Toward establishing a measurement system for small masses and forces based on the new definition of the kilogram, a measurement apparatus that uses the voltage balance method was developed. The main components of the apparatus are a mass balance mechanism, an automatic mass translation system, and a capacitance actuator for balancing the gravity force acting on the small object and the electrostatic force. The electrostatic force is calibrated by using the electrical methods that are traceable to the electrical standards. Therefore, the voltage balance method realizes SI traceable and absolute measurements of small masses. To improve the method, new technical approaches, such as the use of a monolithic flexure hinge for the balance mechanism, a double equal capacitor system for the electrical control, and a new type of buckling spring, were implemented. To evaluate the performance of the apparatus, an experiment of the mass of a 500-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{g}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> aluminum wire weight was conducted. A result of the weighing of the 500-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{g}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> weight was <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$499.8~\mu \text{g}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. The basic performance of the new apparatus for small mass measurements was confirmed.


Starting with the Sharpless dihydroxylation of the α,β-unsaturated ester (I) an asymmetric synthesis of the olefin (III) is developed, a known synthetic precursor of (+)-biotin.


The response of a solar cell with an incident light beam having a non-uniform intensity distribution is theoretically analysed. From the solution of the two-dimenaional diffusion equation, the photogenerated carrier density in the illuminated zone is obtained, and the corresponding short-circuit current is estimated. Theoretical curves for current versus width of the exposer of the beam for different values of the thickness of the skin layer of the cell are plotted. This paper also presents an experimental procedure for measuring the response characteristics of the solar cell to a light beam having a non-uniform intensity distribution. A He–Ne laser beam is used as the source of light. Experiments are carried out and the results are compared with the theoretical curves. Results show a somewhat quantitative agreement with the theory.


Nursing Care of Postoperative Pain Pain is a subjective concept adversely affecting the individual to maintain his/her Daily Life Activities and life quality independantly and that can be only defined by individual suffering from the pain. At the postoperative period, postoperative pain one of the most important patient complains is an acute pain starting with surgical trauma, lessening gradually and ending by the tissue recovery.The essential aim in nursing care of postoperative pain is to do patient assessment with nursing model/theroy. Furthermore pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic nursing interventions that included individual plan are to implementation and evaluation.


Based on the investigation of heavy metals (copper, zinc, nickel, chromium, lead,cadmium, arsenic and mercury) in some vegetables, the contents of heavy metals were detected in171 samples of 22 varieties from the vegetables production base in the typical areas of Guangdong province, and then pollution index were evaluated by the national vegetable environmental quality standards. The results showed that the average contents of Cu, Zn, Ni, Cr, Pb, Cd, As and Hg in edible parts of vegetable were 0.6718, 3.7431, 0.1928, 0.1451, 0.0776, 0.0205, 0.0825 and 0.0022 mg kg-1 respectively, and 13.45% the vegetable samples were polluted at different degrees. It was also found that Cd and Pb were the major pollutant elements in Guangdong province.


Fiber reinforced laminate design is a challenging problem in the field of composite laminates. It provides us a systematic way to design the laminates of desired properties while conveniently incorporating the thick-ness and mass constraints. In this paper, we pursue the multivariate graphite fiber reinforced laminate design problem using Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) algorithm. Classical lamination theory is used to determine mid-plane strains, curvatures and stresses in individual lamina under applied biaxial loading conditions. The fiber orientations, lamina thickness, number of layers and fiber volume fractions of lamina are considered as the optimization variables. Failure of the lamina is analyzed by Tsai–Wu failure criterion. Objective of the study is to maximize the load carry capacity of the composite laminate structure and minimize the areal mass density under multivariate/multiobjective optimization.


ABSTRACT Improvement in information technology has led to an increase in the ability of individuals to access health information; however, there still exists a large gap between patient and physician knowledge about diseases and/or illnesses. Often patients find themselves in doubt or overwhelmed by the care they are given. High medical costs also persist which makes the experience of patients less than ideal. For these reasons, among others, the internet has become a very popular tool in the hands of individuals who may wish to better understand the status of their health, make more informed decisions about their treatment options, and/or find cheaper ways to maintain good health status or cure a disease. Internet search engines, especially Google, play a crucial role in providing a means for patients to get the health information they need. The analysis presented in this article seeks to investigate the possibility of using Google Trends data to analyze the relationship between internet searches on the major causes of death and actual mortality in the United States. Specifically, this research seeks to investigate how well Google search query data serve as proxy for data on the actual causes of death.


Machine learning (ML) can be a valuable tool for discovering opportunities to save energy and resources in manufacturing systems. However, the hype around ML in the context of Industry 4.0 in the past few years has led to blind usage of the approach, occasionally resulting in usage when another analysis approach would be better suited. The research presented here uses a novel matrix approach to address this lack of differentiation of when to best use ML for improving energy and resource efficiency in manufacturing, by systematically identifying situations in which ML is well suited. Seventeen generic levers for improving manufacturing energy and resource efficiency are defined. Next, a generic list of six manufacturing data scenarios for when ML is a good method of choice for analysis is created. This results in a comprehensive matrix in which each lever is evaluated along each ML scenario and given a point, providing a quantitative ML suitability score for each lever. The evaluation is conducted by drawing on past studies demonstrating whether ML is appropriate. Specifically, operation parameter and input material optimization, as well as intelligent maintenance, are the levers that score the highest and are thus identified to be most suitable for machine learning. The majority of the remaining levers is deemed to have low suitability for machine learning. This simple yet informative matrix can be used as a guideline in data-driven manufacturing energy and resource efficiency projects to provide an appraisal on the applicability of ML as the initial analysis tool of choice.


Objectives Drug theft by healthcare workers is a recognized problem in emergency departments (EDs) that can lead to patient, healthcare worker, and organization harm. Diversion takes various forms, including tampering with syringes, pilfering from waste containers and falsely documenting drug administration. Before implementing risk-mitigating interventions, we need a detailed understanding of the vulnerabilities in ED medication-use processes. This study sought to identify the critical failure modes (CFMs) within EDs that increase diversion risk and characterize the system factors contributing to CFMs. Methods Between June 2018 and February 2019, we conducted observations in two Ontario EDs. Observers recorded tasks carried out by nurses, pharmacists, and physicians. We performed a Healthcare Failure Mode and Effect Analysis, informed by the observation data, to proactively identify CFMs in the medication-use processes. Failure modes were coded for their effects on diversion risk and the contributing system factors. Results We identified 28 CFMs that increase diversion risk by enabling inappropriate access to controlled substances or compromising documentation. CFMs are multifactorial, stemming primarily from factors related to person (e.g., intent to divert) and tools/technology (e.g., limited automatic reconciliation of records), followed by organization (e.g., practices that diffuse accountability), environment (e.g., workspaces that obscure illicit behaviours), and task (e.g., unstructured processes leading to lapses). Conclusion The study findings inform opportunities to revise vulnerable processes and bolster safeguards, decreasing diversion risk and protecting patients and healthcare workers.


In this paper,models of 3 kinds of wavelet neural network were established to forecast the performance of questioned ejectors,of which a great number of experimental data had been obtained.SA-BP and BP algorithms were adopted,respectively,for network training based on the obtained dataset.According to the results of training,the most suitable wavelet base was selected from the 3 wavelet bases to be the activation function of the network.Numerical experiments show that the forecasting of the ejector performance can meet the requirement of ejector in practice,and the application of SA-BP training algorithm is somewhat better than of BP training algorithm.


The present study was conducted to assess the level of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in goat milk and cheese. Milk samples (n=60) were taken during the period July 2008 to June 2009 from 5 goats production units. Cheese samples (n=20) were taken in July 2009. Samples were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using the methods proposed by the AOAC. The results show 30% of milk samples with some level of AFM1, 18% were above the maximum permissible level (0.05 µg Kg -1 ) by the European Community, with a peak of 1.61 µg Kg -1 . Cheese samples showed a 15% incidence of AFM1, with a maximum level of 0.23 µg Kg -1 .


determined attempts to the most superficial gestures. In about a quarter there appeared to be no intention to die, but a hope of achieving some other aim, notably a change in attitude of another person in close relationship to the patient. In 63% of the patients the attempt appeared to be impulsive and unpremeditated. Half the cases were diagnosed as having depressive disorders. While a few cases show no psychiatric illness requiring treatment, all attempts at suicide require psychiatric investigation. REFERENCES


although not quite in the ways imagined by the Presbyterian ideologues. Vincent Geoghegan documents socialist ideas in early nineteenth-century Ireland. The impression given is of several small groups, each unaware of the others' existence, and ultimately ephemeral and without issue. George Boyce contemplates the dilemma of Irish conservative nationalism in the nineteenth century. He shows how Ireland was caught, even before the great franchise extensions, between a frantic, aristocratic and working-class Unionism on the one hand, and a growing Catholic nationalist democracy on the other. However, the writings of Ferguson and Standish O'Grady were to have a powerful effect on the nationalists of the twentieth century. Margaret O'Callaghan contributes a short piece on D. P. Moran, a journalist who angrily rejected Protestant claims to be leaders of the Irish nation: 'Grattan's parliament', he insisted, was not representative of the Irish nation. To find a true institutional representation of that nation, other than the Catholic church, one must go back to the seventeenth century. Richard English gives us a comparative study of two twentieth-century republicans, the warrior Ernie O'Malley and the socialist agitator Peadar O'Donnell. Neither, he argues, showed real capacity to come to terms with the realities of modern Irish life. Jennifer Todd, on Unionist political thought since partition in Ulster, argues that since Ulster Unionism never succeeded in achieving a stable political order, it has never succeeded in developing a more systematic selfjustification. It is rather strange that the book contains no study of 'O'Connellism', that blend of Catholicism and liberal democracy which was the only ideological system ever to be exported from Ireland to mainland Europe and copied, in the form of 'Christain Democracy', by Catholic countries. O'Connell was, after all, the person who demonstrated that an alliance of democracy and Catholicism was possible. Similarly, there is no attempt to look at the political thought of independent Ireland, or to assess the intellectual milieu in which Hugh Kennedy, Hans Kohn, George Gavan Duffy, John Kelly and Cearbhall 6 Dalaigh were leading lights in the construction of a liberal democratic political order that attempted to reconcile, and is still attempting to reconcile, the contradictory claims of liberal individualism and a communal Catholicism.


