In this paper, the Zero project, a persistent, prototype-based programming system, is discussed. Zero has been in continuous development since 2003, and in use in advanced subjects at the University of Vigo, Computer Science faculty. Its main characteristic is that it has been designed with multi-language support in mind from the beginning. Its approach is based in a dynamic, flexible virtual machine with native persistence capabilities, which can support programming languages of different natures in regard to their type systems: static, dynamic or even hybrid.


A use of clioquinol and phanoquinone for the manufacture of pharmaceutical compositions for the treatment and prevention of pathological conditions related with macular eye disease influenced by the action of matrix matalloproteinases (MMPs) is disclosed. Also methods of treatments or prevention of such conditions are disclosed.


Robotic-assisted beating heart surgery aims to eliminate the relative motion of heart, so that, the surgeon can operate on a stabilized heart without any kind of additional instruments. In this literature, the robot actively cancels heart motion by closely following a point of interest (POI) of heart surface. In this paper, we use biological signal such as ECG or blood pressure, to improvement of tracking error. This can be achieved using the fact that the ECG signal is prior to the heart motion.


Abstract We consider ground states of the nonlinear fractional Schrödinger equation with potentials ( - Δ ) s  u + V  ( x )  u = f  ( x , u ) , s ∈ ( 0 , 1 ) , (-\Delta)^{s}u+V(x)u=f(x,u),\quad s\in(0,1), on the whole space ℝN{\mathbb{R}^{N}}, where V is a periodic non-negative nontrivial function on ℝN{\mathbb{R}^{N}} and the nonlinear term f has some proper growth on u. Under uniform bounded assumptions about V, we can show the existence of a ground state. We extend the result of Li, Wang, and Zeng to the fractional case.


Older adults with cancer are at increased risk of treatment‐related toxicities and excess mortality. We evaluated whether a patient‐reported geriatric assessment (GA) based frailty index can identify those at risk of adverse outcomes.


Objective To evaluate anti-HBV activities of phyllocoumarin (Ⅰ) and (—)-epicatechin (Ⅱ) from Schisandra lancifolia in vitro. Methods To screen and confirm the anti-HBV activities of compounds, phyllocoumarin and (—)-picatechin, HepG2.2.15 cells were used as HBV model in vitro. Different concentration of phyllocoumarin and (—)-epicatechin were added to the wells with the growth of HepG2.2.15 cells and the supernatant was collected at the third day. The cytotoxic activity on the growth of HepG2.2.15 cells was detected by MTT. ELISA for HBsAg and HBeAg assays was used to evaluate the effects of phyllocoumarin and (—)-epicatechin on HBsAg and HBeAg secretion. Results Both phyllocoumarin and (—)-epicatechin showed anti-HBV activity and exerted cytotoxicity against HepG2.2.15 cells with CC50200 μg/mL. But phyllocoumarin decreased the levels of HBsAg and HBeAg secretion more effectively than (—)-epicatechin did. Compared with Adefovir Dipivoxil (ADV), phyllocoumarin inhibited the secretion of HBsAg and HBeAg more effectively at the same concentration (1.6 μg/mL). Conclusion Phyllocoumarin and (—)-epicatechin are potential anti-HBV agents ad show lower cytotoxicity.


Background: According to Swedish legislation, all citizens have equal rights to receiving care and services when needed. National guidelines have been developed in order to secure regimentation, qu ...


ors should comply with the set rules and regulation governing groundwater resource use. Especially on monitoring the trend in quality regularly to ensure the water in within the required standards for human intake. Report changes in any of the physical parameters such as taste, color and turbidity which can be observed, to the relevant authorities to avoid health effects.


Currently, methods of water purification and aqueous solutions leading to effective reduction of introduced chemical compounds into water purification systems have become the subject of research. Physical methods have become an alternative, because by subjecting water and aqueous solutions to UV (ultraviolet) radiation or magnetic fields (MF), either ultrasonic or electric, it is possible to influence the change of structure, which results in changes in the properties of water and aqueous solutions. This paper attempts to verify the influence of a weak magnetic field on the removal of iron and manganese compounds in the filtration process on gravel of 1–2 mm granulation, sand of 0.4–0.8 mm granulation, activated alumina and activated carbon. The conducted research proved that MF has a significant influence on the effectiveness of iron and manganese removal from water in the case of alumina, while in the filtration process through other filter materials the effect of MF was small.


In order to assess the effectiveness of the supply chain fully,to seek a quantitative methods of supply chain decision-making,this article,based on the features of the supply chain operations,established a decision-making model for multi-target integration,whose ultimate goal is customer satisfaction.Then,through profits,lead time,timely supply,inventory cost and five indicators of quality,we gave a comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of the supply chain.At the choosing of different supply chain strategy,we adopted the method of hierarchical decision,concern could be focused on the effectiveness of all the potential partners at every aspect of supply chain.This article used three different strategies(order-driven,stock-driven,stock-oriented) and the effectiveness to the supply chain of them were reflected in the decision-making model,which made the model has a wider range of adaptability.Empirical studies show that the five indicators in each link of the supply chain have significant impact on its overall effectiveness,and the model can supply a scientific and theoretical support for chain decision-making.


Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in developed countries. The tremendous advances in the pharmacological and interventional management of patients with established cardiovascular disease have drastically decreased cardiovascular mortality; however, the bet that contemporary and future medicine has to win is not how to cure but how to prevent cardiovascular disease. The majority of patients visiting primary health care facilities are patients with no established cardiovascular disease, with no symptoms typical of cardiovascular disease and with usually one or more cardiovascular risk factors. Risk assessment, a critical step in decision making, is usually performed with the use of risk charts, such as the Framingham Risk Score or the European Score, which take into account the traditional risk factors for coronary artery disease. Recent developments in the European Score, according to the statistics of each European country, may provide more accurate risk prediction than the Framingham Risk Score for specific European countries with lower cardiovascular mortality than the USA. 1 Risk scores are very useful in terms of statistical calculations and public health management; however, they provide only a crude assessment of any individual patient's risk. In addition, the management of asymptomatic patients in the intermediate or the lower risk category remains a challenge. Tools for better risk assessment than that provided by the traditional risk scores would be highly desirable and would help


Abstract Given any digraph D, its non-negative spectrum (or N-spectrum, shortly) consists of the eigenvalues of the matrix AA T , where A is the adjacency matrix of D. In this study, we relate the classical spectrum of undirected graphs to the N-spectrum of their oriented counterparts, permitting us to derive spectral bounds. Moreover, we study the spectral effects caused by certain modifications of a given digraph.


The legislation of organic agriculture is very necessary because of the double value of organic agriculture and the difficulty to identify the organic products.On the primary stage of organic agriculture,we should choose governmental institutions as certification institutions,and we should employ the supervision mode which put emphasis on the consequence rather than the process.While on the senior stage,we should choose non-governmental institutions as certification institutions and should employ the supervision mode which put emphasis on the process rather than the consequence.It is very necessary for us to sustain organic agriculture,and we should sustain the estate by means of financial subside and market extension.


Sir, We read with interest the paper by Dich-Nielsen and Nagel on the use of the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) for flexible fibreoptic bronchoscopy (Acta Anae.rthesiol Scand 1993; 37: 17-19:. The authors point out that routine fibreoptic bronchoscopy is often performed with topical anaesthesia and sedation and that this technique may lead to respiratory depression. They conclude that flexible bronchoscopy performed via the LMA under general anaesthesia is a valuable alternative. We would like to suggest that the combination of topical anaesthesia, sedation and the LMA may also provide excellent conditions for diagnostic bronchascopy. Several authors have reported self-insertion of the LMA under topical anaesthesia (1-5), although McCrirrick et al. were the first to describe its use in an awake patient (6). In 1992 we published a paper on the use of the LMA as an aid to awake diagnostic bronchoscopy in 50 patients with topical spray, a crico-thyroid puncture and sedation (7). We found insertion of the LMA was surprisingly easy and that conditions were acceptable for both patient and bronchoscopist. We encountered minor problems such as recurrent swallowing, but these were easily overcome with adequate sedation or further topical anaesthesia. In all patients bronchoscopy was successfully performed. The particular advantage of this technique is that it allows respiratory function to be monitored, 100% oxygen to bc given, provides good conditions for both bronchoscopy and laryngoscopy and avoids general anaesthesia. Since 1992, over one hundred further procedures have been performed which have confirmed the above findings. We are currently planning a further study comparing this technique with other methods for awake diagnostic bronchoscopy. On? of the most important uses of the LMA is as an aid to intubation (8) and the fact that insertion of the LMA is simple and well tolerated in awake patients extends its role in this area. Intubation via the LMA in awake patients has been reported for Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica ISSN 0 0 1 5 / 7 2


Certain classes of images find disparate use amongst members of the ITK community for such purposes as visualization, simulation, testing, etc. Currently there exists two derived classes from the ImageSource class used for generating specific images for various applications, viz. RandomImageSource and GaussianImageSource. We propose to add to this set with the class GridImageSource which, obviously enough, produces a grid image. Such images are useful for visualizing deformation when used in conjunction with the WarpImageFilter, simulating magnetic resonance tagging images, or creating optical illusions with which to amaze your friends.


