........................................................................................ 10 POPULÄRVETENSKAPLIG SAMMANFATTNING ................................ 13 ABBREVATIONS ................................................................................ 16 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................... 17 THE SHORTENED DENTAL ARCH CONCEPT ...............................................18 DECISION-MAKING IN GENERAL AND IN DENTISTRY ............................23 ATTITUDES IN GENERAL AND TOWARDS THE SDA CONCEPT ..............25 RESEARCH METHODS COMPRISING QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DATA ................................................................................26 THE SDA CONCEPT AND SWEDISH GDPs ..................................................28 AIMS ................................................................................................. 29 MATERIAL .......................................................................................... 30 STUDY POPULATION STUDY I AND II ...........................................................30 NON-RESPONSE .............................................................................................30 STUDY POPULATION STUDY III AND IV .......................................................31 ETHICAL ISSUES ..............................................................................................32 METHODS ......................................................................................... 33 QUANTITATIVE APPROACH (study I and II) ..................................................34 Questionnaire .............................................................................................34 Statistics .......................................................................................................38 QUALITATIVE APPROACH (Study III and IV) ..................................................39 In-depth interviews ......................................................................................39 Data collection ............................................................................................41 Analysis of data ..........................................................................................41 RESULTS ............................................................................................ 43 VARIOUS GROUPS OF SWEDISH GDPs; SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES ..................................................................43 ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE SDA AND THE SDA CONCEPT .......................45 Study I .......................................................................................................45 Study III .......................................................................................................46 PROSTHODONTIC DECISION-MAKING WITH FOCUS ON THE SDA AND COMPROMISED MOLARS ...........................................50 Study II .......................................................................................................50 Study IV .......................................................................................................54 DISCUSSION .................................................................................... 57 ASPECTS OF THE MATERIAL AND METHODS ............................................57 Questionnaire study (study I-II) ..................................................................57 Interview study (study III-IV) .......................................................................60 Trustworthiness of studies I-IV .....................................................................62 ASPECTS OF THE RESULTS ..............................................................................64 Attitudes towards the SDA and the SDA concept .....................................64 Prosthodontic decision-making with focus on the SDA and compromised molars ...........................................................................65 Molar support .............................................................................................67 Patient Age ..................................................................................................68 Clinical use and future perspectives ..........................................................68 Suggestions for further studies ...................................................................69 CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................ 70 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ..................................................................... 72 REFERENCES ..................................................................................... 74 PAPERS I–IV ...................................................................................... 83 APPENDIX .......................................................................................143


Banking sector is in the midst of acute competion at national and international level. The way banks entertain and maintain their customers that determins its future business opportunities and development. Inorder to maintain the customers, employees working in banking sector need to be well equipeed with adequate skills in relationship marketing. A case study has been conducted in one of the Malaysian Bank* (name changed) inorder to asertain the significance of Customer Relationship Management. Lessons about the importance of employees' in the the implementation of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is well established though this case study. This case study is an eye opener to the management and leaders of banking sector, inorder to have effective empoloyee engagement and development.


Relations between personal values, career attachments and organizational commitment were investigated. A sample of 209 workers, 116 men and 93 women, employed in diverse segments of the tertiary sector, answered measures of organizational commitment, career commitment and entrenchment, and Schwartz Value Inventory. Regression analysis revealed that individualist values were predictors of career commitment and collectivist values were predictors of organizational commitment. Power and tradition were positive predictors of career entrenchment and self-determination and benevolence were negative predictors. The data suggests that different foci and basis of individual-work attachments are associated with different axiological priorities.


Purpose. To study experimentally the effect of the volume of the reservoir on the accumulation of methane, the methane system parameters in the angle and the time of desorption recording on the kinetics of the movement of methane into the reservoir. Methods. The volumetric method was used to study the process of methane desorption from coal. A new method for analyzing experimental results was used, based on the idea of changing the characteristic relaxation time of desorption during methane emission. Results. The kinetics of methane desorption into reservoirs of various volumes was determined. Based on the results obtained, the effect of volume on the degree of coal degassing during desorption was revealed. A new method was developed to determine the residual gas content in coal, which is based on the idea of material balance. It was found that the dependence of the characteristic parameter on the desorption time depends on the duration of the desorption process recording. It was experimentally established that for the same duration of desorption recording, the characteristic time of methane transport from coal does not depend on the volume of the reservoir. It was found that the sensitivity of the residual gas content to the volume of the reservoir decreases with increasing volume. This is due to an increase in the solubility of the gas in coal as the pressure in the reservoir decreases. Information was obtained on the nature of the correlation between the desorption rate and the gas content of coal. Физико-технические проблемы горного производства 2020, вып. 22 6 Originality. A discussion of the experimental results showed that for the same duration of recording desorption, the parameter ―characteristic desorption time‖ does not depend on the volume of the reservoir. An increase in the gas pressure in the reservoir during desorption affects the degree of invariance of the characteristic desorption time. It is shown that a change in the invariance of characteristic desorption time can be expected with a change in the diffusion activation energy. To identify it, information is needed on the progress of methane emission over the entire desorption time interval. Practical implications. The results of the study can be useful in diagnosing the gas content of coal seams in mine conditions and open up prospects for predicting gas-dynamic phenomena.


Adenocarcinoma of prostate gland is an internationally important health problem in men, particularly in developed countries. The aim of this exploratory study was to evaluate whether significant changes in the prostatic tissue levels of trace elements exist in the malignantly transformed prostate. Prostatic tissue levels of 43 trace elements were prospectively evaluated in 36 patients with prostate adenocarcinoma and 37 healthy males. Measurements were performed using a combination of non-destructive and destructive methods: instrumental neutron activation analysis and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, respectively. Tissue samples were divided into two portions. One was used for morphological study while the other was intended for trace element analysis. The reliability of difference in the results between normal and cancerous prostate tissues was evaluated by Student's t-test. It was found that the contents of Ag, Al, Au, B, Be, Br, Ce, Cr, Dy, Er, Fe, Gd, Hg, Li, Mn, Nd, Ni, Pr, Sb, Sn, Th, Tl, Y, and Zr were significantly higher while those of Cd, Co, Rb, Sc, Se, and Zn were significantly lower in cancerous tissues than in normal tissues. Moreover, it was shown that malignant transformation significantly changed the relationships of trace elements in prostate. Thus, in adenocarcinoma transformed prostate tissue the trace element metabolism is significantly disturbed.


The Dewey's education thought was born in the requirements of social changes in the 19th century in America,which made a comprehensive critique and innovation to the traditional education ideas.At present,the society in China is in the same comprehensive transition period,and the time characteristics and the economic development have advanced new higher requirements on the talent cultivation,but the traditional education ideas and mechanisms can't satisfy the above requirements.Therefore,it's of important significance for realizing the educational modernization in China to take the positive achievements of Dewey's education thought actively for more references and to explore the new methods of education reform adapting to the national conditions of China.


Recently, graph convolutional neural networks have been widely studied for graph-structured data representation and learning. In this paper, we present Graph Diffusion-Embedding networks (GDENs), a new model for graph-structured data representation and learning. GDENs are motivated by our development of graph based feature diffusion. GDENs integrate both feature diffusion and graph node (low-dimensional) embedding simultaneously into a unified network by employing a novel diffusion-embedding architecture. GDENs have two main advantages. First, the equilibrium representation of the diffusion-embedding operation in GDENs can be obtained via a simple closed-form solution, which thus guarantees the compactivity and efficiency of GDENs. Second, the proposed GDENs can be naturally extended to address the data with multiple graph structures. Experiments on various semi-supervised learning tasks on several benchmark datasets demonstrate that the proposed GDENs significantly outperform traditional graph convolutional networks.


Plasticizer pollution of the water environment is one of the world's most serious environmental issues. Phthalate plasticizers can disrupt endocrine function in vertebrates. Therefore, this study analyzed thyroid‐related, reproduction‐related, and estrogen‐responsive genes in Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) to determine whether non‐phthalate diisobutyl adipate (DIBA) plasticizer could affect endocrine hormone activity or not. Developmental toxicity during fish embryogenesis was also evaluated. At a concentration of 11.57 mg/l, embryonic exposure to DIBA increased the mortality rate. Although abnormal development, including body curvature, edema, and lack of swim bladder inflation, was observed at 3.54 and 11.57 mg/l DIBA, growth inhibition and reduced swimming performance were also observed. In addition, DIBA exposure increased the levels of thyroid‐stimulating hormone beta‐subunit (tshβ) and deiodinase 1 (dio1) but decreased the levels of thyroid hormone receptor alpha (trα) and beta (trβ). These results suggest that DIBA has thyroid hormone‐disrupting activities in fish. However, kisspeptin (kiss1 and kiss2), gonadotropin‐releasing hormone (gnrh1), follicle‐stimulating hormone beta (fshβ), luteinizing hormone beta (lhβ), choriogenin H (chgH), and vitellogenin (vtg1) expression did not change dose‐dependently in response to DIBA exposure, whereas gnrh2 and vtg2 expression was elevated. These results indicate that DIBA has low estrogenic activity and does not disrupt the endocrine reproduction system in fish. Overall, this is the first report indicating that non‐phthalate DIBA plasticizer is embryotoxic and disrupt thyroid hormone activity in fish.


