Abstract : Determination of stock level requirements by the depot requirements computation system determines the quantity of assets to be procured and forwarded to base activities. Uncertainties exist at both the base and depot level concerning the ability of the depot requirements computation system to generate stock levels commensurate with the needs of base activities. The authors selected forty B-52 stock number items which exhibited recurring Mission Capability (MICAP) incidents. With these stock numbers, both the depot and base requirements computation systems were examined to determine whether the depot could compute levels necessary to support base needs. Multiple linear regression models were constructed for both systems using eight major factors of the depot requirements computation system. After examining the treatment of the variables in the multiple linear regression process, the authors concluded that the base repair cycle requirement variable was a driving factor in each of the models. The authors compared the actual base requirements against both the actual depot system and the model developed concluding that the depot system overall computes levels in excess of base needs. (Author)


A global solution algorithm for combinato rial optimization problem based on simulated an nealing with memory is presented,which is used in the optimal capacitor placement of radial distribution systems.Its probability of obtainin g the global optimization is much higher than that of simple simulated annealing,nearly without any time increment.The network sensitivity is calculated with a more precise method,impedance matrix method,to determine the optimal locations for reac-tive compensation.Back/forward sweeps are selected for power flow calculation.This method has been tested in IEEE69bus system and IEEE33bus system with satisfying results.


The recent booming of AI in FinTech evidences the significant developments and potential of AI for making smart FinTech, economy, finance and society. AI-empowered smart FinTech has emerged as a sexy and increasingly critical area in AI, data science, economics, finance, and other relevant research disciplines and business domains. This trend was built on the long history of AI in finance, and the new-generation AI, data science and machine learning are fundamentally and seamlessly transforming the vision, missions, objectives, paradigms, theories, approaches, tools and social aspects of economics and finance and driving smart FinTech. AI is empowering more personalized and advanced and better, safer and newer mainstream and alternative economic-financial mechanisms, products, models, services, systems, and applications. This review summarizes the lasting research on AI in finance and focuses on creating a comprehensive, multidimensional and economic-financial problem-driven research landscape of the roles, research directions and opportunities of AI in new-generation FinTech and finance.


Objective:Memory B-cell loss has long been recognized as an important contributor to HIV immunodeficiency. HIV-2 infection, which is characterized by a slow rate of progression to AIDS and reduced to undetectable viremia, provides a unique model to investigate B-cell disturbances. Design and methods:B-cell subsets were evaluated in 38 HIV-2-infected individuals, along with markers of T-cell activation and serum levels of immunoglobulins and a major B-cell homeostatic cytokine, B-cell activating factor (BAFF). Untreated HIV-1-infected and seronegative control individuals were studied in parallel. Statistical analysis was performed using Mann–Whitney tests and Spearman's correlations. Results:We found that HIV-2 was associated with significant depletion of both unswitched (CD27+IgD+) and switched (CD27+IgDneg) memory B-cells that directly correlated with T-cell activation, even in individuals with undetectable plasma viral load. Nevertheless, the presence of detectable viremia, even at low levels, was associated with significant memory B-cell loss and higher BAFF levels. Moreover, these alterations were not recovered by antiretroviral-therapy, as treated HIV-2-infected patients showed more pronounced B-cell disturbances, possibly related to their extended length of infection. Conclusion:These first data regarding B-cell imbalances during HIV-2 infection show that, irrespective of viremia, prolonged HIV infection leads to irreversible damage of memory B-cell homeostasis.


The percentage of poor people is the percentage of the population who have a monthly per capita expenditure below the poverty line.  In this study, spatial Durbin regression used to know the factors which is giving effect to the percentage of poor population with maximum likelihood method to estimate parameters. This method used because it can maximize the probability of occurrence of each parameter. From 6 independent variables that are thought to be related to the percentage of poor people, there are only 4 independent variables that can be modeled by the spatial Durbin regression model because of the presence of significant spatial autocorrelation based on the Moran Index test. That are school participation rates aged 16-18 years, inflation, life expectancy at birth, and the human development index.  The measure of the goodness of the Durbin spatial regression model calculated by looking for the value of R2 is 68,4%


Food intake, gastric evacuation, feed conversion ratio, and growth were studied over 86 days in juveniles snook, Centropomus undecimalis, fed 1, 2 or 3 meals per day. A completely randomized design with 3 treatments and 4 repetitions was used. Food intake varied day to day. But average intake per day was not significantly different among regimes (once a day: 0.67 ± 0.21g; twice a day: 0.62 ± 0.28g and three times per day: 0.73 ± 0.13). Food intake was higher in the afternoon than in the morning when fish were fed two (8:30 h, mean value 0.76% biomass; 18:30 h, mean value: 1.1% biomass) and 3 times per day (8:30 h, 0.63% biomass; 13:30 h, 0.64% biomass and 18:30 h, 0.82 % biomass). Feed conversion presented no significant differences among the three treatments (mean value 1.28, p < 0.05). Gastric evacuation time diminished as the number of meals per day increased. Four hours after feeding, gastric evacuation was of 38, 66, and 80%, for fed 1, 2, and 3 times a day, respectively. Time to reach 100% of gastric evacuation was of 16 h for fish fed once a day; 10 h for those fed twice a day, and 5-6 h for fish fed three times per day. The final mean weight over the 86 days period was higher with 3 meals per day (91 ± 25.4 g). No statistical differences were found between mean weight with 1 or 2 feeding frequencies (71 ± 32.4 g and 66 ± 31.9 g, respectively). Specific growth rate (SGR) changes showed similar trends at 1 and 2 feeding frequencies (0.97 ± 0.004 % day -1 and 0.96 ± 0.007% day -1 ) , whereas 3 feeding frequency had a significantly higher value at the end of experiment (1.72 ± 0.002 % day -1 ) (p<0.05)


Chinese government ever promised to expand the openness of China's service trade when joining the WTO.Today China has been one of WTO members nearly 10 years,has our openness in service trade gained any progress? The paper makes empirical study on this topic.Firstly,it calculates the openness of China's service trade through amended international trade ratio.Then using the same method,it calculates the United State's service trade openness.According to the empirical research,the author comes into a conclusion:China's service trade openness is in a higher level when it is compared to that of United States.The situation of China's service trade openness is consistent with its commitments.


The growth response of trees in spruce-fir-hemlock stands was recorded from plots that were managed to control stand density, species composition, length of harvest interval, and salvage of mortality. Basal area, volume, and diameter increment are presented by species and size classification for harvesting intervals of 5, 10, and 20 years.


Building Construction employees essentially required sufficient welfare facilities such as a place for washing, shower, change over, eat and drink, a place to store and hang clothing. Yet, these fundamental necessities are regularly dis-regarded. Decent welfare facilities can absolutely promote health and well-being and can aid to avert contracting diseases at building construction site. The aim of this study is to examine the impact of welfare facilities on building construction workers performance in the Eastern Region Ghana. The objectives were to identify welfare facilities provided by building construction firms, evaluate the satisfaction level of building construction firms' employees with welfare facilities in Eastern Region, and determine the relationship between provision of welfare facilities and employee's performance. The study employed convenient sample to investigate 80 building construction employees through questionnaires administration. Data generated from the survey was further analyzed using SPSS, weighted mean formula was used to determine the mean ranking, and descriptive and inferential statistics such as mean score, percentages, frequencies and chi square were used. The study reveals that the extent of welfare facilities at various construction sites was almost unavailability of sanitary and toilet facilities, unavailability of washing facilities, and unavailability of changing room, whiles drinking water and locker facilities were available but not sufficient. The study further finds that construction employees are dissatisfied with the condition of welfare facilities provided at their various work places. The study finally concludes that if workers are provided with


This research is motivated by the mental inadequacies of students who can hinder the goals of education and teaching in the school environment. Therefore, mental health guidance is needed through religious formation. Based on these phenomena, this study aims: 1) to find out the efforts made by teachers in developing religious and mental health of students in MAN Indragiri Hilir; and 2) to analyze the presence or absence of the influence of religious guidance on the mental health of students in MAN Indragiri Hilir. The research method used was a quantitative study conducted on 56 students. Data collected through observation, interviews and questionnaires. After the data is collected completely, a data analysis is done using a simple linear regression test with the help of SPSS version 23.00 for Windows. The results obtained from this study include: 1) religious guidance conducted by teachers in mentally developing students, including: habituation of Dhuha prayer, Dhuhr prayer in congregation, reading Asmaul Husna and giving Jariyah every Friday in each class. While activities outside of effective learning hours include social service and apostolic assembly; and 2) there is an influence of religious guidance on the mental health of students by 53.7% on mental health in MAN 2 Indragiri Hilir


Melanoma is a highly aggressive skin tumor nicknamed "black cancer of the skin" because it originates from the pigment‐forming cells (melanocytes). The tumors are prone to invasive growth and early lymphogenic and hematogenic metastasis. Known risk factors are UV radiation, light skin type, the presence of multiple atypical nevi, and a positive family history. Decisive for the course of the disease are a guideline‐based diagnosis and therapy. In addition to complete excision of the primary tumor with an adequate safety margin, various systemic therapies are available. These are in particular BRAF‐targeted therapy and PD‐1‐based immune checkpoint therapy. This mini‐review does not claim to be exhaustive, but is intended to focus primarily on those aspects of the disease that are currently in clinical and scientific focus, and on which there are new developments to report. In particular, there are new therapeutic regimens for unresectable melanoma and studies of adjuvant treatments, as well as developments in diagnostics.


This study sought to determine the possible causes of the low seed quality of I. paraguariensis A. St. Hil. Seeds from six samples collected at different sites were classified as empty, decayed, herbivorous and full. Viability was assessed by tetrazolium test in seeds filled with a visualized embryo. High amounts of empty and deteriorated seeds (54% to 93%) were verified in four of the evaluated samples, and insect attack was observed in two samples. The viability of visualized embryo-filled seeds was 83% to 100%. Low quality generally results from the presence of empty and deteriorated seeds, as well as dormancy.


