Objective To investigate the status of an illness of endemic fluorosis in Xuchang city,and to evaluate the effect of implementation of control measures.Methods In 2009,Changge city and Xuchang county were chosen as survey counties(city).We investigated the surveillance counties (city) about the running state of water-inproving projects,and fluoride content of drinking water in the villages,and ten villages were chosen as survey villages,dental fluorosis and fluoride content of children aged 8 to 12,clinical skeletal fluorosis and urinary fluoride content of 16-year-old adult were investigated.Results In all the villages with projects of defluoridation for drinking water of the two monitoring counties,that the projects was being used accounted for 61.39%(97/158),and the projects discarded accounted for 38.61%(61/158).In the 9 non-water-improving villages,the average water fluoride ranged 1.32 - 2.25 mg/L; in the 1 water-improving village,the mean water fluoride was 0.44 mg/L.The total rate of dental fluorosis of children aged 8 to 12 was 38.65% (80/207),and the geometric mean of urinary fluoride was 1.65 mg/L.The rate of adult skeletal fluorosis by clinical detection was 0.30% (9/2982),and the geometric mean of urinary fluoride was 2.09 mg/L.Conclusions Xuchang city is a mild to moderate fluorosis epidemic areas of endemic fluorosis,and condition of the disease has not yet been effectively controlled,and there is need to further intensify the prevention and control efforts.

Key words:
Fluorosis, dental; Drinking; Osteofluorosis; Data collection


In 1950, the 81st Congress of the United States granted a Federal Charter to the Future Farmers of America recognizing the importance of the organization as an integral part of the vocational agriculture program (National FFA Organization, 2012). At that point, the legislators in Congress probably never imagined what education would look like in the 21st century. During the 1950s, computers were just being introduced. The Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator (EDSAC), the first stored program computer, was about the size of a small house (Oxford, 2009). Who would have thought that in 2012, we would have ready available access to computers in our schools and classrooms? Just as the National FFA Organization has experienced some changes over the years, it is probably time for us as agriculture teachers to consider how we teach about the FFA in our courses. In many introductory agriculture courses across the country, students are learning about the history and traditions of the FFA. However, there is a variety of approaches to teaching the FFA unit common in most agriculture classrooms. Some instructors may lecture students on FFA history facts. Some might have students memorize and recite the FFA Creed and Motto. Worksheets might be used to have students fill in key words of the creed or mission as a substitute or a supplement to oral recitation. Although chalk, blackboards, and textbooks are still essential components for educating students today, students want a classroom experience enhanced through technologies. Therefore, in order to engage this generation, we must incorporate a greater level of technology into our schools (Munro, 2012). Furthermore, enhanced technology is moving instruction to 21st Century learning environments with "instructional practices ... more rigorous (higher order on Bloom's taxonomy), student centered (more constructivist) and relevant (real world)" (Munro, 2012, Instructional Change). This article will provide a brief introduction of several technological tools with explanations for use, Screenshot examples, and ideas for integration. With access to computers in our schools and classrooms and a multitude of technology tools that are readily available and inexpensive, instruction on the FFA can easily be modified to reflect the 21st century learning environment. Animoto (http://www.animoto. com) allows you to turn photos, video clips, and music into videos. Animoto can be used as an advertisement of your local FFA chapter. Pictures and video clips of your FFA chapter activities can be included to create interest among new students. Please note that a free account of Animoto only allows 30-second videos. As an educator, you can apply for a free Animoto Plus account (http://animoto.com/ education) giving you access to downloadable full-length videos. Creating an Animoto video is relatively easy. To begin, click "Create Video." Next, Animoto allows you to choose a style for your video and add your images, videos, music, and text. You may also use the "Spotlight" feature to highlight images. When you are finished, click "Produce Video." Lastly, you can share your video via Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, and more! Webquests are an excellent way for students to utilize and develop their 21st century skills. Johnson and Dufall (2004) define a webquest as an activity designed to allow learners to use the Web for analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information. As you may recall, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating are higher order thinking skills according to Bloom's taxonomy (Bloom, 1956). These skills are necessary for students "to become contributing members of their communities and lifelong learners" (Alston, Miller, & Williams, 2003, p. 39). Educational Broadcasting Corporation (2004) states webquests can be as short as a single class period or as long as a month-long unit; usually involve group work, with division of labor among students who take on specific roles or perspectives; and are built around resources that are preselected by the teacher. …


The embodiment of the invention provides back-to-source routing information generation and transmission methods, and related devices, used in the back-to-source process of a CDN. The generation method comprises the steps that: a first CDN cache server obtains the first network distance, the second network distance and the third network distance; the first CDN cache server determines that the first network distance is greater than the sum of the second network distance and the third network distance, generates back-to-source routing information, and sends the back-to-source routing information to a second CDN cache server; and a back-to-source routing path indicated by the back-to-source routing information passes through the first CDN cache server, the second CDN cache server and a source station. Visibly, in the embodiment of the invention, according to the network distance between the source station and the CDN cache server, when the fact that back-to-source routing in indirect back-to-source is superior to that in direct back-to-source is determined, indirect back-to-source routing is adopted; therefore, the back-to-source speed is increased; and furthermore, the back-to-source error rate is reduced.


The present invention discloses a method for preparing glyoxylic acid, comprising: in a pipe reactor, glyoxal - cocatalyst solution and the initiator - a mixture of nitric acid by the two feed ports are respectively input mixer simultaneously were mixed, and then into the reaction channel of the reaction, the obtained reaction liquid discharge port glyoxylic acid, glyoxylic acid solution obtained after treatment; wherein said agent is nitrite ion-containing inorganic salt initiator, the co The catalyst is a protonic acid. This method overcomes the drawbacks of oxidation of glyoxal glyoxylic acid is converted to a low selectivity of the reaction process is simple, safe, the reaction is a continuous reaction, the finally obtained high glyoxylic acid yield and selectivity.


The effects of a nonuniform electric field on the formation, detachment, and breakup of a single inert bubble surrounded by a dielectric liquid were studied experimentally and numerically. In experiments, air bubbles were injected into kerosene at a constant flow rate through an orifice at the bottom wall of the test cell. The liquid was subjected to a nonuniform electric field, applied between the horizontal and vertical electrodes. During the experiments, the behavior of bubbles was recorded continuously, and the position, shape, and volume departure of the bubbles were digitally extracted from the sequential frames with the aid of graphical software. The experimental results show that in the presence of the nonuniform electric field, bubbles take a prolate shape and skew to the opposite direction of the ground electrode. With an increase in the electric potential, the bubble growth time and departure volume will decrease continuously. Bubble breakup is also observed at high enough voltages. As a further study, a 3-D numerical simulation was performed, using a commercial finite element code (Comsol Multiphysics) to determine the distribution of electric stresses along the bubble surface. The numerical results show that the nonuniform electric field generates some inhomogeneous stresses at the bubble surface. The bubble is compressed and deviated by the horizontal component and elongated by the vertical component. Numerical outcomes prove the physical behavior of the bubble observed in the experiments.


Another deadline for the $27 billion Medicare EHR Incentive Program has been extended by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Providers will now have until March 31, 2014, to submit their data for the 2013 reporting year.


We present a method for providing response time guarantees in Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) networks. The method is based on traditional real time CPU Response Time Analysis (RTA), and is intended to be used for admission control of hard real time traffic. The method determines if a new connection can be admitted without violating the strict timing requirements specified for the new as well as old connections. We illustrate the merits of our method by comparing it with Weighted Fair Queuing (WFQ) and the Calculus for Network Delays (CND). Two types of comparisons are made. In the first, we evaluate how well the associated analysis can accommodate different traffic scenarios and loads, and in the second comparison we use simulation to compare observed worst case behaviors with estimates obtained by the analysis. The comparisons clearly indicate that RTA outperforms both WFQ and CND for a set of realistic traffic scenarios.


Objective To analyze the dose- response relationship between cumulative noise exposure( CNE) based on individual noise exposure levels and human hearing loss. Methods 98 non- Gaussian noise exposed workers in a steel mill and a steel constructed factory and 26 Gaussian noise exposed workers in a textile mill were enrolled in this study. The eight- hour continuous A- weighted equivalent noise level( LAeq. 8h) was detected by dosimeters and the exposure periods were recorded. The LAeq. 8hand exposure periods were combined into CNE. Questionnaires and hearing loss testing were performed for all subjects. Results Under the circumstance of similar CNE between non- Gaussian noise exposed group and Gaussian noise exposed group,the high frequency hearing loss rate( 61. 22%) in non- Gaussian noise exposed group was significantly higher than that in Gaussian noise exposed group( P 0. 05). Stratification analysis and chi- square test showed there was dose- response relationship between CNE and the high frequency hearing loss rate. The correlation coefficient between CNE and hearing loss was higher than that between LAeq. 8hand hearing loss. Conclusion CNE based on individual noise levels could effectively evaluate the risk of human high frequency hearing loss by non- Gaussian noise or Gaussian noise.


The present image compression system of the present invention adopts a variety of compression criteria by dynamically adjusting the sampling modes and quantization formats based on a plurality of thresholds. The present image compression system uses an analyzer compares two image data stored in two buffers to determine one of the sampling modes and quantization formats based on the pixel value change between two consecutive image data. Once the pixel value change moves from one threshold to another threshold, the sampling modes and the quantization formats may be changed.