Plasma acid is an acidic solution simply produced from water and a carrier gas in an electrical discharge. These produced solutions are of high value for biological decontamination and industrial pollutant abatement applications. While several electrical discharges have been shown to produce plasma acid, the subject of this study is the gliding arc plasmatron, a rotating gliding arc discharge. Air and oxygen were used as gases to carry for distilled water through the discharge, and pH and conductivity of the resulting solution was measured. Consistent with other studies of plasma acid, solutions with a lower pH were obtained with air at the carrier gas than with oxygen, and the conductivity increased appropriately with the pH decrease. Other studies noted a transient change in plasma acid after treatment in an air carrier gas, whereas in this study, oxygen also was observed to temporally decrease the acidity over several days.


The Quercymegapodiidae, primitive galliforms resembling recent megapodes, have been described from the Upper Eocene of Quercy, France. They have also been identified in the Upper Oligocene–Lower Miocene of Brazil, where they are represented by the genus Ameripodius Alvarenga. A new species of this genus, Ameripodius alexis sp. nov., from the Lower Miocene of France, is described here. The occurrence of the same genus on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean emphasizes the similarities between South American and European avifaunas during the early Tertiary. New discoveries indicate that a similar avifauna was also present in North America, and that a characteristic association of taxa can be defined for the group that includes South America, North America and Eurasia. However, so far as is known, the same avifauna does not occur in contemporaneous African avifaunas.


In this paper we investigated the structural,magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of Mn1.28Fe0.67P1-xSix(x=0.52,0.54,0.56,0.58) compounds.The results show that the samples crystallize in the Fe2P-type hexagonal structure with space group of P-62 m.The lattice parameter a and unit cell volume increase orderly with increasing the content of Si.All compounds experience a ferromagnetic-paramagnetic first-order phase transition.The thermal hysteresis of the compounds fluctuates between 2.5K to 6.1K and the minimal thermal hysteresis of about 2.5K is found in Mn1.28Fe0.67P0.44Si0.56 compound.The Curie temperature gradually increases from 232K(x=0.52) to 302K(x=0.58) with increasing the Si content.The maximal magnetic-entropy change increases from 6J/(kg·K)(x= 0.58) to 10J/(kg·K) for a magnetic field change of 1.5T.


The applicability of a diffusion-erosion model that predicts transient longitudinal profiles of degrading alluvial channels has already been demonstrated in laboratory experiments, and is here applied to some field examples. By fitting simulated longitudinal profiles to measured ones for several streams (with discharge 0.04<Q5<680 m3s−1) diffusion-erosion coefficients, K, were determined which are well correlated to discharge and drainage area.

Headward knickpoint migration which results from base-level lowering was also treated through the diffusion-erosion model. Theoretically, the distance of a knickpoint from the mouth of a tributary should be proportional to the square root of the time that elapsed since the base-level was lowered. Field observations are in accordance with these theoretical considerations.

Use of the model is discussed for prediction of erosion and for assessment of the age of alluvial fault scarps crossed by streams.


Motivated by the need in boundary value problems for partial differential equations, classical trace theorems characterize the trace to a subset F of Rn of Sobolev spaces and Besov spaces consisting of functions defined on Rn', if F is a linear subvariety Rd of Rn or a d-dimensional smooth submanifold of Rn . This was generalized in [2] to the case when F is a ddimensional fractal set of a certain type. In this paper, traces are described when F is an arbitrary closed set. The result may also be looked upon as a Whitney extension theorem in LP .


A rotation torque control apparatus in heavy construction machinery wherein: a torque controller(21) is mounted on the rotation load sensing line(20) extended from a pressure compensator(7) that is mounted on a downstream part of control opening of a rotation control valve(4) to (dis)connect the line(20) to flow control spool(9) of a pump(1); pilot chambers(28,29) having different areas are respectively mounted on both ends of the spool(23) of the torque controller(21); the pressure of a main load sensing LS line(13) connected to the pump(1) is induced in one of the chambers(28,29); a spring is mounted to and pilot control pressure from outside is induced in the other chamber; a check valve(22) bypassing the spool(23) to induce pressure from the LS line(13) connected to the pump(1) to the rotation pressure compensator(7) is mounted within the torque controller(21); is disclosed.


Abstract : This final report constitutes the deliverable for this exploratory research project. It includes a detailed discussion of the experiments performed. Their results, and conclusions drawn from the results along with recommendations for future development and implementation of the new technology. As part of the conclusions and recommendations for future work, a conceptual design for a pilot-scale treatment system is presented. The system allows for a few chemical parameters to be measured in the field to ensure the efficacy of the treatment process (this can be extremely difficult in other processes). Another important element of the report is an initial cost analysis estimate for a field-scale version of the two most promising treatment schemes. Key parameters in the analysis are reagents, equipment and energy costs.


The collection of the National Museum in Prague contains also an atypical crescent ‐shaped glass bottle (inv. no. H10‐142). It is one of the oldest acquisitions in the collection and it was no longer possible to find any information concerning its provenance. It is a vessel of a curious shape and unknown function, with no known comparanda. Analysis of its elementary composition has shown that it is made of natron glass. In comparison with other samples taken from Roman glass of the 1st–3rd centuries AD from the collection of the National Museum, the difference is minimal; it differs only by a slightly lower concentration of CaO, MgO, TiO2 and MnO. Therefore, it may probably be considered another experimental product of the Roman glassmakers, such as, for example – the rhyta, the flask with doves from Cologne or the small vessels in the shape of various animals. KEyWOrDS Glass vessel; blown ‐glass; crescent ‐shaped vessel; composition of glass; Roman glass.


The purpose of this study is to provide basic information necessary for effectively instructing students isolated from classes of elementary physical education by investigating and analyzing those students\' behaviors and characteristics. For the purpose this researcher carried out an ethnographic research of sub-areas of elementary physical education from which students are mostly isolated, teachers\' perception of isolated students and factors related to teachers unwelcomed by such students. Then the researcher observed actual cases of those students\' isolation in physical education classes.
Rewults of the study can be described as below.
Out of the sub-areas of elementary physical education, athletics were mostly disliked by students followed by physical power activity, expressive activity, gymnastics and games in order. In regard to physical strength test items, those students were mostly reluctant to doing long-distance race, followed by sit-ups. 50m running and standing jump in order.
Students isolated from physical education were found too ofren evading such education due to their few skills of exercise, preferring exercise items in which such skills would not be exposed to others and concealing themselves withing group plays. They were evaluated lower in theoretical and practival tests under physical education. They hated the latter test, but all of them were not evaluated lower in the former test. Many of the isolated students attrivuted their evasion of physical education to scolding . rebuke or partiality by their teacher or to the boredness of the education itself. Those students and their parents showe less interest and partivipation in physical education than in any other disciplines and even rarely did or view sport . Some of the isolated children didn\'t go out for outdoor physical education classes, latest partivipated in such classes or wandered around their classroom. Others were very indifferent and powerless in making preparations and warm-ups for physical education.
Although partivipating in physical education. in most cases the surveyed children were passive in the partivipation , incorrect in physical movement and lower in the quantity of motion due to yielding and order change. Students isolated from physical education need the retoration of their own confidencem which can be accomplished under their teacher\'s much restoration of their own confidence which their inner side, so far suppressed the introduction of a variety of relevant materials and increase in opportunities of meeting between teachers and children are needed. In addition, further sudies about ways of decreasing students isolated from physical education should be systematically made.


Objective:To observe the effects of Hawthorn Leaves Flavonoids combined western medicine for treating acute stroke. Methods: 84 acute stroke patients were randomly divided into control group and treatment group with 42 patients in each group. The patients in control group were treated with conventional western medicine; moreover, the patients in treatment group also orally taken Hawthorn Leaves Flavonoids(90mg/time, 3 times/d). The neurological def icit scores and therapeutic effects of these 2 groups were observed after 2 courses of treatment(28d).Results:After treatment, the neurological def icit scores of patients in 2 groups were all obviously lower than that before treatment(P 0.05); Moreover, the neurological def icit scores of patients in treatment group were obviously lower than that in control group after treatment(P 0.05). The total therapeutic effects of treatment group was 95.24%(40/42), which was obviously higher than that of control group after treatment(P 0.05). Conclusions:For treating acute stroke, the therapeutic effects of Hawthorn Leaves Flavonoids combined western medicine is better than pure western medicine.


Employing a Generalized theoretical broadbanding algorithm developed for curved surfaces, this paper utilizes new improved radiator models to develop, test and assess broadband Conformal open-Waveguide arrays realized on Curved Surfaces.


With this issue, The Journal of Dental Research has achieved its fiftieth year. The March, 1919, issue, Volume 1, Number 1, heralded the Journal's birth after some years of gestation. It had the declared objectives of William J. Gies, the founder and first editor, who stated: "The Journal of Dental Research has been conceived in scientific altruism, born of the spirit of dental progress, and nurtured on the ideals of public service; and it is dedicated unreservedly and without qualification to truth and advancement in dentistry and to the promotion of human welfare through the enrichment and development of that great profession for the prevention, alleviation, and cure of diseases of the mouth and teeth." The current editor is happy to emphasize that the Journal has never deviated from these lofty goals.


Abstract Microscopic analysis of mineral distributions in shale receives much attention in recent years. Traditional methods such as optical and scanning electron microscopy are common tools for providing valuable information of microstructures; however, they belong to surface observations, which damage the shale sample and only generate a 2D image. We consider using the X-ray computerized tomography (CT) based on synchrotron radiation (SR) to generate 3D image reconstructions. In addition, with the CT imaging data, we are required to analyze compositional microstructures of the shale. Hence, we are faced with two kinds of inverse problems: model-based and data-based inverse problems. For the X-ray tomographic imaging, the filtered backprojection is the well-adopted conventional algorithm, but it is sensitive to noise and is inflexible. So, we will develop the nonsmooth sparse regularizing technique for this issue. For the later one, we need to consider the CT-data constrained minimization technique. Solving methodologies will be addressed. Experimental tests for both inverse problems will be given.


