The Informedia team participated in the tasks of Rushes summarization, high-level feature extraction and event detection in surveillance video. For the rushes summarization, our basic idea was to use subsampled video at the appropriate rate, showing almost the whole video faster, and then modify the result to remove garbage frames. Sinply subsampling the frames proved to be the best method for summarizing BBC rushes video, with other improvements not improving the basic inclusion rate, nor appreciably affecting the other subjective metrics. For the high-level feature detection, we trained exclusively on TRECVID'05 data and trying to assess and predict the reliability of the detectors. The voting scheme for combining multiple classifiers performed best, marginally better than trying to predict the best classifier based on a robustness calculation from within dataset cross-domain performance. For event detection, we found that the overall approach was effective at characterizing a presegmented event in the training data, but lack of event segmentation (information about the duration of an event and the existence of a known event resulted in a dramatically lower score in the official evaluation.


Medical devices play a vital role in diagnosing, treating, and preventing diseases and are an integral part of the health-care system. Many devices, including implantable medical devices, enter the market through a regulatory pathway that was not designed to assure safety and effectiveness. Several recent studies and high-profile device recalls have demonstrated the need for well-designed, valid postmarketing studies of medical devices. Medical device epidemiology is a relatively new field compared with pharmacoepidemiology, which for decades has been developed to assess the safety and effectiveness of medications. Many methodological considerations in pharmacoepidemiology apply to medical device epidemiology. Fundamental differences in mechanisms of action and use and in how exposure data are captured mean that comparative effectiveness studies of medical devices often necessitate additional and different considerations. In this paper, we discuss some of the most salient issues encountered in conducting comparative effectiveness research on implantable devices. We discuss special methodological considerations regarding the use of data sources, exposure and outcome definitions, timing of exposure, and sources of bias.


Under anarchy, uncoordinated competitive theft by "roving bandits" destroys the incentive to invest and produce, leaving little for either the population or the bandits. Both can be better off if a bandit sets himself up as a dictator—a "stationary bandit" who monopolizes and rationalizes theft in the form of taxes. A secure autocrat has an encompassing interest in his domain that leads him to provide a peaceful order and other public goods that increase productivity. Whenever an autocrat expects a brief tenure, it pays him to confiscate those assets whose tax yield over his tenure is less than their total value. This incentive plus the inherent uncertainty of succession in dictatorships imply that autocracies will rarely have good economic performance for more than a generation. The conditions necessary for a lasting democracy are the same necessary for the security of property and contract rights that generates economic growth.


The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) has mapped the central compact radio source of the elliptical galaxy M87 at 1.3 mm with unprecedented angular resolution. Here we consider the physical implications of the asymmetric ring seen in the 2017 EHT data. To this end, we construct a large library of models based on general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations and synthetic images produced by general relativistic ray tracing. We compare the observed visibilities with this library and confirm that the asymmetric ring is consistent with earlier predictions of strong gravitational lensing of synchrotron emission from a hot plasma orbiting near the black hole event horizon. The ring radius and ring asymmetry depend on black hole mass and spin, respectively, and both are therefore expected to be stable when observed in future EHT campaigns. Overall, the observed image is consistent with expectations for the shadow of a spinning Kerr black hole as predicted by general relativity. If the black hole spin and M87's large scale jet are aligned, then the black hole spin vector is pointed away from Earth. Models in our library of non-spinning black holes are inconsistent with the observations as they do not produce sufficiently powerful jets. At the same time, in those models that produce a sufficiently powerful jet, the latter is powered by extraction of black hole spin energy through mechanisms akin to the Blandford-Znajek process. We briefly consider alternatives to a black hole for the central compact object. Analysis of existing EHT polarization data and data taken simultaneously at other wavelengths will soon enable new tests of the GRMHD models, as will future EHT campaigns at 230 and 345 GHz.