Summary Near infrared transmission (NIT) spectroscopy was investigated for applicability as a rapid screening tool to evaluate ash content in wheat fl our. Ash content in fl our samples was determined also by reference method. One hundred thirteen wheat fl our samples with ash content of 0.367-0.964% were collected from the Belje,d.d., PC Mlin and PPK Valpovo, and used for this study. Infratec 1241 Grain Analyzer Flour Module that comes with ready-touse calibrations, was used to obtain transmission spectra of wheat fl our. All measured ash values obtained by NIT method were within calibration limits (0.00-1.10) of the instrument. Simple linear regression analyses showed high signifi cant correlation between the NIT and the reference method (r=0.953). Th e NIT results were not accurate enough for all fl our types when compared to the results obtained by the reference method. Only the results for fl our types 400 and 550 indicate suffi cient accuracy for fl our type evaluation. Considering its advantages over standard methods, including its recalibration, NIT could represent a good tool for evaluation of all fl our types in the future, as it is used for protein and moisture determination in wheat grain today.


indispensable basis for an accurate diagnosis of Hymenoptera venom allergy. In addition, cellular tests such as basophil activation test (BAT) can be useful to dissect double-positive or double-negative test


The special education teaching profession has experienced longstanding problems with shortages of qualified teaching staff and with high turnover rates of these staff. A variety of issues are related to these problems, including the nature of the support that early career special education teachers receive. In this case study research, the use of external mentoring support to two early career special education teachers in their first year of teaching was examined. This mentoring support was provided by an experienced special educator who did not work at the teachers' schools. The results suggest that external forms of mentoring support may offer important advantages over traditional, site-based forms of support.


We examine the effects of scattering and absorption in skin tissue upon the axial resolution of ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography. By modeling the frequency dependence of the optical properties, we quantify the depth-dependent axial resolution.


The normal method of operation for a GaAs MQW quantum confined Stark effect (QCSE) reflection modulator is given for a device operating wavelength, taken as 852 nm for the analysis in this paper. Modulation in the intensity of a reference optical beam is achieved by shifting the wavelength to achieve both low reflectivity and high reflectivity. The figure of merit for a QCSE modulator is its change in reflectivity from the low state to the high state is given.


development practice over a decade ago, is now among the most widely used executive development techniques. Yet, despite its growing tenure as a leadership development practice, executive coaching is still used sparingly in many organizations, and has remained underutilized. The authors believe this is because the paucity of empirical research into its effectiveness leaves the field open to speculation and subjective opinion.


The NB model is useful to analyze discrete data. For clustered discrete data when the observations are correlated from individual subjects, the NB parameter estimates can be severely biased. A score test for testing the random parameter in the over-dispersed clustered discrete data are developed and analyzed for the NB model with the assumption that it is used for model fit under the null hypothesis. Here, we derived the procedure of the fitted multilevel NB model and developed a score test for testing the random parameter; the likelihood ratio tests are used as an alternative test to select the best test statistic in terms of power. To demonstrate our proposed method, a simulation study and an illustrative example are used. The results showed that when the dataset has heterogeneous groups in the clustered discrete data, the multilevel NB model gives a good approximation and correct result in the analysis while NB is clearly not adequate for handling heterogeneous data since it gives wrong results and it is only appropriate and reliable for homogenous groups. From the simulation study, for fixed values of the random and dispersed parameters, when the sample size is increasing the power of the score test is increasing. For large values of the sample size and random parameters, the difference among different tests become trivial in terms of its power. For other cases, the proposed score test is more appropriate for general use because of its high Power.


Disclosed are a method, device and system for implementing number-portability network upgrade, which are used for implementing network upgrade in a self-help number-portability mode, so that the cost is effectively reduced, the efficiency is improved, and the coverage of a mobile communication network on a terminal can be rapidly promoted. The method comprises: allocating to a smart card a set of personalized data required for network upgrade; sending the personalized data to the smart card in a corresponding mobile terminal, so that the smart card encapsulates an application protocol data unit (APDU) instruction according to the personalized data, finishes writing of the personalized data by executing the APDU instruction, and reports a writing result of the personalized data; receiving the writing result of the personalized data; and if the writing result indicates that writing succeeds, binding the personalized data with an identification number corresponding to the smart card.


The invention relates to an automatic transfusion calling device. A fluid sensor is provided with a battery, a digital regulator and a 2.4G wireless transmitter; a bedside is provided with a wireless receiving device; by arranging the digital regulator and the 2.4G wireless transmitter on the fluid sensor, the digital regulator is regulated according to the bed of a patient to start the fluid sensor and the 2.4G wireless transmitter to work; after liquid in a transfusion bag flows through the fluid sensor, a signal is sent out through the 2.4G wireless transmitter, and then, is transmitted to the bedside calling device through the wireless receiving device; information is transmitted to a center control display device through the bedside calling device, and therefore, the goal of automatic calling after liquid transfusion is completed is achieved.


The payload capabilities and fuel economy of chemically powered orbital transfer vehicles are severely limited by the specific impulse of the available chemical propellants. Midmission refueling of payload-carrying chemically powered orbital transfer vehicles using propellant lifted into high-energy orbits by high-specificimpulse electrically powered orbital transfer vehicles results in substantially higher payloads for a given size of chemical vehicle and in overall propellant savings. For the transport of payloads to geosynchronous orbit, circular and elliptical refueling orbits intermediate between low Earth and geosynchronous orbits each have specific advantages. High-energy-orbit refueling is also advantageous for Earth escape missions and for utilization of lunar-derived propellants.


Abstract : Parotid fluid, which can be easily collected in continuous fashion, was previously shown to possess free 17-hydroxycorticosteroid (17-OH-CS) levels which paralleled those in serum and reached a maximum two hours after corticotropin or cortisol administration to normal men. The present study demonstrated that intravenously administered cortisol rapidly appeared in the parotid fluid, and that, thus, parotid fluid 17-OH-CS levels would serve as reliable indicators of adrenal function. This was borne out by studies in a patient with Cushing's syndrome as well as in those showing adrenal hyporesponsiveness. Despite the large rise in plasma 17-OH-CS in the third trimester of pregnancy there was only a small, though significant, rise in parotid fluid 17-OH-CS. These data are compatible with the hypothesis that only nonprotein-bound free 17-OH-CS reach the parotid fluid. Conjugated 17-OHCS were not found in appreciable quantity in parotid fluid. Chemical and radioisotopic technics indicated cortisol and cortisone to be the major human parotid fluid 17-OH-CS. (Author)


[THE INFLUENCE OF LEARNING STYLES AND LEARNING METHODS ON LEARNING OUTCOMES OF RESEARCHER FUNCTIONAL TRAINING PARTICIPANTS] The influence of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning styles, and aspects of the diversity of trainees in an effort to find appropriate learning methods, on the subject of analysis and interpretation of research data. The purpose of this study was to obtain an overview of aspects related to improving the learning outcomes of trainees and the achievement of learning objectives in the analysis and interpretation of research data. The instrument in this study used a questionnaire that was distributed online through the google form application, one day before learning, to all participants of the Pelatihan Pembentukan Jabatan Fungsional Peneliti (PPJFP), and resulted in a questionnaire that was received back as many as 139 questionnaires. Based on the results of the study, data were obtained which were then analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis and inferential statistics with Two Way ANOVA. The results of the study show that: first, learning styles determine which learning methods are more attractive to participants; second, learning outcomes are influenced by differences in whether or not participants have received the previous material and third, there is no effect of different participants' learning styles on learning outcomes.


The paper presents the results of tests of cement composites in which a glass substitute derived from municipal waste was used as a partial replacement for cement. The tests used a glass cullet made of brown glass, which after rinsing to remove sugars and other impurities, was dried and ground to a fraction below 125 µ m. Cement mortar samples were made, in which cement was replaced with: 3, 5, 10 and 20% of glass powder. Heat of hydration of the paste and the consistency of fresh mortars and mechanical properties of mortars after 28 days of curing were analyzed. The best results were obtained for mortars with a 5% share of glass powder. The research shows that the binding properties of glass powder are closely related to the degree of grinding of the waste, and when significantly ground, they may exhibit pozzolanic properties.


Objective To determine the effect of oral poliomyelitis attenuated live vaccine( OPV) supplementary immunization activities( SIAs) in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region during 2001-2013,and to provide recommendations for maintaining polio-free status. Methods We obtained data reported from the OPV SIA in Guangxi and analyzed the data using Microsoft Excel and Statistical Product and Service Solutions( SPSS) software. Results A total of 3,564,870 doses were administrated during OPV SIAs in Guangxi from 2001-2013. The average reported coverage was 96. 64%. The number of zero-dose children was 1,230,420 and the coverage rates were all above 95% each year. Conclusion OPV SIAs played important role for maintaining polio-free status in Guangxi. Other appropriate methods should be explored based on stable,routine immunization.


The article deals with the performance of male teachers in an institution of Early Education in Colombia and, in the light of gender theories, sought to understand the representations of masculinities and femininities that emerge from the perception of men and women about male teaching in this educational stage. The investigation was carried out from August to December 2017 and the data were produced through interviews with four teachers (two male teachers and two female teachers). The interviews show that the relationships between male teachers and the children are free from prejudice or interdiction, however, the analyses indicate that the work of these professionals is different from that performed by female teachers and the gender specificities that are constituted in the institutional space cause tensions and ambivalences.