Histopathology on the Hypophysis of fish Glossogobius giuris was observed during spawning phase, on the treatment with sublethal concentrations of Malathion (0.05, 0.25 and 0.5 ppm) for 24, 48, 72 and 96 hrs intervals. Investigation on Hypophysis includes PRL and GTH cells showed degranulation and hypertrophy of cells and nuclei, after the fishes were exposed to Malathion treatment, appearance of extensive intercellular spaces. In higher concentration of malathion with 0.5 ppm for 24 hrs, the cells showed various stages of degranulation which were distributed sparsely. A reduction in the number and diameter of the pituicytes, which indicates possible reduction in the synthesis of hormones. In 24-96 hrs treated fish prolactin cells showed degranulation and vacuolization in the cytoplasm and conspicous intercellular spaces. These cellular disturbances in the RPD may be directly related to the increase in concentration of malathion. This suggests an acute stress response, since prolactin is known to be released under stress condition. The results indicate that, malathion is capable of inhibiting development of pituicytes. A low dose of malathion brings about a significant reduction in reduction in the release of gonadotrophins. A higher concentration of malathion reduces gonadotrophs in the PPD, implying a possible reduction both in the synthesis and release of gonadotropins.


The latest Confidential Enquiry into maternal deaths in the UK (RCOG, 2001) states that: 'Deaths from mental illness are actually the leading cause of maternal death'. It recommends that a specialist perinatal health team should be available to every woman at risk of, or having, serious postnatal mental illness. Amen to that. As AIMS knows only too well, such teams are thin on the ground. We have seen far too many cases where women are inadequately diagnosed, ineffectively treated, and are damaged by under-trained counsellors attached to GP practice who are way out of their depth.


Petrophysical evaluation was conducted on an onshore marginal field in Niger Delta with the aim of evaluating the rock and fluid properties to boost hydrocarbon production in the field. Five well logs suite from five wells and core log data for two wells were utilized for this study. Petrophysical properties evaluated included; porosity, net to gross, formation factor, irreducible water saturation, permeability, water saturation, hydrocarbon saturation and pay thickness. The well logs suite contained the following logs: Gamma ray log for lithology identification; Resistivity log for fluid type discrimination and determination of water saturation; Density log for porosity determination; and Neutron log in combination with density log for hydrocarbon types. A total of seven reservoir sands (, Sand A, B, C, D, E, F and G) were identified and correlated across all five wells on the basis of gamma ray and resistivity log motifs. The reservoir gross thicknesses ranged from 62.55 to 228.50 ft, shale volume from 7.0 to 24.60%, net to gross from 0.76 to 0.93%, effective porosity from 20.78 to 26.22%, water saturation from 35.80 to 62.30% and permeability ranged from 545.94 to 2821.97 mD. This shows that the reservoirs are of good quality for hydrocarbon productionacross the field.


Making advanced college education available to general public meets the needs for social and economic development as well as the requirements for the Deeper Education Revolution.It is also the result from its own development.In order to establish a unique approach at a university,it is essential to have predictable school theory and accurate school focus.However,it is also critical to establish its unique specialty.


The condensate fraction of a homogeneous and dilute Bose gas is expanded as a power series of $\sqrt{n a^3}$ as $N_0/N = 1 -c_1 (n a^3)^{1/2} -c_2 (n a^3) - c_3 (n a^3)^{3/2}\hdots.$ The coefficient $c_1$ is well-known as $8/3 \sqrt{\pi}$, but the others are unknown yet. Considering two-body contact interactions and applying a canonical transformation method twice we developed the method to obtain the higher order coefficients analytically. An iteration method is applied to make up a cutoff in a fluctuation term. The coefficients ares $c_2=2(\pi - 8/3)$ and $c_3=(4/\sqrt{\pi}) (\pi -8/3)(10/3-\pi)$.


A system is described that will permit inter-laboratory comparisons of pyrograms, a method rarely used in the past owing to difficulty in obtaining satisfactory reproducibility. After investigation of various pyrolysers and column packings, a Curie point pyrolyser and a solid-phase packing, Porapak Q, were chosen as being the most suitable.


Unbalanced development is a major cause of social disharmony and unrest as it widens the gap between the rich and the poor. Achieving a sustainable and balanced development is a major challenge for developing countries, and Sri Lanka is no exception. Sri Lanka has been experiencing various development strategies for the last five decades, but the country has yet to achieve at least its most basic development goals. This paper attempts to evaluate two main development strategies implemented by the successive governments of Sri Lanka. They are the import substitution strategies with a high degree of state intervention implemented from 1970 to 1976, and the privatization and free market policies implemented after the 1977 up to the present. It is evident that the results of these development strategies are not much satisfactory. It is also evident that the very state interventionist strategies had contributed to social unrest and disharmony in the country because of a high incidence of unemployment and poverty. The latter strategy has also contributed to the same, as only a few groups of people have highly benefited from these existing development processes. Therefore, it is imperative to search an alternative approach to the development process towards a long -term sustainable economy. In this regard, a balanced approach in which both active and strong, but more selective government intervention with the market mechanism would be proposed as an alternative model for development as the final goal of the development would be to improve the quality of life of the majority of its citizen.


The complexes [Co(diamine)(en)2]3+(en = ethylenediamine; diamine =N-methyl-, NN′-dimethyl, or N-iso-propyl-ethylenediamine) have been obtained and resolved into optical isomers in order to investigate the effect of N-alkyl groups on the d-electron optical activity of the cobalt(III) tris(diamine) complexes. As in other types of complex containing the octahedral [CoIIIN6] chromophore, the influence of N-alkyl groups is not large, in contrast to the major chiroptical effects produced by N-methyl substitution in chiral complexes containing the tetragonal trans-[CoIIIN4Cl2] chromophore. A ligand-polarisation model for d-electron optical activity is used to show that, while the changes in the rotational strengths of the individual components of the 1A1→1T1 octhedral d-electron transition produced by N-alkyl substitution are large, these changes mutually cancel when summed over the three components. The effects of C-alkyl substitution are small, either for the individual components or in sum.


Wild on a Mexican hillside grows teosinte, its meager ear containing only two entwined rows of small, well-armored kernels. This unassuming grass might easily have been overlooked, were it not for the hand of nature that beckoned with abundant variation, a gift not lost on early agriculturists. Within the last 10,000 years, early Native Americans were able to transform teosinte into a plant whose ear, brimming with row upon row of exposed kernels, feeds the world over. It was a transformation so striking and so complex that some would not believe it possible, leading to years of competing theory and intense debate. But as Darwin himself recognized, when human desires collide with the diversity of nature, the result can be great indeed. Although controversy still lingers over the origin of maize, the molecular revolution of the last decade has provided compelling evidence in support of teosinte as the progenitor of modern maize. This chapter reviews that evidence in light of several different domestication hypotheses. We also discuss the rich genetic diversity at the source of such a remarkable morphological conversion and examine how human selection has affected this diversity, both at individual loci and for an entire metabolic pathway.


Short spreading sequences facilitate efficient multiuser detectors and have hence been incorporated into practical code division multiple access systems such as 3rd Generation Partnership Project UTRA-TDD. However, as the number of users approaches the spreading code length, the asymptotic performance and the numerical stability of linear multiuser detection algorithms degrade. Given some simplifications such as synchronous users, it is shown that receive diversity effectively mitigates these degradations and allows the system to be operated with a high load. A lower bound on the mean asymptotic multiuser efficiency is presented and the numerical stability of linear multiuser detection algorithms for systems with receive diversity is analysed. It is further shown that the performance variability is significantly reduced by receive diversity.


The invention relates to an air-conditioning compressor for air-conditioning systems in motor vehicles, said compressor having a non-return valve and a pressure limiting device, for example a pressure limiting valve or a rupture disc, at its high-pressure output.


Cardiovascular events are the leading cause of mortality in patients undergoing maintenance dialysis. Data from the European Dialysis and Transplantation Association registry show that cardiovascular causes of death account for 52% of all mortality, with myocardial ischemia, infarction, and failure being the principal causes (1). The proportion of deaths from myocardial ischemia or cardiac failure varies markedly according to age. Infants and young patients rarely die from myocardial infarction, but in this group a high percentage of deaths from heart failure is observed. The proportion of deaths due to coronary artery disease increases with age, while that due to cardiac failure is reduced (1). There has been much debate as to whether patients on maintenance dialysis have an increased risk of coronary artery disease due to an accelerated atherosclerosis. This has been suggested by Linder et al. (2), who noted a high incidence of myocardial infarction in their dialysis population. However, subsequent surveys showed that the incidence of coronary atherosclerosis in dialysis patients is no higher than that of nonuremic patients with similar risk factors and clinical profile (3). Coronary artery disease and atherosclerosis in this context are discussed in another article in this issue. The present paper will address the consequences of renal failure with regard to left ventricular dysfunction and congestive cardiomyopathy.