ApoE3 is the most common apoE variant in humans. Carriers of the apoE4 variant have increased risk of coronary artery disease, while apoE2 carriers have lower plasma lipid levels, reduced risk of coronary artery disease, but an increased risk of peripheral vascular disease. The differing effects of apoE2 and apoE4 on vascular disease manifestation have not been completely elucidated. ApoE2, apoE3 and apoE4 gene replacement (knock-in) mice were used to examine the influence apoE variants have on macrophage function and response to dietary challenge. Peritoneal macrophages isolated from apoE4 mice displayed less efferocytosis capacity and were more apoptotic even under basal conditions when compared to apoE3 and apoE2 macrophages. Stimulation with LPS or oxLDL increased apoptosis more robustly in apoE4 and apoE2 macrophages compared with apoE3 macrophages. Immunoblot analysis showed increased endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in apoE4 macrophages, with IRE1α and JNK being up-regulated 2- and 4-fold, respectively, compared with apoE2 and apoE3 macrophage. Phosphorylated PERK was 2-fold higher in apoE4 macrophages when stressed with LPS or oxLDL, compared with apoE3 or apoE2 macrophages. The pro-apoptotic protein, CHOP, was also up-regulated in apoE4 macrophages compared with apoE3 macrophages when exposed to oxLDL. When knock-in mice were challenged with a lipid-rich meal via gastric lavage, postprandial increase in neutrophil cell count was similar between apoE3 and apoE4 mice but was much higher in apoE2 mice. The robust postprandial neutrophil response in apoE2 mice coincided with their delay in postprandial clearance of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins. Interestingly, when the animals were maintained on a high fat, high cholesterol Western-type diet for 4 weeks, tissue macrophages were found to be more inflamed in both apoE2 and apoE4 mice compared to apoE3 mice. These results document distinct pro-inflammatory mechanisms: apoE2 increases postprandial inflammation through defective receptor binding and delayed lipid clearance, while apoE4 promotes inflammation by reducing macrophage function and increasing ER stress. These findings may help to elucidate the disparate influences on peripheral versus coronary artery diseases.


This paper presents an investigation of five-Level Inverter as Distribution Static Compensator (DSTATCOM) in Power System (PS) for compensation of reactive power and harmonics. The advantages of inverter are low harmonic distortion, reduced number of switches and suppression of switching losses. In this simulation we observe the power quality problems such as unbalanced voltage and current, harmonics by connecting non linear load. Proportional and Integral (PI) control is used for capacitor dc voltage regulation. An Inverter is considered for shunt compensation of a 11 kV distribution system. Finally a level shifted PWM (LSPWM) and phase shifted PWM (PSPWM) techniques are adopted to investigate the performance of CHB Inverter. The results are obtained through Mat lab / Simulink software package.


A volute is one of the key components in a centrifugal compressor. The aerodynamic stability of the compressor deteriorates remarkably when a volute is employed. This paper investigates the influence of volute-induced circumferential flow distortion on aerodynamic stability of a centrifugal compressor via experimentally validated three-dimensional (3D) numerical simulation method. First, the compressor performance is analyzed based on a newly developed stability parameter. The impeller is confirmed to be the main contributor to the instability of the investigated compressor. Next, the influence of volute on impeller performance is studied by circumferentially distorted boundary conditions at the impeller exit which are extracted from flow field at the volute inlet. Results show that the performance of an impeller passage is determined by not only the back pressure but also the local gradient of pressure distribution in the circumferential direction. Moreover, these passages confronted with pressure reduction in the rotational direction are most unstable, while those confronted with pressure rise have better performance. Consequently, the circumferentially distorted distribution at impeller exit results in a loop of passage performance encapsulating the performance of uniform case. The size of the loop is enhanced by the distortion amplitude. Moreover, the influence of volute-induced distortion on the impeller performance is concluded into two main reasons: the imbalance of the force on flow and the imbalance of tip clearance flow taken by passages. The force imbalance influences the accumulation of secondary flow, while the imbalance of the tip clearance flow results in discrepancies of the low momentum flow in passages.


The cause of sun transit is interpreted in this paper. Through the link budget and the computation of antenna noise at the time when sun transit occurs, Eb/N0 of the received signal is gained at the time when the effect of sun transit is strongest. The algorithm to achieve sun transit time and the flow chart to predict sun transit outage are also offered in this paper.


The history of psychoacoustics can be subdivided into three eras, Pre-electronic, Electronic, and Digital. We are currently in the middle of the Digital era. Psychoacousticians displayed remarkable ingenuity in furthering our understanding of auditory perception using the limited technology of the day. The brilliant use of spinning discs, innovative pulse generators, tuning forks provided fascinating new insights into the nature of hearing. The Electronic era began with the invention of the electronic amplifier. The high gain provided by electronic amplifiers opened the door to new areas of investigation. Fundamental new findings regarding non-linear distortion and protective auditory mechanisms resulted as well as the emergence of the field of audiology. Psychoacoustic research during the Electronic era focused more on the spectral properties of hearing, presumably because of the greater difficulty in manipulating pulsate stimuli. The invention of the digital computer provided the means for generating, a...


The vast literature related to adult leadership has very little to say about youth leadership. Adult leadership literature tends to focus on issues of authority (voice, influence, and decision-making power). In contrast, youth leadership literature tends to focus on issues of ability (skills, knowledge, and talents). The author explores the difference and attempts to bridge the gap.


Abstract This study investigated changes in metal-on-metal (MOM) hip wear and wear particle characteristics arising from a more aggressive patient activity level compared with normal walking. The test hypothesis was that 'severe'-gait conditions will change wear, wear particle sizes, and morphology owing to a decline in joint lubrication. Four carbon MOM hip bearings 40 mm high were subjected to normal-walking and fast-jogging simulations in an orbital hip joint simulator with 25 per cent α-calf serum as a lubricant. Co-Cr-Mo wear particles were extracted using an enzymatic method, and prolate ellipsoid equations were used to estimate particle volume and surface area. Fast-jogging simulations generated a sevenfold increase in volumetric wear, a 33 per cent increase in mean wear particle size, and a threefold increase in the number of larger (needle) particles compared with walking. This resulted in a twentyfold increase in total wear particle surface area per 106 cycles compared with walking, thereby confirming our hypothesis. The clinical significance of this result suggests that highly active MOM patients may exhibit greater ion release than less active patients.


Abstract:In order to increase the access of underrepresented minority (URM) students to STEM careers, we need a better understanding of the students' science identities—the ways they perceive themselves as being (or not being) scientists. Such knowledge can inform efforts to recruit and retain URM students in STEM. The authors asked postsecondary URM STEM students to describe the characteristics that they (1) have in common and (2) do not have in common with scientists, as well as experiences that made them feel like scientists. In this article, the authors present a composite of a URM STEM student's science identity—the first of its kind—and discuss the implications of this perceived science identity for the recruitment and retention of URM STEM students.


We censused feral pigeons (Columba livia) living in Milan, Italy (a 181-km2 area), between July 1999 and February 2000 by means of linear transects to examine population densities in different urban habitats and the relationships between population density and structural features of buildings. The pigeon population of Milan was 103 650 birds, with an average density of 570/km2. Population density increased significantly from farmland (434 birds/km2) to the suburbs (604 birds/km2) and from the suburbs to the centre of the city (2083 birds/km2). There was a positive relationship between both bird number and flock number and the abundance of buildings constructed before 1936. There were no significant associations between either bird number or flock number and the abundance of buildings when we did not consider date of construction. This indicated active selection of old buildings by feral pigeons.


This study aims to analyze the difference in health behavior depending on cancer screening health check taking in adults in Korea and use it as basic data for expanding such cancer screening health check taking behavior in order to reduce the fatality of cancer and activate the cancer screening program for early detection. As for subjects and materials of this study, the data from 26,051 individuals as primitive data of the Community Health Survey of 2014 were analyzed. As data analysis method for this study, SPSS WIN 21.0 was used. As a result, it was found that there was a statistically significant difference in smoking (x2=79.885, p<.001), drinking(x2=152.29, p<.001), physical activity(t=8.22, p=.001), seat belt(t=14.89, p<.001), breakfast days(t=39.70, p<.001), body mass index(t=1.95, p<.001), subjective level of oral health (t=7.30, p<.001), subjective level of stress (t=9.16, p<.001) depending on cancer screening health check taking. Therefore, the findings from this study will have to be used as basic data for recognizing health behavior in adults who take cancer screening and those who don't and also for establishing strategies for activating the cancer screening program for early cancer detection.