This paper attempts to locate the recent debate on the revision of Religious Corporation Law in Japan within its socio-political context. In what context does religion match with the principles of democracy. The issue of rights and responsibilities of an average citizen cannot be understood in isolation from the issue of Religious versus Secular Rights. Here the role of the State is particularly significant in reaffirming the fundamental principles of the civil society. This is an indispensable condition for democracy to succeed in Japan. A fundamental ideal of democracy is one which secures and effects human rights. Human rights are inalienable and not negotiable. Ideally speaking, human rights come before the imperatives of any government. Tunesaburo, Makiguchi declared in his book 'Jinsei Chirigaku' "The State must not interfere in the spiritual realm." In essence "there must be absolutely no restrictions on freedom of belief, a sphere that concerns the inner realms of people's lives." Indeed,the great tragedy of successive human civilizations has been that this clear and simple principles of Statehood have been ignored and ridiculed with impudence. In the recent debate on the revision of Religious Corporation Law in Japan, a view point which has gained currency is the fact that "religion does not match the principles of democracy". Such a view


When you hear a mysterious new sound when driving your car you know that it usually means trouble. Now such signals can be translated into a "signature" which identifies the problem by a technique called "Random Decrement". First the vibrations have to be picked up by a sensor, like the pickup in a record player. Then these signals which appear meaningless in their original form are sorted, and a characteristic signature is established which engineers can relate to the mechanical properties of the system. If a flaw such as a fatigue crack develops, the signature changes, thus warning the operator of impending failure. The "Random Decrement" technique is particularly well suited to the class of problems in which characteristics are desired of an in‐service structure subjected to unknown random excitation such as wind, earthquakes, waves, sound, traffic loads, etc. Analysis requires only the measurement of the dynamic response of a structure, and not the excitation. Continuous automatic monitoring is possib...


To assess the contribution of parenchymal hypertension to pain, pancreatic tissue pressures were measured intraoperatively in 17 patients with chronic pancreatitis and in four other patients undergoing pancreatic surgery (reference group). The technique involved direct fine needle cannulation of the pancreas using a flow infusion system, which measured parenchymal resistance to this infusion. Three to six recordings were obtained at each site. In chronic pancreatitis the pressure (mean ± s.e.m.) was substantially elevated in all regions of the pancreas compared with reference subjects: head (257 ± 59 versus 19 ± 5 mmHg, P < 0.05); body (201 ± 51 versus 13 ± 6 mmHg, P < 0.05) and tail (161 ± 45 versus 11 ± 3 mmHg, P< 0.05). Elevation was greater in areas of calcific disease (281–383 mmHg) than in non‐calcific disease (81–120 mmHg, P < 0.05). Mean pancreatic ductal pressure in 10 patients (seven with calcific disease) was 20 ± 4 mmHg. Differential pressure measurements within the pancreas helped determine the extent of resection in six patients with diffuse disease. The greatly increased tissue pressures in chronic pancreatitis, especially in the presence of calcification, suggest a possible 'compartment syndrome'.


Basic design standard and basic theory for the forward visibility of a loader was introducedi,n the meanwhile,"eyelipse" and SAE standard was applied to design the forward visibility of a loader.Extenic evaluation system was established based on CATIA which realised the driving connection between anthropometry parameters and design datas of forward visibility during product development.Finallyt,he instance show that the forward visibility extenic evaluation system of loader is usable.


, Abstract Objective— To investigate the accuracy of serial hCG to predict outcome of a pregnancy of unknown location in an ethnically and geographically diverse setting. Design— Multi-site cohort study Setting— University hospital Patients— Women with a pregnancy of unknown location Interventions— None Main outcome measures— Patients were followed until diagnosed with ectopic pregnancy (EP), intrauterine pregnancy (IUP), or miscarriage. To predict outcome, observed hCG was compared to recommended thresholds to assess deviation from defined normal curves. Predicted outcome was compared to standard of care. Sensitivity, specificity, predictive value, and accuracy were calculated, stratified by diagnosis. Results— The final diagnosis 1,005 patients included 179 EPs, 259 IUPs, and 567 miscarriages. The optimal balance in sensitivity and specificity used the minimal expected two-day rise in hCG of 35%, and the minimal two-day decline in hCG of 36–47% (depending on the level) achieving 83.2% sensitivity, 70.8% specificity to predict EP. However 16.8% of EPs and 7.7% of IUPs would be misclassified solely using serial hCGs. Consideration of a third hCG and early ultrasound decreased IUP misclassification to 2.7%.


This work presents the development of an assistance task performed by an anthropomorphic manipulator robot of five degrees of freedom. The task consists in serving a drink to the users by approaching it to their mouths. While serving the drink, the robot tracks the head movements in order to dynamically adjust the end-effector according to the head position. The planning of the task and modeling of the robot were based on dual quaternion algebra. Since the robot is underactuated for this task, a task-priority based control was implemented such that the control of the end-effector position has higher priority than the orientation control. Experiments were performed in order to test the validity of the approach. Keywords— Assistance task, human-robot interaction, dual quaternion algebra, task-priority control, Jacobian-based control


With mulberry leaves and honeysuckles as the main materials,the optimal prescription and process of a compound beverage was studied by orthogonal design and sensory organ.Results showed that the optimum extraction conditions were as follows,temperature 90 ℃,time 30 min,and the ratio of material to water 1 ∶ 50 for honeysuckles,and 80 ℃,20 min,1 ∶ 5 for mulberry leaves.The optimal prescription is as follows,sugar 6 %,lemon acid 0.1 %,mulberry leaf liquid 30 %,honeysuckle liquid 10 %,CMC-Na 0.08 % and pectin 0.14 %.


The purpose of this research is analysis of the role of frontiersman cooperatives, and frontier markets in economic development. The research methodology in this study is based, cross-sectional, and the statistical population as well as are included all activists of cooperatives in Sistan and Baluchistan province which were examined by using Cochran formula and sample are equal to 384. The method of data collection was questionnaire, which was approved its validity by content validity, and Cronbach's alpha (0.96). Data analysis was performed with the help of software AMOS, a structural equation modeling and confirmatory factor analysis. The results showed that cooperatives activities frontiersman, and frontier markets, which have a significant impact on economic development, and improve the economy frontiersman.


Actual materials exhibit the phenomena of creep, relaxation and hyteresis to a certain extent. In order to obtain the experimental property curves of such rheologic models possessing the properties of viscosity and elasticity simultaneously, special experimental equipment are often needed. The test time elapsed is often long. Using the principle of kybernatics, from the view point of systems, the correspondent relations between rheologic models and electric models are given in this paper. By using the method of electricity simulation, we may obtain the rheologic property curves of materials from the simple test of electric models, no matter how complex the model is.


Abstract : This document describes a new COD camera controller adapted to Schmidt telescopes. If several large COD detectors can be adapted in the focal plane of a large Schmidt telescope, deeper digital images can be obtained, the operating cost of a COD camera is several orders of magnitudes smaller than that of glass photographic plates. This also opens new ways of using Schmidt telescopes; i.e., real time detection of celestial sources. This report contains the following sections: Requirements analysis Description of the Loral CCD442A CCD Description of the camera controller Physical implementation of a mono CCD camera Physical implementation of a multi CCD camera Appendix 1: Electronic schematics of the O.C.A. CCD camera controller Appendix 2: Data sheets of the main components of the O.C.A. controller Appendix 3: 87C750 based sequencer software


A method and device for selecting an enhanced-transport format combination instruction (E-TFCI) provided in the embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of communications and are used for improving the demodulation performance of a base station and reducing the interference between cells.The method provided in the embodiments of the present invention comprises: a user equipment (UE) receiving a first service grant value and a second service grant value which are sent by a network device;determining a block length of a transmission block and the power of an enhanced-dedicated physical data channel (E-DPDCH) in accordance with the first service grant value and the second service grant value;and using the power to send the transmission block.


The characteristics of bed material in a cobble or gravel river and their use for numerical simulation of flushing flow needs are discussed. There are three types of bed material: 1) material forming the protective surface of the river bed (armour), 2) material making up most of the stream bed (substrate), and 3) material on the surface of the armour at low flows (ephemeral bed material). Numerical models which consider the three types are used to obtain the flushing flow needs for a reach of the Gunnison River in western Colorado. Laboratory flume and field data are being collected to develop improvements to the basic concepts used in the calculation of the flushing flow need.


A central tenet to much ethical argument within medical law is patient autonomy.1 Although we have seen a welcome move away from a system governed by largely unchecked paternalism, there is not universal agreement on the direction in which medical law should advance.2 Competing concerns for greater welfare and individual freedom, complicated by an overarching commitment to value-pluralism, make this a tricky area of policy-development.3 Furthermore, there are distinct understandings of, and justifications for, different conceptions of autonomy.4 In this paper, we argue that in response to these issues, there has been a failure by the courts properly to distinguish political concepts of liberty and moral concepts of autonomy.


To observe the effect of Danzi Kangxi granules on the activity of telomerase in articular cartilage among rats with knee osteoarthritis and to investigate the mechanism by which Danzi Kangxi granules prevent and treat knee osteoarthritis.Methods:Eighty healthy Wistar rats(male-to-female ratio = 1:1) were randomly divided into Danzi Kangxi group(n = 20),Western medicine group(n =20),model group(n = 20),and blank control group(n = 20).A rat model of knee osteoarthritis was established in the Danzi Kangxi group,Western medicine group,and model group by improved Hulth method.At 6 weeks after the model was established,the Danzi Kangxi group received Danzi Kangxi granules by gavage,the Western medicine group received glucosamine sulfate by gavage,the model group and blank control group received equal volumes of distilled water.Treatment was provided once in the morning and once at night for 4 consecutive weeks.The gross morphology of knee joints was observed under the naked eye.The activity of telomerase in articular cartilage was measured by TRAP-ELISA.Results:Under the naked eye,the model group showed significant degeneration of knee articular cartilage,with local ulcer and joint edge hyperplasia;the Danzi Kangxi group and Western medicine group had new cartilage formation in knee joints;the blank control group had smooth knee articular cartilage.The Danzi Kangxi group and Western medicine group had significantly higher activity of telomerase in articular cartilage than the blank control group and model group(P 0.05).There was no significant difference in activity of telomerase in articular cartilage between the Danzi Kangxi group and Western medicine group(P 0.05).Conclusion:Danzi Kangxi granules can improve the activity of telomerase in knee joints among rats,thus delaying the progression of knee osteoarthritis.