[Pb(C6H5)2][CTH3NO4].H20 , Mr=544 .5 , monoclinic, P2~/c, a 9 . 4 8 1 (4), b = 10.156 (18), c = 19.309 (8)/~, /~ = 98.52 (4) °, V = 1838.7 A 3, Z = 4, D x = 1.967 Mg m -3, F(000) = 1032, 2(Ag Ktx) = 0.5608/~, g = 5 . 0 m m -~, T = 2 9 1 ( 1 ) K, final R = 0.024 for 2472 unique observed [I > 1.96tr(I)] diffractometer data. The coordination polyhedron around Pb is a pentagonal bipyramid, the phenyl groups being in the apical positions. One of the carboxylate groups of the tridentate dianionic ligand is bridging, thereby forming an infinite chain. The chains are probably linked by pairs of H bonds between each water molecule coordinated in the equatorial plane and each non-bridging carboxylate group of two units. Experimental. The title compound is obtained from diphenyllead diacetate and 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid by refluxing in methanol. Colourless crystals from methanol, dimensions 0.16 x 0.40 x 0.04 mm, ~o/20 scans, scan speed 2 .0-6 .67°min -t in 0, Nonius CAD-4 diffractometer, graphite-monochromated Ag Ktx; lattice parameters from least-squares fit of 25 reflections up to 2 0 = 24.6°; six standard reflections recorded every 2.5 h, only random deviations; 7559 reflections measured, 1 _< 0 _< 20 °, -11 _< h _< 11, 0 <_ k _< 12, 2 3 _< l _< 23; after averaging (Rin t = 0 .026) 3713 unique reflections, 2472 with I > 1.96o(/); Lorentz-polarization correction; absorption correction via ~scans; max./min, transmission 1.00/0.67; systematic absences hOl l = 2 n + 1, OkO k = 2 n + 1 conform to space group P2Jc; structure solution via direct methods, AF syntheses and full-matrix leastsquares refinement with anisotropic temperature factors for all non-H atoms and a common isotropic tempera0108-2701/88/040755-02503.00 ture factor for H atoms, which were placed in geometrically calculated positions ( C H 0.95 A) for the phenyl and pyridine rings; refinement on F with 2472 reflections and 236 refined parameters; w = 4Fo2/[tr2(Fo 2) + (0-065Fo2)2]; S = 0.72, R =0.024, wg =0.033, (A/tr)max=O.O1 , no extinction correction; largest peak in final AF map +0.8 (3)e A -a, atomic scattering factors and real and imaginary dispersion terms from International Tables for X-ray Crystallography (1974); programs: Enraf-Nonius Structure Determination Package (Frenz, 1981), S H E L X T L PL US (Sheldrick, 1987), MUL TAN80 (Main, Fiske, Hull, Lessinger, Germain, Declercq & Woolfson, 1980). The molecule and the numbering scheme are shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 2 shows the infinite chains which are


We prove new results on Ulam stability of the nonhomogeneous Cauchy functional equation f(x+y)=f(x)+f(y)+d(x,y) in the class of mappings f from a square symmetric groupoid (H,+) into the set of reals R. The mapping d:H2→R is assumed to be given and satisfy some weak natural assumption. The equation arises naturally, e.g., in the theory of information in a description of generating functions of branching measures of information. Moreover, we provide a suitable example of application of our results in this area at the very end of this paper. The main tool used in the proofs is the Banach limit.


(57) Abstract: The present invention, one of the Rotor (3), placed on the shafting (3) two machines (1, 2 for performing energy interchangeable by rotation of the shaft system (3) ) and shafting (3) relates to machinery having a plurality of bearings (4, 5) which supports the. Only three bearings (4, 5) is provided in the mechanical equipment. The first machine (1) is particularly free rotary gas turbine (1), second machine (2) are particularly generator (2).


In order not to be in conflict with observations it is crucial that extra dimensions, if they exist, are stable. It is shown that in the context of homogeneous extra dimensions, this can easily be achieved during both (4D) radiation and vacuum energy dominated eras of the cosmological evolution. During matter domination, however, there is no such possibility even for a very general class of stabilization mechanisms. Even if extra dimensions could be stabilized during matter domination, it is argued that they are generically time-varying during any transition period, such as the one from radiation to matter domination.


This work performs a comparative analysis of battery energy storage system (BESS) participation in the multi-services electricity market, considering the optimal operating cost and better profitability for the BESS portfolios. A comparison of the application of these portfolios in different market conditions is proposed: (i) energy-only market, (ii) reserve-only market, (iii) sequential energy and reserve market, and (vi) joint energy and reserve market. For each BESS portfolio, hourly strategies for buying and selling offers are proposed, to maximize the revenue, accounting for the expected load and generation variations in the grid. The analysis of the BESS strategies is carried out through a case study based on actual generation data, where operating costs and BESS flexibility are assessed. One conclusion is that, even though, BESS makes a profit by participating in single markets, the best strategy is to participate in both energy and reserve markets, especially in the presence of a joint energy and reserve market model.


Objectives: To evaluate the evidence supporting the effectiveness of Chuna manual therapy for rheumatoid arthritis.
Methods: We conducted a search...


Pancreatic ascites or internal pancreatic fistulae and pancreatic pleural effusion are rare complications of pancreatitis. This can occur in the clinical setting of an acute pancreatitis and more commonly as a complication of chronic pancreatitis1. This is an uncommon clinical condition; often the patients are sick and nutritionally compromised. Pancreatic ascites was first reported in the literature in 1953 when Smith described two cases of ascites associated with chronic pancreatitis2.


The importance of understanding culture is vital for establishing effective business practices in the global arena. This study explored the perceived importance of cultural priority for global business operations among 132 Malaysian managers, who were attending the executive managerial development programme at Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia. The empirical evidence shows that managerial perceptions and behaviours are affected by the cultural priority, but there is a transition towards a crossvergence management practice. These results are discussed in terms of the convergence – divergence – crossvergence debate against a backdrop of substantial transformation of the external environment of globalisation and advanced information technologies, that are fast changing the traditional and contemporary business practices.


.........................................................................................................................iii Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................vii Preface ........................................................................................................................xvii Table of Abbreviations.................................................................................................xxi CHAPTER 1 Introduction and Statement of the Probl em ...............................................1 1.1 Driving and Older Adults ....................................................................................1 1.2 The Need for Prediction of On-Road Driving Abil ity................................................ ...2 1.3 Objectives ...........................................................................................................3 CHAPTER 2 Effects of Ageing, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Dementia on Driving Performance ........................................ ......................................................5 2.1 Objectives ...........................................................................................................5 2.2 Normal Ageing ....................................................................................................5 2.3 Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment.........................................................6 2.3.1 Dementia.....................................................................................................6 2.3.2 Mild Cognitive Impairment .........................................................................9 2.4 Driving with Ageing, Dementia, and Mild Cogniti ve Impairment .............................11 2.4.1 Normal Ageing and Driving ........................................................................ 11 2.4.2 Driving with Alzheimer's Dementia ...............................................................1 2 2.4.3 Driving with Mild Cognitive Impairment ........................................................13 2.4.4 Summary ...................................................................................................13 2.5 Crash and Traffic Offence Risk........................................................................14 2.5.1 General Public...........................................................................................14 2.5.2 Older Drivers.............................................................................................15 2.5.3 Alzheimer's Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment. ..... ...............................18 2.5.4 Summary ...................................................................................................20 2.6 Driving Assessment in New Zealand ..............................................................20 2.6.1 General Population ................................. .......................................................20


There are three species of chthamalids in Europe. Two of them, Chthamalus stellatus and Chthamalus montagui, overlap extensively in geographic range: they occur together along the whole Atlantic coasts of Britain, Ireland, France, Spain and N. Africa, and both also occur in the Mediterranean Sea. They have almost identical north-eastern limits to their distribution in the English Channel and N. Scotland, but C. stellatus may extend farther south along the W. African coast. These two species also show overlap in their vertical distribution, though C. montagui is usually commoner in the upper barnacle zone while C. stellatus may be dominant lower down. The species are separated by habitat, C. stellatus favouring wave-beaten open coast sites, C. montagui more embayed situations, but there is still extensive overlap. The third European species of chthamalid, Euraphia depressa, has a more restricted vertical distribution and is almost entirely confined to the Mediterranean Sea, where it favours high-intertidal levels in wave-beaten places, and also cryptic habitats.


Bellows is an important part to reduce a vehicle vibration due to exhaust system. The durability performance of bellows is dominated by many factors such as material property, shape of corrugation, total length of bellows, and length and height of pitch. In this paper, it is noted that the durability problem of bellows may be improved not only by the durability performance of itself, but also by considering the dynamic behavior of total exhaust system. The dynamic behavior of bellows due to road excitation is analyzed and a simplified methodology is introduced to improve the durability performance of bellows.


Introduction Opinions vary as to the usefulness of gastric analysis; attributable, in part, to differing techniques, yielding variable results, which are difficult to interpret clinically and, in part, to undervaluation of gastric secretory data acquired properly. This paper reviews briefly some recent developments in knowledge of gastric secretion and its measurement, in relation to their clinical applicability. Constituents of Gastric Secretion Gastric secretion is unique in its acidity and its digestive properties. The capacity of the parietal cells to elaborate large quantities of hydrochloric acid without injury, and the resistance of the gastric wall to the acidpepsin content, under normal conditions, remain among the more challenging biological problems in man. Hydrochloric Acid. —Hydrochloric acid is secreted by the parietal cells, the process apparently involving oxidative phosphorylation via aerobic glycolysis.1A constant concentration of hydrogen ion is produced initially, estimated at approximately 160 mEq/liter2; this concentration then is diluted


Abstract We provide an alternative constructive proof of the classical Brauer theorem for finite groups based on the well-known description of the complex irreducible representations of the symmetric groups Sn. The theorem is first proved for Sn and then for general G by embedding in Sn and applying the Mackey subgroup theorem.


The opposition control proposed by Choi et al. [1] is investigated using direct numerical simulation to see how bandwidth-limited and noise-contaminated sensing influence its control performance. It is found that the sensing frequency can be reduced substantially when the control scheme is modified to account for the convection speed of the measured sensor signal. Noisy sensor signals are shown to strongly affect the achievable net energy saving rate and energy gain at high sensing frequencies, while their influence is weaker for reduced sensing frequencies. These results also hold for increased Reynolds number, where the performance of the control scheme is generally lower.