Abstract T he objective of this research is to influence of lifestyle and Social groups on purchasing decisions services Go – Jek  at Universty of Islam Malang . This research is quantitative aiming for partial significant influence and simultaneously. The respondents number who used a total of 1 00 respondents who are all students of Unisma Malang. This research method is tested with validity and reliability test. The classical assumption used normality assumption test, multicollinearity assumption test, heteroscedasticity assumption test, and linearity assumption test. It is also used multiple linear regression, and test the hypothesis that F test, t test, and test the dominant. The results showed significant effect simultaneously between lifestyle variables and Social group on purchasing decisions. Keywords : Social groups, Lifestyle, on purchasing decisions


Pollinators play an important role in poverty alleviation and food security by pollinating crops and other plants. But, in recent years the nature is experiencing a serious decline in pollinator populations and diversity, the impact of which is clearly visible in several areas as the agricultural productivity is seriously declining as a result of inadequate pollination due to the lack of sufficient numbers of pollinators in these agricultural landscapes. This decline in pollinators is attributed to several factors such as habitat loss, land-use changes, monoculturedominated agriculture, and excessive and indiscriminate use of agricultural chemicals and pesticides. The decline in pollinators, both number and diversity and its impact on agricultural productivity and biodiversity has become a major concern worldwide. In developing world this issue is relatively new and needs due attention at this stage. There is need to study the factors and causes of pollinator decline and suggest an integrated approach to conserve them. This can be done by developing best management such as integrated pest management, judicious use of pesticides and agrochemicals, promoting habitat conservation and managing food sources for pollinators. In addition, raising awareness about the importance of pollinators and educating and training communities in conservation practices may also be required. At the same time bringing conservation and development GOs, NGOs, and CBOs on a common platform and formulate strategies and actions plans will also be needed. A balance between policy formulation and conservation actions would yield better results. There is need to promote integration of pollinator conservation concerns with agricultural development. In some intensively cultivated areas there is need to suggest some readily available solutions such as promoting rearing and use of manageable pollinators such as honeybees, stingless bees etc. The international Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) is trying to address the issues related to the declining pollinator populations through conducting research, raising awareness at all levels about the value of conserving pollinators and promoting use of honeybees for pollination, improving institutional capabilities and human resource development. This paper highlights the efforts being carried out by ICIMOD's efforts in enhancing agricultural productivity and maintaining biodiversity through promoting conservation of pollinators and managed pollination.


An algorithm for calculating the circular slit suction developed using stationary discrete vortex rings without selfinduction is given. The change in the size of the vortex zone arising at the entrance to the suction channel depending on the distance to its axis of symmetry is investigated. The developed computer program and the results obtained can be useful for creating energy-efficient circular slot suction systems, including for dust collection when drilling flat surfaces. Ill. 6. Ref. 20.


Abstract : This briefing discusses: *Frequency Application Process; *Frequency Application Issues; *Special Temporary Authorizations *Five/Ten Year Frequency Assignment Reviews; and *Special Temporary Authorizations


DARPA initiated the Cyber Grand Challenge (CGC) in 2014 to encourage innovation in fully automated software vulnerability analysis and repair. In the June 2015 CGC Qualifying Event, the competitors' automated systems were given one day to evaluate 131 challenges. The top seven teams, including the University of Idaho's Center for Secure and Dependable Systems, will compete in the August 2016 CGC Final Event. This second of two CGC articles describes lessons learned about automated cybersecurity defensive systems.


Our work consists of a theoretical prediction, through DFT and TD-DFT methods, of the electronic and optical properties of six conjugated organic compounds used as electron donor materials in BHJ solar cells, of which PCBM is the acceptor material. This study is necessary to discuss the effect of substituents (donor units) on the different properties of these compounds, and to predict promising materials in organic solar cells using the AMPS-1D simulation software. The results obtained show that all the molecules have good geometric, electronic and optical properties, thus showing an increase in the power conversion efficiency of photovoltaic cells based on these materials, which reaches a value of 17% for the molecule P-Eth-TEdotT-A.


This paper presents a novel efficient satisfiability (SAT) algorithm based on maxterm covering. The satisfiability of a clause set is determined in terms of the number of relative maxterms of the empty clause with respect to the clause set. If the number of relative maxterms is zero, it is unsatisfiable, otherwise satisfiable. A set of synergic heuristic strategies are presented and elaborated. We conduct a number of experiments on 3-SAT and k-SAT problems at the phase transition region, which have been cited as the hardest group of SAT problems. Our experimental results on public benchmarks attest to the fact that, by incorporating our proposed heuristic strategies, our enhanced algorithm runs several orders of magnitude faster than the extension rule algorithm, and it also runs faster than zChaff and MiniSAT for most of k-SAT (k≥3) instances.


The question of the length dependence of the electromechanical response of semiconducting (SC) piezoelectric nanowires (NWs) was explored. We identified a new physical mechanism of piezoresponse saturation, which originates from the combination of the influence of interface traps and piezoelectric polarization in the depleted NW. Our results are in better qualitative agreement with experimental observations than presently existing theories. To do so, we used the finite element method to simulate the coupled set of equations describing mechanical, piezoelectric and SC properties. In order to reduce the number of parameters, simulations focused on the case of uniform ZnO NWs grown along the c-axis. Saturation was explained by the incapacity of surface traps to maintain depletion along the whole NW beyond a certain length, as a result of the electric potential shift induced by piezoelectric polarization. An analytical model was developed to support this analysis. It provided the dependence trends of saturation length and piezoresponse as a function of NW dimensions, doping level, surface traps density and crystal polarity, as well as with external pressure, in fair agreement with simulation results. Moreover, we discovered that one consequence of this mechanism was that crystal polarity had an impact on the smoothness of the radius-dependent transition between high and low piezoresponse under axial stress. These results have important implications for the optimization of electromechanical sensors and nanogenerators based on piezoelectric SC NWs and related composite materials.


Capital Structure is an important concept in business which have accounted for financial 7 performance of businesses in literature. Thus, this study was conducted to examine the 8 relationship between capital structure and financial performance of commercial banks in 9 Nigeria for the period of (2010 to 2019). Five (5) commercial banks were selected using 10 Judgmental sampling technique. Data were collected from financial statements of selected 11 banks. The data was analyzed using E-View 2010. Unit root test, Granger causality test and 12 panel regression Analysis was conducted in this study. We concluded that, capital structure 13 variables used are good predictor and significant with financial performance of commercial 14 banks in Nigeria. In addition, we concluded that, Debt to Equity Ratio, Total Debts and 15 Total Equity over the period under study, do not contributed to the financial performance 16 (Return on Assets) of commercial banks in Nigeria. Furthermore, Equity to Capital Ratio and 17 Debts to Capital Ratios improves the financial performance(Return on Assets) of commercial 18 banks over the years. We therefore, recommended that, the bank managers should ensure 19 that, capitals are spent on productive assets in other to improve financial performance of the 20 banks, among others. 21 this study to examine the relationship between capital structure and financial performance of commercial banks in Nigeria for the period of (2010 to 2019). Five (5) commercial 65 banks were selected using Judgmental sampling technique. Data were collected from financial statements of 66 selected banks. The data was analyzed using E-View 2010. Unit root test, Granger causality test and panel 67 regression Analysis was conducted in this study. We concluded that, capital structure variables Impact The the influence of financing mix on the performance of banks, and the causal link between debt-equity ratios. Data collated were analyzed using correlation analysis, pooled OLS regression analysis, fixed effect panel analysis, random effect panel analysis, granger causality analysis, as well as post estimation test such as restricted f-test of heterogeneity and Hausmantest.


The observed absorption of p-modes by sunspots and solar magnetic fields has raised the possibility of developing holographic techniques to probe local magnetic features within the solar interior. Two simple diagnostic utilities are developed and tested to search for evidence of subsurface p-mode absorption. These consist of maps of acoustic power and maps of what we term the surface acoustic flux vector. Maps of acoustic power for a 50 hr sequence of solar Ca II K-line images show power deficits at 3 mHz corresponding to surface magnetic flux and power enhancements surounding active regions (halos) at 6 mHz


Abstract The Smooth Transition for Advancement to Graduate Education (STAGE) project was a three-year pilot project designed to mentor undergraduate students primarily from under-represented groups in the mathematical sciences. The STAGE pilot project focused on mentoring students as they transitioned from undergraduate education to either graduate school or a career in the STEM workforce. We discuss the various mentoring structures, the STAGE pilot utilized, and how those structures affected programmatic outcomes. In addition, we discuss challenges we faced in mentoring undergraduates and special considerations we made when mentoring students from under-represented groups.


Abstract The coupling reaction of aryl chlorides with arylboronic acids was successfully performed in isopropanol (IPA) by using [NiCl(Ph2PCH2CH2OH)2(H2O)]Cl (5), a cationic Ni(II)-complex, as a precatalyst in the absence of a reducing agent. The coupling reaction proceeded smoothly under mild conditions to provide biaryls in satisfactory to excellent yields, and formation of the undesired dechlorination products of aryl chlorides was completely prevented.