This thesis is centred around the striking phenomenon of non-Markovianity which emanates from exact dynamical descriptions of open quantum systems. NonMarkovianity is associated with the existence of memory effects in the environment and leads to a partial recovery of information of the system, temporarily counteracting the deleterious effect of the surrounding environment. We devote this thesis to addressing two fundamental questions surrounding the topic of non-Markovianity. The first is concerned with how to evaluate the extent to which a specific dynamics is non-Markovian, in terms of a physically meaningful and easily computable measure. In literature, the desire to quantify non-Markovianity has motivated a plethora of measures which provide unique, albeit potentially contradicting, interpretations of memory effects. In an attempt to consolidate the literature, we introduce and critically compare several recently proposed non-Markovianity measures for single qubit and two qubit systems in both pure dephasing and dissipative scenarios. The second question explores the natural optimism of the usefulness of non-Markovianity as a resource in quantum information protocols. In more detail, we study whether memory effects combined with external control techniques offer a possibility to exploit non-Markovianity for an overall superior technique to combat decoherence. The standard approach for Markovian dynamics involves the critical assumption of dissipative dynamics which are fixed in the presence of control. We expose the serious pitfalls in experimentally implementing such a strategy in realistic non-Markovian scenarios and accentuate the importance of using exact approaches in non-Markovian control theory. Using an exact description of a pure dephasing system subject to dynamical decoupling protocols, we demonstrate that contrary to intuitive reasoning, non-Markovianity is not trivially a resource.


The unique ability of dual mode logic (DML) to self-adapt to computational needs by providing high speed and/or low energy consumption is demonstrated for the first time by silicon measurements in 28nm FD-SOI. At the gate level, the DML design offers the possibility to operate either in the static mode to save energy, or in the dynamic mode to increase speed albeit with higher delay or energy consumption, respectively. In this demonstration, the two operational modes are dynamically managed by a self-adjustment mechanism to increase speed or reduce energy of the design at run-time. As a test case a two-stage pipelined multiply-accumulate (MAC) circuit was selected to assess the advantages of DML in terms of speed, energy and area as compared to a conventional CMOS design. We show that the self-adjusted DML MAC achieves both a performance boost of up to 92% and 16% less energy consumption than the equivalent standard CMOS implementation. The energy saved can be even greater (−35%) when the low-power (fully static) mode is enabled. In addition, the DML MAC occupies 25% less area.


Irregular migration is a growing phenomenon in Europe and elsewhere. In Norway, as in other European countries, there has been a process of heavy restrictions and limited liberalisation in asylum and immigration policies. Drawing on research on irregular migration and my own fieldwork with irregular migrants in Norway, this article discusses four areas of government action that explain how irregular migration is produced, namely 1) the de- and reestablishing of borders, 2) categorization as a management strategy, 3) the production of a deportable subject and, finally, 4) the criminalization of people who are in the territory "illegally". These are complexly interrelated techniques used by governments in their efforts to exercise authority over people who are in the nation- state "illegally". I focus on how the nation-state configures and produces irregular migrants in their own back yard. The governmentality of irregular migrants is simultaneously the production of such a category of people.


The background of this research is the issue of globalization that impact on society's lives, especially school-age children (students) who started to use the technology in every activity. The problem in this study is whether the method of inquiry – based on Science Technology and Society has a significant effect on social science learning outcomes of students in SMPN 1 Bandung.
This study use quasi-experimental approach, with nonequivalent (pretest and posttest) the Control Group Design. The average result of experimental class' pre-test is 59.72, and the post-test average is 77.08, the gain is 0, 46, While in the control classroom the average of pre - test is 56.81, and the post-test is 68.75, and the gain is 0, 28. There seems to be a significant improvement between the experimental class and the control class. The results were analyzed using the data analysis software called SPSS 16 for windows shows the sig is 0.000 < α 0.05, which means the test results showed that Ho strongly rejected, means that there are some learning outcomes distinctions between the student who get a method of inquiry -based learning with Science Technology and Society Methods with those who received conventional learning at the post-test. Post-test results of the students who received inquiry -based learning with the Science Technology and Society Methods is better than the students who received conventional learning. It can be seen from the motivation to learn, learner inquiry frequency, the students learning outcomes in land use and settlement patterns material based on the physical condition of the earth's surface.
The recommendations were based on the research findings and the discussion of the effect of the use of inquiry -based science technology society method. It is expected that schools, Social Sciences' MGMP, social science Teacher and the next researcher can use and develop the inquiry -based science learning technology methods community in the social science.


