health insurance, or inter-war New Zealand in developing a comprehensive state health service, America repeatedly placed more faith in private enterprise. Until relatively recently its doctors exercised greater liberty to practice and charge as they wished, while its commercialized health insurance industry remained voluntary, and its public sector, in the form of Medicare and Medicaid, which arrived only in the 1960s, was limited in coverage to older people and the poor.


The simple syringe-stabilizer unit described in this note provides a means for rapid intravascular inoculation of embryonated chicken eggs with minimal embryonic death from vascular trauma.


In connection with introduction of new technological processes, modes, materials at details manufacturing of is difficult-constructive forms with high requirements to dimensional accuracy and an operational resource application of numerical modeling becomes the most favorable. Still recently the establishment of the basic parities of mathematical models demanded accumulation and the analysis of huge files of experimental and natural industrial data that is interfaced to considerable material and time expenses. At the same time the modern mechanical engineering is characterized by more and more increasing frequency of removability of objects of manufacture, and also complication of constructive forms and increase in overall dimensions of details of designs. Thus, the effective decision is application of numerical modeling at reception of estimations operational and technical characteristics on a developed product. In the given work the generalized variation formulation quasi-static problems plastic forming details taking into account creep deformations is resulted. The decision of the given problems is carried out consecutive approximations by a method of finite elements in system MSC.Marc. For the considered formulation theorems of uniqueness, stability and the convergence of an iterative method proved for inverse problems forming to the theory of creep are true. Numerical results of problems forming in the conditions of plasticity are resulted. By means of system MSC.Marc software models of plasticity and creep taking into account hardening are entered. Influence of contact conditions on problem decisions forming details is analyzed.


In the early 1960s, Elizabeth Finley, a pioneering law firm librarian, described
the development of the Covington & Burling law library over a twenty-year
span (1943�63) in a private recollection that is reprinted here. Mr. Mao brackets
her account with descriptions of the Covington & Burling library both
before and after Finley�s tenure there.


Abstract In the current study, a three-component protocol was adopted to efficiently synthesize butane-linked bis(pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines) 1 attached to arene units in 74–81% yields. The one-pot reaction involved reacting bis(aldehyde) with the respective 1H-pyrazole-3,5-diamines and acetophenones in ethanol at 80 °C in the presence of potassium hydroxide for 6 h. Using a similar protocol, another series of regioisomeric bis(pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines) 2 was prepared, in 77–87% yields, utilizing the appropriate synthons bis(acetyl) and benzaldehydes. The new products showed a wide spectrum of antibacterial activity against six different ATCC strains. In general, products attached to 3-(4-methoxybenzyl) units exceeded their analogues attached to 3-(4-chlorobenzyl) units in antibacterial activity. Moreover, hybrids which are linked to arene units with para-electron releasing substituents demonstrated improved antibacterial activity. The hybrid 2h, 3-(4-methoxybenzyl) and 7-(4-methoxyphenyl) units, had the best antibacterial activity against all strains tested. It demonstrated more effective activity than ciprofloxacin with MIC/MBC values up to 2.0/4.0 µM. Graphical Abstract


Background There is a national recruitment and retention crisis in Emergency Medicine. Within Wales the retention of trainees within emergency medicine is the main issue, nearly a quarter of Emergency Medicine trainees are not completing speciality training despite an all time high satisfaction rating of Emergency Medicine training in Wales. This could be due to the limited exposure to the specialty prior to entering specialty training. EPIC was created to address this and increase exposure to Emergency Medicine prior to completion of undergraduate training. The EPIC iBSc degree covers 5 modules including: Sports, Pre-hospital and Other Emergencies, Emergency Diagnostics, Resuscitation Science, Trauma Science and Paediatric Emergency Medicine, each with a teaching week followed by a clinical placement. In addition, students undertake an Intercalated Research Project, allowing them the opportunity to research one of the Emergency/Pre-hospital Medicine areas to a more advanced level. Summary of Work Simulation teaching is used to increase the students experience and confidence within Paediatric Emergencies. We asked the students to self-report confidence levels on a Likert scale pre and post simulation. Summary of results Results were analysed in XLStat 2018, using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test for comparison of 2 non-parametric sets of data. All of the simulation sessions run as part of the Paediatric module teaching week have demonstrated a significant increase in confidence post simulation. (Cardiac Arrest p=0.009, Trauma p=0.005, Asthma p=0.008, Anaphylaxis p=0.007, Sepsis p=0.006 and Seizure p=0.006.) Discussion and conclusions We have demonstrated that the use of a simulation program within the Paediatric focus week of EPIC results in an increase in confidence amongst the students. We are equipping the students with experience of Paediatric Emergencies, giving them the day-to-day skills and confidence necessary to become competent Foundation Doctors. As a part of an integrated BSc course encouraging them to consider Emergency Medicine as a future career. Recommendations We recommend that simulation teaching should be routinely included in the teaching schedule for medical students in order to increase their confidence and knowledge within a safe environment. Reference Zendejas B, Brydges R, Wang AT, Cook D. Patient outcomes in simulation-based medical education: A systematic review. Journal of General Internal Medicine 2013. Griswold S, Fralliccardi A, Boulet J, Moadel T, Franzen D, Auerbach M, Hart D, Goswami V, Hui J, Gordon JA. Simulation based education to ensure provider competencey within the heathcare system Academic Emergency Medicine sponsored Consensus Conference 2017.


A Transmit Preprocessing Technique for Downlink Spatial Multiplexing in Multi-user MIMO Channels was proposed.Through adding additional constraint to the joint Tx-Rx MMSE optimization scheme the equivalent channel could be changed from block-diagonalization to complete diagonalization.MUI(multi-user interference) and per-user multi-stream interference could be canceled simultaneously.The modified algorithm is much more feasible and has the advantage of simplifying the receivers.A general complete diagonalization is the channel inversion algorithm.Performance analysis and comparison prove the complete diagonalization algorithm proposed has better performance than channel inversion algorithm.