You never know what is going to catch Petrina McDonald's eye. As her Instagram profile shows it could be sunlight glistening through leaves in her backyard, or wide sunny beaches around the Bundaberg region.


Obesity has become a major health problem in the 21st century, affecting millions of people around the world. It is assumed that obesity is accompanied by different comorbidities that are related to a reduction in life expectancy. However, this situation has not been seen in all people with obesity, since it has been observed that some obese people show protection against cardiometabolic disorders related to obesity, a condition known as metabolically healthy obesity (MHO). At present, the definition of MHO varies according to the bibliographic source used, so it is not very precise. Furthermore, in the absence of universal criteria for identification of MHO, prevalence data vary between investigations. Some physiological, functional and pathological differences have been identified between MHO and metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO): individuals with MHU, for example, retain insulin sensitivity and do not suffer from hypertension or dyslipidemia compared to MUO. In addition, people with MHO are protected against type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other causes of death. Some responsible for these differences are the accumulation of visceral fat and the dysfunction of the adipose tissue. Consequently, despite the fact that the body mass index is directly related to the severity of the complications derived from obesity-related comorbidities, it can be stated that fat location and adipose tissue dysfunction are even more directly related.


First paragraph: From February 2002 through November 2002, Laurie and I worked with a group of 17 elementary teachers and four math advisors using a version of Japanese Lesson Study for professional development in four school districts in Southern Illinois. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) was part of a consortium of Illinois universities who received a grant to explore lesson study from the Illinois State Board of Education. We have previously reported (Taylor & Puchner, 2002) that participating teachers had found the experience motivating and beneficial. In this paper, we want to share some additional features of the groups' experiences with lesson study. Following a description of Lesson Study, we will organize comments about key happenings for our Illinois lesson study groups under the main steps of the lesson study process, which allows us to simultaneously describe the process and report on the groups' responses to the process.


Disparities emanating from South Africa's apartheid history still pose a number of challenges to the country, especially in education. Since the transition to democracy in 1994, the prescribed government school curriculum has undergone several revisions in an endeavour to set standards and provide instruction of a high quality. On the language education front, laws and policies have been adopted to ensure, inter alia, the maintenance and development of the 11 official languages and the granting of parity of esteem as required by the country's constitution. Notwithstanding the fact that the objective of an equal and quality education may take considerable time to achieve, the ongoing provision of an education of an undesirable standard two decades into democracy could be seen as undermining the constitution and as a perpetuating form of injustice. This paper problematises the equalisation of educational standards against the historical background of the country and provides a critical overview of initiatives taken by education authorities to introduce a more equitable system. The conclusion reached is that policy is not translating into effective practice and that insufficient attention is being devoted to the standard of teaching and assessment of the school language subjects, placing them in a weak position for use in linguistically challenging (higher register) domains.


All material supplied via JYX is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, and duplication or sale of all or part of any of the repository collections is not permitted, except that material may be duplicated by you for your research use or educational purposes in electronic or print form. You must obtain permission for any other use. Electronic or print copies may not be offered, whether for sale or otherwise to anyone who is not an authorised user. The predictive coding model of perception proposes that neuronal responses are modulated by the amount of sensory input that the internal prediction cannot account for (i.e., prediction error). However, there is little consensus on what constitutes nonpredicted stimuli. Conceptually, whereas mispredicted stimuli may induce both prediction error generated by prediction that is not perceived and prediction error generated by sensory input that is not anticipated, unpredicted stimuli involves no top-down, only bottom-up, propagation of information in the system. Here, we examined the possibility that the processing of mispredicted and unpredicted stimuli are dissociable at the neurophysiological level using human electroencephalography. We presented participants with sets of five tones in which the frequency of the fifth tones was predicted, mispredicted, or unpredicted. Participants were required to press a key when they detected a softer fifth tone to maintain their attention. We found that mispredicted and unpredicted stimuli are associated with different amount of cortical activity, probably reflecting differences in prediction error. Moreover, relative to predicted stimuli, the mispredicted prediction error manifested as neuronal enhancement and the unpredicted prediction error manifested as neuronal attenuation on the N1 event-related potential component. These results highlight the importance of differentiating between the two nonpredicted stimuli in theoretical work on predictive coding.


DSC melting point (melting point) is a polymer containing at least 100 ℃ olefin block copolymer (olefin block copolymer, OBC) and natural rubber or synthetic rubber; A liquid softening agent; And providing a cross-linking agent, blowing agent, and a metal oxide, stearic acid, a mixture of antioxidants, jinkeu stearate, titanium dioxide, crosslinking aid and a pigment at least one selected from the group consisting of other additives; Forming a polymeric foam by putting the mixture into a mold by the foaming pressure at elevated temperature conditions; And the method after the manufacture of the foam concrete pump washing foam comprising the step of exposing the closed cells on the surface by grinding the surface of the polymer foam is provided.


Abstract The effects of the insecticidal coumarin surangin B on mitochondrial function, transmitter release from synaptosomes, and whole-body ATP levels have been examined in insects. The interaction of this compound with rat cortical neurones in primary culture was also investigated using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique. Surangin B (1 μM) blocked state 4 (basal) respiration in cricket thoracic muscle mitochondria respiring on succinate. No inhibition of basal oxygen consumption was detected when glutamate or proline was used as substrate; however, surangin B increased state 4 respiration in the presence of a pyruvate:malate substrate combination. State 3 (ADP-driven) respiration using glutamate, proline, or the pyruvate:malate combination was sensitive to inhibition by surangin B (1 μM). In blowfly flight muscle mitochondria, concentration-response experiments with proline as the substrate indicated a state 3 respiration IC 50 of 40 nM for surangin B. Unlike rotenone, surangin B was a very effective blocker of ADP-driven respiration and uncoupler [carbonyl cyanide chlorophenyl-hydrazone (CCCP)]-stimulated state 3 respiration in blowfly mitochondria respiring on succinate. In contrast to oligomycin, surangin B blocked state 4 respiration and its inhibitory effect on state 3 respiration was not reversed by CCCP. Our experiments on isolated components of the electron transport chain revealed minimal effects of surangin B on sites I and III and extensive inhibition of coupling site II. Whole-insect ATP levels were reduced in crickets dosed topically with 6 μg of surangin B. Cricket synaptosomes showed a marked stimulation of neurotransmitter release when exposed to surangin B (EC 50 = 3 μM). This effect was not blocked by TTX but was enhanced in Ca 2+ -free saline. Miniature EPSC frequency was dramatically increased in rat cortical neurones within 2–4 min of application of surangin B (1 μM). Responses were more pronounced in calcium-free saline with 500 μM Cd 2+ . Surangin B-induced increases in miniature EPSC frequency were associated with an irreversible block of spontaneous inhibitory and excitatory synaptic currents. This investigation suggests that blockade of a complex III component, depletion of ATP stores, and massive presynaptic transmitter release resulting in irreversible loss of postsynaptic sensitivity are likely to be important mechanisms underlying the development of paralysis in insects treated with surangin B.


THURUVAS DINAKARAN, GOWTHAM. Visualizing Narrative Threads in a Large Collection of Documents. (Under the direction of Dr. Christopher G. Healey.) A narrative thread can be defined as a structured sequence of interactions between independent entities. Several narrative threads can intertwine to produce plots. Visualization of narrative threads has gained importance since it can help uncover critical events within a plot. Various techniques have been proposed to visualize a plot based on character interactions, their relationships or their physical co-existence at a location. Although some techniques have considered plot sentiment, they have not been visualized at the thread-level. Unstructured text data have been growing at a rapid pace and a significant percentage is usergenerated, for example, data from social media, e-mail, online product reviews, and so on. Though the definition of a narrative thread for unstructured data is unchanged in this domain, the explicit concept of plot is lost since threads are built from data, which have different origins. Instead, the data can be viewed as containing several narrative threads about a particular idea or a topic. A different set of metrics is necessary to generate and visualize narrative structures within this environment. In this thesis, I develop a novel technique to generate and visualize narrative threads from a large collection of documents. A document includes a wide range of text data, such as a customer support e-mail, a chat transcript or a comment from a social media site. I structure the documents into narrative threads based on properties derived from document clustering and sentiment analysis, then present the results as a line graph that visualizes the interaction between entities in a thread based on their sentiment. © Copyright 2015 by Gowtham Thuruvas Dinakaran All Rights Reserved Visualizing Narrative Threads in a Large Collection of Documents by Gowtham Thuruvas Dinakaran A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science


The choice of anaphors indicates the architecture of a text. Mothertongue readers integrate by routine those grammatical informations to construct a semantic representation of the text. This article deals with the acquisition of grammar based routines both in first language (French) and in second language (German). The aim of our investigation is to know whether grammar based reading routines are a matter of general cognitive development or of language reading, advanced French speaking learners of German do not use the reading routines they already have acquired in their first language. So, grammar based routines can probably not be considered as a part of general cognitive development but as a part of language acquisition.


In real-world scenarios, it may not always be possible to collect hundreds of labeled samples per class for training deep-learning-based synthetic aperture radar (SAR) automatic target recognition (ATR) models. This work specifically tackles the few-shot SAR ATR problem, where only a handful of labeled samples may be available to support the task of interest. Our approach is composed of two stages. In the first, a global representation model is trained via self-supervised learning (SSL) on a large pool of diverse and unlabeled SAR data. In the second stage, the global model is used as a fixed feature extractor and a classifier is trained to partition the feature space given the few-shot support samples, while simultaneously being calibrated to detect anomalous inputs. Unlike competing approaches which require a pristine labeled dataset for pretraining via meta-learning, our approach learns highly transferable features from unlabeled data that have little-to-no relation to the downstream task. We evaluate our method in standard and extended moving and stationary target acquisition and recognition (MSTAR) operating conditions and find it to achieve high accuracy and robust out-of-distribution (OOD) detection in many different few-shot settings. Our results are particularly significant because they show the merit of a global model approach to SAR ATR, which makes minimal assumptions and provides many axes for extendability.