Chemical and petrographic studies of fracture calcites in drill cores USW G-2 and US W GU-3/ G-3 from Yucca Mountain, Nevada, provide evidence that (I) shallow fracture calcites generally have prominent negative Ce and Eu anomalies and low transition-metal contents that distinguish them from deeper calcites and that (2) there is significant variability among shallow fracture calcites, even though they are more closely related to each other than to the deeper calcites. The boundary between shallow and deep calcites corresponds roughly to the present static water level (SWL). The deep caJcitcs appear to be derived from fluids enriched in some transition metals and are unaffected by dissolution/precipitation reactions that can lead to enlarged negative Eu and Ce anomalies. In contrast, most if not all of the shallow calcites are modified by such processes and may be derived from surface waters. The causes of variability among shallow calcites of these iwo drill cores are less evident, but may reflect competition with other minerals for certain trace elements during calcite precipitation, incongruent dissolution of source rocks in the formation of the calcite-precipitating fluids, and perhaps other processes not Apparent in the data that have been collected so far.


The objective of this study was to find out whether or not there was a significant correlation between pronunciation and listening achievement of English education study program students of Tridinanti University and how much pronunciation contributed to listening achievement of English study program students of Tridinanti University. In this study, the researchers used correlation analysis. The population of this study was all English education study program students of Tridinanti University. The researchers used purposive sampling, and the sample was 53 students taken from the 3 rd , 5 th , 7 th , and 9 th semester. Pronunciation and listening achievement tests were used as the instruments. The finding showed that the pearson correlation coefficient was 0,086. It means that p-value (0.539) was higher than 0.85 which indicated that there was very low correlation between pronunciation and listening achievement of English education study program students of Tridinanti University. The regression analysis revealed that the significance value (ρ) was 0.284. It was higher than alpha value (α) 0.05 which indicated that students' pronunciation gave a positive contribution toward their listening achievement and the value of R Square was 0.022. It could be concluded that students' pronunciation contributed as much as 2.2 % toward their listening achievement. Keywords : correlation, pronunciation, listening achievement.


The effects of prepolymerization and postcure temperature on the dielectric performance of bismaleimide-cyanate ester copolymer are investigated in this article.The study shows the prepolymerization of cyanate ester has influence on dielectric performance.The prepolymerization of bismaleimide can increase dielectric loss dissipation.


Estimating hydraulic conductivity from particle size distribution (PSD) is an important issue for various engineering problems. Classical models such as Hazen model, Beyer model, and Kozeny‐Carman model usually regard the grain diameter at 10% passing ( d10 ) as an effective grain size and the effects of particle size uniformity (in Beyer model) or porosity (in Kozeny‐Carman model) are sometimes embedded. This technical note applies the dimensional analysis (Buckingham's ∏ theorem) to analyze the relationship between hydraulic conductivity and particle size distribution (PSD). The porosity is regarded as a dependent variable on the grain size distribution in unconsolidated conditions. It indicates that the coefficient of grain size uniformity and a dimensionless group representing the gravity effect, which is proportional to the mean grain volume, are the main two determinative parameters for estimating hydraulic conductivity. Regression analysis is then carried out on a database comprising 431 samples collected from different depositional environments and new equations are developed for hydraulic conductivity estimation. The new equation, validated in specimens beyond the database, shows an improved prediction comparing to using the classic models.


Motion capture based on multi-camera is widely used in the quantification of animal locomotor behaviors and this is one of the main research methods to reveal the physical laws of animal locomotion and to inspire the design and realization of bionic robot. It has been found that the multi-camera layout patterns greatly affect the effect of motion capture. Due to the researches for animals of diverse species, determining the most appropriate layout patterns to achieve excellent capture performance remains an unresolved challenge. To improve the capturing accuracy, this investigation focuses on the method of multi-camera layout as a motion capture system for diverse animals with significant differences in outward appearance characteristics and locomotor behaviors. The demand boundaries of motion capture are determined according to the appearance types (shapes and space volume) and the behavior characteristics of the animals, resulting in the matching principle of the typical multi-camera layout patterns (arch, annular and half-annular) with diverse animals. The results of the calibration experiments show that the average standard deviation rate (ASDR) of multi-camera system in the half-annular layout patterns (0.52%) is apparently smaller than that of the other two patterns, while its intersecting volume is the largest among the three patterns. The ASDR at different depths of field in a half-annular layout demonstrate that the greater depth of field is conducive to improving the precision of the motion capture system. Laboratory experiments of the motion capture for small animals (geckos and spiders) employed the multi-camera system locked in the 3-D force measuring platform in a half-annular layout pattern indicate that the ASDR of them could reach less than 3.8% and their capturing deviation rate (ACDR) are respectively 3.43% and 1.74%. In this report, the correlations between the motion capture demand boundaries of small animals and the characteristics of the multi-camera layout patterns were determined to advance the motion capture experimental technology for all kinds of small animals, which can provide effective support for the understanding of animal locomotion.


The problem of high resistance of the earth is common for all kinds of surge protections used in networks. Therefore, it is not easy to prefer any of them, This paper proposes a new concept of surge arresters based on zinc oxide, which do not use spark gaps. It also explains various reasons that suggest the application of such arresters in low voltage networks in Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina.


How to reimburse medical cost is becoming more and more important and is an problem now. This article sums up the development and improvement of medical cost payment system in recent years.


Data structure selection is one of the most critical aspects of developing effective applications. By analyzing data structures' behavior and their interaction with the rest of the application on the underlying architecture, tools can make suggestions for alternative data structures better suited for the program input on which the application runs. Consequently, developers can optimize their data structure usage to make the application conscious of an underlying architecture and a particular program input.
 This paper presents the design and evaluation of Brainy, a new program analysis tool that automatically selects the best data structure for a given program and its input on a specific microarchitecture. The data structure's interface functions are instrumented to dynamically monitor how the data structure interacts with the application for a given input. The instrumentation records traces of various runtime characteristics including underlying architecture-specific events. These generated traces are analyzed and fed into an offline model, constructed using machine learning, to select the best data structure. That is, Brainy exploits runtime feedback of data structures to model the situation an application runs on, and selects the best data structure for a given application/input/architecture combination based on the constructed model. The empirical evaluation shows that this technique is highly accurate across several real-world applications with various program input sets on two different state-of-the-art microarchitectures. Consequently, Brainy achieved an average performance improvement of 27% and 33% on both microarchitectures, respectively.


Geo‐referenced species occurrence records are a prime example of biodiversity data and a cornerstone of biodiversity research. Yet, their availability depends on non‐biological factors, including the political framework in the region of collection. Here we present Bio‐Dem (www.bio‐dem.surge.sh), an open‐source software to explore the relationship between the availability of species occurrence records and the political framework in countries worldwide and through time.


Black bears (Ursus americanus Pallas, 1780) peel conifers in early spring to forage on energy-rich vascular tissues, resulting in damage to timber stands. The objective of our study was to develop and demonstrate a conceptual framework and methods for estimating stand-level volume and economic losses from black bear damage. We created tree lists from surveys of healthy and bear-damaged trees in timber stands of western Washington and Oregon. The forest growth model Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) was used to project stand volume under two damage scenarios and an undamaged scenario. One damage scenario (salvage) accounted for mortality and volume losses of fully and partially girdled trees; a second scenario (total loss) assumed complete loss of all trees peeled by black bears, regardless of peeling severity. The Fuel Reduction Cost Simulator (FRCS) was applied to estimate the value of logs delivered to the mill after accounting for logging and hauling costs associated with harvest. Present value of stands was calculated to translate volume losses into economic losses associated with bear damage. Economic losses ranged from 4% to 16% (salvage) and from 17% to 46% (total loss) of net present value. Our approach can be adapted for other forest settings and for forest management plans that assess wildlife damage.


A comprehensive test apparatus has been developed for the evaluation of the effects of thermal cycling, high temperatures and high electric fields on the quality and stability of electrical insulating materials used in spacecraft systems. The system includes a test chamber in which the specimen can be subjected to thermal and electrical stresses encountered in the space environment (temperatures from -50 to 200 C and voltages from 0 to 10 kV rms, respectively) simultaneously. The system instrumentation includes provisions for the measurement of the change in capacitance, the thermal dissipation factor of the material, and complex dielectric constants with changes in temperature, corona intensity and voltages at frequencies from 22 kHz to 70 MHz, as well as the volume and surface resistivities of the materials.


Significance The IL-2R is a key receptor of the immune system, promoting both immunity and tolerance through activation of signaling cascades on lymphocytes. This receptor induces responses that include T cell expansion, development and suppression of autoreactive lymphocytes, being critical in the prevention of autoimmune diseases. These functions are regulated by the internalization and intracellular trafficking of IL-2R, which undergoes a coat-independent mechanism of endocytosis. Our work shows that clustering of IL-2R at the cell surface is fundamental in the efficient internalization of the receptor and that an optimal cluster size is required for this. Disorganization of IL-2R clustering, through perturbation of the actin cytoskeleton or membrane cholesterol, affects endocytosis and modifies IL-2–induced signaling. The interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) is a cytokine receptor essential for immunity that transduces proliferative signals regulated by its uptake and degradation. IL-2R is a well-known marker of clathrin-independent endocytosis (CIE), a process devoid of any coat protein, raising the question of how the CIE vesicle is generated. Here, we investigated the impact of IL-2Rγ clustering in its endocytosis. Combining total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) live imaging of a CRISPR-edited T cell line endogenously expressing IL-2Rγ tagged with green fluorescent protein (GFP), with multichannel imaging, single-molecule tracking, and quantitative analysis, we were able to decipher IL-2Rγ stoichiometry at the plasma membrane in real time. We identified three distinct IL-2Rγ cluster populations. IL-2Rγ is secreted to the cell surface as a preassembled small cluster of three molecules maximum, rapidly diffusing at the plasma membrane. A medium-sized cluster composed of four to six molecules is key for IL-2R internalization and is promoted by interleukin 2 (IL-2) binding, while larger clusters (more than six molecules) are static and inefficiently internalized. Moreover, we identified membrane cholesterol and the branched actin cytoskeleton as key regulators of IL-2Rγ clustering and IL-2–induced signaling. Both cholesterol depletion and Arp2/3 inhibition lead to the assembly of large IL-2Rγ clusters, arising from the stochastic interaction of receptor molecules in close correlation with their enhanced lateral diffusion at the membrane, thus resulting in a default in IL-2R endocytosis. Despite similar clustering outcomes, while cholesterol depletion leads to a sustained IL-2–dependent signaling, Arp2/3 inhibition prevents signal initiation. Taken together, our results reveal the importance of cytokine receptor clustering for CIE initiation and signal transduction.