Marine fishery resources stock enhancement is one of the most important marine fishery resources restoration measures, and has been adopted by a lot of countries. Assessment of the enhancement is one of the key work. Based on the results of assessment, people can improve stock technique and effect. The article summarized research progress of marine fishery resources stock enhancement impact assessment and made comprehensive discussion from three aspects including ecological benefits, enhancement benefits and social benefits, aiming at affording reference basis for carrying marine fishery resources stock enhancement and inspiring future research.


This article is concerned with the characterization and existence of evolutionarily stable strategies (ESS) in Games against Nature, a class of models described by ®nite size populations and absolute ®tness measures. We address these problems in terms of a new formalism which revolves around the concept evolutionary entropy, a measure of the diversity of options associated with a strategy ± pure strategies have zero entropy, mixed strategies positive entropy. We invoke this formalism to show that ESS are characterized by extremal states of entropy. We illustrate this characterization of ESS by an analysis of the evolution of the sex ratio and the evolution of seed size. Ó 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.


We show that in contrast with contact interacting gases, an optical lattice changes drastically the stability properties of a dipolar condensate, inducing a crossover from dipolar destabilization to dipolar stabilization for increasing lattice depths. Performing stability measurements on a 52 Cr Bose-Einstein condensate in an interactiondominated regime, repulsive dipolar interaction balances negative scattering lengths down to −17 Bohr radii. Our findings are in excellent agreement with mean-field calculations, revealing the important destabilizing role played by intersite dipolar interactions in deep lattices.


60 specialists have contributed the 2200 entries under the guidance of 40 expert advisers. The entries are arranged alphabetically and range in length from 60 to 1000 words. Subjects covered include religions; political systems and theory; economics, commerce and management; communications and advertising; law and legal systems; philosophy; psychology; international relations and development issues; sociology; sports; education; social services; health and welfare. Biographies of the major figures in their fields are given. Entries reflect the variety of information required in today's hybrid society, and special attention is given to different cultural viewpoints. The additional 40-page illustrated section on the countries of the world includes an entry, locator map, and table of statistics for each country, which summarizes the country's political and economic structure.


Thermoacoustic phenomena have attracted the attention of scientists for a long time.In recent years,both in theory and practice has a significant development.This paper reviews the theories of thermoacoustic engines which were founded by the scholars both at home and abroad in recent decades and the shortcomings of the current theories.


This paper discusses the role of voluntary health insurance (VHI) in relation to public healthcare systems and universal health coverage (UHC). The paper explores why VHI markets are particularly susceptible to anti-selection. As the largest VHI market globally, the South African medical scheme market is then examined in detail. An overview of the history of the South African healthcare system provides insight into the development of the medical scheme market. Thereafter, an analysis on the impact of anti-selection on medical schemes is conducted using the experience from the largest open medical scheme in the market. The results demonstrate how existing risk mitigation measures are ineffective at protecting medical schemes from the effects of anti-selection, and the subsequent negative impacts of this phenomenon on the industry and the healthcare system as a whole. The paper discusses alternative mechanisms for addressing anti-selection risks and concludes that mandatory membership in some form has the potential to improve the sustainability of medical schemes in South Africa, which will in turn support the country's transition towards UHC.


Virtualization method for implementing a Power server for the virtualization management software is directly installed in a virtual machine I / O Server; at least one Integrated Virtualization Manager (IVM) registered in the virtualization management software (Power as a platform? Director); and using the command virtual I / O server virtualization Manager and integration provided by creating a virtual machine; user requirements by a preset automatically install the mounting template to the virtual machine created by the image management function, and virtual machine configuration files, operating system, network configuration is complete. The present invention no longer requires a separate virtual machine or another host virtualization management software installed, thereby saving the host resources, and greatly simplifies the deployment and configuration management software virtualization, thereby improving the efficiency of management.


Anthony V. DeFina Anthony V. DeFina, currently chair of life sciences at Bishop Ford Central Catholic High School, 500 19th St., Brooklyn, NY 11215, teaches elective courses in advanced biology, zoology and human physiology. He also has taught as an adjunct faculty member at New York Univ. and holds a Ph.D. in Neurobiology from that school himself. Each of the past five years he has accompanied graduate students and herpetologist Hemdon Dowling to South Carolina and Georgia for a field course in zoology, which has served as the basis for this article. DeFina has published articles on neurobiology in Brain, Behavior and Evolution and the Journal of Morphology and on snakes and biology curricula in The Science Teacher, the American Biology Teacher and Adaptation. He is active in the New York Biology Teachers Association, an NABT affiliate.


This study investigated the availability of phosphorus (P) following soil application of a novel biosolids-derived organomineral fertilizer (OMF15; 15:4:4) in comparison with single superphosphate (0:18:0). Two soil types of contrasting characteristics were incubated over a period of 90 days at 25 °C and maintained near field capacity. Phosphorus was applied at rates equivalent to 0 (control), 150, and 300 kg ha−1 of P2O5, respectively. Availability of P from OMF15 was low throughout the experiment accounting for less than 6.5% of total OMF15-P applied. It was shown that after the 90 days incubation period, the overall increase in soil extractable P in OMF15-treated soil was marginal in both soil types. For single superphosphate (SSP), P availability ranged from 16% to 46% of total SSP-P applied. Application of SSP increased soil extractable P levels significantly (P < 0.001) compared with unfertilized control soils. The results of this study aided the development of fertilization strategies for the best use of OMF produced from nutrient-enriched biosolids granules for applications in winter cereal and grass crops in England.