The paper introduces the design and implementation of video-on-demand system based on stream media system,using Yantai University Library as a case study.It also brings forward a kind of bibliographic description mode of video and audio documents suitable for demand of the library.


The invention discloses an annealing oven smoke discharging structure in rustless steel continuous annealing acid cleaning units, which is characterized by the following: comprising fan (101), annealing oven furnace room (102), smokejack (103), heat exchanger (104) in the smokejack (103) and air-supply line (105) connected with the heat exchanger (104); connecting the one end of the heat exchanger (104) with the annealing oven furnace room (102); connecting the other end to air-vent; connecting the third end of the heat exchanger (104) to air inlet of room temperature air; connecting the forth end to the fan (101) through the air-supply line (105). This invention can decrease the pollution of atmosphere and reach the goal of energy consumption depression.


Each year, the South Dakota Department of Transportation builds a number of box culverts through its highway construction program. In the past, cast-in-place box culverts were used exclusively; however, use of precast box culverts is becoming a viable option. The cast-in-place culverts feature 30-degree flared wingwalls and a beveled top edge. The precast culverts have a 0-degree flare and a constant 4-in. (101.6-mm) bevel (regardless of barrel size) along the top of the wingwalls and the top edge of the culvert entrance. This report summarizes model testing performed on the above culvert shapes for the purpose of developing design coefficients for both inlet and outlet control. The most efficient configuration tested was the model of the cast-in-place box culvert.


Background: Due to the increasing significance of intellectual capitals in the improvement process for companies, measuring methods of intellectual capital and the investigation of its relationship to productivity can help companies tremendously. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the components of intellectual capital on the productivity of the companies listed on Tehran Stock Exchange. In order to measure intellectual capital of, added intellectual value coefficient edited by Palyk (2000) was used, which is one of the most important methods for measuring intellectual capital. Methods: Cobb Douglas production function was used for measuring profitability. The sample included 71 companies listed in Tehran Stock Exchange for a period of 6 years from 2005 till 2011. To test research hypotheses, multiple regression statistical method using Eviews software was handled. Conclusion: The results showed a significant positive correlation between the components of intellectual capital and productivity.


Paraplegia in a case of leukemia is an uncommon finding. It can be disease related, therapy related, or both. It may or may not be reversible or curable. Here, we are discussing an unusual acute life-threatening, therapy related condition, where triple intrathecal therapy in a relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia child led to severe spinal cord atrophy and myelomalacia causing acute paraplegia with urinary retention. Subsequently, the patient developed respiratory failure and succumbed to death. There is very few case reported of this complication. The aim of this case report is to sensitize, the pediatricians and pediatric oncologists about this life-threatening complication of chemotherapy.


In recent years, the education system has undergone a significant transformation due to technological advancements. E‐learning has become an essential part of the education system, especially during the COVID‐19 pandemic. However, one of the challenges faced by e‐learning is student retention and engagement. With the advent of Web 3.0, there is a potential for improving e‐learning environments through blended learning. Blended learning combines online learning with face‐to‐face instruction, allowing for a more personalized learning experience. Web 3.0, also known as the Semantic Web, utilizes advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and the Internet of Things to create a more intelligent and interactive web environment. The integration of Web 3.0 and blended learning has the potential to revolutionize the e‐learning experience and increase student retention and engagement. This special cluster has provided a platform to explore the concept of Web 3.0 and blended learning, their potential benefits in the e‐learning environment, and the challenges faced in their implementation. This special cluster includes seven articles and the highlights of these contributions are described below. In the first paper titled "From Offline Learning to Online Learning: Moderating Effect of Relationship Inertia and Satisfaction," the author uses the questionnaire method and structural equation model to analyze the influencing factors of switching intention and behavior from offline learning to online learning. The results show that the switching intention is significantly affected by perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and computer self‐efficacy, and negatively affected by the perceived risk. To achieve the effectiveness of Web 3.0 with a blended learning process, the Improved Neighbor Propagation Algorithm (INPA) with a concept mind mapping tool is introduced in the second paper titled "Application of Improved Neighbor Propagation Algorithm in International Communication and Cooperation to Promote Internationalization of Higher Education." The numerical results of the proposed INPA algorithm show the improvement of student performance by 98.9%, satisfaction ratio by 97.5%, engagement level by 95.6%, accuracy ratio by 98.1%, precision ratio by 96.2%, and recall ratio by 95.4% compared to other existing methods. The third paper titled "Holistic Transfer Educational Learning Approach for Higher Education" proposes the Holistic Transfer Educational Learning Approach to strengthen specific instructional priorities, general practices in transferring knowledge, and socialization of learning for higher education. Statistics show that the suggested framework is trustworthy, with the simulation analysis determining an accuracy ratio of 98.2%, validation in the secured score of 95.3%, assessment of numerous learners ratio of 98.4%, error rate analysis of 23.4%, and overall performance ratio of 94.1%. The fourth paper titled "A new model based on the extended COPRAS method for improving performance during the accreditation process of Indian Higher Educational Institutions" aims to perform an empirical evaluation to rank various quality parameters suggested


The utility model relates to a lubricating system of lubricating oil, comprising a lubricating oil pump, a central pipe and a lubricating oil pipe, wherein the lubricating oil pump is arranged in an installation hole on a shell of a wind power gearbox; branch pipes of an oil outlet pipe of the lubricating oil pump are communicated with the central pipe, a second-level shell and a third-level shell and then are communicated with the engagement place of all bearings and gears of a two-stage planetary transmission mechanism and a parallel transmission mechanism. The lubricating system can effectively prevent the transmission system from being influenced by weather temperature difference, humidity and on the like, prevent the temperature of the lubricating oil of the external pipe from being too low to cause various faults due to insufficient lubrication, and lubricate all bearings and gears, and the lubricating oil pump is easy to repair and change.


In the artical a method for calculation of steady-state processes in  inverters with sinusoidal outputs is considered. The method is based on expanding of a differential equation with one time variable  to a partial differential equation with two independent  time variables  and on using the two dimensional Laplace transform. The obtained solution is determined a periodical steady-state process in a  domain  of two variables of time.


Near-field optical applications require the fast, stable, and reproducible fabrication of scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) aperture probes in the submicrometer range. We have developed a stand-alone device for the electrolytic etching of nanoapertures with an integrated current and optical transmission monitoring and control. Probes with an aperture ranging from 50to100nm were reproducibly fabricated with great reliability. With these probes, high resolution SNOM images of 100nm test patterns and single dye molecules (Rhodamine 6G in poly(vinyl alcohol)) are measured and presented. Not requiring a SNOM setup, the stand-alone device is not only inexpensive and compact, but also insensitive to external disturbances.


A technique for the structural and electronic characterization of the same individual single wall carbon nanotube is presented. Electron diffraction was performed on carbon nanotubes grown across a perforated silicon nitride film and the chiral indices of individual tubes were determined. By means of a scanning-probe-based nanomanipulator a selected tube was then placed in the desired location across prepatterned electrodes. After patterning further electrodes on-top of the tube electronic transport measurements showed room temperature conductances of up to 0.2 G0. The application of a gate voltage allowed the tuning of the room temperature conductance of the device and measurements at liquid helium temperatures showed signatures of a Coulomb blockade, indicating the formation of a carbon nanotube quantum dot.


This is a demo of related video recommendations, seeded from random YouTube videos, and based purely on video content signals. Traditional recommendation systems using collaborative filtering (CF) approaches suggest related videos for a given seed based on how many users have watched a particular candidate video right after watching the seed video. This does not take the video content into account but relies on aggregate user behavior. Traditional CF approaches work very well when the seed and the candidate videos are relatively popular – they must be watched in a sequence by many users in order for them to be identified as related by the CF system.


In an earlier paper, the author used derivatives to construct a deterministic automaton recognizing the language defined by an ω-regular expression. The construction was related to a determinization method invented by Safra. This paper describes a new construction, inspired by Piterman's improvement to Safra's method. It produces an automaton with fewer states. In addition, the presentation and proofs are simplified by going via a nondeterministic automaton having derivatives as states.


Dichlorophenyltrichloroethane, DDT, and its major metabolite dichlorophenyldichloroethylene, DDE, are longlived in the environment (persistent) and circulate since the 1950s. They accumulate along food chains, cause detrimental effects in marine and terrestrial wild life, and pose a hazard for human health. DDT was widely used as an insecticide in the past and is still in use in a number of tropical countries to combat vector borne diseases like malaria and typhus. It is a multicompartmental substance with only a small mass fraction residing in air.


The spring supports and hangers in power plants adopted commonly the adjustable springs of third generation series,for this,the calculation equation in type selection of springs,the process of type selection,and type-selection of associated tension bars have been presented.It is recommended that the diameter of hanger rod has to be directly given out in the case of hanger rod listed in the table of springs can't bear the load of hanger structure.


1,3-Bis(methylthio)propane, bis(methylthio)methane, and meso4,6-dimethyl-1,3-dithiane were oxidized with 1–4 equivalents of hydrogen peroxide, meta-chloroperbenzoic acid, sodium periodate, or potassium permanganate, respectively, and the amounts of oxidized substrates (sulfoxides and/or sulfones) were determined by NMR spectroscopy. Sulfanyl groups in the former starting material turned out to behave like independent functions, while a mutual influence of the sulfur functions was verified in the latter compounds. A meaningful investigation was possible in the conformationally constrained dithiane derivative. Oxidation of the dithiane with stoichiometric amounts of periodate led to exclusive formation of bissulfoxides, while hydrogen peroxide and meta-chloroperbenzoic acid yielded the possible products less specifically and permanganate preferentially furnished sulfones. The experimental investigations were supported by calculations on energies and stereoelectronic effects of starting materials, products, and transition states. The unique property of permanganate to exclusively yield sulfones might be due to its special oxidation mechanism, where the sulfur is not only acting as nucleophile, but concomitantly as electrophilic moiety.