Remote Self-service Data Importing Management and Shared Service System of digital seismic precursory network center is developed using JSP technology based on Web.Taking Gansu provincial digital seismic precursory network center as an example,we introduce the main functions,design thoughts and implementation methods of the system and the application of JSP technology to the design.Compared with traditional workflow and application pattern,the newly developed system has its own characteristics and the merits in many aspects such as data flow,systematic security and access control strategy.We give the solutions of several key technical problems in the process using JSP technology to develop the system.


Recent studies have demonstrated a need for increased rigour in building and evaluating ecological niche models (ENMs) based on presence‐only occurrence data. Two major goals are to balance goodness‐of‐fit with model complexity (e.g. by 'tuning' model settings) and to evaluate models with spatially independent data. These issues are especially critical for data sets suffering from sampling bias, and for studies that require transferring models across space or time (e.g. responses to climate change or spread of invasive species). Efficient implementation of procedures to accomplish these goals, however, requires automation. We developed ENMeval, an R package that: (i) creates data sets for k‐fold cross‐validation using one of several methods for partitioning occurrence data (including options for spatially independent partitions), (ii) builds a series of candidate models using Maxent with a variety of user‐defined settings and (iii) provides multiple evaluation metrics to aid in selecting optimal model settings. The six methods for partitioning data are n−1 jackknife, random k‐folds ( = bins), user‐specified folds and three methods of masked geographically structured folds. ENMeval quantifies six evaluation metrics: the area under the curve of the receiver‐operating characteristic plot for test localities (AUCTEST), the difference between training and testing AUC (AUCDIFF), two different threshold‐based omission rates for test localities and the Akaike information criterion corrected for small sample sizes (AICc). We demonstrate ENMeval by tuning model settings for eight tree species of the genus Coccoloba in Puerto Rico based on AICc. Evaluation metrics varied substantially across model settings, and models selected with AICc differed from default ones. In summary, ENMeval facilitates the production of better ENMs and should promote future methodological research on many outstanding issues.


Some blind people have the ability to use active echolocation, i.e. they manage to navigate in their environment and detect obstacles distantly by producing oral sounds and listening to their echoes. Using a dummy head with microphones at the ears, a directive loudspeaker near the mouth and a reference microphone, we measured the propagation of sound from the mouth to the ears, contained in the Oral-Binaural Room Impulse Responses (OBRIR), at different distances and orientations in front of obstacles made out of cardboard boxes. We analyse and graphically depict the OBRIRs so as to identify potential auditory cues used in human active echolocation.


This study assessed farmers' perception and adaptation to climate variability/change in three districts situated at different agroecological zones of Tigray region, Ethiopia. Data for the study were collected from 253 respondents selected through the multi-stage sampling technique. Descriptive statistics were employed to assess perception among gender and social groups about climate change and their adaptation methods. The results revealed that annual (0.18-0.71 o C/decade) and seasonal (0.37-0.6 o C/decade) temperatures of all stations have increased and the rate was higher in the highland areas. Similarly, 60-97% of the interviewed farmers were aware of change in temperature and their perception appears to be in accordance with the statistical record of these areas. Like the meteorological results, farmers who reside in the highland area perceived increase in temperature than the lowlanders. Access to climate information, access to extension services and sex of household head were important factors that affect farmers' perception of climate change. On the other hand, farmers use change in crop type and/or variety, soil and water conservation practices, crop diversification, change in planting date and irrigation practices as climate change adaptation options. Therefore, an effort that enhances farmers' awareness to climate change and creates the capacity to adopt climate resilient options is an important strategy that should be considered by a variety of societal groups, including policy makers, and farmers support organizations.


mounted vehicle having a transport aid which is arranged in a closable by means of a tailgate trunk, in which a removable, as a cover above a storage space base plate (8, 9), wherein on this at least one wheel (14, 14 ') or this at least one wheel (14, 14 ') is providable, so that the so-equipped base plate (8, 9) in the removed state as hand truck (6) is available.


ABSTRACT Purpose Using data from 1,868 children from the US, Australia, and Sweden who took a 10-word spelling test in kindergarten and a standardized spelling test in Grades 1, 2, and (except for the Australian children) Grade 4, we examined two questions. First, does the quality of a child's errors on the kindergarten test help predict later spelling performance even after controlling for the number of correct responses on the kindergarten test? Second, does spelling develop at a faster pace in Swedish than in English? Method We measured kindergarten error quality based on the number of letter additions, deletions, and substitutions by which each error differed from the correct spelling. Using mixed-model analyses, we examined the relationship of this and other variables to later spelling performance. Results Kindergarten error quality contributed significantly to the prediction of later spelling performance even after consideration of the number of correct spellings in kindergarten and other relevant variables. The Swedish children showed more rapid growth in spelling than the U.S. and Australian children, a difference that may reflect the greater transparency of sound-to-spelling links in Swedish. Conclusion Information from a spelling test that is typically discarded – information about the nature of the errors –has value.


This article argues that context, situation, and the subjective experiences of organizational members are integral to investigating leadership as a multifaceted phenomenon. The article includes a qualitative study conducted at a large suburban church that investigates the extent to which the subjective experiences of selected organizational members, as revealed in their talk, reveals co-constructed conceptions about leadership in the organization. The study finds that the organization has co-constructed conceptions that are interdependent and crucial to defining the meaning of the organization for members.


Integrated antennas have been the focus of increasing research activity, particularly for millimeter-wave power combining and "quasi-optical" arrays. This paper reviews some of the work in integrated antennas for oscillator and amplifier arrays carried out at UCSB. This includes unusual phenomena involving coupled-oscillator systems that have led to novel beam scanning concepts for cost-effective mm-wave radar and imaging systems.


The present paper was intended to use the fresh forage yield,regeneration rate and number of tillers as the major observation indexes for studying the effect of different cutting stubble handlings and mowing times on growth and production performance of Sorghum sudanense(hay king) stapf.in dry-hot valley of Yuanmou County.The results showed that the grass has a good adaptability in the dry valley area and can be gotten 5 times in its growing season;different cutting stubble handlings and mowing times are significant affect the ability of regeneration and tiller and the second one is the greatest impact.The increasing number of mowing stubble times significantly slow down the regeneration rate and significantly enhance the number of tillers by contraries;the grass has a difference significantly in up-ground biomass between any two groups from different stubble heights and mowing stubble times;for the measurements of total yield and regeneration rate,the mowing handling treatment of 10cm stubble height is the best choice, which can make the average recycling rate up to 2.50cm/d and fresh yield 125 760.6 kg/hm2,also this stubble height showed a more stable biomass in different mowed periods and remain a more sustainable growth ability in its reason.


Lifting mechanism is one of the most important work system. Its design quality directly influences the using performance of mining dump truck. The dissertation takes large dump truck as research object, with the knowledge of the mechanism dynamics for the top rear lifting mechanism of dump truck for innovative design,using the optimization function of MATLAB make the lifting mechanism optimal, to articulated point lifting mechanism the reasonable optimally lay out, and improves the lifting organization performance fundamentally.


An analysis is made of the Kurtze and Tamm acoustic absorption data in MgSO4‐HCl and MgSO4‐H2SO4 aqueous mixtures. The reduction in absorption as acid is added to a 0.05 MgSO4 solution cannot be explained on the basis of ion‐pairing alone. However, these apparently different sets of data for each acid‐MgSO4 mixture can be analyzed on a common basis. The results are explained empirically in terms of normal mode kinetic coupling of volume changes between the MgSO4 and HSO4− dissociation reactions as a function of free hydrogen ion concentration.


Pooled analysis of secondary data increases the power of research and enables scientific discovery in nutritional epidemiology. Information on study characteristics that determine data quality is needed to enable correct reuse and interpretation of data. This study aims to define essential quality characteristics for data from observational studies in nutrition. First, a literature review was performed to get an insight on existing instruments that assess the quality of cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies and dietary measurement. Second, 2 face-to-face workshops were organized to determine the study characteristics that affect data quality. Third, consensus on the data descriptors and controlled vocabulary was obtained. From 4884 papers retrieved, 26 relevant instruments, containing 164 characteristics for study design and 93 characteristics for measurements, were selected. The workshop and consensus process resulted in 10 descriptors allocated to "study design" and 22 to "measurement" domains. Data descriptors were organized as an ordinal scale of items to facilitate the identification, storage, and querying of nutrition data. Further integration of an Ontology for Nutrition Studies will facilitate interoperability of data repositories.