The higher-taxa richness as a surrogate of species richness in macrobenthic mollusc communities was explored in Thermaikos Gulf, north Aegean. Statistical analysis showed significant correlation between richness at the species level and richness at the genus as well as the family level. In addition, an increase in correlation values over the years of study was observed, implying an increase of anthropogenic impact in the area.


Using an interaction potential scheme, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed to investigate structural, mechanical, and vibrational properties of Ga1−xInxAs alloys in the crystalline and amorphous phases. For the crystalline phase we find that: (i) Ga–As and In–As bond lengths vary only slightly for different compositions; (ii) the nearest-neighbor cation–cation distribution has a broad peak; and (iii) there are two nearest-neighbor As–As distances in the As (anion) sublattice. These MD results are in excellent agreement with extended x-ray absorption fine structure and high-energy x-ray diffraction data and also with ab initio MD simulation results. The calculated lattice constant deviates less than 0.18% from Vegard's law. The calculated phonon density of states exhibits a two-mode behavior for high-frequency optical phonons with peaks close to those in binary alloys (GaAs and InAs), which agrees well with a recent Raman study. Calculated elastic constants show a significant nonlinear depend...


With the development of geo-informatics, the demands of web mapping services are increasing worldwide. However, these services need to be more accessible and personalized including the ability to display multiple languages in a single interface or a geo-spatial Web Site in terms of 'on-the-fly' map representation and decoration for international visitors. This paper is proposed a multilingual-based approach which a SVG based map is the primary source for preparing a multilingual Web map. According to the basic concepts or principles of map decoration, the paper gives not only an ontological model of map representation and decoration but also indicates clearly that the general issues and main theories and methods of multilingual text on Web mapping. Then, it combines different techniques to decorate the Web map such as SVG specification, four color theorem and line simplification. In order to handle the concurrent hierarchies in geometric context of the map, a geometric view of the solution, a segment tree structure and range-query structure were adapted to solve the issues of text kerning along the curve and multilingual text overlap on one point or coordinate in particular multidimensional or multi-element ones. By the experiments, this approach can be used to implement the spatial query like accessing spatial geometric elements and attributes and it can also be creating maps on-the-fly for multilingual map generalization and integration. Finally, these approaches were implemented and supported to create a software platform called 'Spatial Information Service System' which focus on the integration with multiply sources of spatial information as a disseminating and serving platform for visualizing functionality and generating maps on-the-fly in the context of web mapping applications.


Forensic Serology in the Modern Laboratory by: Suzanna R. Ryan, MS If you read the headlines, you may have gotten the impression that DNA analysis is the only thing going on in the crime lab's biology section. However, forensic serology, or, in it's more recent incarnation, "biological evidence screening", still plays a major role in forensic casework. The majority of the evidence items that go on to DNA testing are first examined for the presence of biological materials. The typical examinations that are performed by the forensic laboratory include screening for the presence of blood, semen, and saliva. In addition to these biological fluids, some labs screen for the presence of urine and/or feces and some will examine "touch" DNA evidence for the presence of nucleated, or DNA-bearing, cells.


Let K̃S be the maximal pro-p-extension of the cyclotomic Zpextension K of a number field K, unramified outside the places above S and totally split at the places above T. Let G̃S = Gal(K̃S/K). In this work we adapt the methods developed by Schmidt in [Sch3] in order to show that the group G̃S = Gal(K̃S/K) is of cohomological dimension 2 provided the finite set S is well chosen. This group G̃S is in fact mild in the sense of Labute [La]. We compute its Euler characteristic, by studying the Galois cohomology groups H(G̃S ,Fp), i = 1, 2. Finally, we provide new situations where the group G̃S is a free pro-p-group.


Abstract The growing involvement of counsellors in organisational development is addressed by describing the application of a solution-oriented family therapy approach to conflict resolution in a work system. An account of the intervention outlines the system's storying of the problem, the development of new meanings and the identification of solutions. Key concepts in this post-modern approach are linked with the practices employed.


The aim of the project was to investigate potential users' acceptance of the system VISOR, a system designed to be used in the car to help the driver with nagivation and speed keeping. VISOR presents visual information in the driver's peripheral field of vision. The fundamental question concerns user acceptance. To investigate acceptance a field study was performed in which twenty subjects drove a car equipped with a prototype. The subjects' task was to reach a certain destination guided by the system. The number of navigational errors, subjective evaluation of the system, and mental workload caused by the system, were used as effect measures in the study. Results from this study were compared with the results from an identical study, performed with another navigation system which presented visual and verbal information. The VISOR results showed that the subjects were pleased with the information, but that the information was hard to detect under certain circumstances. Mental workload caused by VISOR was higher, compared to the navigation system which presented visual and verbal information, an effect probably caused by the difficulty in perceiving the information presented by VISOR. Five subjects made navigational errors during the study, compared to three subjects in the study with the visual and verbal navigation system. The subjects indicated a good acceptance of the system VISOR. System improvements are being considered. (A)


We report on imaging of the nonuniform superconducting states in a Pb thin film bridge on top of a ferromagnetic BaFe_{12}O_{19} single crystal with a single straight domain wall along the center of the bridge by low-temperature scanning laser microscopy. We have visualized domain wall superconductivity (DWS) close to the critical temperature of Pb, when the Pb film above the domain wall acts as a superconducting path for the current. The evolution of the DWS signal with temperature and the external-field-driven transition from DWS to reverse domain superconductivity was visualized.