Abstract International diaconia is a concept that has been used by the Lutheran World Federation and other Christian organisations. The full meaning of international diaconia has remained unclear however. In this article, the concept and idea of international diaconia is analysed in the context of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland during the last seven decades. Four major changes have taken place during the period under research. The understanding of receiving and giving has been reconsidered, and the agenda of international aid has gone from purely inter-church aid to international diaconia with a strong element of humanitarian aid. The theology of international diaconia and its effect on church organisation are discussed, as well as the new connections between global and local diaconia.


Being the second film of the We Must Be Dreaming trilogy, the film The Village Resists takes a deeper dive into how the Indigenous community of Rio de Janeiro served as the frontline of resistance against the economic pressure of the World Cup and Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2014 and 2016. In observational style, the film follows the daily struggles of the community against the approaching spectacles, suggesting how the decade of sports euphoria gradually brought back a not so distant colonial/dictatorial past to Brazil. Being the result of a collaboration with the Indigenous community of Rio de Janeiro since 2012, this film offers contact points with the film We Must Be Dreaming (BE, 2016, 61'), but can and is at best be seen as independent of it.


The aluminum industry has been in search of a viable continuous casting process for many years. Such a process would provide an increase in production as well as lower production costs. The melt drag process is capable of producing thin aluminum sheet at extremely high casting rates. Over the past ten years, many milestones have been reached in making this process acceptable for use in production. Some of these accomplishments are reviewed in this paper along with a general overview of some of the technical aspects of melt drag casting. In addition, a comparison is made with other processes available for continuously casting aluminum slab and strip.


In this paper, we derive exact traveling wave solutions of the (2+1) dimensional Boiti-Leon-Pempinelli equation by a presented method. The method appears to be efficient in seeking exact solutions of nonlinear equations.


An iterative-strategy-based motion planning scheme for overhead cranes is proposed in this paper. First of all, an S reference trajectory is chosen according to practical constraints and operating experiences, for which an anti-swing component is introduced based on the kinematic equation of overhead cranes; subsequently, an ideal trajectory, whose stability is proved by Lyapunov techniques, is planned based on a novel iterative strategy; finally, some simulation is implemented for the planned trajectory to show that it can accurately position the trolley as well as effectively suppress the swing of the payload.


Gleason score (GS) is a histologic prognostic factor and the basis of treatment decision‐making for prostate cancer (PCa). Treatment regimens between lower‐grade (GS ≤7) and high‐grade (GS >7) PCa differ largely and have great effects on cancer progression.


A proactive stakeholder approach by a multinational firm is explored as regards to the ways to choose and influence key political, social and business actors in a market. The stakeholders are assessed in terms of their power, legitimacy and urgency of action as well as degree of their support of the firm's market entry. The study is based on the case study of IKEA entering Russia and China, composed of 44 in-depth interviews with managers and suppliers. The results suggest that during its market entry, a firm chooses those local stakeholders that can provide it with the most support and activates them with participative roles. This approach allows it to successfully alter the market context and create the win-win situation for itself and local actors. The study suggests a novel stakeholder classification into reactive (resistant), passive, reactive (supportive) and proactive types, contributing to stakeholder and marketing strategy research.


Experimental bacterial endophthalmitis in the rabbit was easily produced. Reisolation of bacteria by anterior chamber paracentesis correlated with clinical infection in the rabbit. Therefore, we recommend diagnostic anterior chamber paracentesis in human cases of suspect bacterial endophthalmitis.


The action mechanism of nano TiO2in the antibacterial and UVR(ultraviolet radiation) resistant finishing of textile and its application on pure cotton fabric were discussed.The results of testing indicated that the cotton fabrics after treatment can inhibit staphylococcus aureus and colibacillus 100% and white coccomycin 90% after 30 launderings.The UV transmittance of both the dyed and undyed fabrics after treatment is 5%,reaching the minimum saturation degree.Nano TiO2can impart textiles good antibacterial and UVR resistant properties and has little effect on their serviceability.


The maintainance of a favorable plant water budget is a condition generally regarded to assure the sequence of cell metabolism. Plant water deficits should be quantitatively evaluated through the determination of tissue water content or tissue water content or tissue water potential. In this work the osmotic potential of stems and leaves, the leaf water potential, and the relative water content-water potential relationships were determined in adequately irrigated patatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) growing in the field. The results showed that potentials changed during the growing season. Leaf water potential decreseased with aging of the plants and after the complete vegetative growth it was not possible to observe any definite trend, either increasing or decreasing. This change affected relative water content-water potential relationships, so that the relationships shifted to progressively lower water potential for a given relative water content. The data indicated that leaf water potential does not seem a reliable indicator of physiological water deficits. The knowledge of relative water content associated with leaf water potential measurement would provide a more precise condition of water in the plant tissues.


[Objective] To observe the clinical effects of modified appliance rehabilitation of children crossbite. [Methods] From June 2004 to December 2007,35 cases of deciduous mixed dentition anterior crossbite in our hospital were randomly divided into improvement group with 17 patients and 18 controls. The improvement group underwent a modified appliance therapy,and the control group were treated with conventional method of straight wire appliance anterior open bite down line class Ⅲ traction to lift the front teeth lock,then we compared the efficacy of the two groups. [Results] The number of loose teeth in improvement group was less than the that of the control group,and there was significant difference in the two groups (P ﹤0.05),the time of treatment in improvement group was 12.6 ± 5.8 months,and it was 17.5 ± 6.6 months in control group. The time of treatment in improvement group was shorter than that of control group,but no significant difference was found (P﹥ 0.05). 17 cases with modified anterior crossbite were recovery,and canine and molar relationships has reached neutral relationship. [Conclusion] The modified appliance can be an effective treatment of children with anterior crossbite,and this method is simple,short course and worthy to be popularized.


In modern society, consumer behavior is understood as a field of knowledge that studies the decision-making process of consumers, and the factors that determine it. Today, thanks to the competition that has reigned in the market, manufacturers are becoming interested in studying the mechanisms of consumer behavior and in the possibilities of using these mechanisms to achieve goals. The ability of enterprises to function and develop in the environment of potential competitors and the constant impact of various factors of the internal and external environment largely depends on the ability to withstand the consequences of influence, primarily from external factors of business entities. The strategic activity of an enterprise can be successful if it is based on the conceptual principles of marketing. The strategic marketing activity of enterprises requires a theoretical justification and is one of the most controversial in the scientific literature. Discussions take place around many areas and categories of strategic marketing, so the definition of the essence, substantiation of the principles of strategic marketing is important both from a theoretical and practical point of view.
The implementation of the principle of basing on strategic marketing analysis requires the creation of an appropriate system of strategic analysis. At the same time, the concept of a marketing strategy abandons the strict annual planning regulation and requires the creation of a more mobile cyclical system for collecting, analyzing information and making strategic decisions. The concepts, models and methodology of strategic analysis help to obtain and analyze information to solve strategic problems, offer the development of appropriate alternative marketing strategies for an enterprise based on a study of market opportunities and threats. The principle of active, offensive strategic activity of an enterprise suggests that an enterprise should not only explore the market environment and adapt to its conditions, not only respond to events in the external marketing environment, but also actively influence the events of the environment.
The end customer, who is also the consumer, should always be the central link of business. It does not matter what product a company produces and what services company provides. The client "votes with money", making a decision in company's favor, and company just have to know who this person is, why he needs their product, how he will use it and how exactly he will make a purchase decision. Every customer goes through a "customer journey" with a company. Companies' task is to make sure that this path corresponds to the usual consumer behavior. If a company is constantly studying the behavior of their customers, then they have a better understanding of what customers are interested in, what their motives, goals and problems are. Here are the benefits of studying consumer behavoiur for companies:
1. Companies will be able to accurately identify needs, present all the benefits of purchasing a product, make an offer that is "difficult to refuse" and conclude a deal, both directly and through a chain of resellers or partners.
2. Marketing promotion becomes targeted, and therefore effective. Companies will be able to identify where customers are used to consuming content and look for solutions to their problems. Companies begin to build communication in the channels familiar to the client on the basis of the identified interests of the target audience, the development of its needs, the creation of a sense of urgency and the demonstration of the benefits of using the product.
3. The consumer has no problem buying something. The market is "littered" with offers. Rather, the client has a problem making the right choice. And if companies can help him make this choice in the most convenient and understandable way for him, then the opportunity to grow from this consumer a real brand evangelist. Understanding consumer behavior allows companies to determine the main selection criteria and optimally position the product in relation to competitors.
The results of the questionnaire were analyzed in the article. This survey contains questions about marketing strategies and consumer behavior. In the survey, the demographic distribution of the respondents, the age limit of the participants, the level of education of the respondents, and the field of work of the participants were taken into account. "What factors do you consider when shopping?", "Have you ever purchased a product or service after seeing an online ad?", "How often do you make an impulse purchase?", "Purchase based on a limited time offer or discount -have you shopped?", "Do you think marketing strategies influence your purchase decisions?", "How important is customer service when making a purchase decision?", "How likely are you to recommend a product or service to a friend after a positive experience with it?", "Purchase decision How important is brand loyalty to you when giving?", "Have you ever bought a product or service because of a social media influencer's recommendation?", the relationship between marketing strategy and consumer behavior was determined.
Keywords: strategic marketing, consumer behavior, benefits, social media, purchase decision.