Electric utilities need end use consumption information for planning, forecasting, operational, and evaluation purposes. Statistically adjusted engineering (SAE) analysis has been proposed as a means of overcoming the weaknesses of conventional engineering analysis while retaining the strengths of rigorous and empirically grounded engineering algorithms, but it has rarely been applied to industrial customers. This study reports on the results of a detailed SAE analysis based on data for industrial facilities in British Columbia. Data for the study came from detailed site audits and engineering analysis at 198 industrial sites, which provided detailed end use consumption estimates for nine end uses for each of the sites. This information was used in the SAE model which was modelled using ordinary least squares. The study has three main results. First, the estimated regression model had excellent statistical properties: the signs for the regression coefficients were consistent with prior expectations, the magnitudes of the regression coefficients were reasonable, and the regression had excellent explanatory power. Second, large electric utilities often have information for a sample of customers on end use electricity consumption, and the present research suggest that the relatively little used SAE approach can be used to cost effectively estimate end use electricity consumption. Third, total and end use electricity consumption estimates vary substantially by industrial sector, which suggest that disaggregated information may be more useful than the aggregated data which is typically collected through load research activities.


Graphite epoxy composite (GEC) materials are used in the construction of rocket fairings, nose cones, interstage adapters, and heat shields due to their high strength and light weight. However, they absorb moisture depending on the environmental conditions they are exposed to prior to launch. Too much moisture absorption can become a problem when temperature and pressure changes experienced during launch cause the water to vaporize. The rapid state change of the water can result in structural failure of the material. In addition, heat and moisture combine to weaken GEC structures. Diffusion models that predict the total accumulated moisture content based on the environmental conditions are one accepted method of determining if the material strength has been reduced to an unacceptable level. However, there currently doesn't exist any field measurement technique to estimate the actual moisture content of a composite structure. A multi-layer diffusion model was constructed with Mathematica to predict moisture absorption and desorption from the GEC sandwich structure. This model is used in conjunction with relative humidity/temperature sensors both on the inside and outside of the material to determine the moisture levels in the structure. Because the core materials have much higher diffusivity than the face sheets, a single relative humidity measurement will accurately reflect the moisture levels in the core. When combined with an external relative humidity measurement, the model can be used to determine the moisture levels in the face sheets. Since diffusion is temperaturedependent, the temperature measurements are used to determine the diffusivity of the face sheets for the model computations. This work was done by Mark Nurge, Robert Youngquist, and Stanley Starr of Kennedy Space Center. Further information is contained in a TSP (see page 1). KSC-13499 Measuring Moisture Levels in Graphite Epoxy Composite Sandwich Structures John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the firm-level financial variables affecting the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Design/methodology/approach

The study applies a resource-based view to analyze the firm-level as well as industry-level determinants of SME growth. Empirical evidence has also been provided from a data set of SMEs in Sweden to support the hypotheses. For a robust statistical analysis, three models – ordinary least squares (OLS) regression, random-effects regression and fixed-effects regression – are used to examine the influence of explanatory variables on growth.

Findings

The findings of this study show a positive and significant influence of profitability, short-term debt and size on a firm's growth across all three models. Results regarding the influence of long-term debt on growth, however, are mixed. While the results of a fixed-effect model show the negative and significant influence of long-term debt on growth, the results according to OLS and random effects show long-term debt positively related to growth.

Research limitations/implications

This study has been conducted over a period of four years and in the context of Sweden which may limit the generalizability of its results for longer periods and for different contexts. Moreover, the low explanatory power of the models implies the need to also consider other types of variables, such as managerial or socio-economic variables, to better explain the determinants of SME growth.

Practical implications

Understanding the determinants of growth can be important for policy makers, SME managers and financial institutions. The findings of this study can be used for designing policies which stimulate SME growth. Realizing the financial resources that influence growth can also help SME managers and financial institutions to understand each other's need for better cooperation.

Originality/value

This paper applies different models for analyzing large and cross-sectoral data regarding SME growth in the context of Sweden.