ABSTRACT Contemporary research on preservice teachers' data use opportunities, coursework, and interventions typically focuses on preservice teachers' perceptions about data use comfort, confidence, and preparedness. Despite the contribution of such research to understanding the efficacy of approaches to teacher preparation, understanding preservice teachers' underlying conceptions about data and data use is critical to responsive teacher preparation. However, these conceptions are elusive as preservice teachers do not routinely engage in authentic data use practices. In the present study, I develop a novel methodological approach for uncovering preservice teachers' conceptions about data. Then, I use this framework to investigate how achievement classifications and accountability pressure manifest in preservice teachers' instructional decision-making. Findings suggest preservice teachers have a general propensity for differentially allocating instructional resources to their lowest achieving students and respond to accountability pressure by shifting these resources toward students approaching proficiency criterion and those closest to achievement thresholds. Findings have implications for how teacher preparation programs may leverage preservice teachers' conceptions as a foundation for the development of data literacy, iterative instructional improvement, professional inquiry, and accountable leadership.


Connecticut had a rich diversity of historic highway bridges. This book is a guide to the most outstanding of Connecticut's historic bridges. More than forty individual bridges are illustrated and described in detail, and there is a section on the bridges of the Merritt Parkway, Connecticut's largest highway project of the 1930s. Other parts of the book present a capsule history of bridge building in Connecticut and a series of case studies showing how landmark bridges can be saved through rehabilitation, relocation, and other preservation strategies. The information on these bridges comes from the Connecticut Historic Bridge Inventory, a project undertaken by the Connecticut Department of Transportation in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration and the Connecticut Historical Commission.


In the last years, the cybermedia and the Internet itself have marked as medium and support of communication. Nevertheless, constant technologic evolution, the training of the newsroom people and the absence of a clear definition of the business model make continuous modifications in the final structure of the new media environment. This communication focuses in four important aspects: the hypertext –as a basis and essence of the Internet and the cybermedia as well–, the information architecture –as a managing system for big amounts of content–, the journalistic genres –as the main expression of the journalistic work–, and the design –the final layout of the product and, at the same time, the content access interface–. All these issues are continuously subjected to changes. In this paper, starting from the four axis mentioned before, we present an overview of the evolution of cybermedia in Spain and we suggest a perspective about the current situation of the sector. * Javier Díaz Noci y Koldo Meso are teachers at the University of Basque Country; Ramón Salaverría is teacher at the University of Navarra; Xosé López are teacher in the University of Santiago de Compostela. Manuel Gago and Xosé Pereira are researchers of the New Media Group of University of Santiago de


Abstract : This research was a first attempt to determine if there were common success factors for a successful career within the United States Air Force procurement officer force. If these factors did exist, and could be identified, they could be used for presenting a visable and a viable career progression plan to officers within the career field. Two populations of officer briefs were selected for analysis. One population consisted of colonels, and the other population consisted of lieutenant colonels passed over at least once for promotion, all of whom were serving in the procurement career field as of 1 April 1977. For the purpose of this study, success was defined as attaining the grade of colonel and serving in the procurement career field while in that grade. Selected variables from the two populations were compared to determine if meaningful differences existed between the two populations. The findings of this study were that meaningful differences were present between the two populations with regard to twelve variables, and these variables were labeled 'determinants' of a successful career within the procurement career field. (Author)


ABSTRACT FROM: Miura T, Noma H, Furukawa TA , et al . Comparative efficacy and tolerability of pharmacological treatments in the maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Lancet Psychiatry 2014;1:351–9.

Randomised studies have established that bipolar disorders (BD) are chronic and that maintenance treatments are needed to minimise subsyndromal symptoms and associated social and functional morbidity.

The authors identified randomised controlled trials published between 1970 and 2012 that compared active treatments for BD with placebo for at least 12 weeks. The primary outcomes were the number of participants with recurrence of any mood episode and the number of participants who discontinued the trial because of adverse events. The authors considered studies (open and blinded) of mood stabilisers, antidepressants, antipsychotics and anticonvulsants. Secondary outcomes included: the number of participants who had depressive, manic, hypomanic or mixed episodes, respectively; those who discontinued treatment for any reason, including relapse; and the number of …


We present a rational approach toward amplifying the local electromagnetic (EM) field for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy applications by integrating dielectric gratings capable of guided mode resonance with plasmonic optical antennas. The optical antennas are placed periodically at certain positions on the surface of a two-dimensional (2D) dielectric grating. At resonance, the grating provides a spatially confined, enhanced EM field that can further enhance the strong field of the localized surface plasmon on the nanoantenna. The numerical simulations demonstrate a cascaded enhancement from the optical antenna and the dielectric grating when the two are weakly coupled.


Nowadays breast cancer in rheumatoid arthritis patients is the most controversial one. Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory autoimmune disorder. RA may induce the order disease like cancer especially breast cancer in most women. Breast cancer starts when the breast cell begins to grow out of control. Inflammatory, anticancer drugs may show severe side effects. To overcome these herbal plants are used to make drastic changes in medical treatments. The main objective of this paper is assessment of Anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic, anti-microbial and anti-cancer activity against the Michigan cancer foundation (MCF-7) human breast cancer cell line using the extracts Andrographis echioides. Anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic activity show maximum inhibition of albumin denaturation, anti-proteinase, hypo-tonicity induced hemolysis, anti-lipoxygenase activity with standard drugs such as aspirin, diclofenac sodium and indomethacin at the concentration of 100µg/ml under in vitro condition. Thus the potential inhibition of protein (egg albumin) denaturation (85.80%) and for the human red blood cell (HRBC) membrane stabilization model 85.50% was observed at the concentration of 100µg/ml. The antioxidant and cytotoxicity activity of Andrographis echioides showed better inhibition in a dose-dependent manner against MCF-7 human breast cancer cell lines. The antimicrobial activity of Andrographis echioides showed maximum inhibition of E.coli (11mm), Enterococcus aerogenes and Staphylococcus aureus (10mm), and Candida albicans (11mm) at 100µg/ml concentration. The innovation of the present study revealed that the stem of Andrographis echioides have potential source for natural anti-arthritis, cytotoxicity, anti-microbial, antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities.


