iving animal, is of essential utilitarian importanc e. The amount of intramuscular fat (known as marbling) has significant impact on market value and meat's culinary usefuln ess. Previously used methods for marbling classification in carcass es based on an analysis of animal's age, weight and gender, or had invasive nature. These methods were estimated as unre liable and inefficient. There have been noticed gro wing explorers' interest in drawing conclusions based on information of data coded in a graphic form. The neuronal ident ification of pictorial data, with special emphasis on both quantitative an d qualitative analysis, is more frequently utilized to gain and deepen the empirical data knowledge. Extraction and then class ification of selected picture features, such as col or or surface structure, enables one to create computer tools in order to id entify these objects presented as, for example, dig ital pictures. This paper presents an attempt to create noninvasive method to classify marbling, based on ultrasound images, com puter image analysis and artificial neural networks.


Humans have altered the environment so severely that extinction events are now occurring at rates unprecedented in modern history. In order to slow this trend, conservation actions must be taken to protect biodiversity, beyond just saving flagship species. Some governmental and conservation organizations have responded by committing to ecosystem conservation but, as yet, there is no coherent strategy for how this can be carried out. This report introduces many of the theoretical aspects that will need to be considered for the development of a coherent ecosystem conservation policy. The approach includes analyzing a hierarchy of interaction-based local coexistence mechanisms within a regional and historical context. This approach points toward the need for prioritizing sensitive habitats using local interaction models; considering the effects of historical exploitation mechanisms, which are now often missing; and evaluating regional diversity influences further to identify circumstances where system-wide habitat improvements deserve more emphasis.


Recently, the propane dehydrogenation (PDH) to propylene has become one of the most promising and attractive techniques for the production of propylene because the success of the large‐scale exploitation of shale gas can supply an abundance of cheap propane for this process. Al2O3 is usually used as a support for PtSn catalysts to withstand the harsh reaction environment in the PDH process. However, due to the formation of coke and thermal agglomeration of metal particles, the PtSn catalyst suffers severe deactivation. Therefore, spinel supports are rationally designed with different morphologies (sphere, sheet, and rod) to stabilize the PtSn catalyst in the PDH. Specifically, the rod‐like spinel support exhibits a larger pore size and suitable interaction with PtSn nanoparticles shows an excellent C3H8 conversion rate of 43.2% and a C3H6 selectivity of 95.0% with an extremely low deactivation rate of 0.005 h−1 for the cycle test, standing as one of the best PDH catalysts reported to date and outperforming the commercial PtSn/Al2O3 catalysts. Besides, this catalyst is compatible with the industrial process to achieve scalable production.


Here, the arrons ,ire niemt to indic:rte flon of inforrii,ition. The prcmnption 14 that the genetic information coded in tlic b'ihe sequence of DSA4 is ultini:itell t r , rnmdxd into the :imino acid scqiieiice of protein id 'a polj ribonucleotide interincdiary. It is the p r i i n q purpobc of tlir present paper to focus attention on tlir firct .trp in this chain of c\ciiti The wiiplest iniagin,ible traii-cription rncchaniiin one ran propose nonld buggrit tli mentar! l l l -Ai ropic~ of the DNA4 The RKA4 SO formed nould rniinic the bci\c r'atio of ita parcntal DNA pro\ iding one of the trio folloning condition< \\:is sdtihfied (a ) Both -trantl. of the IISA tire rrnploJ etl as trmp1,itcq for complemcnta-) ItSA kyiitlie-i-, or (b) The o\er-:all bdhe coinposition of tlic t n o coniplerncntciri stmntlt of DN.4 arc thc same or ncmlx 40 Clonip:iri~oii of thc b'ihr composition. of the total RNA4 among bactcri,t of 11 i d d j differing DN.4 romposition. (loci not cneoiiragc tlic helicf that :a major proportion of tlie rcllulx IISA i i mdlogou> to its homologous DXA E\:imiiizitioii of the p r inc ip l HN.4 molrciilar speciere\ c:il. a siirprisiiigl\ nmforni plcturc among rather unrclntctl o r g m i i n i ~ . Three m:rlor componentarc iiiiiwrsally foiind n liicli are dlstingui,ih,ible by their ~ctlirncnt,itioii conxt:inth (%S, 169, and 4s) The 235 'ind 16s v'arirtie. ha\ e the .ane h b c composition-, 'ire found iii tlic ribocomri (Kiirlmd, 1'36O), and constitutc appro\imately 85% of the total RXA4 of thc ccll The 4S x,zricty ha., in gpnmi l , a cliffcrrnt h e r,itio and i y fonntl in the , q )e rna te or "soliihlc" fraction Thus far, none of the tlirec major componcntb hive vdiibitcd anidptectablc correlntion in their base r'itio n i th the DiYL'A rompo~ition of the cell, from \vli~ch they are dcriretl rl'lii< I' illwtr,rted in Fig 1 111th rcspcct to ribowni~il RN.4 Figiirr 1 reprodiiceh Brlozerhky and Spriii'h (1958) r e l n t m plot of total RNA4 h a ~ roniposit ion (opcn circle.) \ c r w homologous DSA ant1 incliidc~ a. ~ o l i d circlcq data on rihomn:il RYX (239 + 16s) ohtained from D prrturnonzar, and '12. lysodcikticus (Woesc, 1961), E . coli, Ps. atrugitiosa, arid B . megaterium (Hayashi and Spiegclnian, 1'361). Although t,lic information on ribosomal 13 SA is still scant>-, the five s:iiiiples :rwilable do dcril-e froin organisins w1iic.h extend over n conxitlcr:tble portion of the GC range of DS.4 base coinposition. Scverthelcss, thc riboaoninl (C + C/A + U) ratios fall within rather ixirrow limits and slioiv iio corrclntive tendency. Such data suggest that thc coiiip:rr:itivcly slight correlation iblishecl by 13c4ozcrsky aiid his eo-workers b c t w c ilk I I N 9 and Iioniologoiis DN.4 is to be ascribed to :I sriinll fr:ictioii of thc cdliilar IINL4. If, thercforc, liopc, is to be rrt:iined for the existence of tlic simple tr:inscription niechanisin proposed :hove, it will h ive to he ussuiiicd that, :a c p n t i tatively minor conipoiiciit of tlic IISA is involvcd in trnnsferring informat ion froin USA to the protein synthesizing inachiiir. From the viewpoint of such consitleratioiis, t hr noriiid erll ~voultl not nppeur to reprcsent itleal nintcri:rl for thc initial search for tlic 11s-4 which progrmis protein syntli Sevcral ycars ago my rol1e:igiics m t l I tlccidcd to turn our attmtion to the lis infcrtcyl cell. Tlic barterial-viriis complex posse 1 :I nriiiil)cr of obvioiis :ittractive x1v:int:igrs for t rspcrinientd :in:rlysis of tlic rehtioiis aiiiong TIS-4, RYA4, and protein. In tlic first plncc, t h c s &ita accumulatcd over the past 15 ycars siiggesttvl that infcrtioii of b:icteritil cells with virulent viriises is follow.ct1 by :L restriction of protein x i t l riiiclcic acid synthesis to :I coiiipnrativcly sm:rll of ni:icroiiiolrciiles rt+Jv:int to tlic forniation of viral components. Serontl, ant1 more important, were the (qmi inc i i t s of Yolkin nntl Astmclian (1'356) ~vlio cieiiionstratctl the incorporation of 1'"' into an R S A fraction wliirli n distingiiis1i:ible by i t a app:rrent h a c ratios from the bulk of thc host's 11?;,4. Thcsc ratios werc tlctcrrriincd by estimation of the relative P" content of tlirl corresponding 2'-:3' Iiiiclrotide,. isolnictl from :in :rlkalinc hytlroly~ntc of R S A 4 from in fec td cclls. Of greatest interest ~ v n s tlir fact t h t the niimbers so obtninrd appeared to iiiiinic the UN-4 hnsc ratio of the infecting p:rrticle. Here, we 1i:ive tlic first suggestion of a complrmentary R N 1 wliirli codti play :in i rrnntionnl role in the syiithesis of :I pnrticiilar el of proteins. The intrigiiing implications of tlicsc observation.< madr it iiiand:itory that thcy hc cxtrntlrcl in sevrral directions. Thc cxistcmcc of :in IiN.4 pecu1i:ir t o vimiiifccted


An express method for determination of spatial characteristics of laser radiation allowing us to reduce some operations in photometric process, and as a consequence to decrease systematic mistake and to accomplish the measurement faster, is described.