The present study examined whether there are different processes operating in the crime location choices between body-disposing and non-body-disposing serial killers and between sexual serial killers and acquisitive serial killers. A sample of 49 series of solved German serial killings is used to examine the differences in travelled distances between these groups of killers. Nonparametric tests revealed that body-disposing and non-body-disposing serial killers and sexual and acquisitive serial killers did not constitute subgroups of serial killers regarding their spatial behaviour. The results suggest that the compared groups are subjected to the same factors that influence their travelled distances. Furthermore, the possible role of planning and anticipated emotions in crime location choices of serial killers is discussed, as well as the limitations of the study and recommendations for future research.


This paper focuses on the problem of autonomous landing of flxed wing UAVs in di‐cult atmospheric conditions, like crosswind, tail wind, turbulence. Various controller architectures along with landing trajectories are proposed. The experimental UAV developed at the Middle East Technical University is used as a case study. The UAV is modeled and simulation results are presented to demonstrate and compare the efiectiveness of the design architectures. Autonomous descent, ∞are, touch down, crab and decrab maneuvers are performed using the most suitable controller design.


Summary The phenomena considered in this paper, in a variety of constituted forms, are aspects of verbal interaction in classrooms. We attempt to show that whether researchers approach classroom talk from the perspective of systematic observation, ethnography or sociolinguistics, their underlying theoretical assumptions determine the 'facts' that they record and the interpretations they are able to offer. By asking how researchers arrive at their abstract description of events, we try to place these different approaches to classroom interaction within a common framework, and to highlight their various strengths and weaknesses.


Objective:To compare the relationships among main items in domestic and foreign examination scales for aphasia to provide clinical guidance for rehabilitation training in patients with aphasia.Method:Twenty five cases with aphasia were assessed with western aphasia battery(WAB), clinical rehabilitation research center aphasia examination(CRRCAE) and diagnostic and therapeutic instrument for speech impediment(ZM2.1). Result:There were no significant differences in standardized average scores in four factors such as comprehension, repetition, naming and reading between WAB and CRRCAE. The scores of reciting naming and reading factors in ZM2.1 were significantly lower than that in WAB and CRRCAE. There were significant differences in calculation and writing between WAB and CRRCAE.There were direct correlations in comprehension,repetition, naming, reading and writing between WAB and CRRCAE. ZM2.1 were significantly correlated with WAB and CRRCAE respectively in repetition, naming and reading, and with WAB in calculation, but not correlated with WAB and CRRCAE in comprehension.Conclusion:It is suggested that both WAB and CRRCAE are fit for Chinese aphasia examination scales since there were good correlations in main items between WAB and CRRCAE. There were some shortcomes in items of comprehension, calculating and writing of ZM2.1, which needs to be modified.


Objective:To explore the relationship between serum endotoxin and gene expression of TNF-α,IL-1 β in cerebral hemorrhage in rats complicated by multiple organ dysfunction syndrome and to investigate the pathogenesis of MODS.Methods:Fifty-four Wistar rats were randomly divided into nine groups:the normal control group(n=6),the sham-operative group(n=6),and the model group with 0.8 U Collagenase cerebral(n=42).Serum endotoxin was measured with linilus lysate test.Gene expression of TNF-α,IL-1β were assayed using in situ hybridization.The area density and the optical density of positive staining expressing TNF-αmRNA,IL-1βmRNA were analyzed for the relative content using in situ hybridization and the CMIA medical imaing analysis system.Results: The content of serum endotoxin of the model group was obviously higher than that of the control group(P0.01,P0.001).There was endotoxemia administration after acute cerebral hemorrhage.It started to increase at 8 hours after hemorrhage and peaked at 24-36 hours,and still maintained a high level at 72 hours.Expression of TNF-αmRNA,IL-1βmRNA in lung,liver,intestines and kidney tissues started to increase at 8 hours in the model groups and reached a peak at 24-36 hours.Compared with that of the normal control and sham-operative groups,expression of TNF-αmRNA,IL-1βmRNA were significantly higher at 12-48 hours in the model groups(P0.01).Relative analysis indicated that there was significant positive correlation between the TNF-αmRNA,IL-1βmRNA expression in lung,liver,kidney,intestine and plasma endotoxin level.Conclusion:Endotoxemia occurs after cerebral hemorrhage in rats complicated by MODS.The levels of gene expression of TNF-α are correlated with endotoxin levels,which implies that endotoxemia irritates the release of the inflammatory factor,and systemic inflammatory response syndrome(SIRS) is developed.This is the key process in generation of CMODS.


The present study investigated the effects of biperiden, a muscarinic type 1 antagonist, on the recognition performance of pre‐experimentally unfamiliar abstract figures and non‐words in healthy young volunteers. The aim was to examine whether 4 mg biperiden could model the recognition memory impairment seen in healthy aging.


Guarulhos has many natural paths through hills, mountains, and a network of watersheds that allowed the Europeans to move around, enslave humans, and exploit local mineral resources. Besides the natural routes, Guarulhos (Sao Paulo, Brazil) gold mining archaeological remains (dated back to 1590 according to historical data) also show the great effort made by humans, especially indigenous people, for the construction of reservoirs and canals used for gold mining. Today's region of Guarulhos is important for understanding the earliest forms of contact during the Portuguese colonization. The region sheds light on the interaction between Portuguese and indigenous groups, as well as the Portuguese strategies for territorial expansion. The purpose of this article is to point out how the mining process has been shaping the behavior of Guarulhos's different segments of society since the beginning of this economic cycle to the present day


On page 224 of Canadian Entomologist, Volume XXVI., Mr. Herman Strecker has some remarks on Chionobas, in which I am glad to say, he supports my views, except in two points. First, with regard to the subhyalina of Curits, I cannot coceive on what grounds he supposes that the description of subhyalina refers to Erebia fasciata, and as W. H. Edwards's suggestion that the example from Guenée's collection sent to me by Oberthur as the type of subhyalina is not really so, rests on no evidence whatever; I still maintain that subhyalina is the proper name for the insect hitherto called crambis, Freyer, found, as far as we know at present, from Newfoundland along the Labrador coast to Hudson's Straits and other parts of Eastern Arctic America.


In this paper, a study of a quadrupedal walking robot capable of walking on the irregular ground is presented. The robot has specially-designed feet with toes making soft and safe landings on uneven surfaces. Using the toe angle and landing force sensors integrated within the feet, its gait control algorithm can adapt the foot trajectory to the ground profile, while the body weight is evenly distributed on the supporting legs. After the landing of a foot, the roll and pitch angles of the body are measured and controlled to keep the body attitude parallel to the plane of support. The contents of this study are the design concept and working principle of the foot, including the gait control algorithm for walk on the irregular ground. Experimental results are reported.


This paper discusses the adequacy of the activities of the Fiscal Investment Loan Program agencies after the fundamental reform in April 2001, which disconnected postal savings and public pension reserves from the FILP. It is found that many ideas of justifying the government interventions to the financial sector have now lost their relevancy. The activity of government financial intermediaries should be streamlined. Among infrastructure construction projects, the most serious part of welfare loss lies on national motorway construction, which is estimated to be about 14.5 trillion yen of welfare loss.


In DSP application digital filter plays vital role. Therefore, digital filtering is one of the basic needs of digital signal processing. Digital filtering plays a significant role in the world of technology. Therefore, processing of input signal has to be done to get useful or wanted signal. This paper deals with the design of finite impulse response digital filter using window techniques the design based on MATLAB simulation. Through this paper the intricacies of the window methods are explained in a simple and a suitable manner. In this paper the comparative performance analysis of proposed filter are done with respect to Magnitude, Phase and Impulse. From simulation it is observed that Kaiser window shows better response in compare with other technique i.e. Hamming and Hanning.


At present, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have been paid more and more attentions. The paper studies the following two questions on the basis of sampling and test: 1. ″How much consumers know about GMOs to the end﹖″ 2. ″Is it true that consumers really don't mind GMOs﹖″ Some conclusions are drawn at last.


In this paper, a robust consensus algorithm is developed and sufficient conditions for convergence to consensus are proposed for a multi-agent system (MAS) with exogenous disturbances subject to partial information. By utilizing H∞ robust control, differential game theory and a design-based approach, the consensus problem of the MAS with exogenous bounded interference is resolved and the disturbances are restrained, simultaneously. Attention is focused on designing an H∞ robust controller (the robust consensus algorithm) based on minimisation of our proposed rational and individual cost functions according to goals of the MAS. Furthermore, sufficient conditions for convergence of the robust consensus algorithm are given. An example is employed to demonstrate that our results are effective and more capable to restrain exogenous disturbances than the existing literature.