The appearance of band gaps in periodic media is a well known phenomenon. In the past 15 years an increasing attention was payed to sonic crystals, as the properties of such arrangements could lead to the design of innovative noise barriers. In fact, sonic crystal barriers exhibit good insulation properties at some frequencies and could be tuned in order to cause stop bands in a frequency range centred at 1 kHz, classic for road traffic noise pollution. In this paper measurements are described that were conducted over an array of cylinders arranged in a square lattice, whose Bragg band gap was centred at about 900 Hz. Measurements were conducted in accordance with EN 1793-6. Together with measurements, FE simulations were carried out in order to address and verify the procedure. In the simulations, cylinders were assumed to be infinitely rigid and the system was investigated in a 2d domain. The first hypothesis is consistent with the high contrast between the acoustic properties of air and PVC. The second one is consistent with the measurement method, as the windowing of the IRs leads to an evaluation of the attenuation due only to the BG without comprising any effect from ground reflections. Simulation and measurements are compared and discussed over a variety of cases.


The application of geometric modeling to shelf‐margin stratigraphy has the potential to constrain interpretations of external forcings on margin development. Here we apply such a model to the Ebro margin in order to complement the analysis of Kertznus & Kneller (2009) . Our results suggest that increased mass wasting in the Pleistocene was unlikely to have been a factor in the observed long‐term shelf‐edge trajectory, and that the trajectory can be explained by the interaction of sediment flux, relative sea‐level rise, and basin shape.


Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an incurable aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), which accounts for approximately 5% of all NHL. Novel agents and rituximab maintenance therapy (RM) have greatly improved patient outcomes,[1][1],[2][2] but most patients still experience recurrent relapses. This


Background: Physical activity and exercise are important in the prevention and treatment of adolescent obesity. The goal of non-stationary obesity treatment is to encourage long-lasting sport participation. From the motivational perspective, positive attitudes towards physical activity and exercise are a key and should be considered when developing obesity interventions. This study examined potential differences in attitudes towards physical activity and exercise between adolescents with body mass indices in obese and healthy-weight ranges. Methods: A questionnaire measuring attitudes toward, and current levels of physical activity and exercise was completed by 395 adolescents recruited from schools and 16 adolescents recruited from a non-stationary obesity treatment program. This one year obesity treatment program combined dietary, psychological and physical activity and exercise-related interventions administered under medical supervision. Results: Compared to adolescents in the healthy-weight range, obese peers showed less positive attitudes towards intensive exercise/sporting competition and risky sporting activities. Additionally, in both weight ranges an active lifestyle is attended by a higher value of training and competition plus social experiences in sports. Independent from weight status, more positive attitudes in "training and competition" and "social contacts" were related to physical and sport activity. Conclusions: These results suggest that training, competitive and risky activities offer a lower incentive for obese adolescents than for healthy-weight peers. Suggestions for joint physical and sport activities (e.g. in Physical Education) and sport relating interventions within the therapy of obesity are discussed.


Most direct methods solve finite time horizon optimal control problems with nonlinear programming solver. In this paper, we propose a numerical method for solving nonlinear optimal control problem with state and control inequality constraints. This method used quasilinearization technique and Haar wavelet operational matrix to convert the nonlinear optimal control problem into a quadratic programming problem. The linear inequality constraints for trajectories variables are converted to quadratic programming constraint by using Haar wavelet collocation method. The proposed method has been applied to solve Optimal Control of Multi-Item Inventory Model. The accuracy of the states, controls and cost can be improved by increasing the Haar wavelet resolution.


The defects in traditional method to maintain fiber optic cable that power system communication branches adopt at present are pointed out, to improve the ability of testing and maintaining fiber optic cable the significance of constructing a power optic cable monitoring system is dissertated. The problems existing in the planning and construction of power optic cable monitoring system are emphatically researched, the experiences in the aspects of site selection for monitoring station, the planning of testing route and monitoring modes, and the selection of optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) are summarized. The research results may be available for reference to the planning and construction of fiber optic cable monitoring system.


Please cite this article as: Malgorzata Lipowska, Nashwa Jarkas, Ronald J. Voll, Jonathon A. Nye, Jeffrey Klenc, Mark M. Goodman, Andrew T. Taylor , Re(CO)3([18F]FEDA), a novel 18F PET renal tracer: radiosynthesis and preclinical evaluation. The address for the corresponding author was captured as affiliation for all authors. Please check if appropriate. Nmb(2017), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucmedbio.2017.12.001


The acute and complex national crisis persisting in this country has in general worsened the quality of live of the poor. However, empirical studies in five Javanese villages found that the impact of the crisis varies among different social groups, such as peasants, labors, small entrepreneurs and traders. This paper elaborates a number of factors that make the crisis affect differently to different people. This paper also shows how the poor develop their strategy of survival during the crisis and how government programs which attempt to eliminate the impacts of the crisis to the poor are in fact has failed to match the way the poor deal with the crisis.


Media sources and NGOs estimate that over the past two decades thousands of South Korean men may have fathered and then abandoned children in the Philippines. The abandoned children are commonly known as "Kopinos" but this Article refers to the children as SPC (South Korean Philippine Children).This Article examines obligations the South Korean government may owe to SPC and whether the South Korean government is meeting such obligations. In its analysis, the Article begins by discussing historical examples where large scale encounters between people of different countries result in binational children. Specifically, the Article discusses the French colonization of Indochina and the birth of "Eurasians," U.S. military servicemen deployed overseas who fathered "Amerasians," and Japanese businessmen and tourists traveling to the Philippines and Philippine women traveling to Japan, resulting in the birth of Japanese-Philippine children (known as "JFCs"). In these historical examples, as with SPC, the fathers of the binational children often returned to their home countries and provided no support for the children. The Article concludes that although there may not be a legal obligation under international law to SPC, South Korea owes a moral obligations to the children. The Article proposes measures that South Korea should adopt to help SPC and their mothers who wish to prove paternity and SPC who wish to acquire South Korean citizenship rights.


The embryology and development of the hip joint are complex. In few areas of the body can so many morphological variations be seen. Minor anatomical abnormalities in the acetabular and femoral head shape, femoral–neck angle, and joint congruency, are frequent. Controversies still exist on the importance of these variations and on whether or not they put the patient at risk of developing early degenerative changes (Wedge et al. 1990). Even in clinically asymptomatic hips, the acetabulum is not always of the same shape or same depth. Minor degrees of 'dysplasia' have no more effect than to create a shallow acetabulum or possibly predispose to a labral tear (Dorrel & Caterall, 1986). Greater degrees may cause congenital subluxation or dislocation (Wiberg, 1939; Ponseti, 1978a).


The research was aimed to study of some plant extracts, Trichoderma harzianium and Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria Azotobacter chroococcum and addition of organic fertilizer made of Date palm leaves in control Eggplant root rot disease caused by Rhizoctonia solani fungus. Results of the field survey showed the presence of Eggplant root rot disease in all the surveyed districts Baghdad, Babylon and Karbalaa province with disease incidence of 33.3-83.0% and severity of 16-60%. T. harzianium and A. chroococcum have highly antagonistic ability against of pathogenic isolates of R. solani under laboratory conditions. The plant extract that used in study (Cinnamon, ginger, Milk thistle, Crack willow) had against effect on the growth of pathogen on PDA. superior of Cinnamon extract which was prevent growth of pathogen. The results of the field experiment and lath house condition indicated that Integrated treatment with the T. harzianium and A. chroococcum caused significant reduction in disease severity to 33.33% and caused significantly enhanced eggplant growth parameters. The organic fertilizer of Date palm leaves increased the Efficiency of biological control agents. The integrated treatment between T. harzianium and A. chroococcum and organic fertilizer of Date palm leaves showed decreased in disease severity to 20.00% then increasing the plant growth parameters into 17.33 cm, 18.33 and 2.77g respectively. These results were appeared for the first time in Iraq that T. harzianium, A. chroococcum and organic fertilizer of Date palm leaves showed high antagonistic with R. solani and decreased severity of Eggplant root rot disease.


While "miraculous healings" or spontaneous remissions of various disease states have been scientifically reported previously, the exact mechanism, which allow for these seeming miracles or spontaneous remissions is poorly understood. By contrast, I have recently published multiple case studies, which have included the "miraculous healings" of Sarcoidosis, Chronic Lyme Disease, Fibromyalgia, Parkinson's disease, severe chronic debilitating plantar arthritis and Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma without the use of pharmaceuticals or antibiotics and where the mechanism of action used to initiate the "miraculous healing" appears to have a cause-and-effect relationship and thus is reproducible. This case report now adds long-term remission of secondary nocturnal enuresis to the previous six case studies, which I have observed and now report to be successfully treated by a process, which Master John Douglas refers to as "Angelic Reformation." These case reports are representative of the many hundreds of case studies I have documented (although most yet unpublished) over a twelve-year period, while observing the work of Master John Douglas and the graduates of his Elite Development course. While certainly inspiring, admittedly all of these observations must ultimately be subjected to additional rigorous scientific methodology. Yet, the sheer number of miraculous healings I have observed and the fact that this body of knowledge can be taught to others who obtain similarly effective results is very promising, given our current confusion regarding the exact mechanisms of action and/or causation of autoimmune diseases, Parkinson's disease, chronic debilitating arthropathies, most cancers, and the wide variety of psychiatric disorders for which we have less than optimal treatment options.


There can be little doubt that public relations practitioners have a significant influence on public opinion in the United States. Public relations practitioners represent candidates and influence the outcome of elections. They represent businesses and influence the economy. They represent civic causes and influence public opinion on everything from health to religion. There is, perhaps, no other group which so openly influences the opinions and actions of the people in the United States that is not subject to any public interest regulation or licensing.