ABSTRACT In this paper, we integrate different lines of archaeological evidence to generate a model of early human peopling for the Central Pampean Dunefields (an aeolian system of central Argentina), based on several sites found in the area. The first traces of human occupations date back to ∼10,000 calendar years ago, and they correspond to burials. During the middle Holocene, the archaeological signal increases and subsistence included a wide variety of faunal resources. The archaeological evidence is representative of hunter-gatherer adaptations to semi-arid landscapes, which involved high residential mobility, broad-spectrum foraging, and an elevated degree of technological flexibility. We also discuss the lack of occupations in the Central Pampean Dunefields during the late Pleistocene, when neighboring areas were already inhabited.


e17527Background: Whole human exome sequencing (WES) has identified well characterized somatic mutations (such as TP53, CDKN2A, PIK3CA and HRAS) in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head...


on of skeletal trauma, in particular long bone fractures and orthopedic procedures.1-3 Rarely, FES occurs after non-traumatic conditions.2 The syndrome develops after a time interval, ranging from 12 hours to 72 hours after trauma and is characterized by a classic triad of petechial skin rash, respiratory distress and neurological dysfunction.1-4 Neurological involvement usually coexists with pulmonary involvement, nevertheless, although rare, cases without pulmonary compromise have been reported previously.5-13 Ho-


.............................................................................................................. 9 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................... 10 FINNISH SUMMARY .............................................................................................. 11 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ................................................................................. 12 1 STUDYING THE HUMAN GENOME .......................................................................... 12 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 12 Historical background ..................................................................................................................... 13 Genetic variation ............................................................................................................................ 14 Methods of studying the genetics of human diseases ................................................................... 17 Simple and complex diseases and models of inheritance .............................................................. 19 Phenotyping approaches ................................................................................................................ 21 Methods of correction .................................................................................................................... 22 The Human Genome Project .......................................................................................................... 23 The International HapMap Project ................................................................................................. 24 The genome-wide association era .................................................................................................. 25 2 HEADACHE DISORDERS AND CHANNELOPATHIES .................................................. 28 Neuropsychiatric disorders and relevant diagnostic divisions ....................................................... 28 Episodic diseases of the brain and their comorbidity..................................................................... 30 Channelopathies ............................................................................................................................. 31 Primary and secondary headaches ................................................................................................. 33 3 MIGRAINE ............................................................................................................. 34 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 34 Prevalence, incidence and effect on public health ......................................................................... 34 Migraine attack ............................................................................................................................... 36 Migraine aura and the cortical spreading depression .................................................................... 37 International Classification of Headache Disorders ....................................................................... 38 Migraine pathophysiology: neuronal versus vascular theory......................................................... 40 Are common forms of migraine distinct or part of the same spectrum? ....................................... 42 Major comorbid disorders .............................................................................................................. 43 4 THE SEARCH FOR VARIANTS PREDISPOSING TO MIGRAINE .................................... 45 Heritability of migraine ................................................................................................................... 45 Familial hemiplegic migraine and other monogenic syndromes .................................................... 45 Genetic studies in common migraine ............................................................................................. 47 Alternate migraine phenotyping methods ..................................................................................... 49 V. Anttila Identification of genetic susceptibility loci for migraine 5 AIMS OF THE STUDY .............................................................................................. 50 STUDY DESIGN, SUBJECTS AND METHODOLOGY ................................................... 51 Study design ................................................................................................................. 51 Study subjects .............................................................................................................. 52 Control samples .............................................................................................................................. 53 Phenotyping methodology ................................................................................................... Genotyping methods ...................................................................................................................... 55 Statistical methods ......................................................................................................................... 57 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION .................................................................................... 60


To any compact Riemann surface of genus g one may assign a principally polarized abelian variety of dimension g, the Jacobian of the Riemann surface. The Jacobian is a complex torus, and a Gram matrix of the lattice of a Jacobian is called a period Gram matrix. This paper provides upper and lower bounds for all the entries of the period Gram matrix with respect to a suitable homology basis. These bounds depend on the geometry of the cut locus of non-separating simple closed geodesics. Assuming that the cut loci can be calculated, a theoretical approach is presented followed by an example where the upper bound is sharp. Finally we give practical estimates based on the Fenchel-Nielsen coordinates of surfaces of signature (1,1), or Q-pieces. The methods developed here have been applied to surfaces that contain small non-separating simple closed geodesics in [BMMS].


This study examined the reference collection weeding and evaluation practices of a selected group of academic, public, and county library systems. Results revealed that only two of the fourteen libraries had written guidelines specifically for reference, and only one of these was a complete document. The most common unwritten criteria for weeding related to age and use of materials, and most libraries conducted systematic evaluation of the reference collection, primarily by means of comparisons to checklists or standard lists of recommended titles. However, most libraries did not regularly conduct formal use studies. The use of CD-ROM reference tools, which was fairly widespread and well accepted, was expected to have an increasingly significant impact on reference collection development in the future. Major findings are summarized, and a list of questions provided for further study and research.


Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) photosynthesis is one of the principle carbon-concentrating mechanisms in terrestrial plants. A primary feature of the CAM photosynthetic pathway revolves around the night-time uptake of CO2 and its subsequent storage as organic acids for later daytime fixation into sugars. This unique, water-saving, and carbon-concentrating photosynthetic pathway is the major means by which land plants achieve superior levels of resource-use efficiency. As a result, CAM plants are increasingly recognized as among the world's most important climate-resilient crops for food, forage, fodder, fiber, and fuel, as well as being key drivers of ecosystem function in dry regions.


[Objective]To understand the epidemiological characteristic of measles,summarize the prevention and controlling experience,improve the controlling measures.[Methods]Epidemiological analysis was carried out on the data of measles in Liancheng County from 1972 to 2005.[Results]There were 11 197 patients from 1972 to 2005,the annual average incidence was 115.31/100 000;44 patients Died.The case fatality rate was 0.39%.The annual average incidence from 1972 to 1985 was over 100/100 000.It decreased after 1986,It dropped to below 1/100 000 after 1996.There were 6 478 patients from March to June accounting for 57.85% of the total.Among all the patients,2.04% of them were babies at the age of 3 to 8 month.39.28% were babies at the age of 8 months to 5 years.The patients at the age of 6 to 12 years old accounted for 55.25% and patients from 13 to 32 years old accounted for 3.16%.The annual average incidence in Laiyuan,Luofang,Tangqian towns was higher,over 300/100 000.[Conclusion]Standardization of measles vaccination at the first time and second time,strengthening cold chain management,improving the quality of vaccination and ensuring the coverage were the main measures to control measles epidemic.


Each vessel has its own way of sailing in the port region. Any autonomous vessel navigating such a scene should be able to predict the trajectories of surrounding ships and adjust its behaviour to avoid a collision. In this paper, combined with the sequence prediction method, a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) model is proposed to predict the trajectories of the vessels. The ground-truth Automatic Identification System (AIS) data in the port of Tianjin, China are used to train and test the proposed model. The experimental results prove that our model can predict ship trajectories accurately, and it is applicable to the autonomous navigation system.


We investigate the formation process of planetesimals from the dust layer by the gravitational instability in the gas disk using local N-body simulations. The gas is modeled as a background laminar flow. We study the formation process of planetesimals and its dependence on the strength of the gas drag. Our simulation results show that the formation process is divided into three stages qualitatively: the formation of wake-like density structures, the creation of planetesimal seeds, and their collisional growth. The linear analysis of the dissipative gravitational instability shows that the dust layer is secularly unstable although Toomre's Q value is larger than unity. However, in the initial stage, the growth time of the gravitational instability is longer than that of the dust sedimentation and the decrease in the velocity dispersion. Thus, the velocity dispersion decreases and the disk shrinks vertically. As the velocity dispersion becomes sufficiently small, the gravitational instability finally becomes dominant. Then wake-like density structures are formed by the gravitational instability. These structures fragment into planetesimal seeds. The seeds grow rapidly owing to mutual collisions.


Background: Calcium metabolism was abnormal in patients with nephrotic syndrome. The aim of this study was to evaluate the alteration of calcium and vitamin D (Vit. D) metabolisms in children with nephrotic syndrome, but with normal renal function.Methods: Twelve nephrotic syndrome children with normal GFR were enrolled in this study. Blood and urine procured were assayed for albumin, protein, calcium, phosphate, PTH, 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D during the episodes of active and of the remission of nephrotic syndrome.Results: Decreased calcium and vit. D levels in serum and urine, and elevated blood PTH level are the hallmarks of nephritic syndrome in active phase. These abnormalities resume after remission of disease.Conclusions: Distant dysregulation of calcium and vitamin D metabolisms were evident in these patients with active nephrotic syndrome and normalized following their remission. These results suggest that urinary 25(OH)D substrates were progressively lost in these patients with active nephrotic syndrome.


An intense VUV-IR coherent light source based on the both spatial and temporal phase modulation in rare gas media induced by tera-watt laser field is presented. A spectra intensity of 1 GW/nm has been obtained from the UV to IR regions. An up-conversion broadband optical parametric amplifier based on the four-wave-mixing in a non- birefringence nonlinear materials has also been demonstrated for time gated spectra measurements with the ultra-broadband light source.


Abstract: Of all the criticisms that Aristotle gives of his predecessors' theories of soul in De anima I.3–5, none seems more unmotivated than the ones directed against the world soul of Plato's Timaeus. Against the current scholarly consensus, I claim that the status of Aristotle's criticisms is philosophical rather than eristical, and that they provide important philosophical reasons, independent of Phys. VIII.10 and Metaph. Λ.6, for believing that νοῦς is without spatial extension, and that its thinking is not a physical motion.