Less than 1.5% of the human genome encodes protein. However, vast portions of the human genome are subject to transcriptional and epigenetic regulation and many non-coding regulatory DNA elements are thought to regulate the spatial organization of interphase chromosomes. For example, chromosomal 'loopings' are pivotal for the orderly process of gene expression, by enabling distal regulatory enhancer or silencer elements to directly interact with proximal promoter and transcription start sites, potentially bypassing hundreds of kilobases of interspersed sequence on the linear genome. To date, however, epigenetic studies in the human brain are mostly limited to the exploration of DNA methylation and posttranslational modifications of the nucleosome core histones. In contrast, very little is known about the regulation of supranucleosomal structures in brain nuclei. Here, we show that chromosome conformation capture (3C), a widely used approach to study higher order chromatin, is applicable to tissue collected postmortem, thereby informing about genome organization in the human brain. We introduce 3C protocols for brain, and compare higher order chromatin structures at the chromosome 6p22.2–22.1 schizophrenia and bipolar susceptibility locus and neurodevelopmental risk genes (DPP10, MCPH1) in adult prefrontal cortex and various cell culture systems, including neurons derived from reprogrammed skin cells. We predict that the exploration of threedimensional genome architectures and function will open up new frontiers in human brain © 2013 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Corresponding Author: Dr. Schahram Akbarian, Chief, Division of Psychiatric Epigenomics, Hess Center for Science and Medicine, 9-105, 1470 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10029, Phone: 646 6275529, firstname.lastname@example.com. Authors report no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. NIH Public Access Author Manuscript Biol Psychiatry. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2015 June 15. Published in final edited form as: Biol Psychiatry. 2014 June 15; 75(12): 961–969. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.07.015. N IH -P A A uhor M anscript N IH -P A A uhor M anscript N IH -P A A uhor M anscript research and psychiatric genetics, and provide novel insights into the epigenetic risk architectures of regulatory non-coding DNA.


2005;116;798 Pediatrics Emancipator and Susan Redline Carol L. Rosen, Amy Storfer-Isser, H. Gerry Taylor, H. Lester Kirchner, Judith L. Breathing: In Reply Increased Behavioral Morbidity in School-Aged Children With Sleep-Disordered http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/116/3/798.1.full.html located on the World Wide Web at: The online version of this article, along with updated information and services, is of Pediatrics. All rights reserved. Print ISSN: 0031-4005. Online ISSN: 1098-4275. Boulevard, Elk Grove Village, Illinois, 60007. Copyright © 2005 by the American Academy published, and trademarked by the American Academy of Pediatrics, 141 Northwest Point publication, it has been published continuously since 1948. PEDIATRICS is owned, PEDIATRICS is the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. A monthly


The optimisation of regular and irregular TWTs for efficiency when no backward radiation exists in the input, has been carried out on the basis of the general theory of excitation. In a TWT with regular corrugation the possible efficiency reaches 25%, while in a TWT with the optimized corrugation profile the efficiency is between 40-70%.


Closely knit bonds or relationships are called interpersonal relationships. Intimacy in a relationship decides upon the interpersonal bonding between two or more individuals which is based upon the level of solidarity and love shared between them. Adolescence is an age where an individual requires most efforts and nurturing abilities to maintain interpersonal bonding within and outside the family. Therefore, in the present study, the level of interpersonal bonding among the adolescent boys and girls was assessed in the selected dimensions. The total sample consisted of 240 adolescents, out of which 120 were boys and 120 were girls. The scale on 'Interpersonal Bonding' developed by the investigator was used for this study. ZTest for difference between two means was administered and a significant difference was found in the levels of interpersonal bonding among the adolescent boys and girls with their peers. No significant difference was observed among the adolescents regarding interpersonal bonding with their parents and siblings.


This chapter explains the overview of e-commerce and the importance of electronic commerce (e-commerce) in modern business. E-commerce consists of the purchasing and selling of products or services through electronic systems, such as computer networks and the internet. In this modern world of technology, e-commerce is becoming a very significant option for many businesses as there are lots of companies that are interested in developing their online stores. E-commerce becomes one of the preferred ways of shopping as they enjoy their online because of its easiness and convenience. Because of its convenience, consumers can save time as well as money by searching their products easily and making purchasing online. The chapter argues that applying e-commerce has the potential to enhance organizational performance and gain sustainable competitive advantage in modern business.


PURPOSE:To improve resistance against abrasion and heat, by incorporating metal nitride and carbide nitride with high resistivity against thermal cracking and tenacity. CONSTITUTION:A tip is made of super-hard alloy composed of 0.5-50% by weight of one or more metals selected from a group consisting of the nitrides and carbides/ nitrides of one or more sorts of metals of the 4a, 5a, and 6a groups in the Periodic Table, 2-20% by weight of Co or Co base alloy, and the rest of tungsten carbide and inevitable impurities. The tip includes a soft surface layer whose vickers hardness is 5-50% lower than that of an inner layer 5-100mum deep from the surface of the tip.


Response surface functions are often used as simple and inexpensive replacements for computationally expensive computer models that simulate the behavior of a complex system over some parameter space. Progressive response surfaces are ones that are built up progressively as global information is added from new sample points in the parameter space. As the response surfaces are globally upgraded based on new information, heuristic indications of the convergence of the response surface approximation to the exact (fitted) function can be inferred. Sampling points can be incrementally added in a structured fashion, or in an unstructured fashion. Whatever the approach, at least in early stages of sampling it is usually desirable to sample the entire parameter space uniformly. At later stages of sampling, depending on the nature of the quantity being resolved, it may be desirable to continue sampling uniformly over the entire parameter space (Progressive response surfaces), or to switch to a focusing/economizing strategy of preferentially sampling certain regions of the parameter space based on information gained in early stages of sampling (Adaptive response surfaces). Here we consider Progressive response surfaces where a balanced indication of global response over the parameter space is desired.We use a variant of Moving Least Squares to fit and interpolate structured and unstructured point sets over the parameter space. On a 2-D test problem we compare response surface accuracy for three incremental sampling methods: Progressive Lattice Sampling; Simple-Random Monte Carlo; and Halton Quasi-Monte-Carlo sequences. We are ultimately after a system for constructing efficiently upgradable response surface approximations with reliable error estimates.


SEEMINGLY PYROGENIC QUARTZ In modern literature on petrography and geology we find a number of papers devoted to the investigation of pyroclastic rocks, such as tuffs, tuffites and bentonites. These deposits, of a wide range of age extending from the Cambrian to the Neogene, are encountered which increasing frequency during geological prospecting and in bore-holes; close attention is being paid to them both in Poland and abroad. Of particular interest is the presence of bipyramidal quartz crystals in these rocks. As a rule, petrographers studying the petrography of pyroclastic rocks look upon this quartz as an unaltered mineral of volcanic origin.


The form recognition algorithms in existence are inefficient,and only can abide tiny broken lines.This paper presents an algorithm based on vertex chain code for form cell rectangle recognition,the algorithm uses region-labeling robot to label the inner border of a form cell to get its vertex chain code,using the characters of the vertex chain code,the algorithm can remove the sawteeth on the form frame line efficiently and restore the form frame lines and get the region of the form cell by searching the vertex chain code of the four angles of the cell.Experiments prove that the algorithm has the advantages of high speed,high robustness and being able to resist broken form frame lines.


This research aims to present a value-based, consumer-centric view of convenience retailer innovativeness. It draws on focus groups undertaken with convenience store consumers in Taiwan. The results show that consumers evaluate the innovativeness of a convenience retailer through not only novel products but also creative services, communications, and store atmosphere. The research concludes that perceived convenience retailer innovativeness (PCRI) can enhance customer loyalty by increasing customers' perceived value in four distinct value dimensions: convenience, emotion, quality, and price. Summarizing the findings from the focus group interviews and previous literature, this research proposes a consumer processing model.


A scraper conveyor is a kind of heavy machinery which can continuously transport goods and widely used in mines,ports and store enterprises.Since scraper failure rate directly affects production costs and production capacity,the evaluation and the prediction of scraper conveyor reliability are important for these enterprises.In this paper,the reliabilities of different parts are classified and discussed according to their structural characteristics and different failure factors.Based on the component's time-to-failure density function,the reliability model of scraper chain is constructed to track the age distribution of part population and the reliability change of the scraper chain.Based on the stress-strength interference model,considering the decrease of strength due to fatigue failure,the dynamic reliability model of such component as gear,axis is developed to observe the change of the part reliability with the service time of scraper.Finally,system reliability model of the scraper is established for the maintenance to simulate and calculate the scraper reliability.


For the wine industry, millennials are promising wine consumers in the future. This study aims to understand the wine consumption habits and style preferences of Chinese millennial consumers and how they acquire wine knowledge. An investigation was conducted in a universtiy of southern China and a total of 213 valid questionnaires were collected through electronic questionnaires. Descriptive analysis and cross-tabulation were used to understand the consumer behavior, taste and style preference of millennial consumers. The main conclusions of this study are as follows: Firstly, most millennials buy wine online. Secondly, the three most important factors of aroma and flavor characteristics that the millennials prefer are balance, aroma and softness. Thirdly, they show no difference of perference between new and old world. In addition, they like simple, easy labels and the wines with cork, etc. These conclusions are helpful for the wine industry to understand the potential wine consumer's purchase behaviour, as well as significant for the wine industry to develop the huge market of millennial consumers in the future.


OBJECTIVE
to analyze the postnatal care practices of newborns in the family context from the scientific literature.

METHODS
the searches of the integrative literature review were carried out in the Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (LILACS), Nursing Database (BDENF), Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), and U.S. National Library of Medicine (PubMed) databases.

RESULTS
sixteen studies composed the final sample and, from these, two analytical categories emerged: Practices and doubts of families in postnatal care of newborns; and Best practices in postnatal care of newborns.

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
several cultural practices of families differ from scientific recommendations, which can generate risks to the health of newborns. Therefore, it is essential to consolidate educational programs with family members, to improve the quality of care offered and to reduce preventable neonatal deaths in different socio-family contexts.