This chapter on road transportation and infrastructure security is from a textbook that presents an interdisciplinary approach to the issue of global preparedness from a transportation perspective. Topics covered include the National Highway System, security issues, security threats, challenges for state departments of transportation (DOTs), road elements and vulnerability, and countermeasures. The author notes that the road transportation mode is unique because it consists of privately owned vehicles traveling on publicly maintained roads. The author describes a proposed security program designed to discourage terrorist attack through visible security and reduced vulnerability, as well as to minimize damage in the event of an attack. Bridges, interchanges, and tunnels are the most vulnerable parts of the road transportation system. Tunnel and bridge owners, operators, planners, and engineers are encouraged to make balanced decisions in selecting countermeasures for their facilities, preferably to risk an acceptable level of damage at a reasonable cost. The author concludes that although the problem of road transportation security seems insurmountable, it can be addressed through prioritization and risk assessment.


This publication describes the extension and modernization of the precision measuring device for the measurement of high ac voltages at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt. In addition to the measurement of the peak value, the extension of the present PTB standard for measurement of high ac voltages based on the capacitor charging current procedure (Chubb-Fortescue method) MAZI [2] allows also the effective value and the positive and negative peak of an ac voltage up to 1 kHz to be exactly determined. A 24 bits A/D conversion with a maximum sampling rate of 15 MS/s was used. The thus obtained time-discrete values are evaluated, displayed and filed by means of a software, programmed at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt. The digitalization of the measurement signal allows current mathematical functions to be used for the determination of relevant characteristics such as, for example, the harmonic distortion. Comparison measurements with the existing PTB standard as well as mathematical uncertainty determinations provide (without taking the high-voltage capacitor into account) an overall uncertainty of less than 0.005 %. This uncertainty is valid for both the effective value measurement and the peak value measurement of high ac voltages.


Author(s): Cheng, Fan-Ting | Advisor(s): Case, Sue-Ellen | Abstract: This dissertation examines contemporary political performances inside and outside of Taiwan as a political gesture capable of reacting and responding to the changing milieu. I investigate the process through which performers and activists reinforced or troubled the political dominance between the years 2000 and 2013, an unusual period in which colossal demonstrations against governments ensued. I consider the cultural and economic scenarios in which performance practitioners participate in the discussion of identification and examine the diverse performing methods mediated through transnational and regional discourses. I argue that live performance has become a tactical and playful form of political critique that fights within and against the official norms of identity from which it is constructed. The main focus of this dissertation is the process through which Taiwanese performances negotiate and oscillate in-between various identificatory (de)constructions resulting from its layered colonization and sensitive relationship to the international. The various artistic approaches signify what I model as the dialectic between the national melancholia and the campy island disidentification of Taiwan. The practices not only contribute to the enactment of a more just and egalitarian Taiwan but also mobilize necessary dialogues across states and borders that partake in performative and political issues abroad. I ground this argument in the combination of psychoanalysis, transnational discourses, body politics, and the analysis of specific performance examples. The examples include Dreamers (2011), Mazu's Bodyguards (2009), Pirates and Formosa (2011), A Soldiers' Pay (2004), Antigone (2013), The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (2009), Occupy Wall Street (2011-), and White Shirt Movement (2013-). I treat "performance" not as an end product but as an ongoing political project probing into the interrelation between political/economic apparatus and media/technology spectacle. I suggest not only that the historical particularities dominate the local cultural productions but also that practitioners transform and reimagine the sense of nation and of island by fashioning divergent theatrical aesthetics in response to the political dynamisms. This dissertation ends by querying how performative articulations of Taiwanese identification function as a means of survival that triggers further discussion regarding the interplay between postcolonial politics and multicultural aesthetics on this island.


-Louisiana has long been known for its sometimes controversial har vest ofsmall shrimpfrom its inshore waters. With the trend toward landings of smaller shrimp from the Gulf, the economics ofthe small shrimp processing and marketing in dustry is ofincreasing importance. The pro duction ofthree shrimp products, raw head on, peeled, and canned, was found to be dependent on small-shrimp supply. Over 20 percent ofthe shrimp moving through Loui siana s processing plants was shipped out of the stateforfurther processing. Most ofthese were small, head-on shrimp. Louisiana is an important supplier ofsmall-shrimp products and small shrimp for processors in other Gulf states.


aspects of soil physical properties, and presents the results of current studies in Asia, Africa and Latin America, supplemented by relevant papers from Australia, North America and Europe. They are grouped in nine chapters covering soil structure, soil physical properties and land use, soil/water/temperature/ plant relationships, root growth and soil and water conservation. The importance of the subject as a whole, and of the book in particular, is reflected in a reminder by R Lal that, to maintain present nutritional levels for the world population, the rate of new land development may be as much as 610 million hectares per annum, with 120 million hectares suggested for the tropical areas of Africa and Latin America. A sombre picture of the hazards facing such development is drawn in a paper by K A Edwards showing that in Kenya one water supply reservoir of 1470 X 103 cubic metres capacity lost more than 50% of its storage capacity in sixteen years due to silting, with incoming water carrying sediment loads of 1,500 tons/kmf/per annum. He points out that the rate of erosion from cultivated fields in the most densely populated parts of Kenya may be as much as 5,000-6,000 tons/km'i/per annum, and that this is too high for low efficiency subsistence agriculture to survive without drastic falls in yields. Soil erosion is further considered in papers on laboratory and field techniques studying soil aggregation, water infiltration and run-off characteristics, the use of rainfall simulators, and the effects of soil conditioners. Mulch and minimum or zero-tillage systems of farming are considered by a number of authors as offering effective soil conservation on the majority of tropical soils. On the other hand, R Nicou and J L Chopart report that, on the sandy soils of the dry tropical zone of Senegal, cultivation to 20 ern greatly improves growth of rice, millet, sorghum and groundnuts, by improving porosity and increasing the depths of rooting, both leading to better water and nutrient utilization. The theme of water use is taken up by D Hillel, who denounces such concepts as "field capacity", "permanent wilting points" and others as anachronistic. Rather, he calls attention to the "SPAC" (soil/plant/atmosphere continuum) dynamic concept, going on to assert the value of trickle and drip irrigation systems as preferred alternatives to traditional flood systems. In related work, S Valet shows by use of neutron moisture meter techniques, that windblown terrace soils of the River Niger can be cultivated more intensively than traditionally supposed, with the assistance of sprinkler and trickle irrigation techniques. Several papers deal with lysimeter studies and, in particular, with the transient flooding so often the result of high intensity rain storms. In more applied work, J E Mansfield considers that, in northern Nigeria, climate is the main determinant of the type of crop permissible and management level of yield obtained, with soil only having any significance in extreme cases. He goes on to describe a computer-based system of land capability classification. F N Muchena discusses the wider aspects of land quality, using a multidisciplinary approach, and illustrates the system by examples drawn from the Kenya Soil Survey. There is, thus, something for everyone _ advanced student, research worker and planner. It offers a stimulating review of a technical aspect of critical importance to land development in the tropics, and should do much to strengthen international standardization in this field. The reviewer feels that a very important omission is the almost complete lack of comment on the value of tree crops in the tropics. There is one interesting paper from Malaysia on rooting of oil palms, but only passing references in one or two papers to their value in the environment as a whole. Let us hope that a future conference and publication will redress the balance. The price of the present volume is high, but should not deter professional workers and librarians from acquiring such a valuable addition to the literature on tropical agriculture. G A WA TSDN


Extra band information in addition to the RGB, such as the near-infrared (NIR) and the ultra-violet, is valuable for many applications. In this paper, we propose a novel color filter array (CFA), which we call "hybrid CFA," and a demosaicking algorithm for the simultaneous capturing of the RGB and the additional band images. Our proposed hybrid CFA and demosaicking algorithm do not rely on any specific correlation between the RGB and the additional band. Therefore, the additional band can be arbitrarily decided by users. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed demosaicking algorithm with the proposed hybrid CFA can provide the additional band image while keeping the RGB image almost the same quality as the image acquired by using the standard Bayer CFA.


Big and bold, loud and brash, mighty and proud, the classic American muscle car is in many ways a reflection of America at a time in history when we were on top of the world and everything seemed to be going our way. This work will examine the classic muscle car era of 1964-1974, including how it started, who helped it along, what cars were involved, how it ended, and what it meant. What the future holds for a car such as a muscle car is also examined.


Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome (HGPS, also known as progeria) is a very rare genetic disease that affects fewer than 400 people in the world and for which there is no effective treatment. HGPS is characterized by early aging accompanied by the development of atherosclerosis. Patients die at an average age of 14 years from a heart attack or stroke, processes triggered by the rupture of unstable atherosclerotic lesions. Now, scientists at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC) and the CIBER de Enfermedades Cardiovasculares (CIBERCV), led by Dr. Vicente Andrés, have generated the first genetically modified mice with accelerated atherosclerosis induced by the protein progerin, which causes the development of HGPS. The research team found that the main cause of accelerated atherosclerosis and premature death in these mice was alterations in the smooth muscle cells lining the blood vessels. The results of the study, published today in Circulation, identify vascular smooth muscle cells as a possible therapeutic target for combatting the premature atherosclerosis in progeria. The study was conducted in collaboration with Dr. Carlos López-Otín of the University of Oviedo and Dr. Jacob Bentzon at the CNIC.


Abstract The scope and limitations of triphenylsilanethiol (1) a solid hydrogen sulfide equivalent, were investigated in free radical reactions to terminal alkynes. The triphenylsilylthioenol ether intermediate thus obtained was deprotected with Cs2CO3 in the presence of various electrophiles to yield mixtures of E and Z vinyl sulfides. The ratio of E and Z isomers could be controlled by varying the concentration of the starting alkynes.