A hybrid model of short-term load forecasting based on chaotic theory, correlation and neural networks is presented in this paper. Firstly, reconstruct attractors in phase spaces using chaotic theory,Secondly fit the attractor's evolvement using BP neural networks, because selecting neural network's input training data using Euclid distance and correlation, improve neural network's associative memory and ratiocinative ability, can better fit the attractor's evolvement. Lastly, result analysis of practical examples shows that the proposed hybrid model is effective and feasible.


Convergence bidding, a.k.a., virtual bidding, is a market mechanism that is used by several independent system operators (ISOs) to increase market efficiency in electricity markets by closing the gap between the day-ahead market (DAM) prices and the real-time market (RTM) prices. However, some recent reports by ISOs have questioned whether convergence bids (CBs) act as intended. Motivated by such reports, this article provides a methodology to identify under what conditions a CB results in price divergence, instead of price convergence. The analysis is done in nodal electricity markets and factors such as transmission line congestion are investigated. It is proven that price convergence is guaranteed under some transmission lines congestion configurations. In contrast, there are certain transmission lines congestion configurations that can result in price divergence when CBs are submitted at certain nodes. It also explains how the aggregate impact of multiple CBs may lead to decrease (or increase) in the price gap at each bus. Importantly, the analysis in this article also covers the stochastic case, where we obtain the probability of price convergence (or divergence) when we are uncertain about some system parameters.


society, vindicated indigenous peoples' rights whilst simultanously moving beyond narrow ethnic claims, and campaigned for the deepening of democracy and new spatial forms of governance in Chiapas. In what is easily the most captivating part of the book from the point of view of understanding subaltern praxis, Morton provides an illuminating analysis of the ezln in terms of the workings of 'the three spaces of its autonomous practice of resistance' (p. 203) – namely, alternative economic organisation, educational projects, and healthcare provision. This dynamism, he argues, holds the potential to 'propel new cycles of class struggle' that may generate 'new ways out of the structure of passive revolution' (p. 250). Yet it is precisely here that one possible criticism of the book emerges. And that is that the analysis would arguably have been further enhanced if it had delved even more deeply into the lifeworlds and struggles of subaltern groups as these have been constituted by and constitutive of the political economy of revolution, state formation and uneven development in modern Mexico. Morton presents a penetrating and valuable analysis of the accumulation strategies and hegemonic projects of dominant social groups, and deftly decodes the ways in which subaltern groups were woven into the 'unstable equilibria' (Gramsci 1971: 182) that undergirded these strategies and projects. However, the lived experiences of subalternity in Mexican capitalism – and the lived reality of the collective efforts to overcome this subalternity – remain somewhat muted throughout the book. This, however, is a very minor quibble in the face of what is, without a shadow of a doubt, a work of considerable and substantial merit. Revolution and State in Modern Mexico combines theoretical sophistication and innovation with a thoroughgoing understanding of empirical complexities in an analysis that, when it comes time to construct a canon of Marxist historical sociology, will sit comfortably and appropriately among the classics on whose insights it draws and to whose legacy it contributes.


An international team of scientists used satellite-derived temperature measurements to examine the magnitude of stress on corals from unusually warm temperatures. 'Previous studies examined the relationship between warm conditions throughout the year and the likelihood of disease,' says Dr Scott Heron, physical scientist with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 'We considered the influence of summer and winter separately, taking into account both cold and warm stress, to find that winter temperatures are just as important as summer stress in determining the susceptibility of corals to disease outbreaks.' The project was a collaboration between the NOAA, the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University and the Australian Institute of Marine Science.


Controller design for actuator failures in nonlinear systems is considered. Nonlinear regulator theory is employed to address the persistent disturbance caused by jammed actuators. An example of the aircraft longitudinal flight control is used to illustrate the design procedure. It is seen that the nonlinear regulators provide a larger window of safety than their linear counterpart especially in the face of time delays needed for identification of the actuator failures.


Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visits Yesilkoy pandemic hospital under construction in Istanbul to help curb the spread of the novel coronavirus in the city in Istanbul, Turkey on May 09, 2020.


Template condensations are very satisfactory methods for the preparation of macrocyclic complexes, but they are sensitive to the metal ion which is used to direct the reaction. It is well known that the transition metal ions (1) and the group I IA metal ions (2) may act as templates for the preparation of Schiff base macrocyclic complexes. Typical experimental procedures to obtain macrocyclic complexes involve the reaction of a dicarbonyl compound with a diamine in the presence of an appropiate metal ion. Such condensations provide the most common synthetic procedure for the preparation of these compounds and have been applied to the synthesis of a wide range of Schiff base macrocyclic complexes. It has been demonstrated by the Lewis group (3-6) that complexes of planar tetradentate or pentadentate macrocyclic ligand incorporating 1,10phenanthroline may be prepared by the template condensation of suitable dicarbonyl compounds with bis(hydrazine)-substituted heterocyclic compounds. Recently, we have reported (7-9) the synthesis and characterization of tetraaza and pentaaza macrocyclic complexes. Because the complexes may reflect some of the well known biological features associated with zinc(II) (10) we propose to use it in the template synthesis of a new macrocyclic complexes of L (Figure 1) containing nitrogen as donor atoms in the macrocyclic ring system. This was obtained by the template condensation of l,10-phenantroline-2,9-dicarboxaldehyde, Phenylhydrazine and 1,2-dibromoethane in DMF . INTRODUCTION


Interface roughness and local electronic states formed in GaAs quantum wells ~QW ! grown on ~110! cleaved surfaces were characterized by high-resolution microscopic photoluminescence ~micro-PL! imaging and spectroscopy assisted by a solid immersion lens. From macroscopic PL spectra and micro-PL images, it was found that well width fluctuation of about 0.6 to 0.7 nm, which corresponds to 3 to 3.5 monolayers ~ML !, with laterally submmto mm-scale ML terraces existed in the ~110! GaAs/AlAs QWs, and this was also supported by the results of atomic force microscopy measurements performed on the ~110! GaAs surface. In high-resolution solid-immersion micro-PL spectroscopy, sharp PL peaks were observed at low excitation power and their temperature and excitation power dependence showed a localized quantum-dot-like ~QD ! nature in the~110! GaAs QWs. The spatial and spectral distribution of these sharp PL peaks indicated that the localized QD-like states were formed by short-scale roughness in the bottom GaAs-on-AlAs interface of the ~110! GaAs/AlAs QWs on eachmm-scale large ML terrace in the top AlAs-on-GaAs interface.


This paper offers a simulation-based method for the estimation of heuristic switching in nonlinear macroeconomic models. Heuristic switching is an important feature of modeling strategy since it uses simple decision rules of boundedly rational heterogeneous agents. The simulation study shows that the proposed simulated maximum likelihood method identifies the behavioral effects that stay hidden for standard econometric approaches. In the empirical application, we estimate the structural and behavioral parameters of the US economy. We are especially able to reliably identify the intensity of choice that governs the models' nonlinear dynamics.


In this paper, pure metals Ti and Ta were used to study the effects of impulse current on their mechanical properties. The results showed that the impulse current caused the tensile strength of the two metals to decline remarkably. The elongation of metal Ta rose and was enhanced with increasing current density. But as for metal Ti, the elongation hardly rose. Theoretical analysis suggested that the impulse current had little apparent effect on HCP metals, for it had less slip systems; however, it had obvious effects on the elongation of BCC metals, for they had more potential slip systems. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations showed that crystal microstructure of the two metals had not changed significantly.


Crack measurement technology has important application requirements in highway bridges protection, cultural relic protection, and industrial production etc. But many target cannot be directly touched and measured. And most of the existing measuring tools are big. A portable crack width measurement system based on parallel laser is proposed in this paper. A parallel laser is designed as the measurement datum, and the intelligent cellphone is used as computing platform. Comparing with the traditional vision measurement method, it does not need the camera's internal parameters and the measuring distance, and it does not communicate with the cellphone except for take photos. So it can be used with any smartphone conveniently. The experiment shows that this system can be used as high accuracy portable non-contact measurement tool.


A series of high quality Zn1-xCoxO films prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering displays altered magnetic properties ranging from paramagnetic (PM) to ferromagnetic (FM)-like at room temperature. With tuning the properties of the Zn1-xCoxO films from PM- to FM-like, the temperature dependent resistivity of the films changes from a Mott variable-range hopping to an Efros variable-range hopping process. This indicates the emergence of a Coulomb gap, which can be explained by the presence of nanoclusters. Moreover, the anhysteretic M (H)-curves above the blocking temperature for superparamagnetic (SPM) films can be described by a Langevin function, which confirms the existence of FM nanoclusters. The investigation on the magneto-transport of these films shows no spin-dependent transport behaviour associated with the observed FM-like/SPM properties.