Abstract Twenty each of open- and wooIly-faced 6-year-old Romney ewes were slaughtered. No significant differences were noted in carcass composition, weights of internaiorgans, or the weights and lengths of certain long bones. The weight of the stornach contents was significantly (P < 5 per cent) heavier in the open-faced ewes.


There is probably no more confusing lesion of the larynx than lipoma. It rarely occurs, and when present is difficult to diagnose. In a thorough survey of the literature, Gordon New 1 was able to find only twenty-three reported cases, exclusive of the one that he presented in 1916. In 1909, Goldstein 2 also reported one unusual case of multiple lipomas of the larynx, which he removed through the mouth by the use of a cold wire snare and curved scissors. He also reviewed in detail the complete clinical course of twelve cases of lipoma of the larynx that had been reported up to that time. Practically every one of the patients presented themselves on account of difficulty in breathing and choking when fluids were taken. The most striking case was that of a pendulous lipoma reported by Holt, 3 which almost entirely closed the pharynx and was swallowed


The development of learning in the classroom plays an important role in efforts to develop character, moral values, and student learning outcomes. Development efforts must be carried out in a continuous manner, paying attention to the needs of students in learning. This paper aims to describe the learning strategy of citizenship education (PKN) for junior high school students to instill moral values in education, which will later be used as a further step in conducting classroom action research in school, especially in junior high school.


The problem that we have addressed with the presented study is the absolute localization of buried RFID tags in an outdoor environment where the tag is. This is the scenario that we have envisaged when the RFID sensors are installed inside a moving body like a glacier or a slow landslide. During the tags dislocation it is possible to measure the depth of the installation and to define the absolute coordinate of the installation points using a topographic GNSS receiver. Afterwards the body evolves with time, moves and after a while (e. g. 1 month, 1 year) it is necessary to locate the sensors in order to quantify the absolute movement. To find the new location we have decided to investigate a multilateration-based localization technique. In this paper we describe the approach to develop a low cost system for the reading of the tags and for their localization without the need of expensive radar systems (e. g. GPR) to locate them.


Previous studies have discussed the impact of social context on language maintenance and shift of Chinese fangyan in metropolises, but not enough in rural areas. To explore the language maintenance and shift of the Hakka fangyan among Mid-mountain Hakka (MMH), a sub-branch of the Hakka people who live in Hakka-Chaoshan adjoining areas, this study examined the language proficiency, use, attitudes, and group identity of 200 residents in Jiexi County using quantitative and qualitative data. Through an analysis of survey- and interview-based self-reported data, our results revealed that although MMH seemed able to maintain the Hakka fangyan at a good level overall, there was still a sharp intergenerational decline in fangyan proficiency, use, attitudes, and awareness of Hakka identity and culture. Furthermore, there may have been a shift from the predominance of Hakka-Chaoshan bilinguals to the predominance of Hakka-Putonghua bilinguals across generations. We also constructed a model of the factors influencing language maintenance and shift of MMH. This study helps enhance our understanding of the role of group identity in language maintenance and shift, and has important implications for the practice of fangyan protection in rural areas of China.


The efficiency of steam reforming depends strongly on the creep resistance of the material used for the reformer tubes. The currently most widely used reformer tube material is HP40 (25 Cr, 35Ni, 40 Fe and 0.4C) austenitic stainless steel. A further improvement in the creep resistance of HP40 is needed for efficiency improvement and for a cost reduction in steam reforming. In order to develop a next generation creep resistant alloy, three HP40-based alloys, namely Alloy A, B and C, with different chemical compositions and/or solidification rate, were studied. Previous tests at 1000 oC and 40 MPa have shown that the creep properties of Alloy C are slightly better than those of Alloy B, both being significantly better than Alloy A. The microstructures of three alloys, under as-cast, crept and heat treated conditions, have been analysed so as to understand their relative creep performance. The small intragranular M23C6 may have contributed significantly to the smaller creep rate, and thus a longer creep life for Alloy B and Alloy C as compared with Alloy A. A microstructure-based climb-glide bypass creep model was described to predict the creep behaviour of HP40. Suggestion on the next generation HP40 alloy has been made.


In the last three decades, the population of Amsterdam has been coloured due to immigration flows from abroad and a low outflow rate among these immigrants and their descendants. The question is to what extent differences in the spatial mobility behaviours of migrants and natives are generated by neighbourhood characteristics - including the level of ethnic segregation and family ties? This article examines spatial mobility processes in the Amsterdam population using administrative individual data covering the entire population of the city. The analysis shows that Caribbean (Surinamese and Antillean) migrants have a higher probability of moving to the suburbs while Moroccans and Turks tend to rearrange themselves within the city. The estimates reveal that neighbourhood quality has only a modest impact on the probability of moving, while family ties significantly hamper the out-mobility of all individuals. The impact of family ties is the largest for Turkish and Moroccan migrants.


The aim of this study is to reveal whether there is a difference between the Turkish textbooks prepared according to the constructivist approach within the framework of changing teaching approaches and the Turkish textbooks before the constructivist approach in the handling of grammar subjects. For this purpose, Turkish textbooks for grades 6-7-8 grade between 1992 and 1995 and Turkish textbooks in 2018 and 2019 were examined by document analysis method. The data obtained were scanned according to the sub-fields of grammar, meaning, sound, form and word, syntax topics and terms, and were presented in tables. As a result, it was understood that grammar terms were intense in the books prepared before 2005, the information was given directly, the grammar topics were concentrated in the 6th and 7th grades, and the grammar topics were repeated in the 8th grade. In the textbooks prepared after 2005, it was understood that grammar subjects were graded and only the necessary information for teaching new grammar subjects was repeated, the relevant information was given directly and this information was included at the end of the activities, and grammar teaching was generally tried to be taught based on semantic knowledge.


Inappropriate tax estimation can make a substantial difference between real and estimated taxable income and as a result ability to pay principle is hard to keep. It is hard for tax administration to decide when tax estimation method is to apply and when not. Cases of tax court are also not so helpful. So it is desirable to develop diverse tax estimation method in consideration of wide range of business areas and to bring it in tax code. And it is also desirable to admit reasonable combination of tax estimation method and real investigation.


The precise estimation State of Charge (SOC) becomes great significance for Bettery Balancing Charge and Discharge Mangement (BBCDM). In this paper, aimed at this challenge, one hybrid methodology for estimating the State of Charge(SOC) of Lithium-ion Battery(LIB) is presented adopting Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) as well as combine with Recursive Lest Square(RLS). Fist, the mathematical model is estimated including the experimental data acquisition with an Open Circuit Voltage (OCV) method is presented. Second, a hybrid strategy with EKF and RLS was adopted to describe state space equation and identify model parameters during the LIB charge/discharge test. Finally, estimation of SOC adopt proposed method revealing dynamic characteristics of LIB. The simulation results have shown the effectiveness of the new methodology and better accuracy and data maintenance ability.


In this work, we propose a path integral random walk (PIRW) solver, the first accurate stochastic method for steady-state thermal analysis with mixed boundary conditions, especially involving Fourier heat transfer Robin boundary conditions. We innovatively adopt the strictly correct calculation of the local time and the Feynman-Kac functional eˆc (t) to handle Neumann and Robin boundary conditions with high precision. Compared with ANSYS, experimental results show that PIRW achieves over 121× speedup and over 83× storage space reduction with a negligible error within 0.8°C at a single point. An application combining PIRW with low-accuracy ANSYS for the temperature calculation at hot-spots is provided as a more accurate and faster solution than only ANSYS used.


The hypohydrous thermal reaction between inorganic phosphates and nucleoside was investigated. The products of the reactions have been identified, and an attempt has been made to determine the mechanism. It was found that orthophosphates can be readily converted into condensed phosphates which are effective phosphorylating agents. Thermal polymerization of inorganic orthophosphates at moderate temperature as a general source of polyphosphates might have provided efficient phosphorylation and condensing agents for primordial syntheses.


Summary The gravity equation for international trade is probably the most important tool in international economics to explain and estimate trade flows. In its simplest form, it states that the exports between any two given countries are a multiplicative function of these countries' economic size, as measured by GDP, and their bilateral trade costs. The idea and the name is going back from the similarity to Isaac Newton's law of gravity where the attraction force between two physical bodies equals the product of their masses divided by the squared distance between the bodies. The gravity equation in international economics becomes estimable after log-linearizing and parameterizing it. Export and GDP data are broadly available in several databases. Trade costs are not directly measurable and are therefore usually proxied by geographic distance and a set of further proxy variables like: access to the sea, common border, common language, membership in a certain group of countries, membership in a country union, and others. Trade costs proxies can be subdivided into geographical and political variables. Geographical properties of a country can hardly be changed by policy. However policymakers can influence trade costs through tariff rates, currency unions, free trade agreements, membership in certain country groups and many other measures. Since trade costs are not directly measureable, we will use a novel index of comprehensive trade costs to estimate a simultaneous system, first of a gravity equation and second of a trade cost equation for Germany. In our study, we demonstrate a new way to solve the complex equation system of multilateral resistances and compute them for a set of OECD countries.