Summary Dubinin's theory of micropore volume filling was used to describe the isotherms of water resorption and desorption by natural wood of twelve species and chemically modified birch wood. The analysis showed that each wood sample is characterized by its own pair of the main equation parameters. The correlation between these parameters was also determined. The resorption/desorption characteristic which is a combination of the main equation parameters of the above mentioned theory was revealed to be invariable for all the studied examples of natural wood. It can be used for estimation of wood substance disturbances caused by chemical modification and probably anthropogenic factors effecting during wood formation. The thermal coefficient as a function of relative vapor pressure was found. This dependence and the main equation of the theory of micropore volume filling can be used to calculate sorption equilibrium for wood/water system under the limited set of experimental data.


The article highlights the influence of the regional economic entities on the sustainable growth of the region. The nature of effect of the local conditions on the efficiency of the entrepreneurial activity is determined. The definition of sustainable growth of the region is clarified. Transport organizations are taken as a study subject. The main operational results of transport organizations, that are directly related to the living standards, are identified and classified. The extended algorithm for the correspondence between organizations' efficiency and growth of the region is developed. Priority factors, that aim to increase the performance of transport companies, are determined. These factors include active use of digital technologies in carriage of passengers and cargo traffic as well as application of principles of behavioral economics in human resource management. Issues of behavioral economics are considered from the standpoint of the problem of growth in labor productivity.


In their commentary, Gácsi et al. (2023) direct criticism towards our study (Hansen Wheat et al., 2022) where we used the Strange Situation Test (SST) to demonstrate that humandirected attachment behaviour, as defined in Topál et al. (2005), is expressed not only in dogs but also in wolves. We welcome this commentary, as it gives us the opportunity to correct what we consider to be misrepresentations of our study by Gácsi et al. (2023), which also includes some more general misconceptions within the field of dog domestication and dog– wolf comparisons. In this correction, we find it necessary to further draw comparisons to the original study by Topál et al. (2005), for which our study was a replication. The main objection put forward by Gácsi et al. (2023) is that our methodology is flawed. Specifically, the authors bring forward two points: (1) our test room was not unfamiliar to the wolves and dogs, and thus allegedly failed to induce a moderate stress response, and (2) the familiar person we used was not a dedicated care taker. Because of these two points, Gácsi et al. (2023) call the validity of our results into question and claim that we have failed to demonstrate attachment behaviours in wolves. Below we address these two points and detail why none of them compromise our findings. Before doing so, we would like to state that Gácsi et al. (2023) are very focussed on the results on our dogs, seemingly missing the point that it is the results on our wolves that are important for the conclusions of this study and those results could have stood alone. We will, however, address the criticism directed at the results on both dogs and wolves. Gácsi et al. (2023) claim that because the test room was not unfamiliar to the wolves and dogs, we were not successful in providing the stressful environment required to adequately elicit attachment behaviours. We find this claim particularly puzzling, as we specifically added a behavioural quantification of stress (i.e. pacing) during the test to assess how our animals experienced the test situation. From these results it was clear that the wolves indeed experienced stress during the test. Therefore, if induced stress is a prerequisite for the SST it was fulfilled and empirically demonstrated in our study, so the concern brought forward by Gácsi et al. (2023) is unfounded. Again, we emphasize that it is the results for the wolves that are important for our findings. Gácsi et al. (2023) also claim that the lack of stress behaviour in dogs is an indication that the attachment system was not sufficiently activated by the test situation because the test room was familiar. First, we did see pacing (i.e. stress behaviour) in some of our dogs equal to that of wolves, as documented in the supplementary materials. However, upon overall species comparisons, the wolves were significantly more stressed than the dogs, a finding that should not be particularly surprising given the documented physiological alterations of the HPAaxis between nondomesticated and domesticated animals (Künzl & Sachser, 1999; Trut et al., 2004). Second, it is welldocumented that the seemingly absence of stress behaviours does not necessarily equate the absence of a physiological stress response (Koolhaas et al., 2010; Qu et al., 2018; Schjolden et al., 2005). An additional measure of physiological stress on our wolves and dogs would have resulted in a higher resolution for our stress response quantification. In hindsight, this would have been a nice addition to our study. Together, as we demonstrated that both wolves and dogs discriminated between the familiar person and the stranger, we find Gácsi et al's. (2023) claim that the test situation was not stressful enough to elicit attachment behaviours to be unfounded. We would also like to take this opportunity to point out that in the original study by Topál et al. (2005), there was no attempt to quantify stress in either wolves or dogs. Thus, the authors did not quantitatively document that any of their studied animals actually experienced the moderate level of stress required to elicit attachment behaviours. Using the same level of rigour for the Topál et al. (2005) study, as Gácsi et al. (2023) request for ours, it must then naturally follow that those results are invalid. The other main point of critique Gácsi et al. (2023) direct at our study, is our choice of familiar person for the test. Specifically, they claim that because our wolves and dogs were handraised in litters by multiple caregivers, the familiar person used in our study was not a socalled 'dedicated caretaker', and a proper attachment between her and the puppies could therefore not have taken place. We find this argument as puzzling as the one put forward regarding our use of test room, as we provide empirical evidence that quantifiably stressed wolves differentiate between a familiar person and a stranger in the test. The very essence of quantifying attachment is the test subject's ability to discriminate between an attachment


The very long wavelength (i.e. in the degree range l = 1–8) dynamic topography at the Earth's surface, estimated by isostatic reduction of the observed topography, is shown to be in good agreement with the topography predicted by a model of viscous flow in the mantle. This flow model was previously derived by independent consideration of the observed nonhydrostatic geoid and is based upon a recent model of large-scale seismic shear velocity heterogeneity in the mantle. Our estimate (and prediction) of the long wavelength dynamic surface topography reveals significant depressions (≈ 2–3 km) of the continental shields relative to their hydrostatic reference positions.


This study contains a detailed, comparative analysis of the IPR policies of twelve standard setting organizations: ISO, IEC, ITU, IEEE, ETSI, ANSI, IETF, OASIS, VITA, W3C, HDMI Forum and NFC Forum. It considers the policy objectives, the way essential IPR are defined, and the procedures for disclosure and for licensing commitments, and finishes with a number of observations and conclusions. The study was commissioned by the US National Academies of Science (NAS), Project on Intellectual Property Management in Standard-setting Processes.


This study aims to determine whether the brand image, price and product quality have a significant effect on purchasing decisions for bottled drinking water. The research method used is a quantitative approach, with data collection techniques in the form of a questionnaire. The population in this study were all consumers of bottled drinking water with the CLEO brand in Karangandong village, Driyorejo sub-district, Gresik district, who made purchasing decisions. The sampling technique used purposive sampling with a probability method with a specified sample size of 100 people. The data analysis technique used is multiple linear regression. The hypothesis test in this study shows that the three independent variables have a significant effect on the dependent variable. This is evidenced by the t value of the brand image variable of 2.410 with a significant value of 0.018, then the t value of the price variable of 4.104 with a significant value of 0.000, and evidence of the t value of the variable product quality of 3.287 has a significant effect of 0.001. Brand image, price and product quality have a significant positive effect on purchasing decisions. This is evidenced by the calculated F value of 15,349 with a significant amount of 0,000.


The communication between care takers and patients are limited and complex when the patients are too weary and weak. A clinical base patient monitoring involves reading implicit communications of such patients carefully from their gestures to identify their need. The sensitivity of such system should be of high precision to avoid any misinterpretation that may lead to adverse effects. The wearable system can accurately interpret the implied communication to the care takers or to an automated support device. The simplest form of palpable hand movements are used for the above purpose. The proposed system suggests not only a novel methodology simpler than the existing sign language interpretations for such implicit communication, but also suggests the gestures appropriate to be used in such systems. The experimental results by two different modeling methods show a well-distinguished realization of diverse hand movement activities using a wearable sensor medium and the interpretation results always show significant and acute thresholds.


In this work formation of multilayered fi lms on silica surfaces utilizing specifi c interaction between poly-β-cyclodextrin and adamantane containing polymers (four-armed-PEO and dextran) and the layer-by-layer formation of two oppositely charged poly-β-cyclodextrins was studied. They can be used further for specific application such as functional fi lms or drug delivery systems. It was investigated if multilayers can be obtained and the structure of the built multilayers. The method for these studies was QCM-D. It was studied the infl uence of adamantane containing polymers and adsorption time on the multilayer build-up. Multilayer build-up was done utilizing specifi c hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions. Change in sensed mass, energy dissipation, viscoelastic properties for the build-up multilayers gives information of the obtained films structure. The multilayer obtained via electrostatic interactions is stiffer, whereas in the other systems the multilayers obtained via specific hydrophobic interactions show more viscoelastic properties.