No, except perhaps at high doses. Inhaled corticosteroids at low to medium doses (<1500 mcg beclomethasone hydrofluoroalkane per day) for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease don't increase the risk of significant bone loss or fracture at 2 to 3 years follow-up. Higher doses, however, may raise the risk of nontraumatic fracture over 1 to 4 years of follow-up.


Cyber security is one critical issue for Internet protocol (IP)-based cyber-physical systems. To protect physical systems from possible malicious intrusions, cyber infrastructures, e.g., firewalls, are installed in systems. However, with more intelligent cyberattacks, existing firewalls may not be advanced enough to protect these intelligent cyberattacks, which increase the probability of outages and reduce system reliability levels. In this case, cyber infrastructures should be updated to deal with more intelligent cyberattacks. This paper proposes a probabilistic method for making decisions about updating strategies of cyber infrastructures. Considering stochastic characteristics of cyberattacks, a reliability-based cost-effective updating model for cyber infrastructures is formulated. The optimal updating strategy balances the system reliability and the cost caused by updating cyber infrastructures. The proposed method is illustrated on the IEEE 30-bus system, and the results show the feasibility for informing updating cyber infrastructures.


We previously constructed a heterologous production system for ergothioneine (ERG) in Escherichia coli using five ERG biosynthesis genes (egtABCDE) from Mycobacterium smegmatis. However, significant amounts of hercynine (HER), an intermediate of ERG, as ERG was accumulated, suggesting that the reaction of EgtB catalyzing the attachment of γ-glutamylcysteine to HER to yield hercynyl-γ-glutamylcysteine sulfoxide was a bottleneck. In this study, we searched for other EgtBs and found many egtB orthologs in diverse microorganisms. Among these, Methylobacterium strains possessed EgtBs that catalyze direct conversion of HER into hercynylcysteine sulfoxide with L-Cys as a sulfur donor, in a manner similar to those of acidobacterial CthEgtB and fungal Egt1. In vitro study with recombinant EgtBs from Methylobacterium brachiatum and M. pseudosasicola clearly showed that both enzymes accepted L-Cys but not γ-glutamylcysteine. We reconstituted the ERG production system in E. coli with egtB from M. pseudosasicola; ERG productivity reached 657 mg L-1.


TPMT*V5 Allele is a variant form of 34-kb 10-exon human TPMT Gene (TPMT Family), which encodes polymorphic monomeric 245-aa 28-kDa cytoplasmic Thiopurine S-Methyltransferase. Inhibited by S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine, TPMT catalyzes thiopurine S-methylation, an important metabolic pathway for thiopurine drugs such as 6-mercaptopurine. TPMT contains a variable number of 17/18 bp tandem repeats (VNTR), from 3-9 (*V3-*V9), within the GC-rich 5'-flanking TPMT promoter region that modulate the level of TPMT enzyme activity (to a smaller extent than ORF-based SNP effects). A decrease in gene expression is seen with increasing repeat numbers. TPMT*V5 contains 5 VNTR. TPMT activity is thought to be an important determinant of toxicity associated with thiopurine medications.


AI, Robotics, and loT are attracting wide attention, expected as technologies to change society in the future. These innovative technologies have potentials to build (1) a borderless communication society, (2) a symbiotic society between humans and robots, and (3) a safe and secure networked society. This paper describes some specific solutions by Panasonic: (1) automatic translation solution, (2) dam inspection robot solution, and (3) large-scale imaging security solution. All of these solutions will work in collaboration with cloud and will evolve into an advanced system. In addition, higher performance and more intelligent processing is required on the IoT/Edge devices, thus VLSI plays even more important roles.


A method to simulate rolling contact wear in a rail surface was developed using the finite elements method and numerical analysis. A two-dimensional finite elements model was used in order to reduce the calculation time and boundary conditions to prevent excessive deformation of a wheel and a rail were applied. A numerical analysis of rail wear at rolling contact was predicted using the Archards equation. In addition, the characteristics of rail wear with the increasing speed of vehicle were analyzed. Results show that there was not a large difference in the depths of wear on the rail head with increasing vehicle speed, but the wear on the rail gauge corner increased with increasing vehicle speed.


The nonlinear finite-element analysis of planar overlapped N-joints square chords and circle braces was carried out,which revealed the joint failure mechanisms.The rules were summarized from the relation between the ultimate strength and the following parameters:diameter ratio of branch to chord,thickness ratio of branch to chord,ratio of chord diameter to its thickness and axial force of chords.Our research has indicated that the axial compression of chords has a great influence on the ultimate bearing resistance,and the result gained from the code design formulae leans to be unsafe because the influence of the axial compression of chords is not taken into account.


Background. In this article, we explore the virological response to two types of interferon based treatment in recurrent hepatitis C virus in liver recipients who received thymoglobulin induction. Methods. Fifty consecutive patients were randomized to receive PEG interferon alpha 2b (1.0 &mgr;g/kg per week), ribavirin (800 mg/d) plus amantadine (200 mg/d), or PEG interferon alpha 2b (1.0 &mgr;g/kg per week) plus ribavirin (800 mg/d). The primary endpoint was absence of hepatitis C virus RNA 6 months posttreatment. The secondary endpoint was change in fibrosis at 1 year. Results. Only 30 patients completed 1 year of treatment. In an intention to treat analysis, the sustained virological response (SVR) rate was 26% in I/R/A group and 50% in I/R group. By per protocol, the overall SVR rate was 57%. Fibrosis progression by at least one stage was noted in 37% patients. Twenty-nine percent of patients who achieved SVR had shown fibrosis progression by at least one stage whereas 46% nonresponders showed fibrosis progression (P=NS). Conclusion. This is the first study exploring the efficacy of pegylated interferon-based antiviral treatment in patients who received a steroid-free protocol. Our data is encouraging and shows that if liver transplant recipients can tolerate treatment for 1 year there is a reasonable chance of SVR.


In their report "Mitochondrial DNA mutations, oxidative stress, and apoptosis in mammalian aging" (15 July, p. [481][1]), G. C. Kujoth et al. present data showing that mice with a mutant form of mitochondrial DNA polymerase accumulate mitochondrial mutations, die at a very early age, and exhibit


The Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) reaction is an important method for forming carbon-carbon bonds between carbonyl-containing compounds and activated olefins. However, the slow reaction rate with electron-rich electrophilic partners has limited its wider use. To overcome this drawback, the effects of pyridinium-based ionic liquids mediated quinuclidine catalytic system for MBH reactions were studied.

The method is simple, involving neat and open-flask conditions, and is compatible with a wide range of reagents. We offered general pyridinium-based ionic liquids-mediated quinuclidine catalysis mechanism that is responsible for the observed rate increase. The synthetic versatility of the MBH adducts is demonstrated by the synthesis of important building blocks for the natural product (-)-sitophilure. The authors anticipate that this pyridinium-based ionic liquids-mediated quinuclidine protocol could serve as a general methodology for the MBH reaction.

In summary, the study presents a simple and effective method to enhance the reaction rate of the MBH reaction. The authors believe this method has the potential for broader applications and may contribute to developing new synthetic strategies for organic synthesis.

We successfully recycled the catalytic system up to 7 runs without losing any catalytic activity.


Abstract : As part of its squadron activation, the 315th Network Warfare Squadron (NWS) requested assistance from the Air Force Institute of Technology in developing criteria for declaring Initial Operational Capability (IOC) and Full Operational Capability (FOC) to assess the unit's operational readiness. The research methodology included a review of current Department of Defense (DoD), Joint, and Air Force publications and instructions, as well as a review of three different unit activations: the new Air Force Cyberspace Command, an F/A-22 Fighter Squadron, and an Intelligence Squadron. By comparing the Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System (JCIDS) process and the Status of Resources and Training System (SORTS) process, it is clear that unit readiness is measured and reported by SORTS Category Levels (C-Level) to support wartime missions, not by IOC and FOC milestones. This paper reviews SORTS computations and provides a case study of a notional Air Force NWS to propose that any new cyber squadron should report operational readiness starting with C-5 for unit activation, then C-3 to declare initial operational readiness, and finally C-1 to declare full wartime mission readiness.


The objective of this research is to analyse vegetation's reactions to precipitation. Three Pinups sp. combinations and water tension conditions (pine) forests and NDVI's assessment of the capacity to identify drought and water stress in this sort of ecosystem. For the purposes of this analysis, a 30-year time series of NDVI indices, derived from SPOT-Vegetation data, is built for all three study sites and compared with field measured precipitation data for the same time span. Results indicate a good relationship between the two indices suggesting a stronger capacity for investigating the vegetation water status. In general, fluctuations in high seasonal precipitation tend to have a strong influence on both NDVI ratios, while a smoother spread of precipitation results in a poorer relationship with the two indices.


Polymeric outdoor insulators are being increasingly used for electrical power transmission and distribution in the recent years. One of the current topics of interest for the power transmission community is the aging of such outdoor polymeric insulators. A few research groups are carrying out aging studies at room temperature with wet period as an integral part of multistress aging cycle as specified by IEC standards. However, aging effect due to dry conditions alone at elevated temperatures and electric stress in the presence of radiation environment has probably not been explored. It is interesting to study and understand the insulator performance under dry conditions where wet periods are either rare or absent and to estimate the extent of aging caused by multiple stresses. This paper deals with the long-term accelerated multistress aging on full-scale 11 kV distribution class composite silicone rubber insulators. In order to assess the long-term synergistic effect of electric stress, temperature and UV radiation on insulators, they are subjected to accelerated aging in a specially designed multistress-aging chamber for 3800 hours. All the stresses are applied at an accelerated level. Using a data acquisition system developed for the work, leakage current has been monitored in LabVIEW environment. Chemical changes due to degradations have been studied using Energy Dispersive X-Ray analysis, Scanning Electron Microscope and Fourier transform Infrared Spectroscopy. Periodically different parameters like low molecular weight (LMW) molecular content, hydrophobicity, leakage current and surface morphology were monitored.