Complement inhibitors have not been thoroughly evaluated in the treatment of acute antibody‐mediated rejection (ABMR). We performed a prospective, single‐arm pilot study to investigate the potential effects and safety of C1 inhibitor (C1‐INH) Berinert added to high‐dose intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) for the treatment of acute ABMR that is nonresponsive to conventional therapy. Kidney recipients with nonresponsive active ABMR and acute allograft dysfunction were enrolled between April 2013 and July 2014 and received C1‐INH and IVIG for 6 months (six patients). The primary end point was the change in eGFR at 6 months after inclusion (M+6). Secondary end points included the changes in histology and DSA characteristics and adverse events as evaluated at M+6. All patients showed an improvement in eGFR between inclusion and M+6: from 38.7 ± 17.9 to 45.2 ± 21.3 mL/min/1.73 m2 (p = 0.0277). There was no change in histological features, except a decrease in the C4d deposition rate from 5/6 to 1/6 (p = 0.0455). There was a change in DSA C1q status from 6/6 to 1/6 positive (p = 0.0253). One deep venous thrombosis was observed. In a secondary analysis, C1‐INH patients were compared with a similar historical control group (21 patients). C1‐INH added to IVIG is safe and may improve allograft function in kidney recipients with nonresponsive acute ABMR.


Proactive caching at base stations (BSs) has been shown promising in offloading traffic, where most priori works consider full frequency reuse among cells and assume known file popularity. To facilitate proactive caching, recent works either adopt linear models or shallow neural networks to predict popularity, without explaining the rationale. In this paper, we consider cache-enabled multi-tier heterogenous networks. To show if full frequency reuse is superior, we consider underlay and overlay modes with random bandwidth allocation for interference management. After optimizing the caching policy and bandwidth allocation to maximize successful offloading probability, we show that the overlay mode outperforms the underlay mode. To confirm that complex non-linear prediction models are unnecessary for proactive caching when using the historical numbers of requests, we employ several linear and non-linear models to predict content popularity and user density, using MovieLens and Youku datasets. To interpret why the caching performance achieved by the optimized policies with the information predicted by the linear models is close to that using non-linear models, we prove that deterministic popularity with typical profiles can be predicted with linear models. Then, we show that most popular files are with these profiles in the real dataset.


The characterization of the group of units of any commutative ring has not been done in general, and previous studies have restricted the classes of rings or groups under consideration. In this work, we determine the structures of the groups of units of commutative completely primary finite rings R of characteristic p n for some prime integer p and positive integer n.


Lamellar tearing of opening type and root cracking occasionally occur in multipass welded corner joints. In this paper, a relation between the occurrence of these weld cracks and the intensity of bending restraint is examined with the aid of the CJC-test. Furthermore, welding residual stresses in corner joints are analyzed and measured. Dynamical conditions for the occurrence of these weld cracks are investigated. The summary of the results obtained from this study are as follows. (1) In the case where the intensity of bending restraint is large: The lamellar tearing of opening type occurs at the position about 10 mm away from the toe, but root cracking does not occur. Large tensile welding residual stresses are induced on the edge surface of the vertical plate at the position about 10 mm away from the toe, but large compressive stresses are induced near the root. (2) In the case where the intensity of bending restraint is small: The lamellar tearing does not occur but root cracking occurs. Tensile stresses on the edge surface are less than those in the case of the intensity of bending restraint being large, but very large tensile stresses are induced near the root. Accordingly, the tendency of the occurrence of weld cracking in multipass welded corner joints is closely related to welding residual stress distribution, and can be explained well from the dynamical point of view.


A new partitioned-primary flux-reversal hybrid-excited linear motor is proposed and investigated in this article, which features an asymmetrical double-sided primary structure. The novelty of this motor lies in the adoption of a partitioned-primary structure by moving the field excitation winding to an additional primary, thus it benefits from improved space utilization ratio since both armature and field windings can be separately mounted. First, the topology, feasible slot/pole combinations, and operating principles of the proposed machine are introduced. The magnetic flux density distributions in two air-gap regions are comparatively studied from the perspective of magnetic gearing effect. Then, global optimization of the proposed motor with different slot/pole combinations is performed to maximize both the output thrust force and flux-adjusting range based on 2-D finite-element analysis (FEA). In addition, the electromagnetic performance of the motors including flux-adjusting capability, thrust force, detent force, and force ripple with different slot/pole combinations are comparatively investigated. Finally, a 6-slot/7-pole prototype is manufactured and tested to verify the FEA and calculations. It is shown that the proposed motor, benefiting from a partitioned-primary topology, exhibits very good flux-adjusting capability and overloading capacity. Thus, it has good prospect in applications that require flexible speed control.


Purpose To study the clinicopathological features of mammary carcinoma with osteoclastic giant cells or responsive granuloma.Methods Clinicopathological data of 11 cases of carcinoma with osteoclastic giant cells(COGC)and 8 cases of carcinoma with responsive granuloma(CRG)were analyzed.Immunohistochemistry and special staining were performed in some cases.Results The mean age of the COGC patients and CRG patients were 40.6 and 53.6 separately.The first complains of all the patients were noting a breast lump.Grossly,most tumors of the COGC were well circumscribed nodules with grey-red to brown colour.Histologically,COGC group contained 5 cases of invasive duct carcinoma,2 cases of invasive papillary carcinoma,2 cases of invasive micropapillary carcinoma and 2 cases of invasive cribriform carcinoma.Osteoclastic giant cells varied in size and shape,distributed diffusely or heterogeneously,and have an intimate relationship with the tumor cells.Recent or past hemorrhage,vascular proliferation and fibrosis also can be seen in the stroma.Metastatic foci in the axillary nodes maintain the morphology identical to the primary lesions.All CRG cases were invasive duct carcinoma with irregular shape and grey-white colour.Granulomas consisted of epithelioid cells and Langhans giant cells and most of them located around the tumor nests.Acid-fast staining and Hexamine-silver staining were negative.Osteoclastic giant cells and granulomas expressed CD68(KP1 and PGM1)but not S-100 protein and Foctor Ⅷ in all cases performed immunohistochemical stain.The average microvessel density of the COGC was(21.9±4.2)/HPF by CD34 staining and there was no obvious difference compared with the invasive duct carcinoma(P0.05).Follow up of 6 cases of COGC and 2 cases of CRG showed no evidence of recurrence,metastasis or death.Conclusions COGC and CRG are rare tumors,the former has distinctive morphology.More cases should be accumulated to appraise if the presence of osteoclastic giant cells and granulomas can modify the prognosis of primitive carcinoma.


Based on the ABAQUS software and experimental results of reinforced concrete frame joints under fire,the temperature field is analyzed of reinforced concrete frame joints under the ISO834 standard temperature fire,and the method of temperature field analysis,choice of parameters and analysis of accuracy are discussed.The temperature distribution by the ABAQUS is in good agreement with the experimental results of models,which shows that the analysis method in this paper is reasonable or practicable.In addition,this paper also analyzes respectively the temperature fields of reinforced concrete frame joints under two fire cases,that is,one case is three sides surrounded by fire and the other is four sides surrounded by fire.And,in the end,the paper compares the temperature distribution characteristics of the reinforced concrete frame joints under the two fire cases.


Objects: To investigate effects of neuromuscular magnetic stimulation (NMMS) on the wrist and hand muscle comparing with neuromuscular electric stimulation (NMES) in subacute stroke patients. Subject and Method: 20 Patients with subacute hemiplegic stroke were randomized into 2 groups; NMMS group (N=10) and a NMES group (N=10). Stimulation delivered 10-minute session, twice a day, 5 days a week for 3 weeks in both group to the affected forearm in alternating extensor/flexor muscle. The stimulation parameters required to produce slow movement through the full range at maximum patient comfort: NMMS (10 Hz, 10 s stimulation, 20 s rest, 10 min treatment time and 2,000 total pulse) and NMES (a symmetrical biphasic waveform, 30 us pulse width, 40 Hz).The hand function (Box and blocks test, Jebson-Taylor hand function test), hand performance (Wrist and hand muscle strength, grip power) and spasticity were done at baseline, after 1 week, and at the end of the treatment period (after 3 weeks). Repeated measurement ANOVA was used for statistical analysis. Results: There were statistically significant improvements in measures of wrist flexor and hand flexor/extensor strength over the treatment period (p Conclusions: The both NMMS and NMES improves wrist and hand muscle strength in subacute hemiplegic stroke patients, with no significant difference between the stimulation. Therefore magnetic stimulation of peripheral muscle could be useful as much as a electrical stimulation. However, long term period follow-up was needed.


The power factor of wireless power transfer system, determined by its compensation network part, is easily affected by parameter detuning, coil misalignment, and load variation. In this paper, a mathematical model for the compensation network part is established. Theoretical analysis shows that the inverter part can be considered as a negative resistor by deducing the inherent static-state frequency solution of the compensation network part. Therefore, the unity power factor wireless power transfer system can be maintained under any possible operation conditions by tracking the inherent static-state frequency solution. More importantly, no digital controller or parameter identification or information interactions between the primary and secondary coils are needed during the tracking process. Compared with previous unity power factor realization methods, the proposed tracking strategy has the advantages of fewer sampling variables, a faster response time, and a simpler regulation process. Finally, an experimental platform is built to test the practical performance of the proposed tracking strategy under many subnormal operation conditions. Our experimental results show that approximate unity power factor can be realized at 10–15 cm coil misalignment distance and 30–90 Ω load variation range.