Many inflammatory mediators activate neutrophils (PMN) partly by increasing cytosolic calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i). Modulation of PMN [Ca2+]i might therefore be useful in regulating inflammation after shock or sepsis. The hemodynamic effects of traditional Ca2+ channel blockade, however, could endanger unstable patients. Store‐operated calcium influx (SOCI) is known now to contribute to Ca2+ flux in "nonexcitable" cells. Therefore, we studied the role of SOCI in human PMN responses to the proinflammatory ligand PAF. PMN [Ca2+]i was studied by spectrofluorometry with and without external calcium. We studied the effects of PAF on Mn2+ entry into and on Ca2+ efflux from thapsigargin (Tg)‐treated cells. Influx was assessed in the presence and absence of the blockers SKF‐96365 (SKF), TMB‐8, and 2‐APB. Half of PAF [Ca2+]i mobilization occurs via calcium influx. The kinetics of calcium entry were typical of SOCI rather than receptor‐mediated calcium entry (RMCE). SKF had multiple nonspecific effects on [Ca2+]i. Inhibition of store emptying by TMB‐8 and 2‐APB blocked all calcium entry, demonstrating influx was store depletion‐dependent. PAF has no direct effect on calcium efflux. Where SOCI is maximal, PAF has no further effect on calcium‐channel traffic. PAF‐induced calcium signals are highly dependent on SOCI and independent of RMCE. SOCI‐specific blockade might modulate PMN‐mediated inflammation and spare cardiovascular function in shock and sepsis.


Emitting from a moving charge (oscillator), from the point of view of modern physics - Poincare's Relativity Principle. (Russian language).


Knowledge of the number and time distribution of goods and service trips is essential for the proper planning of dock and parking facilities at large employment sites. Federal office buildings in Washington, D.C., are typical of many large office complexes, particularly those of state governments. Federal warehouse operations have characteristics similar to those of large distribution centers. The results of a survey of goods and service vehicle trips to federal facilities in the Washington metropolitan area are presented and suggest specific guidelines for the planning and operation of similar facilities. Data were collected on vehicle trips that involved a service or supply function at 10 federal facilities in the Washington area. By using a combination of onsite observation and driver interviews, data on arrival and departure times, vehicle characteristics, trip purpose, origin of trip, and nature and size of load were obtained, analyzed, and used to develop planning guidelines. (Authors)


This research was conducted to know the cultural influence of the Sultanate of Buton in realizing a democratic Baubau City. This research uses normative research that uses library data or legal materials that are primary and secondary legal materials and tertiary legal materials. Obstacles in applying local wisdom of the government of the Sultanate of Buton in realizing a democratic Baubau City government, namely the tendency of materialism, individualism, elitism and secularism. It is recommended that the cultural values of the people contained in the Binci-binciki Kuli Philosophy (pinch each other will feel the same pain), which includes the principles of equality, equality and justice must be understood, internalized, and applied by all communities who support these values to realize the democratic autonomous regional government of Baubau.


To overcome the shortages of the existing customer classification method such as strict hypothesis, poor generalization ability, low prediction accuracy and low learning rate etc., a method combined of F-scores and support vector machine for customer classification was proposed, and was applied to the problem of bank credit card customer classification. Empirical analysis shows the validation accuracies of the final model can achieve 95% or more, which concludes that learning and generalization abilities of this model are excellent.


The aim of this thesis is to analyze OMX internationalization processes and further deepen that investigation with a feasibility study of OMX's possible positioning and investment in Armenia in coo ...


Significance Metabolic abnormalities during gestation have been previously linked to increased likelihood of dyslexia, autism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but the factors involved and how they may act during cortical development is unknown. Here, we found in rodents that obesity and hyperglycemia affect the primary stem cells of the cortex (radial glial cells), reducing their ability to perform neurogenesis and form the radial scaffold needed for neuronal migration. At the subcellular level, excess glucose degraded calcium activity and the transport of mitochondria in the radial scaffold. Consequent delayed neuronal production and migration were observed. These results reveal aspects of neurogenesis as well as the sensitivity of the cortical development process to certain gestational metabolic influences. The primary stem cells of the cerebral cortex are the radial glial cells (RGCs), and disturbances in their operation lead to myriad brain disorders in all mammals from mice to humans. Here, we found in mice that maternal gestational obesity and hyperglycemia can impair the maturation of RGC fibers and delay cortical neurogenesis. To investigate potential mechanisms, we used optogenetic live-imaging approaches in embryonic cortical slices. We found that Ca2+ signaling regulates mitochondrial transport and is crucial for metabolic support in RGC fibers. Cyclic intracellular Ca2+ discharge from localized RGC fiber segments detains passing mitochondria and ensures their proper distribution and enrichment at specific sites such as endfeet. Impairment of mitochondrial function caused an acute loss of Ca2+ signaling, while hyperglycemia decreased Ca2+ activity and impaired mitochondrial transport, leading to degradation of the RGC scaffold. Our findings uncover a physiological mechanism indicating pathways by which gestational metabolic disturbances can interfere with brain development.


We prove that it is always possible to find a permutation $p$ on the set $\{1,...,n\}$ such that $c+p(c)$ is prime for all $c \in \{1,...,n\}.$


For tight focusing or long-distance reach high-power fiber lasers require improved beam quality. Specialty-fiber techniques such as coiling, acoustic guiding layers, and tailored gain and index profiles are lighting -the way.


The surface of photosensible diazo-naphto-quinone/novolak film was chemically manipulated through UV exposure and subsequent functionalization processes to obtain surfaces with different chemistries (DNQ, carboxylic, and peptidic groups). The neuronal cell attachment is controlled by three pairs of antagonistic surface variables: charged/uncharged species, amino/carboxylic groups and hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance, in which the former promote the adhesion. The study proves that microlithographic techniques in connection with surface functionalization with specific neuro-peptides can be used to build artificial networks with neuronal cells.