Poverty is one manifestation of inequality: it is often a consequence of an unequal distribution of social resources, especially in urban settings. The lack of resources can impact people's quality of life and provoke a spiral that reinforces the cycle of poverty. The concept of resilience can be a useful framework for understanding a person's positive adaptations to urban poverty's environmental stressors. This paper seeks to comprehensively understand how urban poverty influences the social functioning and well-being of individuals in urban areas. We conducted a systematic review to identify the risk factors that limit or increase vulnerability and the resilient responses that promote development and psychological functioning among those experiencing urban poverty. We explore how resilience can help overcome the vulnerabilities urban poverty creates and identify the coping strategies some families experiencing urban poverty use. We encourage researchers and practitioners to take a strengths-based approach to understanding individuals' resilient responses and community involvement as they socially adapt to unequal conditions in diverse and myriad ways.


Radiation protection system surrounding the patient on X-ray table (14) (12) (10) includes a radiation shielding wall having an opening around the X-ray table (14) (20), above the patient comprises a radiation shielding screen (22), and a flexible interface for connecting the housing (100) in the X-ray table (14) (24). The walls (20), from a number of radiation output from the X-ray emitter, medical personnel in the working area (16) is protected. Radiation screen (22) can contract to the legs of the X-ray table (14), to be extended so as to be interposed between the medical personnel and the patient (12), it is attached to the X-ray table (14). Interface (24) includes a flexible joint that is attached to the wall (20) and (38), radiation-resistant skirt portion (40). The skirt, the wall (20) connected to the screen (22), covering the openings of the wall (26).


ICT has become the face of innovation and is defining the future of the world economy and generations. ICT is used in various sectors of the economy such as agriculture and education. The education sector in particular has seen the rise of innovative technologies that are widely used throughout the world. These include projector screens, smart–boards, and most importantly, computers. ICT usage in schools within African countries such as Kenya is slower compared to western countries especially in schools located in slums. Kangemi is one the slums in Kenya and this is where this study will focus on as a case study. Slum areas have unique constraints affecting the availability and usage of computers by school-going children. This research focused on Kangemi Ward within Kangemi slum. The research goals were to identify these constraints that Kangemi was facing. Through field data that was collected, the researcher observed that cost of computers, availability and reliability of electricity, and financial status' of residents of Kangemi were some of the notable constraints faced. However, not all of these constraints provided a positive correlation with access to computers by school-going children in Kangemi both at home and in school. Most of the data was analysed descriptively and both quantitative and qualitative methods of analysis were employed.


We calculated the dimensionless gyromagnetic ratio (``$g$-factor'') of self-gravitating, uniformly rotating disks of dust with a constant specific charge $\ensuremath{\epsilon}$. These disk solutions to the Einstein-Maxwell equations depend on $\ensuremath{\epsilon}$ and a ``relativity parameter'' $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ ($0l\ensuremath{\gamma}\ensuremath{\le}1$) up to a scaling parameter. Accordingly, the $g$-factor is a function $g=g(\ensuremath{\gamma},\ensuremath{\epsilon})$. The Newtonian limit is characterized by $\ensuremath{\gamma}\ensuremath{\ll}1$, whereas $\ensuremath{\gamma}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}1$ leads to a black-hole limit. The $g$-factor, for all $\ensuremath{\epsilon}$, approaches the values $g=1$ as $\ensuremath{\gamma}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0$ and $g=2$ as $\ensuremath{\gamma}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}1$.


The chronic hypoxia of high altitude leads to pronounced changes in the pulmonary trunk so that it resembles the aorta. It undergoes hypertrophy and its histological elastic tissue pattern resembles that of the fetus. It has a higher elastin content than the pulmonary trunk at sea level and this reduces its extensibility. Experiments on Wistar rats show that under these conditions hypertrophy of the pulmonary trunk is accompanied by simultaneous right ventricular hypertrophy and enlargement of the carotid bodies. When the stimulus of hypoxia is removed, all three changes regress together.


This paper aims to increase the efficiency of estimator through the optimal pairing of units in systematic sampling. The proposed Optimal Systematic Sampling Scheme is very simple, yet more generalized than any other systematic sampling scheme available in the literature. This scheme is applicable not only for the case where population size is multiple of sample size but also for other cases where this condition may not hold. Efficiency comparisons with the well-known sampling schemes have also been carried out both theoretically and numerically.


Peristaltic pump technology is widely used wherever relatively low, highly accurately dosed volumetric flow rates are required and where fluid contamination must be excluded. Thus, typical fields of application include food, pharmaceuticals, medical technology, and analytics. In certain cases, when applied in conjunction with polymer-based tubing material, supplied peristaltic flow rates are reported to be significantly lower than the expected set flow rates. Said flow rate reductions are related to (i) the chosen tube material, (ii) tube material fatigue effects, and (iii) the applied pump frequency. This work presents a fast, dynamic, multiphysics, 1D peristaltic pump solver, which is demonstrated to capture all qualitatively relevant effects in terms of peristaltic flow rate reduction within linear peristaltic pumps. The numerical solver encompasses laminar fluid dynamics, geometric restrictions provided by peristaltic pump operation, as well as viscoelastic tube material properties and tube material fatigue effects. A variety of validation experiments were conducted within this work. The experiments point to the high degree of quantitative accuracy of the novel software and qualify it as the basis for elaborating an a priori drive correction.


Image-based user recognition has become a technology that is now used in many ways. This is because it is possible to use only a camera without the need for any other device. In addition, due to the advantage of contactless, there are relatively many people who prefer it. However, normal recognition is not possible if some of the face information is lost due to the user's posture or the wearing of masks caused by the recent prevalent disease. This is because the information needed for recognition is largely lost due to obscurity. In some platforms, although performance is improved through incremental updates, it is still inconvenient. It takes a lot of time to update information about the occluded faces, and the overall accuracy is lowered. In this paper, we propose a method to respond more actively to these situations. First, determine whether the obscurity occurs, and improve the stability by calculating the feature vector using only a significant area when the obscurity occurs. By recycling the existing recognition model, without incurring little additional costs, it was confirmed the results of reducing the recognition performance drop in certain situations. Since only one layer has been added to the existing recognizer, there is no burden in terms of computational speed or memory. Using this technique, we confirmed the performance improvement of about 1.5% in the situation where some information is lost. Although performance is not dramatically improved, it is the biggest advantage that it can improve recognition performance by utilizing existing


Despite popular opinions of the 'dark Middle Ages' and a 'gloomy early modern age,' many people laughed, smiled, giggled, chuckled, entertained and ridiculed each other. This volume demonstrates how important laughter had been at times and how diverse the situations proved to be in which people laughed, and this from late antiquity to the eighteenth century. The contributions examine a wide gamut of significant cases of laughter in literary texts, historical documents, and art works where laughter determined the relationship among people. In fact, laughter emerges as a kaleidoscopic phenomenon reflecting divine joy, bitter hatred and contempt, satirical perspectives and parodic intentions. In some examples protagonists laughed out of sheer happiness and delight, in others because they felt anxiety and insecurity. It is much more difficult to detect premodern sculptures of laughing figures, but they also existed. Laughter reflected a variety of concerns, interests, and intentions, and the collective approach in this volume to laughter in the past opens many new windows to the history of mentality, social and religious conditions, gender relationships, and power structures.


In this article, two copper(II) complexes, [Cu(2,2′-bpy)2(ppac)](H2O)7 (1) and [Cu2(2,2′-bpy)4(ppac)]( )2(H2O)16 (2), have been synthesized (H2ppac = p-phenylenediacetic acid, 2,2′-bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine). We report structural evidence of discrete water clusters in the solid state. An unusual 1-D water tape notated T4(2)6(2) is present in complex 1. Complex 2 displays a hydrogen-bonded pillar-layered structure that is constituted by lattice waters. An unprecedented water cluster notated as T4(1)6(1)6(2) is present in complex 2. The units act as supramolecular glue in the aggregation of copper(II) complexes to give a 3-D cage-like network through hydrogen bonds. Preliminary investigation on electrochemical properties of the complexes is presented.


Sophisticated and flexible real-time systems will often use several versions of a program fragment that performs a particular action. These versions will differ only in their performance parameters, such as the time required, the resources consumed, and the precision of the results. This paper presents a theory of performance polymorphism, whereby the process of selecting a version from the available set is incorporated into the class hierarchy. The binding problem for this new style of polymorphism is discussed, and an equivalent problem of program flow analysis is described. The requirements for a simple implementation of performance polymorphism are presented.


I. Demo Description Traditionally, neuromorphic ICs have integrated only reduced subsets of the rich repertoire of plasticity seen in biological preparations [1], [2]. The focus with respect to long term plasticity has been mostly on Spike-Time-Dependent Plasticity (STDP) [1]. Several ICs have also implemented forms of presynaptic short term dynamics, which filter synaptic pulse input, but have no influence on other timescales of plasticity. Here, we demonstrate an IC that implements short-term-, long-term-, and metaplasticity in an integrated way following [3], where these three different timescales interact to form the overall weight at the synapse. Fig. 1 shows an example presynaptic pattern with depression and the membrane trace as input for learning [3]. The resulting analog weight state shows the influence of presynaptic depression in the step increases, comparable to [1]. Also, different settings for the learning threshold exhibit a bias towards weight increase/decrease on a metaplastic (i.e. slow) timescale similar to [2]. The overall setup features several Maple-ICs of each 16 neurons and 512 of the above synapses, interlinked via FPGA-based pulse transmission. This allows network sizes of up to 200 neurons, sufficient to demonstrate the necessity for this type of learning for a range of computational neuroscience models.