When using text data, social scientists often classify documents in order to use the resulting document labels as an outcome or predictor. Since it is prohibitively costly to label a large number of documents manually, automated text classification has become a standard tool. However, current approaches for text classification do not take advantage of all the data at one's disposal. We propose a fast new model for text classification that combines information from both labeled and unlabeled data with an active learning component, where a human iteratively labels documents that the algorithm is least certain about. Using text data from Wikipedia discussion pages, BBC News articles, historical US Supreme Court opinions, and human rights abuse allegations, we show that by introducing information about the structure of unlabeled data and iteratively labeling uncertain documents, our model improves performance relative to classifiers that (a) only use information from labeled data and (b) randomly decide which documents to label at the cost of manually labelling a small number of documents. ∗We thank Ken Benoit, Yaoyao Dai, Chris Fariss, Walter Mebane, Kevin Quinn, and audiences at the 2020 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, 2021 Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, 11th Annual Conference on New Directions in Analyzing Text as Data, seminar participants at the University of Michigan, for useful comments and suggestions. †These authors have contributed equally to this work. ‡Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Political Science, University of Michigan. Email: email@example.com. §Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Political Science, University of Michigan. Email: email@example.com ¶Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Washington University in St. Louis. Siegle Hall, 244. One Brookings Dr. St Louis, MO 63130-4899. Phone: 314-935-5810, Email: email@example.com, URL: www.tedenamorado.com. ‖Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Michigan. Center for Political Studies, 4259 Institute for Social Research, 426 Thompson Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104-2321. Phone: 734-615-5165, Email: email@example.com, URL: shiraito.github.io. ar X iv :2 20 2. 02 62 9v 1 [ cs .C L ] 5 F eb 2 02 2


In North Maluku, the death rate due to AIDS specifically Ternate is in the first place with the number of deaths 10 people from 9 existing urban districts, in the second place with the highest death rate is in North Halmahhera district with a total of 7 deaths, in third place deaths due to AIDS is West Halmahera district with a total death toll of 5 people.The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of sex education on adolescent knowledge about sexual behavior. This study uses a Pre-Experimental method, with the design of the One-Group Pre-Post Test. The results showed that before being given sex education 38.6% of students had sufficient knowledge and students who had a less knowledge were 35% and those who had good knowledge were only 26.4% of the total students. whereas after being given sex education, the results showed that students who had good knowledge drastically increased to 81.4% and students who had less knowledge were only 0.7% while students who had sufficient knowledge were only 17.9%. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test statistic test shows that P = 0.000. In Conclusion, there is an effect of providing sex education on increasing adolescent knowledge to sexual behavior. Hoped, in the future related parties can improve the quality and quantity of sex education in adolescents.


Contrary to expectation, preliminary data from the Kroc Collaborative Study appeared to show that intensive continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) led to diabetic retinopathy more severe than …


To investigate the inhibition effect of Broussonetia papyrifera leaf extract and its mechanism,the Staphylococcus aureus was used as test bacteria,the inhibition zone diameters were observed by the Oxford cup method,the growth curve,protein synthesis,and the membrane permeability of the the Staphylococcus aureus were detected to study the antibacterial mechanism of the Broussonetial papyrifera leaf extract.The results indicated that the antibacterial circle diameter of the Broussonetial papyrifera leaf extract and 75% ethanol extract were 17.5 and 18.0 mm respectively,the minimal inhibitory concentration(MIC) was 6.8 mg/mL,and the minimum bactericidal concentration(MBC) was 12.5 mg/mL.The results also revealed that the growth of the Staphylococcus aureus significantly decreased owing to the inhibition of the bacterial protein synthesis caused by the Broussonetial papyrifera leaf extract,but the membrane permeability was not affected.The Broussonetial papyrifera leaf extract showed obvious antibacterial activity on Staphylococcus aureus in vitro,and the antibacterial effect was probably associated with protein synthesis inhibition of the bacteria.


Aim To establish a method for the determination of ammonium glycyrrhenate in Compound Glycyrrhizin and Sodium Chloride Injection by high performance capillary electrophoresis(HPCE).Methods Theophylline was selected as internal substance with a 50 mmol·L-1 boracic acid buffer(adjusted pH to 9.5 with 1 mol·L-1 NaOH)at a constant voltage of 20 kV and detected at a wavelength of 252 nm,temperature at 25℃.Sample was injected for 10 s at pressure of 0.4 PSI.ResultUnder this condition,the linearity relationship of ammonium glycyrrhenate in the concentration range of 8.096 to 161.9 mg·L-1was good(r=0.9996,n=6).The average recovery(n=9) of ammonium glycyrrhenate was 98.6%(RSD=1.7%).ConclusionThe proposed method is simple,convenient and accurate.It can be used for the determination of ammonium glycyrrhenate in compound glycyrrhizin and sodium chloride injection.


The purpose of the study on the nonlinear static analysis is to simplify the practical engineering analysis and use its result to guide the practical engineering design.To achieve this aim,a simplified equation is proposed in this paper and a parameter study is conducted to get the rational coefficient values in the equation.At the same time the target displacement of a MDOF(Multiple degree of freedom)structure under design earthquake can be obtained from its equivalent SDOF(Single degree of freedom)system.The analysis of a practical engineering structure with the simplified equation proposed in this paper is more efficient than with the traditional one,and the complex nonlinear dynamic history analysis procedure is avoided.


Electron spin resonance (ESR) dating of a boring core down to the depth of 800 m at Hachobara Geothermal Power Station has been made utilizing signals of defects produced by natural radiation. The lifetime and the growth of a defect at a geothermal temperature are estimated theoretically from the annealing temperature. Tentative ESR ages at several depths using signals at g=2.0060 and g=2.0010 presumably due to E1 and E' centers are interpreted taking the lifetimes at the temperature into account. Organic methanol found by irradiation of cores may be condensed by natural distillation in a geothermal field.


Eigo Kaitei, which means "first steps in English", is the first English spelling book published in Japan in 1866 by the School Kaiseidzio, an institution founded by Tokugawa Government. The book consists of 21 sections in which the alphabet, the pronunciation of each letter, syllables and words of two and three letters, words with digraphs, diphthongs and silent letters, and words of four, five and six letters, etc. are taught in easy and natural gradations. The book met with a favorable reception and was widely used as a textbook for beginners of English for several years till The Elementary Spelling Book by Noah Webster took over its position.Eigo Kaitei has no preface nor the name of it's author. However, because of the resemblance to The Elementary Spelling Book up to Section III and of the difference from it in the rest of the sections which contain some words whose pronunciations are different from their present-day pronunciations, Eigo Kaitei has been regarded to have been written by the professors at the School Kaiseidzio who analyzed the pronunciations of English words pronounced by the Japanese people at that time and systematized them in accordance with The Elementary Spelling Book by Noah Webster.This paper reports a new finding that Eigo Kaitei is a slightly modified reproduction of Part I of An English Spelling Book by Lindley Murray. The original text has been identified as the one once possessed by the school and now by Shizuoka Prefectural Library. The title of the original text is : An English Spelling-Book ; with reading lessons adapted to the capacities of children : in three parts. Calculated to advance the learners by natural and easy gradations ; and to teach orthography and pronunciation together. By Lindley Murray, author of "An English Grammar", etc. etc. The forty-fifth edition, Paris. Baudry's European Library, 9 Rue du Coq, near the Louvre, 1839.


The classic concept of patient investing and long-term corporate governance has largely disappeared. Dispersed investors with long-term investment horizons have been replaced by concentrated institutional investors, which trade and control corporations solely for the shortterm. This new model of investment and corporate governance (deemed "short-termism") has a negative impact on society as a whole and has been blamed for recent financial crises and a lack of investment in research and development. Although others have addressed short-termism, their efforts generally avoid providing actual solutions to the problem. This Note fills that void: it provides a model for promoting long-term investment and corporate governance, while not eliminating the benefits conferred by short-term trading. This goal can be accomplished by making a "loyalty shares" provision available to public corporations. By adopting a loyalty shares provision, the gains generated from the sale of that corporation's stock would be subject to a periodically reduced capital gains tax rate over time, while the voting rights attached to that stock would be periodically enhanced over time. Adoption of the provision would entice more shareholders to invest for the long-term, while also increasing these long-term shareholders' control over the corporation. Mindful of the experiences of European and Canadian companies that use other types of control-enhancing mechanisms, this proposal contains several features which avoid the pitfalls inherent in an uncapped system of enhanced voting rights.


The aesthetic education and its application to engineering education and personality development are considered in this paper. First, we investigate main reasons causing the weakness of the aesthetic aspect in engineering education. Next, we analyze the important roles of aesthetic education to help cultivate the healthy personality. Finally, we propose concrete strategies of incorporating the aesthetics into the engineering education and the personality development for university students, which are expected to be helpful to improve the effectiveness of the higher education.


Accurate and simple time synchronization is a crucial requirement for decentralized wireless sensor networks (WSNs) to function well specially in harsh environments. The averaging consensus control protocol (ACCP), that uses single hop communication, performs well in such environments. This paper provides rigorous analysis of its time synchronization error which is by basic definition the difference between the gateway node time and the average virtual times of the other nodes in the network. Also, the paper presents a modified synchronizer protocol of the ACCP that further improves the precision of the time synchronization in WSNs. The improved time precision protocol is achieved reducing the forced response part of the time synchronization error. The proposed protocol is compared by simulations and by experiments and shown to achieve a synchronization error that is orders of magnitude less than these resulted from other known protocols which are. Finally, the proposed protocol was found to utilize the least memory and consume the least energy relative to some existing protocols.