Algorithms that combat the curse of dimensionality take advantage of nonuniformity properties of the underlying functions, which may be rotational (e.g., grid alignment) or translational (e.g., near-singularities localized at certain points of the domain). The significance of such effects is explored for four different classes of algorithms: low-rank compression, quasi-Monte Carlo integration, sparse grids, and cubature. The exponentially pronounced computational consequences of the anisotropy of the hypercube are described, notably its mismatch with the isotropy of the set of multivariate polynomials of a fixed degree on which some cubature formulas are based, and it is observed that the tensor product Gauss quadrature rule in $[-1,1]^d$ requires up to $(\pi/2)^d$ times fewer points if it is transformed to a nonpolynomial basis.


The present invention relates to effectively shorten the initial synchronization time of the received signal by applying, in particular, a Doppler detection value and the signal-to-noise ratio detection value by improving the received signal Acquisition time of a code division multiple access base station receive modem, detector for despreading the signals applied to each of the code division multiple access method from the mobile terminal and to improve the signal-to-noise ratio by accumulating in the overlapping control signals and outputs the power value; In addition to each of the power value applied from said detector and the adder outputs a single signal; A third accumulator for outputting to the cumulative duplicate the signal output from the adder increasing the size of the energy; And Doppler unit for detecting the moving speed by processing the analysis signal that is received from the portable terminal and outputs a corresponding control signal proportional to the detected velocity; The mobile by processes a signal received from the MS analysis to detect a signal-to-noise characteristic by correcting the control signals from the Doppler unit comprising the interference detection section outputs to said detection unit and the third accumulation or the like, high-speed moving mobile terminal If the signal-to-noise ratio for the received signal is low, because the fixed write the running slot number of the third accumulator is effective to improve the signal average recognition time.


An organic light emitting device comprises a light emitting layer comprising a light emitting polymer; and an electron transporting layer on the light emitting layer and comprising an electron transporting material and an n-donor material. The electron transporting layer comprises at least 20 percent by weight of the n-donor material. By using an electron transporting layer comprising at least 20 percent by weight of the n-donor material it is possible to realize devices with an electron transporting layer having a thickness of less than 20nm.


This report presents the results of a study conducted to evaluate the various laboratory test methods used by the Texas state department of highways and public transportation for determining the undrained shear strengths of clays. Shear tests were performed using the Texas triaxial, Texas transmatic, conventional (astm) unconsolidated undrained, and vane shear apparatus. Tests were performed on a variety of specimens including: (1) soft remolded specimens prepared by packing soil into specially fabricated tubes; (2) stiffer, remolded specimens prepared by a "vacuum extrusion" process; (3) specimens prepared by compaction using standard proctor compactive effort; (4) undisturbed specimens obtained from the north approach embankment of the proposed state highway 87 bridge over the neches river in port arthur, Texas; and (5) artificial specimens cast from polyurethane. Strengths measured by the various test procedures were compared and recommendations are made regarding appropriate procedures for use by the Texas state department of highways and public transportation (sdhpt) (a).


We introduce a fluorescent imaging method that is capable of detecting fluorescent micro-particles over an ultra-wide field of view of 19 cm × 28 cm using a modified flatbed scanner. We added a custom-designed absorbing emission filter, a computer controlled two dimensional LED array, and modified the driver of the scanner to maximize the sensitivity, exposure time, and gain for fluorescent detection of micro-objects. This high-throughput fluorescent imaging device used in conjunction with a microfluidic sample holder enables rapid screening of fluorescent micro-objects inside more than 2.2mL of optically dense media (i.e., whole blood) within 5 minutes. The device is sensitive enough to detect fluorescently labeled cells, and generates images that have an effective pixel count of 2.2 Giga-pixels.


The purpose of this study was to suggest effective reading guidance using studying cartoons for the reading motivation. We conducted a survey at 3 junior high schools in Chung-Nam province, consisting of 182 students in 6 classes in an attempt to analyze what motivates reading. We propose strategies that can encourage students to read using cartoons, books, and multimedia guides.


However, to improve fish culture at commercial level, it is important to establish an appropriate feeding management strategy that is based on identification of the daily feeding patterns or rhythms [3-4]. It is well known that the amount and timing of feeding play an important role in growth and feed utilization efficiency [5-8].In aquaculture, like other form of husbandry, feeding is crucial for its viability and success [9]. Feed cost is one of the largest operational costs in aquaculture [10]. The practice of feeding in an aquaculture system involves selection of appropriate ration sizes, (the amount of feed supply), determining the feeding frequency (how many times the organism should be fed in a day), and timing of meal and efficient broadcasting of the predetermined ration to the culture system [11]. The number of feeding per day and the time of feeding vary with species, size of fish and environmental conditions [12]. Sometimes excellent quality feeds do not perform satisfactorily unless correct feeding practices and proper feeding rates are used [13]. It is essential to recommend the optimum feeding rate for economic production of fish. In general the feeding regime and growth of fish are very much related. Thus the feeding strategy may provide clue for maximum growth because the feeding frequency contribute to feed efficiency and growth response [14].


Reading a heading in the Hindustan Times supplement on 10th May (Mother's day) which wrote 'Mum is not a good word' was surprising & when delved in to the article, it was about mothers who went through postnatal depression & have narrated their painful experiences & how they came out of the situation. The current article looks into the aspects of mental disorders during postnatal period out of which postnatal depression is one of the disorders. The article looks into the brief history of public health programs on mental health in India & the emergence of maternal mental health as an issue. It moves on to the current situation on postnatal disorders in India & the role of Homoeopathy to deal with these disorders therapeutically as a component of Ministry of AYUSH. The article suggests the integration of medical pluralism in mental health through inclusion of Homoeopathy in the gamete of mental health. As each & every drug in Homoeopathy is only proved on human beings, all the drugs have a mental component as it is only human beings who can express their physical & mental symptoms during proving of the drugs as per the guidelines set by the Homoeopathic research councils of each nation. In India, Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy, an autonomous body under the ministry of AYUSH lays out such guidelines. The article gains more relevance during the current COVID 19 crisis which has precipitated the stress levels & the mothers who have delivered since March 2020 are more prone to mental disorders during their postnatal stage.


This paper introduces key concepts related to Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) of Integrated Circuits (ICs). A brief description of Electric and magnetic field coupling, conducted and radiated mode emissions, as well as susceptibility, are also discussed in this paper.


Star-planet tidal interactions may result in the excitation of inertial waves in the convective region of stars. In low-mass stars, their dissipation plays a prominent role in the long-term orbital evolution of short-period planets. Turbulent convection can sustain differential rotation in their envelope, with an equatorial acceleration (as in the Sun) or deceleration, which can modify the waves' propagation properties. We explore in this first paper the general propagation properties of free linear inertial waves in a differentially rotating homogeneous fluid inside a spherical shell. We assume that the angular velocity background flow depends on the latitudinal coordinate only, close to what is expected in the external convective envelope of low-mass stars. We use i) an analytical approach in the inviscid case to get the dispersion relation, from which we compute the characteristic trajectories along which energy propagates. This allows us to study the existence of attractor cycles and infer the different families of inertial modes; ii) high-resolution numerical calculations based on a spectral method for the viscous problem. We find that modes that propagate in the whole shell (D modes) behave the same way as with solid-body rotation. However, another family of inertial modes exists (DT modes), which can propagate only in a restricted part of the convective zone. Our study shows that they are less common than D modes and that the characteristic rays and shear layers often focus towards a wedge - or point-like attractor. More importantly, we find that for non-axisymmetric oscillation modes, shear layers may cross a corotation resonance with a local accumulation of kinetic energy. Their damping rate scales very differently from what we obtain for standard D modes and we show an example where it is independent of viscosity (Ekman number) in the astrophysical regime in which it is small.


A study determined how including significant amounts of writing in varied forms for different audiences throughout a four-year baccalaureate program in nursing affected professional practice. Subjects were graduating seniors and practicing nurses from a writing intensive baccalaureate program (College A) and graduating seniors and nurses from a non-writing intensive one (College B). Subjects were surveyed regarding the effects of college writing experiences on their professional preparation, communications competence, academic attitudes, cognitive development, and personal narratives. Results indicated that students in College A demonstrated higher order writing; more professional writing endeavors; better understanding of the importance of writing in practice; degrees of competency and positive attitudes earlier in the program of studies; and ease of transition in using writing in practice. (RS) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ******************************************************************************** NURSES WRITING: THE UNDERGRADUATE YEARS AND BEYOND CCCC 1997 -Phoenix, Arizona presented by:


This document was born from a set of lectures I attended, given by Dr Maurice Chiodo in his half of the Part III Maths course Infinite Groups and Decision Problems, which he lectured jointly with Dr Jack Button in 2016. The treatment of modular machines was a bit heavy in text, and they are actually fairly intuitive objects, so I decided to expand on them here. A warning for those who are following the official course notes: I accidentally interchanged L and R in my definition of a modular machine below, relative to the official notes. It doesn't change any of the ideas, and is just a different labelling convention, but by the time it was pointed out to me, most of the document was written, and I can't be bothered to fix it now. Use at your own risk. Mistakes in this article are due entirely to me; thanks to Joshua Hunt and Daniel Zheng for catching some before this went to press.


The kinetics of the reaction H + C3H8 = H2 + C3H7 have been studied in the range 95 to 170 °C by a method permitting the evaluation of the absolute value of the rate constant. This was found to be 2.2×10−10exp (−8.2×103/RT) cm3 molecule−1sec−1.