Background: Preterm birth is a worldwide concern with widespread negative consequences. Therefore, prevention of preterm birth has become a top priority of health managers and clinicians in recent decades. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of progesterone therapy in the prevention of preterm labor in women with mixed risk factors. Search strategy: An extensive search of electronic databases was done (date last searched April 2016). No restrictions of language, time, or geographic location were applied. Inclusion criteria: All randomized clinical trials of singleton pregnancies with multiple risk factors (including prior preterm birth and short cervical length) that were randomized to treatment with progesterone (intervention group) and placebo or no treatment (control group) were included in meta-analysis. Primary outcome: Our primary outcome was gestational age at delivery. Results: Three Randomized Clinical Trials (521 subjects and 37,823 control women) were included. A random effect model showed that mean gestational age at delivery of progesterone group is 0.18 (-0.41–0.77) month longer than that of control group with with 95% confidence interval but this difference is not statically significant. Conclusions: Progesterone therapy does not have sufficient efficacy in the prevention of preterm labor in women with multiple risk factors. However, further investigation is required to unequivocally establish this result.


In an ecosystem, coexistence of competing species is always transient due to unavoidable fluctuations of their population and interactions. In this letter, we use stochastic simulation method to investigate the variation of each species' population and the relation between the lifetime and its reaction rate of the specie. The simulation shows that the predator of the weakest specie always goes extinct firstly. Our finding provides a new evidence for the law of the "weakest" specy survival.


Cloud computing controls the increasing energy consumption of applications by consolidating them in shared servers through virtualization. This technique can be greatly improved and complemented by choosing an optimal data center for each Virtual Machine (VM). That dynamic optimization problem was stated as a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model that minimizes operational expenditures, while respecting constraints on Quality of Service (QoS), power consumption, and CO2 emissions. Geographically distributed users experience varying response times depending on where users and VMs are located. Users closer to VMs experience a shorter response time, thus distributing VMs close to users improves the QoS. On the other hand, the increasing energy consumption of the cloud raised concerns about the impact on CO2 emissions and global warming. Placing VMs in data centers that use green energy sources is an important way to mitigate this problem. A comprehensive optimization modelling framework and an efficient tabu search heuristic were developed to handle applications with dynamic demands in real time. Test cases had more than 1,000 nodes, 650 applications, and 6,500 VMs. Results report that the communication delay is reduced up to 6 times, 30% of power consumption is saved, and the CO2 emissions can be reduced up to 60 times. The framework also allows to carefully assess the trade-offs between delay, cost, CO2 emissions and power consumption.


The subject of child abuse and its long-term implications in adulthood has been widely studied in different areas of the world. Consequences may be mild or severe; disappear after a short period or last a lifetime. Also they could affect the individual physically, psychologically, the way they behave or a combination of all three ways. Child abuse encompasses physical, psychological, sexual abuse and neglect. Each type of child abuse has its symptoms and signs. There are four basic types of child abuse and neglect which allows the dentist to detect the manifestations of each type. In order to properly comply with the legal mandate for all health professionals to report suspected cases of child maltreatment, dentists must be cognizant of their responsibilities.


Resumen: The purpose of the study, Ecuadorian private high school teachers` perceptions on ICT use in their EFL classes, is to discover the barriers and the characteristics that most influence teachers to use ICT in their EFL classrooms. The sample consisted of ten participants, five male and five female EFL teachers at private high schools in La Concordia, in the province of Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas in Ecuador. This research used a quantitative and qualitative approach. The data was obtained by surveying and interviewing the chosen sample. The Likert scale analysis was used to determine barriers, influence on the teachers` characteristics, and differences by gender of each variable. The results showed that personal` characteristics of the teachers as traditional teaching experience, age, money and time are considered as barriers for the use of ICT. Differences were found by gender in the ICT application. Therefore, ICT training courses and schools technical equipment need to be increased for an optimal application of the ICT in Ecuadorian private high school EFL classes.


QIKMIX is a quick-turnaround computer code developed to compute the radiative Rosseland mean opacity of specified mixtures at specified temperature and density points. The QIKLIB data base, which QIKMIX uses, has been derived from the OPLIB library. For most mixtures, QIKMIX can compute opacities over a temperature range of 50 to 25,000 eV in less than 1 min of CDC 7600 computer time. The purpose of this report is to discuss the QIKLIB data base and the operation of the QIKMIX code.


Removal efforts designed to avoid or minimize impacts from introduced lionfish, Pterois volitans (Linnaeus, 1758) and Pterois miles (Bennett, 1828), in the western Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico will be improved by reliable life history information applicable to the invaded range. For example, length at age has been modeled for lionfish from temperate North Carolina, but parameters characterizing growth are likely to differ in the tropics. Using Pterois spp. from Little Cayman, we validated formation of annual increments and daily rings in sagittal otoliths; documented ages; and estimated parameters for a length-weight relationship, multiple von Bertalanffy growth models, and an asymptotic vulnerability schedule. Formation of annuli was confirmed with marginal increment analysis, and daily ring deposition in juveniles was confirmed using an oxytetracycline hydrochloride marker. Total weight (g) estimated from combined data for both sexes was equal to 0.000003 × total length (mm)3.24. Logistic regression indicated that 50% of lionfish were vulnerable to removal at 129 mm total length. Sagittal otoliths (n = 499) from lionfish collected weekly between January and December 2011 indicated that males were 0-5 yrs old and females were 0-3 yrs old. A maximum likelihood approach to fitting von Bertalanffy equations estimated K and L 8 as 0.42 and 349 mm for the population, 0.38 and 382 mm for males, and 0.57 and 286 mm for females. An age-structured population model indicated that annual exploitation rates of 15%-35% may induce recruitment overfishing, with recovery to 90% of pre-removal biomass occurring 5-20 yrs after removals cease.


Silicon carbide(SiC) is a wide bandgap semiconductor material with excellent properties and an excellent medium for detectors.The resolution and relative rise-time of 3 mm×3 mm 4H-SiC Schottky-diode are investigated with 5.486 MeV 241Am alpha-source.In the vacuum chamber,excellent signals from the SiC detector are observed exposing to alpha particles from 241Am source.The resolution of SiC detector for 5.486 MeV alpha-particles is 3.4%.As the biased voltages increase,pulse height and relative rise-time from preamplifier FH1047 observed by oscilloscope are saturated to 35.39 0.21mV and 137.87 9.44ns,respectively.Well responded signals of SiC detector to alpha particles are observed,indicating that SiC can be used for alpha detection.Combining good resistance to radiation and high temperature,a kind of novel alpha detector and neutron detector with high resolution,fast rise times and high radiation resistance based on SiC Schottky-diode can be developed.


A study has been conducted to investigate the potential use of mengkuang leaves or Pandanus atrocarpus bonded with epoxy resin as external strengthening material for the strengthening of reinforced concrete (RC) beams. Physical and mechanical properties as well as structural properties of the mengkuang leaves-epoxy composite plates (MLECP) were evaluated in this study. Chemical treatment was performed on the dried mengkuang leaves using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) with concentrations of 2%, 5% and 8%. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and flexural strength tests were conducted on the mengkuang leaves and flexural specimens, respectively. All the beams were tested to failure under four-point loading. Results showed that the flexural strength of the composite with 0.3 fiber volume ratio exhibited the highest flexural strength. Strengthening of RC beam using MLECP managed to increase the beam capacity.


The invention discloses a formula of reinforced ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene), which comprises ABS 121H, 960A, a plasticizer, a preservative and an assistant, wherein the plasticizer is polyaminoethyl formate, the preservative is vinyl acetate, and the assistant is polyurethane. The reinforced ABS is prepared from the following components in percentage by weight: 76-81% of ABS 121H, 3-4% of 960A, 14-16% of polyaminoethyl formate, 1-2% of vinyl acetate and 1-2% of polyurethane. The reinforced ABS has the advantages of favorable low temperature property, low density, favorable aging resistance, strong alkali resistance, strong acid resistance and favorable softness.


People who partake in routine exercises often choose activities based on individual performance. The striking phenomenon about Nigerians is their known recognition of personal fitness as being more important to one's health than drug therapy or other medical technologies. Physical activities/exercises play a central role in achieving personal fitness. Several research have shown that regular physical exercises are a necessary precursor to stress and other psychological health problems. This study is advocating moderate physical activities/exercises that can help in the promotion of the health of the individuals and the society at large.


This paper presents a proposal of new 10×1 microstrip Vivaldi antenna array with a low side lobe level and high gain. To obtain low side lobe level, tapering amplitude technique has been applied. The amplitude distribution has been obtained by using the Bat algorithm and has been implemented through a series feeding network. 10 Vivaldi antenna elements and the feeding network have been constructed co-planar on Roger RO4003C with the size of 140 × 450 × 1.524 mm3. To improve the performance of the array, a back reflector has been proposed and investigated. The simulation result shows that the side lobe level has been suppressed up to 28 dB from the main lobe at the frequency of 3.5 GHz while the maximum gain is around 16.5 dBi; Both simulated and measured reflection coefficients indicate that the array has an operating frequency range of 3.44 – 3.58 GHz (bandwidth 140 MHz) with S1,1 =-10 dB. The proposed array can be a good candidate for fixed wireless access systems, 5G wireless systems in the C band.