A dose-response study was conducted to determine the total lysine requirement for female broiler breeders from days 14 to 42 . Two hundred and ten Ross 308 female broiler breeder were used in a completely randomized design with 6 replicates per treatment and 5 chicks per pen . The contents of total lysine used in this experiment were to be 0 .68, 0 .72, 0 .76, 0 .80, 0 .84, 0 .88 and 0 .92% in the diet . A corn, wheat and soybean meal based basal diet was formulated to meet or to excess the Ross 308 female broiler breeder nutrient specifications, and to achieve ideal amino acid pattern except lysine . The diets were isocaloric and isonitrogenous . Restricted feeding was followed manually according to the management guide of the Ross 308 Parent Stock, and fresh water was available at all times . Body weight and feed intake were measured to calculate feed conversion ratio, and also body weight uniformity was defined weekly basis . One chicks per pen were randomly selected and euthanized via cervical dislocation to collect blood samples and to harvest visceral organ at the conclusion of experiment . Increasing total lysine contents in diet (i .e ., up to 0 .92%) improved (P < 0 .05) body weight gain and feed conversion ratio from days on 14 to 42 . Using the linear-plateau (LP) model, the estimated total lysine requirement from 14 to 42 d of age was to be 0 .94, 0 .89 and 0 .94% for higher body weight and daily gain, and for feed efficiency, respectively. Fitting the quadratic-plateau (QP) model, the estimated lysine requirement from 14 to 42 d of age was to be 1 .13, 1 .27 and 1 .48% for higher body weight and average daily gain, and for feed efficiency. The corresponding values from combined models for body weight, average daily gain and feed conversion ratio were estimated at 1 .04, 1 .00 and 1 .21% total lysine, respectively . The variability at d 42 body weight of female broiler breeders fed 0 .92% lysine in the diet (CV = 2 .64%) was higher (P < 0 .05) than those fed 0 .68% total lysine (CV = 1 .53%) . Total lysine contents did not affect (P < 0.05) ovary weight, serum estradiol-17β, serum progesterone and plasma urea nitrogen on d 42 . In the current study, therefore, our results indicated that female broiler breeders fed 0 .68% total lysine could be achieving with recommended body weight suggested field practice (i.e., 660g) when data were fitted into the overlapped point of linear-, and quadratic-plateau models .


Realistic modelling and interactive rendering of forestry and landscape is a challenge in computer graphics and virtual reality. Recent new developments in plant growth modelling and simulation lead to plant models faithful to botanical structure and development, not only representing the complex architecture of a real plant but also its functioning in interaction with its environment. Complex geometry and material of a large group of plants is a big burden even for high performances computers, and they often overwhelm the numerical calculation power and graphic rendering power. Thus, in order to accelerate the rendering speed of a group of plants, software techniques are often developed. In this paper, we focus on plant organs, i.e. leaves, flowers, fruits and inter-nodes. Our approach is a simplification process of all sparse organs at the same time, i.e., Level of Detail (LOD), and multi-resolution models for plants. We do explain here the principle and construction of plant simplification. They are used to construct LOD and multi-resolution models of sparse organs and branches of big trees. These approaches take benefit from basic knowledge of plant architecture, clustering tree organs according to biological structures. We illustrate the potential of our approach on several big virtual plants for geometrical compression or LOD model definition. Finally we prove the efficiency of the proposed LOD models for realistic rendering with a virtual scene composed by 184 mature trees.


ABSTRACT This paper introduces the term 'destruction of the contract' to describe the various legal theories which can be used when the number of changes to a construction contract is so great the owner is considered to have legally destroyed the original contract. The advantage to the contractor, and disadvantage to the owner, of these doctrines is the contractor is not paid according to the original contract, but under the theories of promissory estoppel and/or quantum meruit, that is: the reasonable value of the work performed. This amount is usually higher than the contract amount. Contractors wishing to use this theory should reserve their rights when performing material changes on the project and the owner does not recognize the reasonable costs for those material changes.


Numerous normal‐faulting aftershocks in subduction forearcs commonly follow large megathrust earthquakes. Postseismic normal faulting has been explained by stress changes induced by the stress drop along the megathrust. However, details of forearc stress changes and aftershock triggering mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we use numerical force‐balance models combined with Coulomb failure analysis to show that the megathrust stress drop supports normal faulting, but that forearc‐wide aftershock triggering is feasible within a narrow range of megathrust stress drop values and preseismic stress states only. We determine this range for the 2011 Tohoku earthquake (Japan) and show that the associated stress changes explain the aftershock seismicity in unprecedented detail and are consistent with the stress released by forearc seismicity before and after the earthquake.


What we need to know to help our students whose first language is not English: Terminology, concepts, and resources for getting and keeping ELLs on the "Write" Path Strategies and techniques for enhancing the ELL's reading and writing experience


ABSTRACT Obesity is a major cause of human essential hypertension. Recent studies point toward increased renal tubular reabsorption and abnormal renal pressure natriuresis in mediating obesity hype...


Objective. The people with multiple sclerosis could benefit from competent aquatic therapy to improving range of motion and strength of the arms and legs and reducing spasticity, besides socializing. Methods. Use of aquatic therapy for people with multiple sclerosis through Watsu sessions, Bad Ragaz Method, Halliwick Concept, Task-Type Training Approach and by patient education. Results. Although multiple sclerosis is a degenerative and progressive disease, the role of therapeutic aquatic program is reached by maintaining a level of continuous independent life, with patient more confident in hers abilities. Returning to prior level of function and independence. Aquatic program can support fuul range of motion, offers buoyancy supported environment. Through this study we observed a significant improvement in the level of fatigue with a potential positive effect on functional abilities. Conclusions. Aquatic rehabilitation effectively improves impairment and disability oriented problems for people with limitations from neuromuscular occurence. Aquatic exercise programs for people with neuromuscular disorders should be designed and supervised by therapists with expertise in recognizing the lack of control of functional movement commonly encountered by patients with those clinical conditions and identifying strategies to overcome them.


The effect of Melody Duo 66.75 wp was assayed on pearl millet downy mildew (PMDM). This novel fungicide, a combined preparation of iprovalicarb and propineb, controlled all developmental stages of Sclerospora graminicola. The protective effect of this preparation was due to iprovalicarb and was equipotent to metalaxyl-containing Apron 35 sd and Ridomil 72 MZ wp, whereas the eradicant activity of Melody Duo exceeded that of the two latters at comparative doses. Iprovalicarb was translocated acropetally and exhibited systemically an excellent curative activity. The downy mildewed pearl millet plants recovered after foliar treatments with the preparations. The exploitation of Melody Duo 66.75 wp is recommended against pearl millet downy mildew disease.


Arginine plays a pivotal role in ureagenesis, polyamine biosynthesis, and nitric oxide biosynthesis. Intestinal absorption of exogenous arginine is key in maintaining arginine homeostasis. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of fibrosarcoma on intestinal arginine absorption in tumor‐bearing rats (TBR).


A multi-angle climbing training machine comprises a machine body frame, a fixed transmission shaft and a climbing belt ladder which are fixed on the machine body frame, a speed adjustable motor installed at the bottom of the multi-angle climbing training machine and used for providing power and a speed change transmission mechanism. The multi-angle climbing training machine further comprises an angle adjusting shaft and a tensioning adjusting shaft. The speed adjustable motor provides power, and the speed change transmission mechanism drives the fixed transmission shaft, the angle adjusting shaft and the tensioning adjusting shaft to rotate to further drive the climbing belt ladder to form circulation rotating. The multi-angle climbing training machine utilizes the low-speed large-torque speed adjustable motor to drive the climbing belt ladder to operate in a circulation mode, can provide continuous climbing training, and is a safe reliable climbing training machine. The climbing belt speed is adjustable, and the climbing angle is adjustable. By means of the training machine, users can conduct aerobic exercise to enable the body to be strong, the flexibility of the body can be trained, the coordination capability is trained, and competitive sports can be developed.


Afghanistan has been called a "highway of conquest," the pivot of Central Asia that led armies to India and Iran, to the rich lands of the Transoxiana and the borders of China. Since the beginning of recorded history, its territory has fallen victim to waves of conquerors and been part of much larger empires. Indeed, while each ethnic group in the country can claim some periods of glorious history, none can make an absolute indigenous claim to the region: their histories all begin with the displacement or incorporation of some preceding group already occupying the land. Yet in more recent times Afghanistan has become famous as the graveyard of imperial ambitions, having rebuffed the British twice in the nineteenth century and forced the Soviet Union to withdraw in defeat in the twentieth. How is it that a territory that was historically overrun by every major power in pre-modern times became so indigestible in the last 150 years? And why has the United States, in at least its initial foray into Afghanistan, not provoked the high level of opposition that is habitually assumed to await the arrival of any foreign troops there? The answer lies in the changing relationship between war and political legitimacy, a change that grew out of reformulation of the conception of society and government itself. It is this change in the conception of legitimacy that has made the restoration of internal national order in Afghanistan so difficult.


auspiciously and end in the blessed state in which it began. The experience of the many turbulent emotions because of the adventures and sufferings of the protagonists is left for the in-between stages of the cycle. In the chapter 'Cyclical Imagination' several variations of this fundamental scheme are analysed, and detailed charts are provided in support of Gerstle's thesis which recognizes the musical performance element as essential to the very dramaturgic structure of the play. A dramaturgicmusical analysis of three major shinjumono (double suicide plays) occupies the chapter 'Descent to Paradise'. Three different focuses a simple escape to Paradise, a darker sense of doubt about the afterlife paradise, and the sense of death as a spectre affirming the preciousness of present life — highlight the variety of themes and the development of depth in Chikamatsu's three major plays of the double-suicide genre. In his final chapter Gerstle rests his case for a dramaturgy based on the integration of the muscial performance element and on the cultural background and the expectation of the audience as criteria of validity. Chikamatsu's plays 'cannot travel to our world; we must journey to them. An awareness of the conventions of performance brings us closer to his stage, and allows us a clearer perspective from within his circles of phantasy where we can reach out and touch the multisensual textures of his theater, and savor its delights' (p. 179). Appendix A and B provide a translation of the 1678 preface to A Collection of Bamboo Shoots (Take no koshu) by Uji Kaganojo and of the Preface to The i68y Gidayu Collection of Joruri Scenes by Takemoto Gidayu. Both are useful primary documents for the study of the early teachings about schemes and structures for joruri plays. Accurate glossaries of theatrical terms and of major musical notations, bibliography and index complete a welcome work which — given the great amount of materials and the difficulty of the subject presents only very few typographical errors.