To study the toxic effects of ammonia on Cyprinus carpio.0.071,0.143,0.284 and 0.427mg/L four ammonia levels with one control group were set to 150 healthy Cyprinus carpio for research.The samples were tested in the experiment of 0,7,14,28 and 35d.The activity of protease on intestine and hepatopancreas were determined.The results showed as follows:Low concentration of ammonia nitrogen in the short term improved the activity of proteases in intestine and hepatiopancreas,but with the concentration increased and testing time prolonged,the activity of proteases in intestine and hepatiopancreas decreased.There was significant differences between high concentration group and control,subjects to a long time by variance analysis(P 0.05).


Three‐dimensional photonic bandgap (PBG) structures using alumina (Al2O3) as the high permittivity material were modeled and then the structures were fabricated by Fused Deposition of Multi‐materials (FDMM) technology. A finite element method and a real‐time electromagnetic wave propagation software were used to simulate and design the layered PBG structures for applications in the microwave frequency range. The modeling predicted a 3‐D photonic bandgap in the 16.5–23.5 GHz range. FDMM provides a computer‐controlled process to generate 3‐D structures, allowing high fabrication flexibility and efficiency. Electromagnetic measurements displayed the presence of a bandgap between 17.1–23.3 GHz, showing a good agreement with the predicted values. These PBG structures are potential candidates for applications in advanced communication systems.


Background. Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. It was hypothesized that type 1 cytokines promoted aGVHD and type 2 cytokines inhibited it. However, recent publications demonstrated contradictory results in murine models. Type 1/2 paradigm in aGVHD remains to be determined in human. Methods. Using enzyme-linked immunospot assay that reflects ongoing immune status in vivo, we measured spot-forming cells (SFCs) for interferon (IFN)-γ, interleukin (IL)-12, IL-4, and IL-10 in peripheral blood from 56 patients with hematological disorders who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Results. The numbers of IFN-γ and IL-4 SFCs in patients with grade II∼IV aGVHD were significantly higher than those in patients with grade 0∼I aGVHD. The enumeration of cytokine SFCs predicted aGVHD approximately 4 days before it became clinically evident, since IFN-γ SFCs in asymptomatic phase that later progressed into grade II∼IV aGVHD were elevated in 8 out of 8 evaluable patients. Similarly, IL-4 SFCs were elevated in 6 of 8 patients. In addition, Type 1 cytokine SFCs contributed to the intestinal, but not skin and hepatic aGVHD. Conclusions. Enzyme-linked immunospot assay is clinically useful for predicting aGVHD and detecting distinct end-organ targets following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.


The quality assurance program ensures that the entire radiological system and associated equipment are functioning properly and optimally. To this end, it is essential that a quality assurance program be in place in each medical facility where ionizing radiation sources are used, to verify the proper functioning of these instruments as well as the radionuclides measured in nuclear medicine. In addition, the procedures of the quality assurance program must comply with regulatory requirements and international recommendations. The method of this study is to review the regulatory requirements adopted by different countries regarding the quality assurance program procedures as well as various recent scientific works and those published by the International Atomic Energy Agency. In addition, to compare the radiation protection requirements of the procedures of the mentioned works; exposure justification and optimization, quality control, registration system, professional training and audit system and to suggest improvements. The result of the review study, add a procedure to the quality assurance program, so that the quality assurance attempts to cover all procedures involving sources of ionizing radiation, thus ensuring compliance with the standards of radiological safety in nuclear medicine facilities.


In analyses of female representation in lower houses, the adoption of quotas, the electoral system and the religious aspect have been identified as the main explanatory variables. In the case of upper houses, I see a relationship between their political strength and women's presence in them: when they are weak, the presence of female representatives tends to be larger, when they are strong, women's presence is smaller. Furthermore, the article shows that an analysis based solely on the number of seats held by women is insufficient for one to gather the true dimensions of their participation in politics. Evaluating the role and expressiveness of the institutions in which they are present is also necessary.


Background: Peripheral arterial diseases (PAD) as a highly prevalent disease all over the world is one of the major causes of limb amputations. Endovascular treatments have surpassed surgery in the past decades and are recommended in most of the cases but there is not adequate data regarding the safety and success rate of the procedure. In this study we evaluated the success rate, complications and follow up results of lower limb endovascular interventions. Methods: 80 consecutive patients went under the procedure from January 2016 to February 2017. Demographic data, comorbidities and risk factors, ABI, Rutherford and Fontaine score before and after the procedure and six months later and periprocedural complications were recorded for each patient. Analyses were done using Chi-square, Wilcoxon signed rank test, Mauchly's test of sphericity and estimated marginal means with a P-value <0.05 indicating significance. Results: There were 80 patients in this study (87.5% males). Mean age ± SD was 63.98 ± 9 years. The most common complications were hypertension (78.8%), cardiac disease (77.5%) and smoking (71.3%). PTA for the lesions below the knee was done in 66.3% of the participants. Drug balloon and stents were used in 18.8% and 42.5% of the individuals respectively. More than 50% of the patients had no complication. Dissection (23.8%), contrastinduced nephropathy (10%) and hematoma (10%) were the most common complications. ABI, Rutherford and Fontaine scores showed significant improvement after the procedure and after the six months and creatinine levels didn't exhibit any significant increase overall. Conclusion: Endovascular treatments for lower limb arterial disease are a safe procedure with a low rate of complications despite the existence of comorbidities in patients with PAD, and satisfactory results in mid-term follow up for patients with both below and upper the knee lesions.


c) My Reply: The principles of linearity and superposition for localization are illustrated in Figure 1. These results (and their generalization) can be replicated by the interested reader, using software that has been available upon request to the author since June 1998 (http://www.keyinst.unizh.ch/loreta.htm). Figures 1a and 1b show LORETA point spread functions for two sources at different depths. The deep source is more blurred than the shallow source. The only way LORETA can resolve both simultaneously active sources is by increasing the strength of the deep source, as shown in Figure 1c (which is the same as Figure 4 in [1]). In general, LORETA can resolve two sources if they are sufficiently separated, and if their estimated strengths are comparable. This is the essence and main property of Low Resolution Brain Electromagnetic Tomography (LORETA): it will always produce a blurred (approximate) image of reality. Blurring will not always allow resolving all maxima. There was never any pompous claim of "high" or "optimum" resolution in LORETA. The main property of LORETA holds.