We produce examples of taut foliations of hyperbolic 3-manifolds which are R-covered but not uniform --- ie the leaf space of the universal cover is R, but pairs of leaves are not contained in bounded neighborhoods of each other. This answers in the negative a conjecture of Thurston `Three-manifolds, foliations and circles I' (math.GT/9712268). We further show that these foliations can be chosen to be C^0 close to foliations by closed surfaces. Our construction underscores the importance of the existence of transverse regulating vector fields and cone fields for R-covered foliations. Finally, we discuss the effect of perturbing arbitrary R-covered foliations.


effects of skin color on feelings about the self for African American men and women. The authors distinguish between respondents' self esteem (feeling good about oneself) and self efficacy (a sense of one's own competence). They find that skin color affects black men and women differently. For black men, skin color predicts perceived self efficacy but not self esteem. For black women the opposite is true, skin color predicts self esteem but not self efficacy. For both black men and women, light skin color is "important in self domains that are central to masculinity . . . and femininity." Reading these two essays together suggest that the while being light skinned may hurt African American women's sense of ethnic authenticity, their self esteem does not suffer much for it. As is noted throughout the book, normative evaluations of skin color are inextricably linked to histories of racial domination. So what happens in a period in which historical relations between race and class are in flux? One essay examines the relationship between skin tone, class, and racial attitudes at a time when the black middle class is expanding yet the class distribution among African Americans is increasingly polarized. Their findings support previous research that shows that lighter skin is related to higher class position. Skin color, however, does not seem to affect African American racial attitudes. Nor does skin color seem to be related to marital patterns among African Americans. Edwards, Carter-Tellison, and Herring argue that dark skinned African American women are as likely to marry as other black women, yet they tend to do so at a later age than lighter women. This is a surprising finding given widely held perceptions of the light skin privilege enjoyed by women, particularly in the dating and marriage market. More important, the authors find little evidence to support the suspicion that African Americans do (or are able to) trade light skin for class privilege in mate selection. The collection contains a few speculative essays on the implications of recent changes in racial formations in the United States. One is quite critical of recent elaborations of multiracial identity and what the authors dub "neo-mulattoes," a provocative reference to people of mixed descent who, the authors claim, are akin to middlemen minorities whose emergence indicates an "evolution in racism." This is a bold claim, yet the authors provide virtually no evidence to illustrate multiracials' putative position as middlemen, either in a particular division of labor or in informal social relations, nor do they elaborate on what buffering functions they (presumably) perform. Moreover, the essay contains numerous factual errors regarding the 2000 Census race results. Such errors detract from the quality of the volume. So does the low quality of the book's production. There are numerous spelling errors and the graphs and charts look as if they were printed on an old dot matrix printer and photocopied. Finally, in many of the articles there is a frustrating lack of explanation as to how they or the works they cite measure such malleable concepts as skin color and attractiveness. The book is somewhat repetitive in that most of the essays cover the same theoretical and empirical ground. Despite these caveats, Skin Deep provides a good general introduction to the literature on color and stratification.


The usual technique for dealing with an abelian W*-algebra is to consider it, via the Gelfand theory, as the algebra of all continuous complex-valued functions on an extremally disconnected compact Hausdorff space with a separating family of normal linear functionals. An alternative approach, outlined in [2] and [10], is to develop the theory within the framework of Riesz spaces (linear vector lattices) where the order properties of the self-adjoint operators play an important and natural role. It has been known for a long time that the self-adjoint part of an abelian W*-algebra is a Dedekind complete Riesz space under the natural ordering of self-adjoint operators, but it is only relatively recently that a proof of this fact has been given that is independent of the Gelfand theory, and the interested reader may consult [2] or [10] for the details. This approach is essentially foreshadowed in [6] and provides a very satisfying introduction to the theory of commutative rings of operators. From this point of view, the spectral theorem for self-adjoint operators falls naturally into place as an easy consequence of the spectral theorem of H. Freudenthal. In this paper, the line of approach via Riesz spaces is developed further and several well known results are shown to follow as elementary consequences of the order structure of the algebra.


Abstract This study aimed to train health care professionals in a mental health assessment and care plan package designed for Aboriginal clients and carers and to evaluate the training and the package. The package has been developed over two years of consultation and encourages a collaborative, culturally appropriate approach to mental health assessment and care planning using motivational counselling techniques and relapse prevention strategies. Seventeen workshops were delivered in a range of settings to 261 service providers between 2006 and 2008. The training used the tools developed through the AIMhi 'Story Telling Project' and included multimedia resources, and activities designed to bridge the cross cultural and literacy gap in remote communities, including role play and skills practice. The training was well received and pre- and post-workshop evaluations show that participants found the workshops interesting and useful, and significantly improved in their confidence in assessment and communication, and their knowledge of early warning signs and treatment. The findings suggest a need in both the Indigenous and non-Indigenous workforce for further training, in both undergraduate and postgraduate settings, and in specialist and primary care.


The study was aimed at assesing the effects of the aplication of organic and syntheticfertilizer on the growth and production of soybean. Four levels of organic fertilizer, namely noorganic fertilizer (0 ton ha -1 ), 0,5 x recomended rate (10 ton ha -1 ), 1 x recomended rate (20 ton ha -1 ) and 1,5 recomended rate (30 ton ha -1 ). The second factor was sinthetic fertilizer in fourlevels, namely no synthetic (0 ton ha -1 ), 0,5 x recomended rate (Urea 75 kg ha -1 , SP-36 75 kg ha - 1 , KCl 50 kg ha -1 ), 1 x recomended (Urea 150 kg ha -1 , SP-36 150 kg ha -1 , KCl 100 kg ha -1 ), and1,5 x recomende (Urea 225 kg ha -1 , SP-36 225 kg ha -1 , KCl 150 kg ha -1 ). Result show that theaplication of both organic and synthetic fertilizer gave significant effect on plant height, number of leaves, number of flowers, number of branches, leaf widht, number of total pods, number of pods containing 1, 2 and 3 seeds, fresh and dry weight of pods, fresh weight of roots, number of nodes,fresh weight of nodes, and fresh and dry weight of canopy. Interaction effect of organic and synthetic fertilizer were found on dry weight of root, dry weight of nodes and dry weight ofbiomass. Keywords: edamame, organic fertilizer, synthetic fertilizer, pods


Mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling plays a significant role in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. The authors have previously shown that Brahma‐related gene 1 (BRG1), a chromatin remodeling protein, contributes to hepatic ROS accumulation in multiple animal and cellular models of liver injury. Here it is reported that DNA damage‐induced transcript 4 (DDIT4) is identified as a direct transcriptional target for BRG1. DDIT4 overexpression overcomes BRG1 deficiency to restore ROS production whereas DDIT4 knockdown phenocopies BRG1 deficiency in suppressing ROS production in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, DDIT4 coordinates the assembly of the p38‐MAPK signaling complex to drive ROS production in an S‐nitrosylation dependent manner. Molecular docking identifies several bioactive DDIT4‐inteacting compounds including imatinib, nilotinib, and nateglinide, all of which are confirmed to attenuate hepatic ROS production, dampen p38‐MAPK signaling, and ameliorate liver injury by influencing DDIT4 S‐nitrosylation. Importantly, positive correlation between ROS levels and BRG1/DDIT4/S‐nitrosylated DDIT4 levels is detected in human liver biopsy specimens. In conclusion, the data reveal a transcription‐based signaling cascade that contributes to ROS production in liver injury.


"Sanlu milkpowder event" proved again that the key to intensify Chinese consumers' preference for domestic goods is that domestic goods should be self-support.By analyzing the important role consumers' domestic goods preference plays in domestic economy security and the severe credibility crisis of domestic goods,we conclude that the ways to promote self-support of domestic goods are to enhance advertising,to intensify technical innovation,to implement enterprises' social responsibility,and to improve after service.


Functioning cells depend on the outward-facing plasma membrane (PM) effectively contacting the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which serves as a central hub for contacts with mitochondria and other intracellular organelles. The contact sites are critical to intracellular communication because they mediate intermembrane exchange of lipids, ions, and other small molecules that both maintain competent organelles and modulate their activities. The targeting of molecular interactions within and between these cellular membranes underlies a cell's vitality in its homeostatic environment, and, using the same dynamic infrastructure, the cell is also poised to respond to environmental stimuli. A major question driving current research efforts is how interorganelle contact sites are organized and regulated such that the membranes connect and exchange molecules appropriately. Protein partners serving as tethers have been demonstrated for some intermembrane contact sites, and lipid-based phase separation has been suggested as another possible means for selective targeting of contact-site proteins. However, detailed characterization of contact sites has been hindered by the complexity of the membrane interfaces, which interact dynamically within an intricately networked system (1). In a step to surmount this limitation, King et al. (2) describe the use of hypotonic swelling to create large intracellular vesicles (LICVs) from the ER and other organelles. LICVs both separate the organelle membranes and magnify organelle contacts, providing a relatively simple approach for examining the underlying organization of proteins and lipids. As part of their initial characterization, the authors identify tether proteins in LICV-retained contacts that are known to participate in molecular exchanges across these membranes. Especially exciting is their evidence that ER membranes have the capacity for order/disorder phase separation, which was previously characterized in giant PM vesicles (GPMVs) (3) and may play a similar role sorting proteins in contact sites (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1.
ER-LICVs are created within cells by hypotonic swelling and retain …

[↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: bab13{at}cornell.edu.

 [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1


Water is a natural component that exists on earth. The water is very necessary for human's life especially in the village of Indonesia. This paper discusses the financial m analysis and determines the investment appraisal on a small scale water treatment plant project that can be considered one of infrastructure projects, to provide clean water for people in Hegarmukti village, Cikarang Pusat. In order to do financial model for exploring the possibility of investment, the authors have determined the entire budgets of project such as initial investment cost, operation and maintenance cost, and project income for 10 years, based on the available data from a company.Since financial decisions are commonly considered on value of some criterion such as cash flow, net present value, internal rate of return, payback period, the financial analysis with inflation, uncertainty and risks are also investigated regarding to the reality of local condition. The sensitivity analysis that represents about financial changes is discussed then. It is anticipated that for who interests in water treatment plant investment, the result from study will be able to guide the cash flow process as well as investment judgment for operating project and also to prevent any business failures.