Developing advanced negative and positive electrode materials for asymmetric supercapacitors (ASCs) as the electrochemical energy storage can enable the device to reach high energy/power densities resulting from the cooperative effect...


Ultra-weak photon emission (UWPE) detection and measurement from biological samples is a promising tool with potential use in several fields such as agriculture, environmental science, food science and biomedicine. An instrumentation based on a photomultiplier module (PMT) is presented, and its performance in terms of dark-noise and bacteria detection was evaluated in order to assure that it is able to feasibly realize UWPE measurements applied to sanitary control. The UWPE counter relies on a dark-chamber and a PMT. The PMT window is placed in the center of the chamber, sight above a Petri's dish that contains the biological sample. under measurement rests. The PMT is cooled down to 10°C to minimize the dark-counts. At 10°C the dark-count is around 17 counts/s, which is feasible for E. coli detection.


Iridium pincer complexes (POCOP)Ir(CO) (POCOP = κ3-C6H3-1,3-[OP(tBu)2]2) and substituted POCOP derivatives catalyze deoxygenation of glycerol to n-propanol and 1,3-propanediol in good yield under moderate conditions (acidic aqueous dioxane, 200 °C, 80 bar H2). Catalyst solubility in the polar reaction mixture is improved by incorporation of a polar moiety in the para position of the POCOP phenyl ring, with the best results obtained with a dimethylamino substituent.


The farmwomen perform arduous, tedious and exhaustive works in farm and homestead activities. They are backbone of the agricultural workforce, responsible right from the conservation of seeds to the cooked meal on the plate. Their activities typically include producing agricultural crops, tending animals, processing and preparing food, working for wages in agricultural or other rural enterprises, collecting fuel and water, engaging in trade and marketing, caring for family members and maintaining their homes (Klasen and Lamanna, 2009). World over, about 42% of women workers are engaged in agriculture while in India, about 60% of women workers are in agriculture. An interesting feature of International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 7 Number 08 (2018) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com


Linear motors have been a great interest from industries. Especially, linear synchronous motor that uses rare earth permanent magnets in the field side (PMLSM) has contributed to the popularization in industrial fields because of its high efficiency and compact size. Among characteristics required to PMLSM in industrial fields, high thrust can be an important technical requirement to PMLSM when considering conveyance of heavy materials such as large glass. The authors propose a novel flux-concentrated type transverse flux cylindrical linear synchronous motor to gain higher thrust. In this paper, the structure and operational principle of the proposed motor are described. Also, its fundamental characteristics are both theoretically analyzed and numerically computed by field calculation using Finite Element Method (FEM).


THE HONORABLE DANIEL S. GOLDIN became NASA's Administrator in 1992. Since then he has initiated a revolution to transform America's aeronautics and space program. Through his aggressive management reforms, annual budgets and the civil work force have been reduced, productivity gains have climbed, and his "faster, better, cheaper" approach has enabled the agency to deliver programs of high value. He has been credited with bringing NASA "back from the brink of a black hole."


The invention provides a device and a control method for the device. The electronic device including a display unit configured to display a letterbox in a letterbox region and an image in an image display region; and a controller configured to display a guide image at a boundary portion between the letterbox region and the image display region, and change display sizes of the letterbox region and the image display region based on a movement of the guide image.


This paper consider the probability distribution of the busy period of a single server queuing system with constant servicing time for each customer when customer arrive condonly in varying batch sizes and the batch size is distributed according to the Poisson law. First four moments and a few limiting forms of the distribution are also given.


SUBTITLE: THE EUROPEAN CONSORTIUM HAS BEEN RATING ITS EQUIPMENT SUPPLIERS SINCE 1992: THE RESULT IS A DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENT IN CUSTOMER SERVICE.


A phobia may be defined as a persistent and inappropriate fear of a specific object or situation; the majority of phobias do not come to the attention of the psychiatrist, as they are readily circumvented and hence do not interfere significantly with the individual's mode of life.


In the past few years, a second phase of biomedical ethics in Japan has begun to surface with a succession of governmental guidelines and laws regulating biomedical technology. Although this rush of guidelines exemplifies a heightened awareness concerning ethical standards for healthcare research, it also invites several practical, political, and procedural problems.


Unwanted noise is a significant factor in traffic corridor planning , architecture, and development. Architects, structural experts, and traffic designers are looking for innovative methods of minimizing or substantially reducing noise levels. The challenge is to achieve necessary levels of sound while preserving and improving the visual experience at the same time. At the other hand, rubber waste, especially waste from scrap tyres, is one of the most unmanageable. A very serious ecological issue today is its conservation and use. The dissertation work namely addition of various percentages of scrap rubber by weight of cement in concrete was. carried forward to its logical end using an analytical and experimental approach. The majority of the projected results were subsequently attained by exploring various milestones such as findings from literature survey, identification of relevant gaps to accomplish the work, validity of the tests, results and discussions to provide an. efficient basis.of the subject for implementing its applications for a coherent use in future prospects. Some of the highlights are mentioned below: The overall analysis and emphasis of this research work is an eco-friendly approach and at the. same is techno-economical from. the commercial point of view The depleing trend of the natural. surce like the aggregaes can be reduced to a greater extends by making it sustainable for the judicious use of future generation and reduces various problems associate with environment. The research work shall be further explored by increasing the percentage of rubber as aggregate. The commercial implications in promoting the implementation of this dissertation work can be little bit on higher side, but the saving of environmental degradation and large land fill area can be considered as the pay back assets.


In this article I evaluate ideas of sex and behavior in P ā li Vinaya texts in order to better understand the roles of such terms and their consequences on monastic inclusion. I then contend with the ramifications of such terms on present-day considerations of ordination for transgender individuals, and the ways in which Vinaya texts provide legal precedent for such possibilities.


An estimation method of the transfer function of branched power-line channel is discussed. The assuming channel consists of VVF cables with two wires of φ1.6mm, which is widely used for the indoor power-line in Japan. The channel is segmented at each branching point, and the segmented piece of the cable is modeled as a four terminal network represented by a transmission matrix. Its elements are determined by the distributed constants when the cable length is given. As an application of the proposed estimation method, the effect of the impedance matching at the end of branched cables is also studied. The impedance matching is effective to reduce the signal distortion, although the signal attenuation is serious. This tradeoff is discussed from the viewpoint of the bit error performance. keyword: channel modeling, measurements and channel characterization, estimation of the channel characterization, distributed constant circuit, highfrequency band PLC, VVF cable


A differential amplifier for gigahertz bandwidth electrical signals using fiber optics and integrated optical devices was demon- strated. The differential gain was a function of the electrical to optical and optical to electrical conversion factors. The common mode rejection ratio of our differential amplifier at 1 GHz was greater than 30 dB. The common mode rejection ratio depended on the time difference between the differential amplifier inputs. This device could be used as an inte- grated module in radar and communications systems.


One source quoted in this paper states that it is probably no exaggeration to say that at any given time in recent history a considerable part of humanity has been living under a state of emergency. Sometimes the different forms of a state of exception, for example a state of emergency and martial law are confused or not properly distinguished. It is here attempted, with special reference to English and American legal history, and especially the historical development of martial law in South Africa, to clarify the meaning and effect of martial law. Some of the conclusions reached are: martial law is not the appropriate instrument for a government to employ under circumstances that do not constitute war; where martial law is proclaimed, emergency regulations under Act 3 of 1953 and even the war regulations that may be proclaimed under section 103 of Act 44 of 1957 become irrelevant, because these measures do not indicate the existence of a state of martial law; an important feature of martial law is that judicial control over the. actions of the authorities is completely excluded; martial law is a crea,ture of the common law, and therefore the notion of 'statutory martial law' is not viable: perceptions regarding the implications of the proclamation of martial law are understandably negative.


The poly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) is a promising candidate material for using in polymer solar cells researches due to its good absorbance and stability. In this study, we present the electro-optical performance of organic polymer solar cells based on P3HT: [6,-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) with weight ratio of 1:1. We added ZnO nanoparticles into the blending of P3HT and PCBM to improve the performance of polymer solar cells. ZnO nanoparticles are very promising inorganic metal oxides for use in organic solar cells because of its low cost, nontoxicity, high reflectance and good electron transport properties. The morphology of polymer solar cell was improved due to the additional of ZnO nanoparticles. The effects of thermal annealing on the solar cell had been studied. The post-annealing shows significant improvement in the performance for solar cell. How to prevent ZnO nanoparticles to agglomerate is essential as they are added to the active layer of the solar cell. Well dispersed ZnO nanoparticles are obtained by using the methanol solvent. The best performances of the solar cell with short-circuit current density of 14.66 mW/cm2 and efficiency of 3.92% can be obtained after post-annealed with well being dispersed 1.3wt% ZnO nanoparticles in the active layer.


We have computed adsorption (binding) energy of Al atom over the various points of the stepped Si(332) surface and have built potential energy map as seen by Al adatom over the surface. The binding energy of adatom was found to be the largest over two broad regions in the middle of terrace and having the values of −5.66 eV and −5.42 eV. Such broad potential minima form two valleys where the adatom may diffuse along the terrace overcoming energy barriers of 0.2 eV. Meanwhile, the activation energy needed for the adatom to diffuse from one terrace to another is 2.14 eV. It is expected that Al adatoms diffuse along these valleys during epitaxial growth before slowing down and attaching themselves to the terrace steps. In the vicinity of terrace step the adsorption energy calculated taking into account additional relaxation of surface Si atoms due to interaction with Al adatom has the value of −5.67 eV. Calculations of the relaxation of the stepped Si(332) surface and of adsorption energies of Al adatom were performed in the framework of density functional theory.