The present invention discloses a hydrophobic macromer and monomers diacrylate preparing polytetrahydrofuran. The macromonomer hydrophobic monomer containing a polytetramethylene oxide diacrylate two vinyl structure, the following structural formula: wherein n is 13 to 14. The preparation method is about polytetrahydrofuran, triethylamine and dichloromethane added to the reactor, and a polymerization inhibitor is added, under ice-cooling with stirring, dropwise, at the rate control 4 ~ 6ml / min, acryloyl chloride previously prepared was added dropwise, after the dropping, the reaction 0.5 ~ 2h, removed the ice-water bath to control the temperature of 25 ~ 50 ℃ reaction was continued for 8 ~ 12h, the reaction solution was filtered using a fritted funnel, and the filtrate was washed with dilute hydrochloric acid to remove excess acryloyl chloride and triethylamine , then washed with brine to neutral, dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate was added after the separation was allowed to stand for 12h, the filtrate using a rotary evaporator to remove excess solvent, to give the macromer hydrophobic monomer polytetramethylene oxide diacrylate.


Objective To investigate the effect of platelet-rich plasma(PRP) plus active-motion on the repair of full-thickness cartilage defects at the patellofemoral joint in rats.Methods Thirty SD rats were used for this study.Of them,15 were used for preparation of platelet-rich plasma,and the other 15 were randomized into 5 equal groups (n =6).Group A was subjected to no intervention after sham operation; after modeling of full-thickness cartilage defects at the patellofemoral joint,group B was subjected to free motion,group C to active motion,group D to PRP injection plus free motion,and group E to PRP injection plus active motion.The animals were sacrificed 10 weeks postoperation for gross observation and HE staining to assess the defects,ELISA to assess the serum contents of TIMP-1 and MMP-3,and immunohistochemical staining to detect type Ⅱ collagen.The ratio of TIMP-1 to MMP-3 was calculated and compared between groups.Results Gross observation,HE staining and immunohistochemical staining revealed smooth articular surface and plentiful well-arranged chondrocytes and type Ⅱ collagen in group A,the largest defects with a rough surface and the least type Ⅱ collagen in group B,and defects generally repaired with a relatively smooth surface and more content of type Ⅱ collagen in groups C,D and E.The regenerated tissue was fibrous cartilage rather than hyaline cartilage.The OD value of TIMP-1/MMP-3 was 0.401 ±0.056 in group A,0.247 ±0.028 in group B,0.583 ±0.054 in group C,0.435 ±0.054 in group D,and 0.387 ±0.125 in group E,showing significant differences between groups (F =8.585,P =0.003).Group B had a significantly lower value than Groups A,C,D and E (P < 0.05).Group C was significantly higher than groups D and E (P < 0.05).Conclusions After articular cartilage defection,early active-motion or (and) PRP injection into the articular cavity may promote repair of cartilage,but the synergistic effect of the two has not been fully confirmed.

Key words:
Cartilage, articular;  Platelet-rich plasma;  Movement;  Cartilage defects;  Repair


Time-series data with regular and/or seasonal long-memory are often aggregated before analysis. Often, the aggregation scale is large enough to remove any short-memory components of the underlying process but too short to eliminate seasonal patterns of much longer periods. In this paper, we investigate the limiting correlation structure of aggregate time series within an intermediate asymptotic framework that attempts to capture the aforementioned sampling scheme. In particular, we study the autocorrelation structure and the spectral density function of aggregates from a discrete-time process. The underlying discrete-time process is assumed to be a stationary Seasonal AutoRegressive Fractionally Integrated Moving-Average (SARFIMA) process, after suitable number of differencing if necessary, and the seasonal periods of the underlying process are multiples of the aggregation size. We derive the limit of the normalized spectral density function of the aggregates, with increasing aggregation. The limiting aggregate (seasonal) long-memory model may then be useful for analyzing aggregate time-series data, which can be estimated by maximizing the Whittle likelihood. We prove that the maximum Whittle likelihood estimator (spectral maximum likelihood estimator) is consistent and asymptotically normal, and study its finite-sample properties through simulation. The efficacy of the proposed approach is illustrated by a real-life internet traffic example.


protein, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, andphospholipase C-y.Overexpression ofhumannckin3Y1ratfibroblasts results intransformation asjudged byalteration ofcellmorphology, colony formation insoft agar,andtumor formation innudeBALB/cmice. However, overexpression ofnckdoesnotinduce detectable elevation ofthe phosphotyrosine content ofspecific proteins, asisobserved forv-crk, another SH2/SH3-containing oncogene. Despite this fact, we demonstrate that Nckretains theability tobindtyrosine phosphorylated proteins invitro, using a fusion protein ofNckwithglutathione-S-transferase (GST). Moreover, whenincubated withlysates prepared fromv-src-transformed 3Y1cells orthenck-overexpressing cell lines, GST-Nckbinds tobothp6O"0 andserine/threonine kinases, respectively. Although phosphotyrosine levels are notelevated inthenckexpressing fibroblasts, vanadate treatment ofthese cells results ina phosphotyrosine pattern thatisaltered fromtheparental 3Y1pattern, suggestive ofa perturbation ofindigenous tyrosine kinase pathways. These results suggest thepossibility thathumannckinduces transformation in3Y1fibroblasts byvirtue ofits altered affinity or specificity forthenormalsubstrates ofitsrathomolog andthatNckmay play a roleinlinking tyrosine andserine/threonine kinase pathways within thecell. During thelast several yearsaflurry ofexperiments have contributed totheelucidation ofthesignalling pathways involved inreceptor-mediated growth control. Precipitated bythediscovery ofthev-crk oncogene (27), aunifying theme intyrosine kinase-initiated pathways becameevident from theworkofmanygroupswiththediscovery thatSH2 domains bindtotyrosine-phosphorylated substrates. Identified asthetransforming geneoftheavian CT10retrovirus, v-crkisexpressed asa Gagfusion protein, p479ag-v-crk. Expression ofthisprotein wasfoundtoelevate cellular phosphotyrosine levels, yetitencodes nokinase activity of itsown (27). Rather, v-Crkcontains sequences thatare homologous tothemodulatory domainsofnonreceptor tyrosine kinases, theprototype ofwhichisSrc; hence, these motifs weredesignated SH2andSH3(for Srchomology regions 2and3)(28, 36). Thesesequences weresimultaneously identified inphospholipase C--y (PLC--y) (41, 42)and subsequently found inother signalling molecules suchasRas GTPase-activating


The first book in a series on "Reflective Practice in Social Care" focuses on the mental health field. Across 15 chapters, evidence from research, practice and theory are drawn together in a way that should allow each reader to reflect on their personal knowledge and practice. Divided into three sections, the book begins by setting out the current context of mental health social work and considering what reflective practice means within this context. The second section moves on to focus on theoretical models of practice. Some of the models included (specifically psychoanalytic theory) may initially be considered out of date, or at least out of favor, but through case studies and examples each author is able to bring their theoretical expertise up to date and demonstrate the value of each model to current and future mental health social work. The final section concentrates on reflective psychosocial practice and on how it can be implemented, with a wealth of examples provided along the way. Finally, the book concludes by looking to the future and considering the challenges to be faced as social work moves forward. Despite being strongly based in UK Social Work, the key messages are easily transferable to other western cultures and care models and may even have more global applications. The editors state a number of aims for this work: primarily they sought to capture the teachings on the current M.Sc. in Mental Health Social Work with children and adults at Kings College London, thus making them available to a wider audience. Being that the editors are both highly involved with the M.Sc. program, it is reasonable to expect that this aim has been achieved. Further to this, the editors hope that their work can help to ensure best practice in mental health care. This being a worthy aspiration will only be achieved if the text can reach a wide readership and readers are then able to put their learning into practice. The writing team goes some way toward making this happen by ensuring that the text is not only accessible but also applicable to readers with a variety of experiential and educational backgrounds. It is true that the target audience is social work students and practitioners but from the outset an interprofessional care approach is taken. The editors acknowledge that social workers function as part of a wider care team and that a range of others can benefit from a reflective approach to mental health care. As for putting the learning into practice, this responsibility rests with the readers, but with such a range of examples and case studies included it should be achievable. At times a difficult read, this book is well worth the effort, particularly for those who wish to learn and possibly even improve their practice.