The title plant') is a perennial aromatic herb that grows throughout the plains of India and in subtropical Himalayan regions up to 2400 m. Its leaves are commonly used in medicine against stomach ailments and the whole plant is a rich source of diterpenoids of the 8,13-epoxy-labdane (manoyloxide) group [4] [5]. Some of these compounds display hypotensive and spasmolytic activity [4] [5] . A concentrated ethanolic extract of air-dried roots (7,5 kg) of C. forskohlii afforded after extraction with hexane followed by column chromatography on alumina and silica gel 150 mg of crystalline crocetin-dialdehyde (8,8-diapocarotene-8,8'-dial) (l), C2,,H2402, m.p. 189,5190,5". This product was identified by UV./VIS. IR. 'Hand 13C-NMR.and mass-spectra as well as by mixed m.p. and spectral comparison with authentic natural (from the flowers of Jacquinia angustifolia OERST. [ 6 ] ) and synthetic [7] crocetin-dialdehyde.


In this paper, we propose a formal knowledge modeling methodology based on ontology to assist in the logic reasoning of distributed QoS information which is commonly not available in traditional QoS modeling and support. As part of our project toward a semantic-based QoS control and management framework, the knowledge modeling scheme presented in this paper enables an explicit representation of various QoS concepts and their relations, thus provides a foundation for understanding and decision-making of QoS during setup and runtime. The technical feasibility of our knowledge-based QoS scheme has been demonstrated in our prototype, which yields the aforementioned benefits with acceptable processing overhead on PCs and laptops.


In order to maximize the life of the wireless sensor networks, this paper proposes a new algorithm based on the analysis of the LEACH protocol.The new algorithm is mainly improved on the selecting of cluster head. This paper uses a fixed way to choose the cluster head instead of random selection. The results of theoretical and simulation prove that the new algorithm is superior to LEACH protocol, and prolongs the whole wireless sensor networks' life cycle.


The tolerance of a reactance function realization is analyzed, and the relationship between the worst-case sensitivity functions and the derivative of a reactance function is derived which will be demonstrated to be independent of the topology of the one-port.


Introduction Part I: Essential Features Chapter 1: Meaning and Status Chapter 2: Generality and Moral Nature Chapter 3: Content-Dependence and Discursive Character Part II: Ground Chapter 4: Why Grounds are Needed Chapter 5: The Sources of the Normativity of Practical Reason Chapter 6: The Ground of the Normative Claim and Normativity of Law Conclusion Appendix: The Modified Kantian Account and Kant's Philosophy of Law


We report a case of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) in a patient with spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA-3). In RBD, the muscle atonia normally prevailing during REM sleep is absent, and motor activity occurs within the context of vivid and violent dream mentation. The prevalence of RBD in the general population has been reported as 0.5%,5 but is more commonly seen in multiple system atrophy, PD, dementia with Lewy bodies, collectively referred to as "synucleinopathies," as compared to other neurodegenerative disorders.1 An increased prevalence of restless legs syndrome/periodic limb movements of sleep has also been reported in SCA-3.2 To our knowledge, RBD has not been previously reported in SCA-3 patients.

A 61-year-old man with a genetically proven diagnosis of SCA-3 (70 CAG repeats in the MDJ1 gene on chromosome 14q) presented with a 1-year history of at least five dream enactment episodes. He described having leapt from …


The main challenge for the emerging technology of quantum information lies in the development of an effective quantum 'hardware,' that is, a set of physical methods to implement many qubits (the elementary units of quantum information, analogous to classical bits) and to process them simultaneously. In photonic implementations, qubits are realized using photon quantum states by exploiting different properties of light, such as polarization, wavelength, and spatial modes. Usually each photon carries a single qubit, but in order to expand the available quantum memory or to enhance the efficiency of a quantum communication channel, it may be convenient to squeeze more than one qubit into each photon. Although it is relatively simple to write multiple qubits directly in each photon, there has been no straightforward way to transfer qubits initially carried by two distinct photons into a single photon. Such a quantum-state joining process, depicted in Figure 1, could be used to multiplex quantum information and transport it in a reduced number of photons. Similarly, there has been no way to take a photon carrying multiple qubits and split them among separate photons, for example, to demultiplex the quantum information across separate channels. The problem with implementing these tasks is that they require an interaction between photons. But photons do not interact in vacuum, and in ordinary nonlinear media they exhibit exceedingly weak interactions. A way to introduce an effective interaction is the KLM method1 (named after Emanuel Knill, Raymond Laflamme, and Gerard Milburn), which exploits twophoton interferences and a subsequent 'wavefunction collapse' occurring on measurement. This idea enabled the first experimental demonstrations of controlled-NOT (CNOT) quantum logical gates among qubits carried by different photons,2 and it is the basis of our demonstration of quantum joining.3 Figure 1. Artistic representation of the quantum joining concept. Two input photons, each carrying a qubit, are turned into a single output photon carrying both qubits. The demonstrated device is probabilistic, but the user is informed when the process succeeds (represented by the green LED turning on).


At the onset of the COVID‐19 pandemic, many traditional in‐person courses were converted to synchronous, asynchronous, or hybrid online formats. Instructors of a large undergraduate Basic Human Anatomy course at Indiana University ‐ Bloomington leveraged these changes to convert the lecture portion of the course to a flipped‐classroom model with two components: asynchronous online course content delivery, and live in‐person interactive learning sessions. The in‐person interactive learning sessions introduced students to active learning strategies and techniques (drawing, memory matrices, flow charts, diagrams, etc.), and the students actively participated in these sessions through the use of an online interactive learning platform ‐ TopHat. Here we sought to assess the efficacy and outcomes of the active learning sessions on student performance in the course.


The technosphere is a complex, self-perpetuating system and yet current trends of environmental degradation and resource consumption threaten its future. Toxic chemicals constitute a small but critical fraction of total chemical use that enables activities and infrastructure in the technosphere. What if the toxic chemicals are, at the same time, increasing risks to the technosphere's future? Two examples are presented of toxic chemicals, namely polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), which were introduced to reduce risks within the technosphere but are now causing risks to the human population such as reduced IQ and symptoms consistent with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Management of these health effects requires resources, including chemicals that could themselves cause additional impacts. Moreover, the negative health impacts impose direct and indirect costs that divert resources from innovating sustainable solutions for perpetuation of the technosphere.


Multi-view stereo is the problem of recovering the shape of objects from multiple images taken from different but known camera positions. It is an inverse problem where we want to find the cause (the object) given the effect (the images). From a Bayesian perspective, the solution would be the reconstruction that best reproduces the input images while at the same time being plausible a priori. Taking this approach, in this thesis we develop generative models and methods for computing reconstructions that minimize the difference between the observed images and the images sythetized from the reconstruction. Three models are presented. The first, represents the reconstructed scene by a set of depth maps. This gives high resolution results, but have problems at the objects boundaries. The second model represents the scene by a discreet occupancy grid, yielding to a combinatorial optimization problem, which is addressed through message passing techniques. The final model represents the scene by a smooth surface and the resulting optimization problem is solved via gradient descent surface evolution. In either model, the main difficulty is to correctly take into account the occlusions. Modeling self-occlusions results in optimization problems that challenge current optimization techniques. In this respect, the main result of the thesis is the computation of the derivative of the reprojection error with respect to surface variations taking into account the visibility changes that occur while the surface moves. This enables the use of gradient descent techniques, and leads to surface evolutions that place the contour generators of the surface to their correct location in the images without the need of additional silhouettes or apparent contours constraints.


Those on the Left who still remain Marxists, old line socialists, and communists despite changes in conditions, make excuses for socialist problems and expect the system to collapse or implode on its own contradictions, or increase its contradictions and crisis till it overextends itself and fails. This view holds that we are in the late stage capitalism or the last stage of capitalism. But we have, unfortunately, been in the late and last stage of capitalism for a very long time. Jim O'Connor pointed out in Natural Causes that socialist instruments would be used to save capitalism, and so trillions of dollars have recently consolidated the banks, hedge funds, investment gangsters and now protect the essential Ponzi schemers. Brecht commented moons ago: ''What is the robbing of a bank compared to founding one.''


Heat transport issues of wedge-shaped flow on hybrid nanofluids are of special significance by reason of their importance in manufacturing uses including heat exchangers solar panels, electronic equipment cooling, drying processes, and air heaters. Consequently, the current investigation investigates the behavior of dissipative Single-walled Carbone nanotubes (SWCNT) — Multi-walled Carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) hybrid nanofluid in the buoyant flow towards a radiative vertical permeable wedge subjected to variable wall temperature considering heat source/sink. By selecting appropriate similarity conversions, the resultant flow regulating nonlinear boundary layer PDEs are subsequently transformed into coupled nonlinear ODEs. After that, the boundary layer Boussinesq approximations are numerically resolved. The significant outcome of the current investigation is the heat transport which is higher for linear radiation, volume fraction, and uniform heat source parameters. The momentum is controlled with wedge angle and volume fraction of nanotube particles. The momentum boundary layer is upsurged with mixed convection parameters for an assisting flow. Changes to the Nusselt number and fluid flow rate are measured for flow-controlling parameters. Furthermore, the results are compared and effectively validated with previously reported literature results.


A technique is presented for the control of the sidelobe characteristics of dual-reflector antennas. The effectiveness of the subreflector loading was examined numerically. The antenna was analyzed using physical optics surface current integration.<<ETX>>


In this paper we study the application of classical methods for dynamical modelling of time series to the task of decomposing multivariate time series into approximately independent source components, a task that has traditionally been addressed by Factor Analysis (FA) and more recently by Independent Component Analysis (ICA). Based on maximum-likelihood fitting of linear state space models we develop a new framework for this task, for which many of the limitations of standard ICA algorithms can be relieved. Through comparison of likelihood, or, more precisely, of the Akaike Information Criterion, it is demonstrated that dynamical modelling provides considerably better description of given data than FA and non-dynamical ICA. The comparison is applied to both simulated and real-world time series, the latter being given by an electrocardiogram and an electroencephalogram.