This paper studies the group of circular units C of a
compositum of quadratic fields. If the ramification index e at
2 is equal to 1 or 2 then we already know a basis and the index
of C. Therefore this paper deals with the remaining case e = 4.


Since the 1920s, two main cultural entities are distinguished in the eastern Canadian Arctic, namely Pre-Dorset and Dorset, with the latter being considered as originating from the former. This assertion has, however, been challenged for the past 30 years. To get new insights about the filiations of the Pre-Dorset and Dorset, technological and typological analyses of bone artifacts were performed on collections from five type sites located in the northern Foxe Basin and on the southern shore of the Hudson Strait. Jørgen Meldgaard's excavations in the Igloolik area (1950s–1960s) have been revisited, as well as those of William E. Taylor Jr. (1958) and the Avataq Cultural Institute (2001–2006) at the Tayara site. New elements of change and continuity through time were observed that permit refinement of the definitions of the Late Pre-Dorset, Early Dorset, and Middle Dorset phases. In the studied areas, clear filiations are seen from Pre-Dorset to Dorset that probably arose in situ. Based on technological and typological criteria, a reassessed relative chronology is proposed for the eastern Canadian Arctic.


The rapid growth of the World-Wide Web creates unusual scaling challenges for the purpose of general crawlers and for search engines also. we delineate a new hypertext resource discovery system which is called as Focused Crawler. The main aim of a focused crawler is to seek out the pages selectively which are very relevant to a previous defined set of topics. The topics are specified not only by using keywords, but also using prototypical documents. Instead of collecting and indexing all accessible Web documents we should also be able to answer all the possible ad-hoc queries, The main work of focused crawler is to analyze its crawl boundary to find out the links that are mostly alike for the crawl, and it avoids the unnecessary and irrelevant regions of the Web. This leads to savings in the hardware resources and network resources also and it helps the crawl for more up-to-date. A classifier that evaluates the suitable hypertext documents with respect to the relevant topics, and a distiller is introduced to filter the unwanted topic from the whole content. Focused crawling acquires relevant pages while standard crawling quickly loses its way, even though they are very similar. Focused crawling is robust against large troubles for the initial set of URLs. Focused crawling is very effective for building good quality collections of the Web documents on specific topics, using modest desktop hardware.


The limits between job consumption and personal sonsumption is not clear,the rational behaviour of the economic man expand unbridlely,imperfect of system and regulations,constraint machenism cause the deformation of job cousumption,by which losses of state-owned assets are induced,job morality is lost and management function is weakened.In order to prevent the expansion of job consumption completely,a set of complete systems and regulations shall be established for emphasising the menagement mechanism for the purpose of avoiding the job consumption completely.


An ionization gauge has been modified to serve as a detector for gas chromatography. A small fraction of the effluent gas from the column is diverted into the gauge through an adjustable leak. The gauge is operated under conditions such that ionization of the eluted compound only occurs, and not of the helium carrier. The ion current is amplified and displayed on a pen recorder. The gauge combines very high sensitivity and rapid response with almost complete independence of changes in flow rate, pressure, or temperature.


In 1985, NOAA launched the Estuarine Living Marine Resources (ELMR) Program to develop a consistent data base on the distribution, relative abundance, and life history characteristics of ecologically and economically important fishes and invertebrates in the Nation's estuaries. The Nationwide ELMR data base includes information for 153 species found in 122 estuaries and coastal embayments. Species are selected according to a set of criteria, which consider their commercial, recreational, and ecological value, as well as their utility as an indicator of environmental stress.The data base is divided into five study regions - West Coast, Gulf of Mexico, Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, and North Atlantic. For each species, five life stages are considered - adults, juveniles, larvae, spawning, and eggs - with some exceptions. Each estuary is subdivided into one to five salinity zones. Relative abundance is ranked by month for each life stage of each species, in each salinity zone of each estuary. The program utilized a consistent sampling strategy that enables comparisons to be made among species, specific life stages and times of year within, and to a lesser degree, among estuarine systems.In addition, a series of reports have been published which summarize the methods and results of the ELMR Program. These include a National report (2000), regional data summary reports for the North Atlantic (1994), Mid-Atlantic (1994), Southeast (1991), Gulf of Mexico (1992), and West Coast (1990), and regional life history summary reports for the West Coast (1991) and Gulf of Mexico (1997). Free copies of these reports are available upon request from the Biogeography Program (301-713-3028).


There are fractures in local regions after extracting outlines of cone beam CT(CBCT) mandible images by conventional segmentation algorithm in the forensic test, therefore, this paper proposes a new method to avoid negative impact of fractures by the Erosion-reconstruction and Dilation- reconstruction of mathematics morphology (ERDR) algorithm to improve the accuracy of auto-extracting mandible outlines. The experiments show that the ERDR had a higher success rate (82.3%) in the processing of extracting the outlines of 300 mandible images than that of conventional segmentation method(24.0%).


Alcalase Protease was employed to hydrolyze Penaeus Vannamei head protein to prepare peptide with angiotensin Ⅰ-converting enzyme inhibitory activity.Gel column filtration chromatography was used to determine the molecular distribution of the hydrolysate.The results showed that the hydrolysate with the highest inhibition ratio was prepared under the condition of 50 ℃,pH8.5,enzyme concentration 0.3%(w/w) and 2 h.Gel filtration of the hydrolysate on Sephadex G-15 chromatogram yielded five absorbance peaks,the molecular distribution of the fractions with the most potent inhibition activity was located between 262~470,the IC50 was 0.79 mg/mL.