Numerous studies have investigated elastic optical networks (EON) with the aim of expanding the transmission capacities of core networks. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to solve the issue of wastage of spectrum resources caused by spectrum fragmentation. Moreover, considering the potentially high traffic demands of future networks, it is important to handle not only requests that need to be reserved immediately (IR: Immediate Reservation) but also those that can be reserved in advance (AR: Advance Reservation). In networks that support the coexistence of IR requests and AR requests, ensuring fair reservation of spectrum resources for both IR requests and AR requests becomes a challenging task. In this paper, we propose a novel dynamic routing and spectrum allocation method to reduce spectrum fragmentation and to improve the fairness in reservation for IR requests and AR requests. We verify the effectiveness of the proposed method through computer simulations.


Because of the various appearance (different writers, writing styles, noise, etc.), the handwritten character recognition is one of the most challenging task in pattern recognition. Through decades of research, the traditional method has reached its limit while the emergence of deep learning provides a new way to break this limit. In this paper, a CNN-based handwritten character recognition framework is proposed. In this framework, proper sample generation, training scheme and CNN network structure are employed according to the properties of handwritten characters. In the experiments, the proposed framework performed even better than human on handwritten digit (MNIST) and Chinese character (CASIA) recognition. The advantage of this framework is proved by these experimental results.


The SARS-COV-2 pandemic created a serious shock and surprise to the disaster governance mechanisms in existence. Even the most advanced disaster governance systems in the world struggled to govern, respond, communicate risk and build resilience against the pandemic. The overall management – locally and globally- showed that relevant stakeholders such as social workers that work frontline but also within disaster management relevant fields, were not heart nor taken their potentials and knowledge into consideration to sustainably set up a disaster management and responds strategy. Applying a comparative multi-sited ethnographic approach, the study aims to highlight the potential agency of social work as a bridging agent to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of existing disaster governance and communication architecture and improve the resilience of communities to cope with the socio-ecological complexity of future disasters, similar to SARS-COV-2. Impact will be created in four main areas: (1) Actors in disaster governance will be educated using the new knowledge produced on contextualized disaster governance and communication strategies and impacts on community resilience; (2) Enhanced capacity and awareness of professional social work practitioners on their role/s as bridging agents within the disaster governance architecture to enhance disaster risk communication and community resilience; (3) Improved capacity for decision and policy-making and strengthened agency of social work in the field of disaster governance through the introduction of professional development training and the ToolKit SW2BRIDGE; and (4) Improved social work education at the university level through the introduction of a post-graduate programme on the application of social work in disasters.


Background: The essential strategies to avoid diabetes complications are lifelong health education and self-care. This study determines the impacts of an educational intervention based on a health belief model. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on patients with type 2 diabetes using convenience sampling. They were randomly assigned to experimental (n=55) and control groups (n=55). A standard questionnaire was used to collect the data. The healthy behaviors were measured again after 3 and 6 months, and the data analysis was performed using the SPSS software, version 20. Results: The mean value of perceived susceptibility boosted in the intervention group from 18.94 before the training to 22.90 and 22.3 after 3 and 6 months of the intervention, respectively. The mean score perceived severity increased in the intervention group to 31.30 and 31.42 after 3 and 6 months of the intervention, respectively. Meanwhile, the mean score of perceived benefits increased in the intervention group from 10.06 before the training to 11.61 and 13.32 after 3 and 6 months of the intervention, respectively. The mean score of perceived barriers decreased in the intervention group from 19.50 before the training to 13.35 and 12.21 after 3 and 6 months of the intervention, respectively. The mean score of perceived self-efficacy boosted in the intervention group from 24.16 before the training to 29.44 and 29.48 after 3 and 6 months of the intervention, respectively. The mean value of cues to action boosted in the intervention group from 20.15 before the training to 22.2 and 23.2 after 3 and 6 months of the intervention, respectively. Conclusion: The results demonstrated the importance of designing educational programs based on the health belief model constructs over 3 and 6 months in adopting healthy behaviors by subjects with type 2 diabetes.


This paper studies whether and how U.S. monetary shocks are transmitted to emerging economies utilizing as samples Mexico and Brazil. A Factor-Augmented Vector Autoregressive (FAVAR) methodology is employed to take advantage of the wide array of variables that can be included in this model to provide a more accurate picture of the transmission process. The results suggest that differences exist in the transmission of foreign monetary shocks. This implies that no generalizations can be made even for countries of equal economic size and in the same geographic region. When international transmission does exist, as it is in the case of Mexico, it induces large responses in several macroeconomic variables. Interest rate is the main channel of transmission, with some impact on the trade channel. Although little transmission exists in the case of Brazil, it appears that this country slightly benefits from U.S. contractional monetary shocks. In the Brazilian case, the channel of transmission appears to be interest rates.


The MARCEE Project was established to understand the problems associated with electronics recycling and to develop solutions that would allow an electronics recycling industry to emerge. While not all of the activities have been funded by MARCEE, but through private investment, they would not have occurred had the MARCEE Project not been undertaken. The problems tackled and the results obtained using MARCEE funds are discussed in detail in this report.


Differential expression (DE) analysis is a fundamental task in the downstream analysis of the next-generation sequencing (NGS) data. Up to now, a number of R packages have been developed for detecting differentially expressed genes. Although R language has an interaction-oriented programming design, for many biology researchers, a lack of basic programming skills has greatly hindered the application of these R packages. To address this issue, we developed the Interactive Differential Expression Analyzer (IDEA), a Shiny-based web application integrating the differential expression analysis related R packages into a graphical user interface (GUI), allowing users to run the analysis without writing any new code. A wide variety of charts and tables are generated to facilitate the interpretation of the results. In addition, IDEA also provides a combined analysis framework which helps to reconcile any discrepancy from different computational methods. As a public data analysis server, IDAE is implemented in HTML, CSS and JavaScript, and is freely available at http://idea.renlab.org.


Vietnam in the last two decades has experienced not only market reform and significant economic growth but also a related, symbiotic revival of popular religion. It is no surprise, then, that popul ...


The radio energy consumption takes a large portion of the total energy consumption in smartphones. However, a significant portion of radio energy is wasted in a special waiting interval, known as the tail time after a transmission is completed while waiting for a subsequent transmission. In order to reduce the wasted energy in the tail time, the fast dormancy feature allows a quick release of a radio connection in the tail time. For supporting the fast dormancy efficiently, it is important to accurately predict whether a subsequent transmission will occur in the tail time. In this paper, we show that there are strong personal characteristics on how user interacts with a radio network within the tail time. Based on these observations, we propose a novel personalized network activity-aware predictive dormancy technique, called Personalized Diapause (pD). By automatically identifying user-specific tail-time transmission characteristics for various network activities, our proposed technique takes advantages of personalized high-level network usage patterns in deciding when to release radio connections. Our experimental results using real network usage logs from 25 users show that pD can reduce the amount of the wasted tail time energy by 51 percent on average, thus saving the total radio energy consumption by 23 percent with less than 10 percent reconnection increase.


COVID-19 pandemic has caused massive impact on healthcare facility around the world. Variable clinical spectrum and prognosis made it difficult to predict patients' mortality. This writing is aimed to compare two most used tool for critically ill patients, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) as mortality predictor for COVID-19 patients. APACHE-II performed better in predicting mortality and prognosis in COVID-19 compared to SOFA due to broad comorbidities evaluation. Age and comorbidities are two important roles in severity and death in COVID-19. Thus, APACHE-II might be useful for further clinical decisions and therapies.


We report a case of external carotid—external jugular fistula with clinical, radiological and surgical features. A 12-year-old female's clinical findings included a right neck mass and buzzing noise in the right ear. This patient was successfully treated with endovascular treatment using an interlocking detachable coil. This patient has shown no recurrence for a year after treatment.


In the comparison and selection of bridge projections of a super bridge,the comparison and selection of panel length of steel trussed girder is often neglected.As a result,the bridge designed is not always optimal projection.This paper introduces,in detail,the process in which the panel length of Tianxingzhou Bridge is selected and the optimal panel length determined.At the same time,it points to the importance of comparing and choosing the panel length of steel trussed girder.


A comparative study of the multiplet energies of the isoelectronic 3d3 ions in MgO host crystal using the first-principles calculation has been performed by discrete-variational multi-electron method. In this investigation, the effect of lattice relaxation was considered based on geometry optimization using first-principles band-structure calculation. The spin-polarization effect and the effect of Hubbard U were also investigated. The estimated multiplet energies were reasonably well reproduced when we used the optimized cluster with spin-polarization effect and some corrections such as configuration dependent correction and correlation correction. The results also show that the lattice relaxation is important to reproduce the tendency of the transitions from 4A2 state to 4T2 and 4T1a states, while the tendency of the transition from 2E state to 4A2 state is mainly determined by the effect of electron correlation.


In the post-Cold War period the United Nations (UN) and civil aid agencies were facing 'complex emergencies', a term that had become part of the international language. Firstly, complex emergencies often involve states that either have no governments or have contending sources of authority.