This pa per presents a novel very-short term GHI prediction approach which combines ground-based sky images derived cloud map forecast and cloud base altitude estimated using lifted condensation level calculation. To achieve accurate cloud map forecast, a transformation of original sky images is proceeded to eliminate spherical and coordinate distortion. The cloud base height calculation i s adopted to derive real sizes and locations of clouds, and finally obtain very-short term forecast of the local global horizontal irradiance. The validation of the proposed method is carried out by comparing predicted and measured irradiance of a test site. The results show that the method has high prediction accuracy, and has ability to predict the radiation fluctuation caused by the cloud sheltering process.


: Shannan Wide Valley Basin is one of the prime valleys of the Yarlung Zangbo River of China. The geographical environment of the basin makes it vulnerable to land desertification and ecological degradation, while also making it an important belt of economic development along the river. Ecological security patterns can provide a reference for future improvements in ecological functions and economic development. Based on the evaluation of ecosystem services and ecological sensitivity, the ecological source areas were identified. The minimum cumulative resistance value was used to determine ecological security zones and ecological corridors, and the ecological security pattern of the Shannan Wide Valley Basin was constructed for 2020. The results showed that: (1) The ecological source area of the basin was found to be 1089.68 km 2 , with distribution mainly occurring in grass-land and forest areas of Gonggar County, Zhanang County, and Nedong District. (2) Zones of maximum, high, medium, low, and minimum ecological security were established, accounting for 24.74% , 51.24% , 10.31% , 5.43%, and 8.28% of the total basin area, respectively. To ensure ecological security, different measures should be applied at each level of the ecological security zone. (3) The constructed ecological security pattern comprised 105 ecological corridors with a total length of 4720.08 km, together with various ecological source areas, ecological source points, and ecological security areas. (4) In addition to the current land use situation in Shannan Wide Valley, moderate industrial development should take place on the southern banks of the river, while ecological protection measures should be the focus for the northern banks. Further, the " one land, one field, two districts, and four parks " development pattern should be followed.


Recent interest by historians in slavery in the United States Latin America and the Caribbean has resurrected questions about the life and death of slaves first voiced in eighteenth and nineteenth century parliamentary debates on slavery but largely left unanswered for want of data or lack of technique. In the present study upper and lower bounds for period life tables for plantation slaves in Trinidad are estimated from data on 17087 slaves collected during the Trinidad slave registrations of 1813 and 1816. In addition many of the pivotal demographic queries raised during the parliamentary debate on the abolition of the slave trade and the emancipation of slaves are finally resolved by the application of life tables with covariates--hazard models--to the Trinidad slave registration data. (EXCERPT)


Abstract Organizational restructuring in Western economies has proceeded along different trajectories during the latter part of the 1980s and early 1990s. Traditional theories of organizational restructuring have inherent limitations associated with a 'growth bias'. Various new concepts have been put forward, both prescriptively in order to shape organizational change, and analytically in order to capture the nature of those changes. By contrast, these concepts are premised on organizational workforce reduction. This article considers four widely diffused concepts of organisational restructuring - downsizing, delayering, lean production and re-engineering - and argues that the trajectories of change require a broader understanding than has been provided by existing concepts. Towards this end, an integrated model is put forward.


[Objective] The aim was to determine the content of heavy metals As,Hg and 666,DDT pesticides in Houttuynia cordata Thunb.and compare the accumulation of As,Hg and 666,DDT of different H.cordata accessions,which were cultivated in the same environment.[Method] The contents of As and Hg were determined using Haiguang AFS-3000 atomic fluorescence spectrum instrument;the remains of 666,DDT pesticides were determined according to GB/T14551-2003 using Simadzu GC-9A gas chromatography instrument.[Result] The average content of As was 0.161 mg/kg and the average content of Hg was 0.004 mg/kg in the young aerial parts of H.cordata,and in the underground parts,the average contents of As and Hg were 0.130 and 0.002 5 mg/kg,respectively;the trace of δ-666 was detected in few accessions.[Conclusion] The accumulation of As,Hg and 666,DDT among different H.cordata accessions was not remarkable.According to national standard,the content of As,Hg and 666,DDT were lower the prescript in H.cordata.


Excerpt In order to understand the changes in the cardiac silhouette under pathological conditions, it is, of course, quite necessary to know the normal. If you will bear with me for just a moment ...


Abstract A differential mobility analyzer for high-mobility resolution (1/FWHM∼30) classification of 1–67 nm particles is designed to analyze viral particles. Inner and outer electrode radii of 1.01 and 2 cm (at the outlet slit) and a 11.6 cm long column achieve this range at a sheath gas flow (Q) and aerosol flow (q) of 30 and 1 L/min. Turbulent transition potentially resulting from this substantial length combined with high sheath gas flow rates (Q∼1000 Lit/min) required to classify 1 nm particles is avoided by stabilizing the flow via a continuous acceleration with a conical inner electrode (1° half-angle). High axisymmetry of the aerosol flow as it joins the sheath gas is achieved by injecting it through a circularizer ring with 24 symmetrically spaced orifices. The sheath flow is laminarized with two pre-laminarization schemes, three laminarization screens, and an inlet trumpet with an area ∼3 times the analyzer channel throat area. The instrument is tested with singly charged monomobile cluster ions produced by a bipolar electrospray source. A resolving power of 29 is measured at the highest flow rate reached, with a trend towards even higher resolution if either Q or the monomobile particle size could be increased. This performance indicates that the electrode concentricity is excellent and the flow highly stable. Tests carried out at limited resolution (set below 16 by a protein test aerosol) with the modest Q/q∼30 values required to classify 70 nm particles indicate that the DMA response is close to ideal at Q = 151, 110, and 47 Lit/min. Copyright © 2019 American Association for Aerosol Research


A quartz crystal digital transducer which is used to measure the small temperature difference is proposed.Two crystals in the transducer which are cut in +5°Y and AT have been applied as a temperature sensitive oscillator element(10 MHz) and reference oscillator element respectively.The difference frequency signal of two oscillators can be used as output of the digital transducer.The sensitivity of the transducer is 0.001 ℃ and the measurement error in temperature difference 3 ℃ is less than 0.008 ℃.


We aimed to blunt islet β-cell directed autoimmune aggression as a potential approach for the treatment of Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). For this purpose, we proposed the use of a particular type of Mesenchymal Stem Cells, retrieved from the post-partum umbilical cord Wharton Jelly (hUCMS). To maximize hUCMS immunomodulatory potential, that has been proven impaired by cell-to-cell contact, we encapsulated these cells within highly purified, alginatebased microcapsules. Encapsulation enabled physical isolation of the cells from the host's immune system. Pilot in vitro experiments where microencapsulated hUCMS were co-incubated with PBMCs derived from T1D patients showed induction of Treg and rebalance of Th1/Th2 cells. In vivo studies in diabetic NOD mice showed that microencapsulated hUCMS yield long-term remission of hyperglycemia. Use of the encapsulated hUCMS showed that in cell-based immunomodulatory strategies, the transplanted cells can benefit from encapsulation. It is likely that such immune-therapeutic approach could have efficacy only if residual native β-cell mass is still present. Otherwise, hUCMS-induced rehabilitation of the immune system would be unable to grant for reversal of diabetes. The proposed method, employing hUCMS in alginate microcapsules, presents a good safety and efficacy profile. This could warrant initiation of pilot human clinical trials of microencapsulated hUCMS grafts patients with recent-onset T1D.


We deal with the development of a computationally effective approach for the synthesis of equivalently tapered, aperiodic linear arrays, i.e. arrays matching the requirements on the power pattern by acting only on the element positions and excitation phases. The computational effectiveness of the algorithm is reached by the development of a parallel Non Uniform Fast Fourier Transform (NUFFT) routine running on a Graphics Processing Units (GPU). The numerical results point out the computational and synthesis performance of the technique. For an array of 3000 elements, the parallel approach has resulted to be about 10 times faster than the sequential one.


SREE 2011 Abstract Submission ID #92 2011 SREE Abstract Proximal Effects of Robust Vocabulary 1 Background / Context: Student vocabulary growth needs to be a priority of instruction if schools are to meet the goal of helping every student become college and career ready. With more challenging expectations for academic achievement, the importance of vocabulary to reading cannot be ignored. Vocabulary is a significant correlate of concurrent and future reading achievement (Cunningham & Stanovich, 1997; Storch & Whitehurst, 2002). Yet, young children who struggle with reading do not develop adequate vocabularies, and therefore do not read well; because they are not reading well, they are not learning vocabulary During third grade, for example, above average readers make 31 percent gains in vocabulary; below average readers make gains of only 12 percent (Chall, Jacobs, & Baldwin, 1990). Educational practices are needed to promote strong vocabulary growth so that vocabulary can be both the cause and result of successful reading. Vocabulary interventions need to begin early and continue for a sustained period of time According to theoretical and empirical research, there are three components of vocabulary instruction that are needed to boost vocabulary growth and improve reading. A number of literature reviews have concluded that successful vocabulary instruction includes: (1) both definitional and contextual information, (2) more than one or two exposures to each word, and (3) engagement of students in deep processing about word meaning and use is an instructional intervention that was designed to incorporate these three components and be used daily by classroom teachers to supplement core reading instruction. As EOR-V was developed in parallel fashion for use in consecutive grades (K-5), it provides an opportunity to examine the effects of early and sustained vocabulary instruction on children's vocabulary and reading comprehension. Prior research supports the promise of EOR-V for positively impacting vocabulary and reading comprehension 1985), but a randomized control trial of the intervention with appropriate treatment of clustering effects has not yet been conducted. Purpose / Objective / Research Question / Focus of Study: The purpose of this study was to provide unbiased estimates of the effects of robust vocabulary instruction as instantiated in EOR-V in schools serving children from low-income households. Vocabulary researchers recognize that word learning does not occur easily or quickly (McKeown, Beck, Omanson & Pople, 1985; White, Graves & Slater, 1990). Children need early, more and continuous robust vocabulary instruction to develop a …