Today, people are used to having technology as a constant aid. This also sets expectations that information should always be available. This, together with ongoing climate change that has led to mo ...


To study the mechanism by which norepinephrine acts on vascular muscle cell membrane, we recorded membrane potential with intracellular mlcroelectrodes in isolated cat basilar and pial arteries. On addition of norepinephrine concentrations leas than 1 /JM, pial arteries hyperpolarized and relaxed while basilar arteries depolarised and contracted. Relaxation and hyperpolarization of the pial arteries occurred without the need for addition of any other drug, which indicates the relaxation of spontaneous tone. The relaxation and hyperpolarization could be completely blocked by addition of propranolol before exposure to norepinephrine. The depolarization and contraction of both basilar and pial arteries was blocked by the previous exposure to phentolarnine. Electrical spikes were not found spontaneously, but could be induced in both arteries by tetraethylammonlum and subsequent addition of norepinephrine, blockable by phentolamine. We conclude that membrane property differences between basilar and pial arteries result in qualitatively different effects of norepinephrine.


The methodology of determining the thermal balance during fires in closed room was developed. Thermal balance during a fire is primarily influenced by the temperature of the seat of fire. This temperature depends on the burning rate of combustion products, the area of the fire and its duration and the mass of gas in the volume of the room. The lower calorific value also has a significant effect on the of thermal balance. The value of the heat flow, which passes into the walls of the room at all stages of the fire, was estimated. Analytic expression for determining the heat absorption coefficient depending on the duration of free burning was obtained. The results of research show that the heat absorption coefficient φ is not a constant value – during the fire it changes its value and reaches a maximum (no more than 0.5). Increasing of the volume of the room leads to increasing of the heat loss (more heat goes into the environment), which reduces the thermal load on the building structures.


Although mycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome are presently defined by the WHO/European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer criteria as two distinct subtypes of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, the two diseases present with some overlapping clinical and pathological features and share the same staging system. Advances in understanding the roles and immunologic features of different subsets of T helper cells have allowed researchers to segregate mycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome with more precision, suggesting that these diseases, despite some similarities, arise from distinct T-cell subsets. New evidence acquired from recent studies in genetics and molecular signaling pathways has contributed to a more comprehensive understanding of these two disease entities, supporting this theory. The purpose here is to survey recent advances in the biological origin, immunophenotype, genetics and molecular profiles of mycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome, leading to a greater understanding of the differe...


There is a growing requirement for precision lenses that can image millions of pixels. Our present methods of optical fabrication are not adequate for achieving design performance. There is need for more in process testing and less need for expensive testing. The mount design and assembly procedures are vitally important. There is need for development of new mounting techniques.


This letter introduces the BRL/Pisa/IIT (BPI) SoftHand: a single actuator-driven, low-cost, 3D-printed, tendon-driven, underactuated robot hand that can be used to perform a range of grasping tasks. Based on the adaptive synergies of the Pisa/IIT SoftHand, we design a new joint system and tendon routing to facilitate the inclusion of both soft and adaptive synergies, which helps us balance durability, affordability and grasping performance of the hand. The focus of this work is on the design, simulation, synergies and grasping tests of this SoftHand. The novel phalanges are designed and printed based on linkages, gear pairs and geometric restraint mechanisms, and can be applied to most tendon-driven robotic hands. We show that the robot hand can successfully grasp and lift various target objects and adapt to hold complex geometric shapes, reflecting the successful adoption of the soft and adaptive synergies. We intend to open-source the design of the hand so that it can be built cheaply on a home 3D-printer.


The ever increasing confusion in the application of anatomical terminology in entomology, is rapidly producing an absolutely intolerable state of affairs, and unless steps toward reform are soon taken, it will eventually become practically impossible to make use of the present system of terminology, in comparative morphological work. Such chaotic and absolutely needless confusion, would not for a moment be tolerated in any other branch of research, and it is difficult to understand why entomologists are supinely indifferent to a state of affairs which can hardly be said to reflect credit upon their scientific spirit or intelligence. If students of mammalian anatomy, for example, were to apply the term "mentum" to the back of the head in lemurs, to the top of the head in monkeys to the forehead in baboons, to the nose in higher apes, and to the chin in man, the storm of protest which such a course of procedure would arouse, can be easily imagined; yet entomologists may with impunity perpetrate a far more astoundingly flagrant manipulation of anatomical terminology than that cited. in the foregoing hypothetical case, arid no one is moved to even mildly protest!


During peri-menopause and menopause, the skin goes through various changes that can have a negative impact on women. While it is a fact that every woman will experience menopause, the symptoms will...


There is no doubt that the number of papers submitted to journals year on year is increasing and it is a testament to the popularity of JSFA that submissions now regularly exceed 3000 per year, a number that has doubled in the last 5 years. While it is fantastic that so many researchers are keen to publish their findings in JSFA, this inevitably has consequences for the workload of editors and referees, and resulting effects on publication times. As a result, the Journal will be working hard in the next year on expanding to meet this demand. Another consequence of this enormous increase in submissions to a journal that still has a limited number of pages is that only a small proportion of these can be accepted for publication. There is, however, a great deal that authors can do to improve their chances of being published. It's our experience that a significant number of submissions are out of scope for the journal. We've tried to minimize this by publishing a more comprehensive Aims and Scope for authors (onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/%28ISSN%291097-0010 /homepage/ProductInformation.html). Nevertheless, about 80% of authors will be disappointed when they submit a manuscript to JSFA. In some cases, there are specific problems or limitations to the submissions that could have been corrected either in the experimental design or in the preparation of the manuscript that would have made a big difference. Below are some of the problems we frequently see, and suggestions on how they might be avoided:


Women's equal participation in politics is critical to women's advancement. This determination, however, is not to be made uniformly across the globe. Yet, in contemporary periods, it has witnessed a significant shift in women's political participation globally. The purpose of this paper is to gain a better understanding of women's overall participation, their socioeconomic status, and their valuable role in urban policy formulation and implementation in Bangladesh. In this analysis, primary and secondary data are integrated. Primary sources are referenced to substantiate theories and arguments asserted in the secondary literature, which are based on the case study of Narayanganj City Corporation. It is completed with the assistance of theories and contentions gleaned from secondary sources. Additionally, this study concludes with an examination of Bangladeshi women's position in the decision-making process. Another pressing need is to broaden the participation of women in political culture at the grassroots level. In urban areas, the City Corporation must interact with various government, autonomous, and semi-autonomous bodies. The situation of female ward councillors has deteriorated to the point where there is some ambiguity. Women's involvement in politics has been limited by a decline in financial capital and family support. Women can appeal to low-level politics thanks to a patriarchal viewpoint. In Bangladesh, women continue to struggle for equal rights and face political challenges. Societal norms enforce gender stereotypes. Religious restrictions are the most severe concern among Bangladesh's status issues, which have a complicated structure. Women are not politically socialized enough to participate in the political life of their country. The City Corporation's institutional rules and responsibilities are of little concern to women, and the existing regulations are insufficient. Therefore, the paper can reveal the actual scenario of women's representation and obstacles in the urban level of Bangladesh.


Abstract The presented paper is focused on the development of an algorithm and software implementation of this algorithm into diagnostics of winding deformation in a single-phase power transformer with an unloaded tertiary winding in operational mode. To implement the algorithm, it is necessary to measure instantaneous values of input voltage and current, output voltage and current, and voltage across the unloaded tertiary winding by means of the electric power quality analyzer PQA – 824. This tool is utilized for signal filtering. The inductances of T-shaped equivalent circuit of the transformer were calculated. Relative deviations of the obtained inductance values were determined on the basis of transformer in operation; these deviations were compared with pre-determined set-points. If the inductances deviate from the set-points, the transformer must be repaired. Modern mathematical software package Mathcad 14 is designed to implement the algorithm. As a result of laboratory tests, the error of the proposed algorithm does not exceed 2% in comparison with the exact method.


This writing examines these patterns of political mobilization by focusing on three aspects of electoral dynamics. After a brief background section, the writing analyses, first, the varieties of patronage politics that candidates engaged in. This section notes that, although most candidates denied involvement in money politics, in fact patronage was central to most of their strategies, and they demonstrated great creativity in devising new forms of gifts and means of delivery. Second, the writing investigates the campaign structures used by candidates, noting a basic division between casual and unstructured methods used by poorly resourced candidates and more elaborate and effective structures built by wealthier candidates. Third, the chapter examines patterns of identity-based networking by the candidates. Here, we face something of a puzzle: though Bangka Belitung society is remarkably open and ethnically tolerant, candidates often relied on narrow identity appeals and networks when reaching out to voters.


In this paper, we bridge the gap between separation logic and transition invariants in order to obtain a uniform framework for proving total correctness of pointer programs. We introduce the concept of separated transition constraints to describe the local effect of pointer programs. Separated transition constraints provide a new view on locality by their non-tight interpretation. Furthermore, separated transition constraints constitute the basis for separated transition logic which enables local reasoning about relations over states of heap-manipulating programs. We put the framework of transition invariants to work with separated transition logic and obtain as a consequence a conservative extension of separation logic that is able to prove termination.