OBJECTIVE
Identify predictors for lupus low disease activity state (LLDAS), early-achieved LLDAS, and long-term disease activity and refine a prognostic stratification tool for use in active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients.

METHOD
A total of 245 active SLE patients were enrolled, followed up quarterly from 2014 to 2016. LLDAS-50 was defined as the maintenance of LLDAS for ≥50% of the observed time. LLDAS at 3 months after cohort entry (LLDAS-3mo) was considered an early-achieved LLDAS. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify predictors for LLDAS, early-achieved LLDAS and long-term disease activity. Based on the factors associated with LLDAS, a prognostic stratification tool for LLDAS was established.

RESULTS
The 2-year probability of achieving LLDAS was 62.9% (154/245). Multivariate analysis determined renal involvement, hematological involvement and hypocomplementemia were negative predictors for achieving LLDAS and LLDAS-50. In multivariate logistic analysis, antiphospholipid antibodies positivity, hypocomplementemia, renal involvement and hematological involvement were identified as negative predictors for achieving LLDAS-3mo. LLDAS-3mo (P < 0.0001; RR, 47.694 95% CI 13.776-165.127) was a strong predictor for LLDAS-50. The probability of achieving LLDAS, LLDAS-50 and LLDAS-3mo were 88.9% (32/36), 69.4% (25/36), and 41.7% (15/36) in the low-risk group, 65% (65/100), 51.0% (51/100), 32.0% (32/100) in intermediate-risk group, and 52.8% (57/108), 27.8% (30/108), 13.0% (14/108) in high-risk group respectively. Significant differences (P < 0.0001) were observed in the LLDAS Kaplan-Meier estimates for the 3 risk groups based on the identified risk factors.

CONCLUSION
Renal involvement, hematological involvement and hypocomplementemia were negative predictors of LLDAS achievement and maintenance. LLDAS-3mo was a positive predictor for the long-term sustainment of LLDAS.


This study presents the promising results obtained for an intelligent decision-making system for industrial processes in which the cutting stock problem is a component relevant to production planning. In order to establish a cutting process assisted by an intelligent system, with memory and learning capabilities, we utilised a symbiotic genetic algorithm (Symbio) that we developed for cutting stock problems with multiple objectives, setup costs and waste. We used case-based reasoning (CBR) as a learning strategy. The results obtained show that this is a promising approach.


SADS-TW BrS registry

 Brugada syndrome (BrS) is an inheritable arrhythmic disease responsible for sudden cardiac death. Information on the prevalence and role of SCN10A variants in BrS is limited and equivocal.

 We aimed to investigate the prevalence and role of SCN10A variants in BrS in Han Chinese.

 From 2000 to 2017, we prospectively and consecutively enrolled 176 unrelated BrS patients from the Han Chinese population in Taiwan (the SADS-TW BrS registry). Thirty-four BrS-related genes were screened by next-generation sequencing, using Taiwan Biobank as the population reference. The pathogenicity was evaluated by literature review and in silico analyses, including the SKAT-O algorithm.

 The SKAT-O algorithm showed that rare variants of SCN10A, but not common variants, were significantly different between BrS patients and healthy controls in the additive and dominant models (p-value <0.001), suggesting that rare SCN10A variants may play a role in BrS. Six likely pathogenic SCN10A variants were found in 6 patients and were compared to 25 pathogenic or likely pathogenic SCN5A variants found in 29 patients. The patients with likely pathogenic SCN10A variants tended to exhibit sudden death in older age and have a shorter QRS interval than those carrying pathogenic or likely pathogenic SCN5A variants or no variants in either gene (p = 0.06, 0.07, respectively). Collectively, the prevalence of likely pathogenic SCN10A variants was 3.4% in Han Chinese patients with BrS in Taiwan.

 SCN10A likely pathogenic variants were present in 3.4% of Han Chinese BrS patients. Rare SCN10A variants may play a role in BrS, and may have impact on clinical and electrocardiographic manifestations.
 Table 1. Patient Nucleotide Amino acid TWB gnomAD_EA REVEL CADD PHRED SIFT Polyphen-2 GERP++ 1 c.5789A > T p.D1930V 0.001318 0.0008700 0.479 24.5 Damaging Possibly damaging 4.22 2 c.2341G > A p.G781R 0 0.00005301 0.866 33 Damaging Probably damaging 4.83 3 c.5587C > T p.R1863W 0.000502 0 0.832 27.8 Damaging Probably damaging 1.97 4 c.2161C > T p.P721S 0.000989 0.0009016 0.933 28.5 Damaging Probably damaging 4.19 5 c.3749G > A p.R1250Q 0 0 0.907 31 Damaging Probably damaging 4.23 6 c.1825A > T p.R609W 0.000659 0.0001591 0.811 32 Damaging Probably damaging 4.28 Clinical and predicted functional characteristics of 6 likely pathogenic SCN10A variants. EA = East Asian; GERP = Genomic Evolutionary Rate Profiling; TWB = Taiwan Biobank. Transcript: NM_006514.3.
 Abstract 299 Figure. Location of the SCN10A variants


The author explores the issues involved in implementing the SONET format using ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) technology. Rather than describing specific devices, he focuses on the types of circuitry necessary to implement a single channel of a SONET system. This is done in order to give an idea of the differences between SONET and the asynchronous network and of the issues involves in using ASIC technology. The information presented is derived from the development of several ASICs used in a variety of SONET systems, including a multiplexer, a high-capacity transmission system, and a digital cross-connect system. The characteristics of these devices are used to expand upon the unique features of SONET from a circuit point of view. Opportunities for macros are presented along with key issues encountered in the development of SONET circuitry using ASIC technology.<<ETX>>


In this papar, 42 male specimens of A. nobilis and A. glabripennis, from different districts for OTU were studied by means of numerical taxonomic methods, Among 27 characters, sixteen are quantitative and eleven are qualitative. The principal component analysis and the similarity coefficients'were computed on the standardized data. Based on the square, of mean Euclidian distance matrix, mean Euclidian distance matrix and the correlation matrix respectively, the Q cluster analysis was also performed. UPGMA was used in both Q and R cluster analysis. Fuzzy clustering method was used too.The 'dendrograms of each Q clustering method are similar. All OTU was divided into 5 groups. From the results of the R cluster analysis, all characters could divided into 4 sets: A, B, C and D(Fig. 1), and the PCA were shown no difference with those of Q cluster analysis. A. nobilis and A. glabripennis distributed in Northwest and North China and propealed great difference in the phenograms and in the characters of the male adults, of the male genitalia and of the larval. Thus, the author inclined to support the view of dividing them into two independent species. Taxonomic rank level of species was 1.75, 1.38,. 0.15 and 0.77 respectively. Comparing with the typical specimen of A. glabripennis from North China, those from Sichuan Province showned degree of dissimilarity to species rank level. They were considered to be a new species.


Chapter six explores the concept of 'expansive learning' taken from Fuller and Unwin's (2003) research of apprenticeships where they identified a 'restrictiveexpansive continuum' that classified the type of learning environment presented in the work place. Crucially, expansive learning encouraged a supportive environment for students to learn higher level skills such as dialogue, problem solving and reflexive forms of expertise.


Abstract The mean-square error minimization of the global histogram-type error estimate of the Monte Carlo method is performed. In the special case, the simulation of a Markov chain with transitional density proportional to the product of the absolute value of the original kernel and the averaging weight is optimal. In the general case, the transitional density minimizing the weighted sum of the variances of several functionals is basic. A sufficiently simple approximation to the asymptotic variant of such density is obtained. The minimax variant of the algorithm is also considered.


We give a new proof of the large deviation principle from the hydrodynamic limit for the Ginzberg-Landau model studied in Donsker and Varadhan (1989) using techniques from the theory of stochastic control and weak convergence methods. The proof is based on characterizing subsequential hydrodynamic limits of controlled diffusions with nearest neighbor interaction that arise from a variational representation of certain Laplace functionals. The approach taken here does not require superexponential probability estimates, estimation of exponential moments, or an analysis of eigenvalue problems, that are central ingredients in previous proofs. Instead, proof techniques are very similar to those used for the law of large number analysis, namely in the proof of convergence to the hydrodynamic limit (cf. Guo, Papanicolaou and Varadhan (1988)). Specifically, the key step in the proof is establishing suitable bounds on relative entropies and Dirichlet forms associated with certain controlled laws. This general approach has the promise to be applicable to other interacting particle systems as well and to the case of non-equilibrium starting configurations, and to infinite volume systems.


The 65-year-old president of a small industrial company actively exercises three times a week and follows a lowcholesterol, low-saturated-fat diet. He has been at his desirable weight for 12 months. Much of his good behavior began 18 months ago, shortly after a myocardial infarction. His most recent lipid values, which have been stable over the last few months include: triglycerides of 90 mg/dl (1.02 mmoV1); total cholesterol 220 mg/dl (5.66 mmol/l); LDL cholesterol 172 mgldl(4.42 mmol/l); and HDL cholesterol 32 mg/dl (0.82 mmolfl). Which treatment option is the most rational for this patient?


In the paper,we have proved the following theorem:(1) the Diuphantine equations x+1=3py21,x2-x+1=3y22,(y1,y2)=1,y10,y20,where p was an odd prime number,has no positive integer solution x,p,y1,y2.(2) the Diuphantine equation x3+1=py2,where p≡-1(mod 3) was an odd prime number,has only integer solution(x,y)=(-1,0).(3) the Diuphantine equation x3-1=py2,where p≡-1(mod 3) was an odd prime number,has only integer solution(x,y)=(1,0).