[1] Humic-like substances (HULIS) were isolated by a solid-phase extraction procedure from PM2.5 fraction urban-type atmospheric aerosol samples collected in downtown Budapest, Hungary, in the nonheating season. Their amount was derived, and the surface tension properties of their pure solutions were investigated. Carbon content of HULIS accounted for 54% of the water-soluble organic carbon and for 19% of organic carbon in the aerosol. Solution of pure HULIS in concentrations corresponding to real incipient cloud droplets decreased the surface tension of water by about 30%, and the major decrease occurred within several tens of seconds. In diluted solutions, however, the thermodynamic equilibrium in surface tension was only reached after several hours, but the equilibrium depression value was still remarkable, about 18%. Detailed analysis of the relaxation curves implied that the kinetics of the surface tension depression should be regarded as and described by a diffusion-controlled process. The surface tension curves as a function of the HULIS concentration after an elapsed time of up to about 100 s resembled the curves observed earlier, but the shape of and tendency in the equilibrium curve (the isotherm) was rather different. The deviations were linked to physicochemical properties of certain classes of compounds within the HULIS. The surface tension depended on the solution pH as well; the smallest depression was observed at about pH = 5, and it was increased by an additional 13% for strong acidic or basic conditions; hence the role of surface tension in cloud droplet formation under acid rain conditions is further amplified.


This paper deals with a small wind turbine system (WTS) constituted by a permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) connected to the grid via a back-to-back converter. The Low Voltage Ride through (LVRT) requirements for the WTS are described and the nonlinear dynamics of a grid-side converter is analyzed in the presence of voltage sags. The study shows that new chaotic phenomena are generated when the size of the dc-link capacitor is reduced. The reported time waveforms and state-space attractors clearly highlight that the system becomes chaotic during the voltage sag, being stable before and after the occurrence of the disturbance. Finally, the chaotic behavior is validated via the 0-1 test for chaos, thus confirming the novel phenomenon described herein.


The m arket f or individually purchased health insurance has greatly expanded in recent years. The rapid changes in this market are due to the unintended consequences of small-employer health insurance reform; an increase in the rate of health care inflation; the impact of the economic downturn on employer-sponsored coverage; and the expansion of safety-net programs for low-income families with funding from the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Although the individual market is often treated as small and insignifi


In the presence of room temperature ionic liquids based on 1 butyl 3 methylimidazolium salt and butylpyridinium salt, cycloaddition of propylene oxide and carbon dioxide without any additional organic solvents was investigated. It was found that both cations and anions of the room temperature ionic liquids have strong influence on the catalytic activity. The better catalytic performance was achieved with 1 butyl 3 methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate as a catalyst. A suitable CO 2/propylene oxide molar ratio is needed for the reaction, and the conversion of propylene oxide increases with the increase of reaction temperature. The ionic liquid as a catalyst for such reaction can be recycled.


The main subject of this article is development of transport monitoring system model with the usage of wireless technologies. In this connection the following tasks were decided: the research methods were chosen, which are based on the set theory and the finite automata theory, the events and commands were defined in the model, the connections between the components of the model were specified. The future plans of work directed to development and realization of methods of efficient management of wireless technologies were given in the conclusion.


An ad hoc network is the cooperative engagement of a collection of small mobile nodes which have limited resources and may have to work well in the very bad environments. In this paper, we proposed a more reliable and stable ad hoc routing method for the nonideal sensor environment which is sea level. Here, moving sensors are not considered fixed on off-shore structures and affected by the sea waves. Therefore, it is more difficult to deliver packets to the destination safely. With the existing routing protocols, we can not make the sea ad hoc networks work very well. So, we have to make some modifications and combination on existing routing protocols to meet our requirements. Moreover, we are able to save much more resources involving sensors' energy and network bandwidth and eliminate much more unnecessary operations on sensors. So, the way to decide which sensor shall take the responsibility of job of sending packets is a critical mechanism for ad hoc networks.


There appears to be some confusion as to how materials are impregnated or dried. Without getting into the exciting mathematical details best suited for persons who second language is Greek, I offer the following short explanation as to how materials are impregnated or dried. If the object is porous, the porosity is described in terms of macropores (>50 nm), mesopores (50 - 2 nm), and micropores (2 - 0.8 nm). These three size classes of pores represent different flow mechanisms for the impregnation of porous materials. Solvent penetration of a non-porous particle by imbibing is similar mathematically to solvent penetration of micropores although the actual mechanism is quite different.


In the Natural History Museum of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in Lviv there is a collection of a famous Pleistocene mammoth and a woolly rhinoceros, the so-called "first rhinoceros" from Starunia. The mammoth and the first rhinoceros were found 102 years ago, on 5th October and 6th November, 1907, respectively, in a shaft of an ozokerite (earth wax) mine near Starunia village (the Eastern Carpathians). The discovery of large Pleistocene mammals in Starunia was a spectacular, worldfamous scientific event. Beside the mammoth and the rhinoceros, many specimens of Pleistocene flora and fauna from Starunia and other places of the Fore-Carpathian region are exhibited in the Lviv Natural History Museum.


Consumer purchasing decisions are an important factor in determining the existence of a product. Galeri Kalianda is a business engaged in the fashion sector providing tapis fabric, which is a woven fabric originating from the Lampung area. The purpose of this study was to determine the variable product quality (X1), perceived price (X2), and social and cultural values (X3) that influence the purchase decision of tapis lampung fabric (Y). The sampling technique used the Simple Random Sampling method with (n = 60) who had made purchases and users of the Lampung filter cloth at the Kalianda Gallery, Jakarta. Based on multiple linear regression analysis, the model Y = 0.570 + 0.136 (x1) +0.299 (x2) +0.223 (x3) + ε is obtained. The T test shows that the variables of product quality, price perception, and social and cultural values partially have a positive and significant effect on purchasing decisions. While the F test shows that these three variables together have an effect of (R2 = 59.5%) on purchasing decisions. The conclusions from the study entitled "The Influence of Product Quality, Price Perception and Social and Cultural Values on Purchase Decisions for Tapis Lampung Fabric (Case Study at Kalianda Gallery-Jakarta)" are: Product quality has a positive and significant influence on purchasing decisions for Lampung Tapis cloth at the Gallery. Kalinda-Jakarta. Price perception has a positive and significant influence on purchasing decisions for Lampung filter cloth at Kalianda Gallery, Jakarta.


We construct some irreducible representations of the Leavitt path algebra of an arbitrary quiver. The constructed representations are associated to certain algebraic branching systems. For a row-finite quiver, we classify algebraic branching systems, to which irreducible representations of the Leavitt path algebra are associated. For a certain quiver, we obtain a faithful completely reducible representation of the Leavitt path algebra. The twisted representations of the constructed ones under the scaling action are studied.


Changes in antioxidant systems in soybean and associated weeds (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L., Chenopodium album L., Convolvulus arvensis L and Sinapis arvensis L.) were studied in relation to treatment with herbicides linuron and dimethenamid in the field experiment. Differences in the total superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (Cat) activities were observed in plants after application of herbicide formulation. Quantities of superoxide (O2.-) and hydroxyl (·OH) radicals and malonyldialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH) and total polyphenols content were also determined. In addition to this, potential antioxidant activity of the plant ethanolic extracts were assessed based on the scavenging activity of stable DPPH free radicals. Results obtained suggest that plants investigated 1) expressed different antioxidant systems in response to herbicide treatment; 2) enzymatic and non-enzymatic protective mechanisms were complementary; 3) some weed species showed distinctive and combined activity of several biochemical parameters, such as Ambrosia artemisiifolia.


PURPOSE: To restrain the emission of yellow smoke and the like from a dual fuel engine by externally placing liquid fuel torch cells for igniting a fuel mixture under an optimum state. CONSTITUTION: In a dual fuel engine having an inlet valve, an exhaust valve, and a first liquid fuel injection device 40 at a cylinder head 24, two torch cells 50 are arranged externally. The torch cell 50 comprises a second fuel injection device 80 and an auto-ignition chamber 100, which is communicated with a main cylinder chamber 1 7 via a torch nozzle passage 102. Therefore, a fuel mixture flowing into the automatic ignition chamber 100 from the torch nozzle passage 102 near the compressive top dead center of a piston 22 is ignited under an optimum state by the fuel injected from the fuel injection device 80. Thus, emission of yellow smoke and other exhaust gases in a dual fuel mode can be controlled.


OBJECTIVE
To establish staging criteria for teenager's skeletal growth by examining osteoarticular X-rays.

METHODS
Review publications on skeletal growth staging systems by domestic and overseas authorities. Abided by the staging principles on theory of cartilage epiphyseal growth and X-ray images of skeletal growth, X-ray imaging characteristics were studied through three hundred male and female teenagers epiphyseal growth of both sternal ends of clavicle and the left side of shoulder, elbow, carpal, hip, knee and ankle joints transversally and longitudinally. The subjects were from 11 to 20 years old, selected from Henan, Hainan and Zhejiang province in China. Twenty-four skeletal growth indexes were selected closely related to age.

RESULTS
Based on regular changing characteristics of epiphyseal growth at different joints, 24 skeletal development indexes were divided into 2 to 8 stages. The stage number of different indexes of the single joint were similar. It was shown that the time of different epiphyseal growth in identical joints had isochromism.

CONCLUSION
These staging criteria have merits of extensive skeletal growth indexes, and are applicable to wide age range with a strong maneuverability. It provides a favorable fundamental platform for forensic evaluating skeletal age in living subjects in China.