The photon frequency distribution that results from single Compton scattering of monochromatic radiation on thermal electrons is derived in the mildly relativistic limit. Algebraic expressions are given for (1) the photon redistribution function, K(ν,𝛀 → ν′,𝛀′), and (2) the spectrum produced in the case of isotropic incident radiation, P(ν → ν′). The former is a good approximation for electron temperatures kTe ≲ 25 keV and photon energies hν ≲ 50 keV, and the latter is applicable when hν(hν/mec2) ≲ kTe ≲ 25 keV, hν ≲ 50 keV. Both formulae can be used for describing the profiles of X-ray and low-frequency lines upon scattering in hot, optically thin plasmas, such as present in clusters of galaxies, in the coronae of accretion disks in X-ray binaries and active galactic nuclei (AGNs), during supernova explosions, etc. Both formulae can also be employed as the kernels of the corresponding integral kinetic equations (direction-dependent and isotropic) in the general problem of Comptonization on thermal electrons. The K(ν,𝛀 → ν′,𝛀′) kernel, in particular, is applicable to the problem of induced Compton interaction of anisotropic low-frequency radiation of high brightness temperature with free electrons in the vicinity of powerful radio sources and masers. Fokker-Planck-type expansion (up to fourth order) of the integral kinetic equation with the P(ν → ν′) kernel derived here leads to a generalization of the Kompaneets equation. We also present (1) a simpler kernel that is necessary and sufficient to derive the Kompaneets equation and (2) an expression for the angular function for Compton scattering in a hot plasma, which includes temperature and photon energy corrections to the Rayleigh angular function.


The author analyses the communicative structure of the christian youth press in Austria. Using empirical methods, editors, media contents and readers are analysed in order to get a picture of the catholic and protestant press for and of young people. The analysis reveals that church publications for this age are not primarily contributing to evangelization. They are more devoted to relatively widespread information according to the interest of children and young people. A normative vertical flow from top to bottom as usually attributed to church communications is no,t to be found in the analysed publications. Communicator and recipient are at least beginning to be equal partners. The catholic publications are very much adjusted to youth publication of general interest.


e-Learning emerged as a way for enhancing the quality of education and providing accessible distance learning to allow learners to study beyond regular class time, transcending the mandatory presence of teachers and the availability of classrooms by providing the necessary resources and services. One of the main issues of e-learning, especially in engineering education, is the lack of online educational laboratories. Practical work remains a considerable burden as engineering educational programs focus on handling real equipment. These last are only accessible within a restrictive schedule and might be unaffordable for low budget institutions. The need is clear for interactive platforms that enhance the motivation and controls the regulation of workload for each student. In this paper, an overview about online laboratories is given and a simple approach of remote lab is suggested. The proposal of our research team (Team SEITI) can be used for carrying-out experiments that require neither assembly nor physical changes until the results are obtained unless a technician, that must be present in the laboratory, acts on equipment. The idea is to set up a real-time measurement retrieval laboratory that requires the involvement of a technician to act on instruments and will grant access to a large scale of students.


The Uncertainty in a distributed environment is a major challenge due to communication delay, limitations of measuring data and network latency. Due to this uncertainty, a considerable amount of work has been dedicated to handle inconsistent data and resolving simple queries on inconsistent data, but the best way to handle complex uncertain data continues to be an open problem. Probabilistic skyline is one of the enhanced solutions to handle uncertainty in a distributed environment. The probabilistic based approach has been extensively used in data mining, multiple decision-making criteria and business planning. The skyline of multidimensional data includes those points which are not dominated by any other point in all n-dimensions. Probabilistic computation of the skyline considers each point to be represented by a n-dimensional data point. Mostly, the distributed skyline queries are designed to find a set of non-dominated data objects in a multi-dimensional data. Most of the conventional work has assumed a distributed or centralized configuration, in this paper, an efficient probabilistic computation of skyline queries on large distributed data was proposed. The experimental results show that the efficiency of the probabilistic based approach and its limitations in terms of time and accuracy are concerned.


Inglis 1C is an early Irvingtonian (late Pliocene) fossil vertebrate locality within a paleosinkhole. Taphonomic analyses of the mammalian remains reveal the depositional agents and biases in accumulation. The fossils are typically in excellent condition, although articulated elements do not occur. A few bones have a soft, chalky surface caused by post-depositional dissolution. The relative paucity of large carnivorans implies that the sinkhole did not serve as a den. Substantial water abrasion is rare, and evidence of predation is limited to a single tooth puncture on a deer phalanx and partial digestion of a few rodent teeth. The majority of clastic sediments were likely transported only short distances by water or possibly wind. Skeletons of the large mammals became disarticulated within the sinkhole, and small mammals accumulated as the result of predation by owls. After disarticulation, the very small elements were washed out of the deposit.


This study explored the conceptual and communicative roles of gesture by examining the consequences of gesture prevention for the type of spatial language used to solve a spatial problem. English speakers were asked to describe where to place a group of blocks so that the blocks completely filled a puzzle grid. Half the subjects were allowed to gesture and half were prevented from gesturing. In addition, half the subjects could see their addressee and half could not. Addressee visibility affected how reliant subjects were on specitying puzzle grid co-ordinates, regardless of gesture condition. However, when describing block locations, subjects who were allowed to gesture were more likely to describe block orientation and rotation. Further, gesture and speech complemented each other such that subjects were less likely to lexically specify rotation direction when this information was expressed by gesture, but this was not a conscious communicative choice because subjects who were not visible to their addressee also tended to leave rotation direction unspecified when they gestured. We argue that the complementary integration of information in gesture and speech occurred as a result of the expression of thought rather than as a result of communicative intent.


Let G=(V, E) be an undirected graph of order n. If G has a Hamiltonian cycle (a cycle containing every vertex of G), then G is called Hamiltonian. Define


Despite progress in awareness, prevention, and treatment, hypertension remains a major public health issue and the most common preventable cause of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality.1 The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017 estimated that high systolic blood pressure accounted for 10.4 million deaths and 218 million disability-adjusted life-years worldwide.1 Over the last decades, the population growth and aging has increased the prevalence of hypertension dramatically; the number of adults with elevated blood pressure doubled from 1975 (594 million) to 2015 (1.13 billion)2 and is estimated to reach 1.56 billion by 2025.3 Lifestyle interventions and drug treatment are well-established strategies to lower blood pressure.4,5 Lifestyle measures comprehend salt restriction, moderation in alcohol intake, healthy diet, smoking cessation, weight loss (goal is ideal body weight), and regular physical activity.4,5 Interestingly, successful lifestyle changes may delay or prevent the need for drug therapy in patients with grade 1 hypertension, and also improve the effects of antihypertensive drugs.5 Yet, despite the unquestionable benefits of nonpharmacological lifestyle-oriented interventions, most patients with hypertension will also require drug treatment.5 In the current issue of the journal, Taati and colleagues6 explore the topic of lifestyle interventions to lower blood pressure in a group of women with high-normal/ stage 1 hypertension. The authors assessed the effects of a dynamic resistance exercise training program and/or green tea extract on ambulatory and office blood pressure among middle-aged women (35 and 55 years old). Forty-four women with high-normal/stage 1 hypertension were randomly allocated to one of four groups: (a) resistance exercise, (b) green tea, (c) resistance exercise plus green tea, and (d) placebo/control group. The resistance exercise was performed at 50% of one-repetition maximum twice each week for 6 weeks, each session comprised 2 sets of 10 repetitions of 6 resistance exercises. Blood pressure (ambulatory and office) was measured at baseline and after the intervention. We commend Taati and colleagues6 for enrolling only women in their study for a couple of reasons. First, sex differences in the prevalence of hypertension and blood pressure levels are well recognized. Second, there is compelling evidence supporting the benefits of exercise training to prevent and treat several diseases in both men and women, yet women are often underrepresented in exercise medicine and sports research, creating significant knowledge gaps on sex differences in responses to exercise.7 Additionally, men and women seem to respond differently to dynamic resistance exercise training.8,9 By enrolling only women in this study, the authors are providing important information on the blood pressure response to dynamic resistance exercise in this population. A strong point in the Taati and colleagues6 study is the timing of the blood pressure assessment. They performed the blood pressure evaluation 48 hours after the last session of the exercise training program, hence avoiding the confounding effects of post-exercise hypotension from the last resistance exercise session. This period of time was sufficient to avoid the blood pressure-lowering effect induced by a single exercise session — which may persist for 24 hours10-12 — and at the same time was short enough to avoid the detraining effects on blood pressure. Regular physical exercise is widely recommended by the professional societies to lower blood pressure in adults with hypertension.4,5,13-16 For instance, physical exercise, namely aerobic and resistance exercise, is recognized as one of the best proven nonpharmacological interventions for prevention and treatment of


In this paper we consider the conditions under which a given ensemble of two-qubit states can be optimally distinguished by local operations and classical communication (LOCC). For the well-known task of minimum error discrimination, it is shown that almost all two-qubit ensembles consisting of three pure states cannot be optimally discriminated using LOCC. This is quite surprising considering that any two pure states can be distinguished optimally by LOCC. Special attention is given to ensembles that lack entanglement, and we prove an easy sufficient condition for when a set of product states cannot be optimally distinguished by LOCC, thus providing new examples of the phenomenon known as "non-locality without entanglement". We then consider an example of N parties who each share the same state but who are ignorant of its identity. For any finite N , we prove that optimal identification of the state cannot be achieved by LOCC; however as N → ∞, LOCC can indeed discriminate the states optimally. This is the first result of its kind. Finally, we turn to the task of unambiguous discrimination and derive new lower bounds on the LOCC inconclusive probability for symmetric states.