They are rid of the Christian God and now believe all the more firmly that they must cling to Christian morality. That is an English consistency; we do not wish to hold it against little moralistic females a la Eliot. In England one must rehabilitate oneself after every little emancipation from theology by showing in a veritably awe-inspiring manner what a moral fanatic one is. That is the penance they pay there. (1) --Friedrich Nietzche, Twilight of the Idols THUS SPOKE NIETZSCHE, CONSIGNING GEORGE ELIOT'S secularized reconstruction of Christian morality to theoretical obsolescence. His reasoning is swift and devastating: Christianity is a fully integrated system held together by the requirement of absolute obedience to God. Deprived of recourse to a deity, English intellectuals a la Eliot aspire to intercalate the system with natural substitutes, naively imputing justifications for inscrutable axioms of faith. As Eliot's search for the ontological origins of divine orders comes up dry, she resorts to asserting Christianity's ascetic self-abasement with ever greater zealotry, as though a surfeit of affect--her much-vaunted "sympathy"--will sustain an edifice built on pillars of sand. Nietzsche's final twist of the knife comes in observing her recrudescence of penance. In a self-mutilating attempt to salve bad conscience, she flogs herself in expiation of an illusory debt so as to expunge iniquity and arrive at redemption. In short order, Nietzsche had erected one more tombstone, nestled next to God, in the graveyard of modernity. We wince in awe at the brutal celerity with which Nietzsche dispatches George Eliot's theory--only to open our eyes and find it curiously unscathed. A phalanx of scholarly Frankensteins has long since reanimated Eliot's moral corpus, without quite looking into the German etiology of its necrosis. (2) Modern critics celebrate as the agent of ethical transformation the same conceptual nucleus--her moral perfectionism--that Nietzsche dissects as incoherent and self-negating. I turn to Nietzsche in this essay because he articulates with unmatched clarity how the Christian concept of redemption operates on an irrational principle of debt dischargement, and he extends this same indictment to invalidate Eliot's secular moral perfectionism. Thus, Nietzsche's intercession becomes an occasion to reevaluate the consensus, articulated most prominently by Andrew Miller, that Eliot's fiction is ethically organized around the perfectionist ambition to "realize an ideal self, derived from exemplary others." (3) Broadly speaking, moral criticism of Middlemarch (1871-72) has turned on the question of whether the novel accounts for the perfectionism it espouses. Once impugned in early critical studies for being adrift in a blind hunger for transcendence, her characters have come to be celebrated for those very same godless aspirations. F. R. Leavis famously faulted George Eliot for projecting onto Dorothea a "day-dream ideal self" who is embarrassingly "vague in her exaltations." (4) Walter Houghton, with a good deal more analytic detachment, discerned the same artistic lapse in theoretical terms: the novel bristles with idealizing aspirations without articulating an ideal, as though carrying out a quasi-aesthetic project of purposiveness without purpose. (4) But where Leavis and Houghton see distortion and obfuscation, more recent assessments have found intrinsic merit in the idealistic endeavor, an autotelic drive to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield (anything). Avrom Fleishman, for instance, finds that the novel, though littered with "flawed heroes," nevertheless "offers the heroines example of what being faithful to one's idealism might mean." (6) The obscurity around what it might mean, it seems to me, is precisely the problem. Valerie Dodd completes the tautological circuit in noting that Eliot "valued Christianity insofar as it subserved an idealistic morality. …


The academic readiness of incoming college students is a major concern. For example, Tritelli (2003) reports that fewer than half of the students who enter college directly from high school complete even a minimally defined college preparatory program, and, as a result, more than half of these entering students are required to take at least one developmental course. This lack of readiness is further reflected in the low level of success in completing the required sequence of developmental courses (Bailey, 2009; Hoyt & Sorenson, 2001 ; Levin & Calcagno, 2008). Consequently, it is not surprising that only 23% of entering community college students earn an associate degree after 6 years (Brock, 2010). A major stumbling block and gatekeeper area has been mathematics; therefore, this study illustrates the implementation and research of the EFAP-SRL model in developmental mathematics.As research on academic underpreparedness becomes more abundant, the situation becomes increasingly grim. A recent report from the American Diploma Project (Achieve, 2010) found that 81% of twelfth graders were rated as having below a basic level of performance in Algebra I, and 98% of twelfth graders needed preparation in Algebra II. This finding is in keeping with The Strong American Schools report (2008), which found that more than 40% of high school graduates entering two-year colleges require mathematics remediation at a cost of between 1.85 and 2.35 billion dollars annually. Lutzer, Rodi, Kirkman, and Maxwell (2007) found that developmental mathematics courses comprise over half of the mathematics course offerings at many two-yea: colleges. Furthermore, the Carnegie Foundatioi (2009) reported between 60% and 70% of develop mental mathematics students do not successfull complete the prescribed sequence of require« courses. Notably absent from efforts to improvi student success is the incorporation of formativi assessment to improve student self-regulation an« metacognitive skills.Formative Assessment: A Review of a Powerful InterventionIn a series of landmark review articles, Black an« Wiliam (1998a, 1998b, 2009) dramatically high lighted formative assessment's contribution tDefinitionThe common denominator in this work is tha effective formative assessment is an ongoing instructional process that systematically incor porates assessment, as opposed to calling for particular kind of assessment instrument or test Heritage (2010) makes this a central theme in hei report when she writes about the risk oflosing the promise of formative assessment for teaching and learning. The core problem lies in the false, but none-the-less widespread, assumption that formative assessment is a particular kind of measurement instrument rather than a process that is fundamental and indigenous to the practice of teaching and learning, (p.l)She also goes on to conclude that despite it; demonstrated effectiveness across a wide vari ety of disciplines, formative assessment has noi been effectively incorporated into college-level instruction.Feedback and Its Relationship to Formative AssessmentThe literature on formative assessment suggests that feedback is a key element in assisting the learning process for both instructors and students (Hattie & Timperley, 2007). Simply put, instructors receive feedback from their classroom assessments and can use this information to make changes in their instructional practices and curricula designs. …


The United States is not a country without mainstream culture.Taking "Hollywood" movie culture as an example,we can get a glimpse of the mainstream value of the American society in a profound and extensive manner.Analysis of text of Hollywood movies suggests that the building of mainstream value culture may be guided or loosely organized,yet the common requirement is that it must be popular,must be based on humanity as its basic point,or on the consensus achieved in human civilization.Based on this common requirement,this culture can represent certain national ideology.This analysis is of reference value for the building of mainstream value culture in China.


5 ES P E Poster presented at: BACKGROUND The definitive diagnosis of childhood growth hormone deficiency (GHD) depends on the demonstration of failure to respond to two stimuli. In our center children are allocated to either glucagon-first or clonidine-first according to the preference of the pediatric endocrinologist following the patient. The nursing staff prefer glucagon-first due to patient safety (less pronounced adverse events and faster recovery time). Few studies have addressed which GH stimulation test should be performed first in the evaluation of children with short stature.


The frog wipe seems remarkable for its clear division into discrete phases, between each of which the limb appears to come to a complete stop, usually at a naturally stabilized point such as a postural extreme or a surface. 4. Select one of a limited set of genetically or stochastically learned strategies: Although Berkinblit et al. suggest that the frog may be able to solve on-line the general tensorial transformation to correct for body posture, there do not seem to be nearly enough data regarding the accuracy, reproducibility, and range of postures and targets to reject the null hypothesis that the spinal cord contains a few clever but simple programs. In view of the preceding three points, it could well be that these simple programs include X control. Sadly, we do not have such motor psychophysical data for mammals either. We need to know in what ways primate manipulation of objects differs fundamentally from walking in cats, scratching in frogs, swimming in lamprey, aerobatics in flies, and feeding in mollusks. An appreciation of the mechanics of these very different control problems might suggest why structures as complex and highly specialized as the muscle spindle and the cerebellum arose and continued to evolve.


Sir, Multidrug-resistant isolates of Acinetobacter spp. have become a worldwide threat for hospitalized patients in recent years. Two papers recently published in JAC referred to in vitro tests of combinations destined to kill carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter isolates. The respective authors found effective combinations that may be useful for the treatment of severe infections due to such isolates. However, in my view there are technical considerations regarding the time–kill studies that put in doubt the validity of the results obtained. Tan et al. wrote that they used minocycline and colistin combinations at 1 MIC for each antibiotic for isolates susceptible to both drugs, but turbidity after 24 h of incubation can be inferred from the results of Table 1 in their article (the average concentrations at 24 h were between 10 and 10 cfu/mL). The authors attempted to explain this anomaly by supposing the presence of a heteroresistant population in colistin-susceptible Acinetobacter baumannii instead of realizing that they were not working with colistin at 1 MIC. They determined the MICs by macrodilution, so lack of turbidity should be visualized at an equivalent antimicrobial concentration at the end of both the time–killing studies and the dilution tests, if they really were working at the MIC. Curves of imipenem and colistin in the work of Song et al., in a similar way, were performed at concentrations below the MIC, and not at the MIC as they stated, but in this case, regrowth in the tubes of the time–killing assay may be a more likely explanation accounting for the differences between volumes used in microdilution and those used in time–kill studies. This problem is frequently found when one wants to work at 1 MIC, because the MIC is a parameter that has an uncertainty of +1 dilution, and from one experiment (i.e. broth dilution) to another (time–kill study) it is possible that differences occur. To evaluate synergy in a static time–kill assay, they should have worked with different antibiotic concentrations and one of the antibiotics should have been tested at a concentration that did not inhibit the growth of the organism. However, their results seem to be better than the authors thought, because combinations were bactericidal with both antibiotic concentrations below the respective MICs (Figure 1 in Tan et al.). Another issue regarding the work of Song et al. is their use of colistin methanesulphonate rather than colistin sulphate, which is normally recommended for in vitro testing of colistin. However, what I find particularly difficult to accept is that in both studies, the isolates apparently grew to titres of .10 cfu/ mL (antibiotic-free curve in Figure 1 in Tan et al. and Figures 1 and 2 in Song et al.). Normally Acinetobacter isolates reach in the stationary phase at least 10, 5 10 or, rarely, 10 cfu/ mL. Taking into account that the volume of one bacterial cell is .1 mm, a bacterial suspension containing 10 cfu/mL would have the consistency of a near solid paste rather than fluid. Still more impressive are the results of Song et al., where bacterial concentrations in the presence of colistin grew to concentrations of 10–10 cfu/mL. To my mind, this raises the possibility that the apparently high counts reflect organism carry-over while undertaking 10-fold dilutions. If that was so, unfortunately their whole work would lose its value. Finally, Song et al. failed to provide the time–killing curves of rifampicin and sulbactam for the eight selected isolates. This omission precludes discussion of synergy, as the activity of the drugs in combination cannot be interpreted in the absence of knowledge of the activity of the individual drugs. On the other hand, I did not understand why Tan et al. said that one isolate did not fulfil the criteria for synergy when at 24 h the colony count in the combined antibiotic test fell below the detectable threshold (20 cfu/mL). I think that if they started with a concentration of 5 10 cfu/mL and this result was reproducible, the synergy should be warranted.