A developer solution can be used to prepare lithographic printing plates from negative-working precursors. The developer solution has a pH of at least 4 and up to and including 11. The developer solution also comprises both an ethylene/propylene glycol block copolymer and either or both of a sugar alcohol or a mono- or oligosaccharide. This combination of components provides desired processing to provide lithographic printing plates that can be used for printing without any post-development treatments with other solutions.


An electrocardiogram (ECG) has been widely utilized for evaluating heart disease which is effect more explores cardiac problems and recognition of cardiovascular diseases. The procedure is easy, fast, and non-invasive. But, artificially identifying and classifying heart disease is difficult, as manually examining the ECG signals is time-consuming. In recent years, a huge growth in the control of IoT can witness that gives a lot in the health care method as it allows continuous monitoring of patients but there is a requirement for advanced automatic monitoring methods for classifier of cardiac arrests. This article develops an automated arrhythmia classification using Harris Hawks Optimization-based DL (AC-HHODL) technique in an IoT environment. The AC-HHODL technique focuses on the identification and categorization of arrhythmia using ECG signals in the IoT environment. In the AC-HHODL technique, the MobileNetv2 model was executed for producing a collection of feature vectors. In addition, the HHO technique was exploited for the optimum hyperparameter adjustment of the MobileNetv2 model. Furthermore, least square support vector machine (LS -SVM) approach is applied for accurate arrhythmia classification. To validate the better performance of the AC-HHODL approach, the experiments were carried out on arrhythmia dataset. On the other hand, with respect to sensy, the AC-HHODL algorithm has managed to report increased sensy of 98.65% while the ResNet, ResNet-attention, DenseNet, VGG-16, and XGBoost approaches have exposed degraded sensy of 91.67%, 89.47%, 95.34%, 95.77% and 90.40% respectively. The simulation output inferred the improvised efficacy of the AC-HHODL technique over other models.


Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) systems assist in the monitoring and tracking actions of security personnel as the number of CCTV footage increases. Target detection, tracking, and classification are the primary goals of surveillance programs. CCTV video surveillance is beneficial in reducing and preventing crime and assisting in the conviction of criminals. The pros, limitations, and applications of wired CCTV were discussed in this report. This project can be carried out using one of two methods: wired or wireless. However, only the wired (cable) approach was employed. This report presented the installation of wired CCTV and the advantages, disadvantages, and application of existing CCTVs. The result shows that wired CCTV is more suitable when considering longer distances.


We construct and investigate a nonautonomous predator-prey model with continuous time delay and HollingII functional response.The system toox its form by two competing predators that prey on one prey.Under both predators and prey with density dependence,dynamic characters of the system are showed by persistence,global asymptotic stability and existence,uniqueness of periodic solution of the model.


The stability problem of expansive soil slope is analyzed. Related to normal soil,the high-porosity and expansibility have large influence on the slope stability. For the two reasons,the sallow sliding often occurs in expansive soil slope. Thus,by limit analysis upper bound theorem,the circle failure mechanism was built. The expansive force was considered as external force acting on the sliding mass. Based on the internal and external work rate,the formulation of sallow stability was proposed. The result shows that the high-porosity is more effective to the stability.


Abstract : Shale and tight gas are one of the resources which require lots of new technologies for commercial development and production and shale gas has the most OGIP among unconventional gas resources possible for commercial production at present. Especially, the growth of shale gas industry means the significant changes of paradigm, moving of the core technology part for resources development from petroleum exploration to field development. And the development of shale gas is very different from conventional gas development in terms of geology, rock mechanics, petroleum engineering, development and production engineering. Hence, in this study, we have performed to classify the four technical categories for developing a shale gas field as horizontal drilling and pad based development, hydraulic fracturing and well completion, reservoir engineering and productivity analysis, reservoir characterization, and drawn the core technologies for them, respectively.


Carbon Capture and Storage as well as Clean Energy Innovation are essential for climate solutions. Global Health challenges demand multilateral cooperation. Life science research, biobanks and epidemiology provide grounds for innovative health solutions. Follow up of the International Polar Year collaborations touches many of these topics. F urthermore, policies for education, research and innovation are instrumental for creating the workfo rce and the international cooperation needed to secure a sustainable future.


Developmental planning using integrated approach has been accepted world over for optimal management and better utilisation of natural resources towards improving living conditions of the people and to meet the growing demands of increasing population. Timely inflow information (both the spatial and nonspatial) and its reliability is a pre-requisite for integrated developmental planning. Satellite remote sensing is an ideal tool for generating such spatial information base. In the present paper, preparation of thematic maps like land use/land cover, hydrogeomorphology, slope, base map, soil map and stream network map using the Quick Bird satellite imagery and toposheet from the Survey of India for the Ballahalli mini-watershed near Mysore, Karnataka to generate land and water action plan for optimal land and water use by integrating all the thematic maps and collateral data are presented and discussed.


Previous studies have proven that High Variability Phonetic Training (HVPT) is an effective method for training non-native listeners to discriminate L2 phoneme contrasts or prosodic contrasts, such as Chinese tone and Japanese segment length. However, it still remains uninvestigated whether this training method can be successfully applied to the perceptual training of nondistinctive L2 intonation. This study aims to prove that the HVPT method is also effective in training Chinese learners of Korean to distinguish Korean boundary tones. Korean boundary tones have three important grammatical and pragmatic functions: distinction of declarative and interrogative sentences, distinction of wh- and yes-no questions, and distinction of ambiguous meanings of some terminal endings. Our experiment is designed to train Chinese learners to discriminate these three functions using the HVPT method. 40 Chinese learners participated in 10 online sessions. They were exposed to 276 sentences delivered by different speakers ...


Oithona brevicornis is known to have two forms. The present paper reports on the development of forma minor as reared in the laboratory, and compares the morphological features with those of other allied species of the genus. 0. brevicornis, as well as its allied species, has six nauplius and six copepodite stages, and requires 15 to 18 days to metamorphose from hatching to adult at 20-21°C water temperature and 2M'oo salinity. The body conformation is almost set up at the fourth copepodite stage. It is considered that the fifth copepodite maintains its metabolism as preliminary step to maturation, mainly; therefore, it immediately being an adult could be fertilized. It was shown that morphological and sexual differentiation takes place at the fifth copepodite stage. The first abdominal segment of this stage is armed with a pair of setae in the male, but none in the female. In the adult male a pseudochela on the terminal segment of each antennule is first described here. Differences between the present specimens and the specimens from Kerala, India, are discussed. Based on the differences in segmentation and setation throughout the nauplius and copepodite stages, there is a high probability that the latter belonged to another species, and not 0. brevicornis. Copepods of the genus Oithona are widely distributed in coastal and estuarine waters. In juveniles, particularly in nauplii, determination of the species and determination of each developmental stage are laborious because of their relatively small size. Despite the necessity of knowing the life cycle of each species investigations forward this end are few. The complete developmental stages of three species: 0. rigida GIESBRECHT (RAO, 1958), 0. brevicornis GIESBRECHT and 0. hebes GIESBRECHT (GOSWAMI, 1975) have been described. Three other species, namely 0. similis CLAUS, 0. spinirostris GIESBRECHT (GIBBONS and OGILVIE, 1933) and 0. nana GIESBRECHT (HAQ, 1965), had from the first nauplius stage to the first copepodite stage described. A brackishwater species, 0. brevicornis, occurs in Tokyo Bay throughout the year. The life cycle of this species had been described by GOSWAM[ (1975) based on specimens collected from Kerala, India, but there are some questions in the identification of the specimens he examined. This study was conducted to show the taxonomic features in all the developmental stages and to determine the differences between 0. brevicornis and other allied species especially in the segmentation and setation of appendages at each stage. Moreover, the developmental time was determined from hatching to hatching of the next generation. n m~mMJnt Oithona brevicornis CD~~.f&~K:tott ~IB~W!~ 2 > P'3FJfo~IJJ~. *~bJ<.iWx¥1J<.~~ibiHiJf~1i'lli~


Today, the state directly depends on the industrial complex the entire economy. Among the leading industries is mechanical engineering, as it is closely linked to other economic activities. It is engaged in production machines and equipment that ensure the production of goods and services by enterprises of other industries, thus stimulating their development. For further intensive development of the whole industry needs to ensure a sufficiently high level of activity of the engineering industry. The main problems of development of the machine-building industry include: underdevelopment internal market infrastructure; insufficient level of solvency of producers that negatively affects the financial and economic condition of enterprises in the industry; obsolescence of fixed assets basic enterprises of the industry, which have not been updated during the last 15 years, which has a negative impact on competitiveness, quality and cost of production; lack of working capital, imperfection of the mechanism of medium- and long-term lending; low domestic demand for domestic products; lack of real sources of funding, which makes it impossible reconstruction and technical re-equipment of enterprises in the industry; lack of financial mechanisms and tools that generate interest in innovation, as well as stimulate research and research and development work, as a consequence of the low level of innovation activity of domestic enterprises.
All these problems significantly affect the current state of operation of machine-building enterprises. The priority is to analyze the financial and economic activities of machine-building enterprises, and as a consequence - to identify possible ways to improve the situation. The article reveals the essence and necessity of assessing the financial condition of enterprises in modern conditions. The financial condition of the machine-building enterprises of the Zaporizhzhia region was assessed on the example of the following four: PJSC «Zaporizhzhia Mechanical Plant», PJSC «Motor Sich», LLC SE «Commonwealth» and LLC SPE «Energomash» using factor analysis. Using the reporting of these enterprises, the analysis of the main financial indicators for the period from 2015 to 2019 analyzed the dynamics of changes in net income, cost, gross profit and net profit (loss) of the surveyed enterprises. The analysis of factors influencing the gross profit of the studied enterprises is carried out. It is established that in order to establish a stable financial activity in enterprises, it is necessary to thoroughly analyze the financial condition, to ensure the efficient use and formation of financial resources in their financial and economic activities.