Introduction: Coronary access is the first stage of endodontic treatment and aims at direct access to root canals. Objective: To evaluate, by radiographic analysis, endodontic access cavities through radiographic analysis of the teeth of patients coming from primary care referred to the Center of Dental Specialties (CEO) Positivo, Curitiba, PR, Brazil. Material and methods: A total of 226 periapical radiographs taken previous to attending the CDS were analyzed, from August 2015 to August 2017. Three trained and calibrated examiners verified the following criteria: oral cavity region, presence of remaining caries,removal of roof of the pulp chamber, compensatory mesiodistal wear, iatrogenic (suggestive) and temporary restoration. Data were tabulated and analyzed for distribution, followed by bivariate analysis (Fisher's Exact Test) with significance of 5%. Results: The posterior region prevailed in 70.3% of the sample. There remaining caries were found in 14.2%, insufficient roof removal in 25.2%, iatrogenic in 35.4%, and inadequate height of the temporary restoration in 11.5% of the cases. In the posterior teeth, insufficient mesiodistal compensatory wear was identified in 35.4 of the exams. The bivariate analysis revealed no significant difference when the variable region of the oral cavity was analyzed in relation to the presence of caries (p = 0.393), remaining roof (p = 0.056) and presence of iatrogenic (p = 0.304). Conclusion: It is concluded that there are relevant failures in the endodontic access received in the CDS, which indicates the need for professional training in primary care.


In Singapore,primary school streaming is conducted twice,that is at the end of Primary Four and Primary Six.Students are streamed to three languages programs.The streaming system facilitates teaching in accordance with students' abilities,improving education quality and solving problems of multilingual teaching.Meanwhile,it also has defects such as too much strain for students,and blunting students' interest in learning their mother-tongue.Based on the actual situation of education in ethnic minority regions of China,this paper points out that primary school streaming should be adopted in ethnic regions of our country through learning from Singapore.


The article deals with the phenomenon of «unreliable» narrator, the description of which is one of the current problems of modern literary studies. In the literary text the presence of the «unreliable» narrator is realized through a complex of textual signals, such as first-person narration, contradictions in the narration and description of the same event, an abundance of detailed descriptions, linguistic «sophistication», direct appeal to the reader, self-personal recognition of «imperfections» and failures of memory et cetera. In the example of V. Nabokov's novel «Lolita» shows how the figure of the protagonist, Humbert Humbert, realizes the phenomenon of the «unreliable» narrator, and how recognizing him as such – taking into account the signals hidden in the text – is a determining factor for understanding the true intent of the whole novel.


This study aims to explain and empirically test the impact of Non-financial Rewards on Employee's Performance in selected finance companies in Batticaloa District. Accordingly, data were collected through open ended questionnaires from 150 employees in 20 finance companies in Batticaloa District. Hence, quantitative research approach was used in this study. The research method was descriptive correlative type and it was based on the objective of the method applied. The stratified sampling method was used to make the sampling frame work of the study. The data were analyzed by using univariate, multivariate analyses to take the descriptive and inferential statistics. The results indicated that the levels of non-financial rewards application and employee's performance exist in selected finance companies in Batticaloa District were high level and non-financial rewards including career advancement, recognition and achievement had significant positive impact on employee's performance while responsibility hadn't significant positive impact on employee's performance. The findings of the study provided several important implications for managers and decision makers of the finance company. The study was contributed to the body of knowledge by filling the gaps in the management literature and by substantiating the findings of previous research while the study generates considerable theoretical and practical contributions.


We study the capacity of a single-user channel with multiple antennas and limited feedback. The receiver has perfect channel knowledge, and can relay B bits, which specify a beamforming vector, to the transmitter. We show that a random vector quantization scheme is asymptotically optimal, and give a simple expression for the associated capacity.


It is known that the environment around us is very diverse in narure, Sounds, odor and, temperature are some integral components of our surrounding environment. The human body is constantly in close reciprocal relationship with the environment. This relationship is provided through the senses. One of these organs is the organ of vision, the visual analyzer.


The development of geological hazards is in close relationship with geological conditions including exposed strata,character and occurrence of rock,structure and landform and so on.In addition,the development of geological hazards is related to meteorological condition and human activity.


Abstract The subject of the experimental research was a modified back-to-back test stand. During the test, the driven gear with a number of teeth z1=16 was fixed on stationary axis. The tested gearbox worked without load and the closing gearbox was dismantled to avoid any additional vibration and noise. A mechanical system was also used which, during the tests, allowed to change the position of the above mentioned stationary axis. Gear with number of teeth z1 was fixed on a stationary axis with the arrangement of two self-aligning ball bear-ings which prevented significant changes in the angular position of axis of gear in regard of stationary axis; or fixed on a stationary axis with the arrangement of one self-aligning ball bearing which allowed significant changes in the angular position of axis of gear in regard of stationary axis. On the basis of the conducted studies, it can be stated that only in some of the analyzed cases fixing of gear with the arrangement of one self-aligning ball bearing reduces the vibration of the gearbox elements.


Microquasars are Galactic black hole systems in which matter is transferred from a donor star and accretes onto a black hole of, typically, 10–20 solar masses. The presence of an accretion disk and a relativistic jet made them a scaled down analogue of quasars—thence their name. Microquasars feature prominently in the scientific goals of X-ray polarimeters, because a number of open questions, which are discussed in this paper, can potentially be answered: the geometry of the hot corona believed to be responsible for the hard X-ray emission; the role of the jet; the spin of the black hole.