Regional tourism cooperation model is a law summary of the regional tourism cooperation process.Using depth interviews,case analysis and other methods,this paper takes the Yangtze River Delta regional tourism cooperation as the research object.Based on the elements of cooperation main body,cooperation areas and cooperation ways,the regional tourism cooperation model in the Yangtze River Delta can be classified into five types,namely government-led tourism cooperation model,government-driven tourism cooperation model,enterprise-oriented tourism cooperation model,industry-led tourism cooperation model and project-driven tourism cooperation model.Then the paper evaluates the five cooperation types from the following three aspects:scope of cooperation,degree of cooperation and effect of cooperation.Furthermore,the research notes that regional tourism cooperation,as a complex system of dynamic development,need more case studies and horizontal comparison research to better understand the dynamics and complexity of cooperation model in the future.


General objective : To assess the knowledge and practices of disinfection among nurses in the Colombo South Teaching Hospital. Method : A descriptive cross sectional study was done using convenience sampling method among 90 nurses in the surgical and medical wards at Colombo South Teaching Hospital, Sri Lanka. Data were collected using a Self-administered structured questionnaire. Data analysis was done using Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS). Results : Overall level of knowledge of the participants was "satisfactory" (51.1%). 20% of the participants had "good" level of knowledge and 28.9% participants had "poor" level of knowledge. Majority of the participants had "satisfactory" (44%) level of practices. 19% of the participants had "good" level of practices and 27% participants had "poor" level of practices. There was significant (p < 0.05) association between the level of knowledge among participants who had prior training of disinfection and work experience. There was significant (p < 0.05) association between the level of practices among participants who had prior training of disinfection and work experience. There was no significant association between the work place, reading infection control manual or gender and knowledge and practices of disinfection. Conclusion : There is a positive relationship between knowledge and practice which are directly proportional to each other. This indicates that with improved knowledge, we can also improve the practices, which should be of major concern in the present day health care scenario.


When the MUSES-C mission spacecraft reaches the small near-Earth asteroid 4660 Nereus and begins its landing sequence sometime in 2003, it will drop a palm-size nanorover to the surface before touching down. This small NASA vehicle will view the surface with both a visual and an infrared camera. NASA scientists anticipate that, from time to time, dust will accumulate on the viewing window. To forestall viewing difficulties, they plan to install two tiny windshield wiper mechanisms Mounted on each side of the viewing window to wipe away the dust. Weighing less than 18 mg, each mechanism will have to rely on tiny artificial muscles about 13 mm long for movement. About 0.2 W of power applied to the muscles will cause them to contract or extend and move the wiper blades to clean off the window. This tiny vehicle, called MUSES-CN (the N indicates it was built by NASA), will be the smallest rover ever to fly on a space mission. The diminutive robot has a mass of about I kg and carries instruments that observe in both the visual and near-infrared wavelengths. Its window wiper system will provide the first space test for artificial muscles. Success with these muscles could lead to space robots with animal-like flexibility and manipulation ability. The wiper blade, which is being built by Energy Science Laboratories (ESLI) in San Diego, Calif., is made of lightweight conductive material (aluminum and graphite) with a fiberglass microhair brush. Finger-like function The artificial muscles have been under development by Yoseph Bar Cohen of NASA-JPL for the past three years. They are based on a simple, lightweight strip of highly flexible plastic that bends and functions much like human fingers when electrical voltage is applied to it. Bar Cohen and a small team of scientists and engineers in the U.S. and Japan are working to turn these strips into grippers and strings that can grab and lift loads, among many other potential uses. Known as artificial muscles or electroactive polymers (EAPs), these strips and strings could greatly simplify robotic spacecraft tasks. Conceivably, these devices could replace damaged human muscles. "My hope is someday to see a handicapped person jogging to the grocery store using this technology, employing A dust wiper employs an ESLI-designed blade actuated by a bending EAP to remove dust from window. a joy stick to operate his leg," says Bar Cohen, leader of JPL's Nondestructive Evaluation …


Objective: To evaluate, by microscopic means, specimens of rabbitbone obtained by different methods of irrigation and osteotomy.
Method: A New Zealand adult rabbit was submitted to euthanasia and the bones frozen at –80°C. Specimens were irradiated with Cobalt-60 and sectioned into 24 bone specimens. These were divided into four groups according to the osteotomy technique used, i.e., with a: carbide round bur number 6 in a high-speed handpiece over manual irrigation (G1); carbide round bur number 6 in a surgical motor system at 1500 rpm and manual irrigation (G2); 5-mm diameter trephine bur and manual irrigation (GA); 5-mm diameter trephine bur and irrigation from a peristaltic pump of a surgical motor (GB). Bone specimens were examined under light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A morphometric study was also carried out in groups GA and GB for evaluating the carbonized bone area, and the quantitative data were analyzed using the Student's t-test (p less than 0.05).
Results: LM showed the presence of charred tissue on the margin of samples in the four groups. G1 and G2 had irregular surfaces. According to SEM, microcracks were observed when the two irrigation techniques were used. In GA, there was greater heterogeneity between the cutting lines. In GB, there was a greater presence of a smear layer. There was no statistically significant difference in the perimeter of the carbonized tissue layer between GA and GB.
Conclusion: The use of a high-speed handpiece promoted more regular bone cuts. Cutting using trephine burs with a peristaltic irrigation pump of a surgical motor was more homogeneous. The degree of carbonization of bone tissue did not vary in the techniques studied.


Bilik beach Baluran National Park (TNB) is dominated by mangrove forest and one type of mangrove found was Rhizophora apiculata Blume. So far there has been no information about the distribution pattern of R. apiculata Blume in mangrove forest of Bilik beach TNB. This distribution pattern is very needed as a source of information in the managing and preserving the mangrove forest conservation areas. The method was done by collecting data of R. apiculata Blume and the abiotic environmental factors. It was done in 10x10 m 2 plot. The data of R. apiculata Blume that has been recorded included the number of trees, circumference of the stem, position of tree coordinates, and some parts of the R. apiculata Blume plant. The data were analyzed using the the Standardized Morisita Index value and ArcGIS 10.1 software. . There has been found 147 trees that control a space of 3.19 m2 in the area of 10.600 m 2 . The distribution pattern of R. apiculata Blume in coastal mangrove forests in Bilik TNB grouped based on the value of the Standard Morisita Index (Ip) which is more than zero. It is supported by the spatial map obtained from the ArcGIS 10.1 digitization that shows 66,6 % of R. apiculata Blume presence grows close to one and another. The clustered distribution pattern is caused by the stilt-root characteristics and morphological structure of the reproductive organs R. apiculata Blume.


The water quality of Panlong river is sampled and analyzed in December of 2008 and December of 2009.the results indicate that there is great improvement for the water quality after comprehensive treatment.In 2008,only COD in the up-stream can reach the fifth class standard,however,it is worse in the midstream and downriver.The COD index of the whole stream can reach the fifth class standard in 2009.Similarly,the DO in 2008 can reach the fifth class standard in the up-stream and midstream,it is dramatically increased in the whole stream in 2009,even in the down river,the DO index can meet the standard.There is distinctively decrease for concentration of ammonia nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen and total phosphorus in 2009 by comparing with that of 2008.On the other hand,there are no clear changes for the other indexes involving in pH value and conductivity and fluoride and chloride and ascorbic acid sulfate.


A new technique for concealing errors in Band P-video object planes of MPEG-4 coded video is proposed. This error recovery scheme is based upon error detection in the decoder through a combination of codeword validity checks and the computation of the sum of absolute diierences between the current macroblock and the corresponding motion-compensated predictor macroblock. Error concealment is performed by replacing intercoded macroblocks by the mac-roblocks in the motion-compensated displaced locations in the predicting frame. The results show a signiicant improvement in PSNR of the resulting error-concealed frames as well as a signiicant increase in subjective quality.


Based on the characteristics of low permeability oilfield such as poor petrophysical property,varied lithology,complicated porosity texture and serious heterogeneity,etc.,the formula for calculation of liquid productivity index and oil productivity index are presented with either starting pressure or multi-force effects,and the effect of oil-water viscosity ratio and starting pressure gradient on changes of such indices with water cut in low permeability oilfield is analyzed. The results show that the effect of water cut on the indices is bigger. In the case of same water cut,the higher the oil-water viscosity,the bigger the ratio between starting pressure gradient and production pressure gradient as well as the dimensionless liquid productivity index.