The use of fractal-dimension calculations, for quantitative classification of various objects, is well established in many areas of the physical and life sciences. Such fractal-dimension calculations are useful in that they furnish some measure of geometrical complexity that is not available through "traditional" approaches. In the present context, we focus attention on the application of such calculations to cloud microphysical data. In particular, we consider data from in-situ, two-dimensional particle imagery. Whereas previous efforts have typically characterized the imaged hydrometeoric fields by dimensional and statistical measures, distinguishing between the various hydrometeoric types should also be possible with fractal dimension based analyses. Although typical data sets may include thousands of individual images, each of these single images is typically quite small in size, and has intensity values that span only a few levels. Thus the need for computationally efficient algorithms, that can process these individual images, presents interesting challenges for fractal-dimension calculations. Here we report on our preliminary findings regarding the capacity and information dimension of various synthetic images.


Discussion and author's closure of paper 42–89 by Troy D. Graybeal, presented at the AIEE summer convention, Chicago, Ill., June 22–26, 1942, and published in AIEE TRANSACTIONS, 1942, October section, pages 750–6.


Traditional centralized databases and file systems cannot effectively handle the massive growth in data access and management,and are needed to adopt a distributed storage. Meanwhile,along with the rapid development of spatial information,GIS applications gradually come into people's lives. For spatial data access,this paper combines the data registration center with World Wind Java to achieve the spatial data access. First,by using the separately distributed storage way of metadata and data, KML is taken to organize and manage variety of spatial data attributes to realize the spatial data storage,and finally,World Wind Java is used to implement the read and display of spatial data,in order to effectively access the collected spatial data,provide services for applications,give full play to the role of data,and greatly reduce the burden of spatial data storage.


It is one thing to make critical decisions by rumor and innuendo, and quite another to rely on data and analysis. The article by Goldenbaum et al. provides the data required to begin to reasonably assess the statistical risk that a physician's clinical practice will trigger prosecution by a state medical board or the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The study concludes that physicians, including pain specialists, "have little objective cause for concern" about prosecution or disciplinary action, echoing the DEA's own infamous statement in its "The Myth of the 'Chilling Effect' "[1].

The evidence-based approach in this study may lay to rest the persistent notion that legal risk makes good doctors neglect their patients who need effective medications that happen to be controlled substances. It should remove one of the obstacles that is believed to impede doctors in providing adequate care to their patients, and thus improve the care, health, and well-being of patients in pain.

Nevertheless, it may be that no …


Refurbishment is one of the most important sectors in the construction industry of most developed countries. In Malaysia, increasing number of ageing building, limited space for new development and financial constraints are the main factors that contributed to the importance of refurbishment sector. Efficient and well coordinated design process is critical to the refurbishment projects' success. Difficulty in obtaining accurate and complete information during design stage often leads to architects producing designs that are inappropriate and require extensive changes during construction stage. The main objectives of this paper are to identify the integrative mechanisms used to coordinate and improve the performance of the design process of refurbishment projects. A postal questionnaire survey was distributed to registered architects in Malaysia. The results from 349 completed questionnaires formed the database for the quantitative analysis. This study concludes that the design process of refurbishment projects is more difficult to manage compared to new build projects. This study also found that direct formal contact, scheduled meeting and the involvement of the key participants in the design process are very important integrative mechanisms in refurbishment projects.


[Objective] The aim of this experiment was to screen out the better pesticides against larvae and egg of Ostrinia furnacalis to provide evidence for chemical control.[Method] The toxicity of 10 insecticides against larvae and egg of O.furnacalis were determined by diet incorporation method and dipping test.[Result] Azadirachtin,Emamectin benzoate and Chlorantraniliprole had a higher biological activity to the larval,their LC50values were 0.000 6,0.025 0 and 0.038 7 mg/L respectively.The egg hatching rate of Azadirachtin was 17.80% at 10.0 mg/L.[Conclusion] Azadirachtin,Emamectin benzoate and Chlorantraniliprole could be used to control O.furnacalis.


The present invention discloses a server and its cooling system. The server comprising housing, a plurality of processing units and the fan. A plurality of processing units disposed in an array within the housing, and each processing unit comprising the motherboard, the electronic heat-generating element, and a stopper fin assembly airbag. Wherein the heat generating electronic component disposed on the motherboard, the fin assembly attached to cover the electronic heat-generating element, the stop intervals of the airbag is located between the heat radiating fins of the adjacent processing units. The stopper having a gas inlet of the airbag, when the fan rotates, air flows into the airbag stop the intake port, the stopper airbag inflator and fill the spaces between the adjacent processing unit in order to stop the flow of air in the separation.


Most Americans lack any substantial degree of ideological sophistication (Kinder 1998), yet they often manage to express coherent views across a range of issues. The conventional explanation for this is that people rely on judgmental shortcuts (e.g., Sniderman, Brody, and Tetlock 1991). These "heuristics" permit individuals with sufficient political sophistication to sort and filter incoming messages to form relatively consistent views that align with preexisting values (Zaller 1992).


The paper is an overview of work by the author in measuring and monitoring loads in bolts using an ultrasonic extensometer. A number of cases of bolted joints are covered. These include, a clamped joint with clearance fit between the bolt and hole, a clamped joint with bolt in an interference fit with the hole, a flanged joint which allows the flange and bolt to bend; and a shear joint in a clevis and tang configuration. These applications were initially developed for measuring and monitoring preload in National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Space Shuttle Orbiter critical joints but are also applicable for monitoring loads in other critical bolted joints of structures such as transportation bridges and other aerospace structures. The papers cited here explain how to set-up a model to estimate the ultrasonic load factor and accuracy for the ultrasonic preload application in a clamped joint with clearance fit. The ultrasonic preload application for clamped joint with bolt in an interference fit can also be used to measure diametrical interference between the bolt shank and hole, as well as interference pressure on the bolt shank. Results of simulation and experimental data are given to demonstrate use of ultrasonic measurements in a shear joint. A bolt in a flanged joint experiences both tensile and bending loads. This application involves measurement of bending and tensile preload in a bolt. The ultrasonic beam bends due to bending load on the bolt. Results of a numerical technique to compute the trace of ultrasonic ray are presented.


The cytotoxicity of three heavy metals that are representative environmental contaminants was investigated in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes. The cells were exposed to Cd, Ag or Hg and to mixtures comprised of Cd and either Ag or Hg at various concentrations. Incorporation of [3H]arginine ([3H]Arg) into proteins was used to monitor cytotoxic effects. In parallel, the uptake of metals by the cells was also determined. Concentration-response profiles for each individual agent show that among the metals studied Cd is the most cytotoxic. This effect is not due to preferential uptake because the amounts of Ag and Hg accumulated by the cells (at low exposure concentrations) were similar to those of Cd. When Ag was used in combination with Cd, amino acid incorporation data showed no evidence of modulated toxicity. In contrast, when Hg was added with Cd, the results suggested the possibility of interaction: The reduction in incorporated [3H]Arg was more pronounced than that expected on the basis of individual responses. Measurement of metal uptake by the cells revealed that intracellular levels of Ag were comparable whether Cd was present or not. Similarly, the amount of Cd accumulated by the hepatocytes was not significantly affected by the presence of Ag or Hg. In conclusion, the present data describe the cytotoxicity of nonessential heavy metals in hepatocytes and their concomitant accumulation by the cells. It is therefore possible to examine one phenomenon in relation to the other. The results are further discussed in the light of the bioinorganic properties of the metals investigated.


Early screening of subsurface anomalies in breast can improve the patient survival rate. Clinically approved breast screening modalities may either have body ionizing effect/cause pain to the body parts/ involves body contact/ increased cost. In this paper, a non-invasive, whole field Digital Speckle Pattern Interferometry (DSPI) is used to study normal and abnormal breast mimicking tissue phantoms. While uniform fringes were obtained for a normal phantom in the out of plane speckle pattern interferometry configuration, the non uniformity in the observed fringes clearly showed the anomaly location in the abnormal phantom. The results are compared with deformation profiles using finite element analysis of the sample under similar loading conditions.


To overcome the problem of ISI(intersymbol interference) caused by multipaths interference,a tap_mobile equalizer based on Kalman algorithm was proposed.With fast channel estimation,this algorithm can reduce bit error ratio and improve communication quality.It can eliminate redundant taps by computing filter coefficients according to the interference path to track time_varying channels.Thus,the algorithm gradually reduced the computational complexity and hardware conditions.Aftersimulating the algorithm and comparing the result with LMS and Kalman algorithms,it is shown that the algorithm has fast convergence and smaller computational complexity.