Investigations of the possible processes of charge transport common to ferroelectric ceramics and high-T/sub c/ superconductors are reported. Some potential experimental techniques for studying ferroelectrics and superconductors are discussed. Some common intrinsic features of these materials are highlighted. Results on dielectric behavior, microwave absorption, and surface impedance of some of these materials are discussed.<<ETX>>


Using available optical and radar observations, orbital solutions have been computed for 12 near-earth asteroids identified as possible extinct comets. For 10 of these objects, there is no evidence for the nongravitational effects that might indicate residual outgassing activity. For 1862 Apollo and 1566 Icarus, the inclusion of cometlike nongravitational effects in their equations of motion significantly reduces their RMS residuals and flattens their systematic residual trends. For Icarus in particular, the determined radial nongravitational parameter retains the same value when different datasets are employed and the predictive capability of the orbits is improved. While these results do not prove that 1566 Icarus is a comet masquerading as an asteroid, future apparitions of this object should be monitored for possible cometlike activity.


The author summarizes some results of a demographic survey undertaken by the Hungarian Central Statistical Office concerning trends in nuptiality. The period covered is that since World War II. The author concludes that the changes in marriage patterns observed are primarily the result of changes in the age distribution of the population. The ratio of persons remaining single has remained relatively unchanged over time. (SUMMARY IN ENG AND RUS )


The new pattern of physical education teaching is called in the 21st century. In order to achieve this purpose, the teaching should be reformed and two steps-the establishment of new pattern of physical education teaching and the change from pattern to non-pattern teaching should be carried out.


According to Fraser's anthropological point of view,Eerie and blood dripping Blood Shehuo,as an unique example in Shaanxi province even the national,it's theoretical roots was from the profanation of Fertility rituals and the way of Symbol the world of Sympathetic magic.The text,Respectively,from blasphemy and symbolic,reveals the culture of Blood Shehuo,and further explores its psychological roots of fear and carnival.


The atmospheric CO2 content record for the Holocene, as preserved in Antarctic ice, has a puzzling feature. The steep rise during the Younger Dryas time is followed by a small drop during the early Holocene. Then, about 8,000 years ago, this decline bottomed out and the CO2 rise resumed and


ABSTRACT EighteencomponentshavebeencharacterizedbyGC,GC/MS,IR, 13C-NMR and 1H-NMR analysis in the volatile oil of Scandix australis L. The major constituents were found to be trans-anethole (86.00%) and methyl chavicol (8.47%).


A population of Rattus fuscipes, in Sherbrooke Forest, Victoria, had a well defined breeding season. Mating occurred between November and January and the young were born between December and February. Juveniles were first captured in late February at approximately 1.5 months of age. The subadult age class displaced the parental age class in the population by the following August, so that almost all animals breeding in a season belonged to a single age class. The degree of home range overlap changed seasonally and could be related to changes in the proportion of amicable and agonistic behaviour judged from a series of contrived laboratory encounters. Diet consisted of both plant and insect material and changes in the proportion of these two components correlated with changes in survival. Measurements of 15 physiological parameters and organ weights, drawn at montly intervals indicated three periods during the life cycle when R. fuscipes exhibited heightened adreno-cortical activity. It is suggested that the development of territoriality in subadults during late autumn and possibly the decrease in abundance and quality of food in early winter, largely determine the size of the breeding population in late spring.


Today's available softwarepackages that feature dedicated hydraulic system noise analysis capabilities focus on the Fluid-Borne Noise (FBN) prediction in frequency or time domain. However, some noise sensitive hydraulic installation areas, like light weight structures in aviation,drive the development of an extended toolbox that also covers the prediction of Structure-Borne Noise (SBN) and Fluid-Structure-Interaction (FSI)inhydraulic systems. This conference contribution presents the concept and design of such a toolbox. It is implemented in a Matlab Simulink/ Simscape environment by FBN-, SBN-and FSI-model libraries. For a given study case a simulation model is generated using elements from these libraries. The simulation results are experimentally validated using a dedicated hydraulic system noise test rig. It features a rotary valve as FBN source and a pipe system equipped with dynamic pressure transducers for FBN detection and acceleration sensors for SBN detection. The analysis capabilities of such a toolbox are considered beneficial in particular for future (pre-/re-) design projects in the aviation environment, which hold challenging application constraints for efficient hydraulic system noise reduction devices: Besides obligatory strong limits on component weight and size, the high safety and reliability standards demand simple and maintenance-free onboard devices. Hencesolutions with minimum hardware efforts are preferred. In this context, theproposed toolbox can be used for a combined tuning of type and location of standard/simple FBN silencers together with type and location of SBN effecting pipe clamps in order to optimize the overall system noise pattern towards an increased equipment durability and passenger comfort.


The security tensions in the world, especially in the Middle East, give rise to the dangers caused by the introduction of nuclear weapons in the region. This chapter discusses the history of efforts to establish an Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (NWFZ) in the Middle East. After the idea of establishing an NWFZ in the Middle East captured the attention of international organisations and the different international forums dealing with nuclear disarmament in 1974, it became a long-standing issue in the annual General Assembly (GA) meetings and the subject of several studies and resolutions. On 11 December 1975, Resolution 3472 (xxx) of the GA defined an NWFZ as "any zone, recognised as such by the GA of the United Nations (UN), which any group of States, in the free exercise of their sovereignty, has established by virtue of a treaty or convention"..Keywords: annual General Assembly (GA) meetings; international organisations; Middle East; Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (NWFZ)


The space environment is inherently complicated with multiple sources of radiation, and within a spacecraft, these radiation fields are further complicated by the production of secondary particles (i.e., γ, e±, n, π±, π0), where the generation of neutrons represent a significant contribution to the dose received by astronauts. The signals in most detectors resulting from neutron interactions are difficult to discriminate from other types of interactions such as the incident energetic protons and gamma rays, making it difficult to provide accurate dose equivalent information. The results presented here demonstrate the capability of Diphenylanthracene (DPA) scintillation materials to detect and discriminate fast neutrons from gamma rays using pulse shape discrimination (PSD) techniques. The new scintillation sensors generate amplitude and emission-time signatures that provide information regarding the neutron dose and linear energy transfer (LET). This information can then be used to determine appropriate quality factors and the dose equivalent or biological effect. Considerations for a DPA based dosimeter design will be presented along with optimization of the detector signal processing steps for discriminating neutrons from gamma rays. The emission time and amplitude signatures from a new scintillation material, crystalline DPA, are characterized for proton, neutron, and electron (from gamma-ray irradiation) irradiation. An estimation of Birk's parameters for DPA, which is necessary to describe the light yield as a function of LET, is presented.


In this study, a general and systematical investigation of sub‐diffuse reflectance spectroscopy is implemented. A Gegenbauer‐kernel phase function‐based Monte Carlo is adopted to describe photon transport more efficiently. To improve the computational efficiency and accuracy, two neural network algorithms, namely, back propagation neural network and radial basis function neural network are utilized to predict the absorption coefficient μa , reduced scattering coefficient μs′ and sub‐diffusive quantifier γ , simultaneously, at multiple source‐detector separations (SDS). The predicted results show that the three parameters can be predicated accurately by selecting five SDSs or above. Based on the simulation results, a four wavelength (520, 650, 785 and 830 nm) measurement system using five SDSs is designed by adopting phase‐lock‐in technique. Furtherly, the trained neural‐network models are utilized to extract optical properties from the phantom and in vivo experimental data. The results verify the feasibility and effectiveness of our proposed system and methods in mucosal disease diagnosis.


Abstract I first performed Salut für Caudwell (1977) at November Music in Den Bosch, two and half years ago. The festival celebrated Lachenmann's eightieth birthday in grand style, and the composer himself attended. During a backstage chat, Lachenmann, whom I've known for around 20 years, casually hinted that there were things 'missing' in the print edition of the work, published in 1985: that is, that performative information in the fair copy was not fully reproduced in the print edition. At that moment, my curiosity was piqued intensely, and the seed of a new edition was planted. While I understood the formidable challenges involved in properly preparing the part, rehearsing, and traversing this Everest of the guitar literature, I was not fully prepared for the astonishing array of hazards that awaited me. This article describes the labyrinth of sketches, drafts, and score iterations I encountered in beginning to prepare a new edition of Salut for Lachenmann's publishers, Breitkopf & Härtel.


Aims:  Global Investigation of therapeutic DEcisions in hepatocellular carcinoma and Of its treatment with sorafeNib (GIDEON), a global, non‐interventional, surveillance study, aims to evaluate the safety of sorafenib in all patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC) under real‐life practice conditions, particularly Child‐Pugh B patients, who were not well represented in clinical trials.


The photolithography parameters of Acoustic-Optic Tunable Filter(AOTF)using the LiN_bO_3 are studied.The rotation rate of spin coater,exposure time and develop time which are effective on the pho- tolithography are mainly discussed.After many experiments,we got better photolithography parameters as fol- low:the rotation rate of spin coater is 2850/8(rpm/s)in low speed and 6000/25(rpm/s)in high speed.The prebake temperature is 90℃and postbake temperature is 100℃.Both of their times are 30 minutes.The ex- posure and develop time are 10 seconds.With these parameters,better photolithography graphics are obtained. Observing through microscope,the photolithography graphics is lustration with smooth side edge.