The bamboo craft creative industry is one of creative industry which is located in Metro. That creative industry has not had online system in information spreading process and selling produced product process. The spreading of information just only reach certain area or location, even though some of the industry have already sell the product outside Metro. Therefore, to expand the product trading, it is made the e-commerce design as the shopping service media for bamboo craft creative industry in Metro. The website design is aimed to overcome the marketing and selling product problems in bamboo craft creative industry in Metro which is limited by the place and time. The software development method which is used is Waterfall method. The data collecting uses observation method. The implementation from this Waterfall method is explained by using running system analysis, proposed system analysis, diagram context system, data flow diagram (DFD), table relation, database structure table, and interface design system. This website design uses PHP program. This e-commerce website has three user based on the access right therefore it can be used by customer (end user), the owner (bamboo craft creative industry), and the administrator (website management).


The portfolio compositions examine the effects of using differing textures and colour within original musical concepts. The portfolio includes the results of research into methods of composition using two forms of the brass family - a reduced combination (Quintet) and the standard brass band configuration. The use of a combination of keyboard with solo brass, a combination of wind instruments with a solo wind instrument, and a combination of an orchestra with choir (SATB) is as a result of developing compositional techniques in hitherto unfamiliar areas.
The works also attempt to reflect the influences of a number of recognised composers - Ralph Vaughan Williams, Frederick Delius, John Ireland, John Rutter, Leonard Bernstein,
Lalo Schiffren and George Butterworth. My portfolio contains a wide diversity of moods and styles and is presented as a result of serious artistic endeavour.
My work has been produced under the supervision of Professor Peter Graham - Chair of Composition. The portfolio contains the following original compositions:-
1. Psalm 23 - a setting for Orchestra and choir
2. Caprice for Alto Saxophone and Wind Band
3. Sonata for Tuba and Piano
4. The Well of Eternity - Variations on Abbots Leigh for Brass band
5. Petite Suite for Brass Quintet
6. The Bridestones - A Rhapsody for Brass Band.


The Upper Cau river basin which plays an important role in socio-economic developments the North of Vietnam is sensitive to changes of climate influencing flows, erosion, and water resources. The main objective of this study is to assess and simulate impacts of climate change on erosion and water flow in the basin. Using a GIS database and Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model, the water flow and soil loss were assessed with data in period 1980-1999 called the based period, then simulated until 2100 considering the medium emission scenario (B2). The simulation result showed that the total annual runoff and soil loss tends to increase compared to the base period. For flow, the change rate of the simulation period is higher than the base period; the water flow rate will increase by 0.22% (2020-2039) and up to 1.37% (2080-2100). The total annual soil loss of the simulation period at Gia Bay station tends to increase steadily compared to the baseline, namely by 6.2% (2020-2039) and 25.5% (2080-2100). Overall, the result in this study shows that effects of climate changes on the basin are severe enough under the scenario B2 which is useful for authorities for basin management. References Ali R., McFarlane D., Varma S., Dawes W., Emelyanova I., Hodgson G., Charles S., 2012. Potential climate change impacts on groundwater resources of south-western Australia. Journal of Hydrology, 475, 456-472. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2012.04.043 Arnell N. W., 2004. Climate change and global water resources: SRES emissions and socio-economic scenarios. Global Environmental Change, 14(1), 31- 52. doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2003.10.006 Arnold J. G., Fohrer N., 2005. SWAT2000: Current capabilities and research opportunities in applied watershed modeling. Hydrol. Proc., 19(3), 563-572. Arnold J.G., Kiniry J.R., Srinivasan R., Williams J.R., Haney E.B., Neitsch S.L., 2012. Soil and water assessment tool. Input/output Documentation: Texas Water Resources Institute. Beare S., Heaney A., 2002. Climate Change and water resources in the Murray Darling Basin, Australia, impacts and possible adaptation. Paper presented at the World Congress of Environmental and Resource Economists, Monterey, California, USA. Binh N.D., Tuan N.A., Huong H.L., 2010. SWAT application coupled with web technologies for soil erosion assessment in north western region of Vietnam. Paper presented at the International SWAT Conference Mayfield Hotel. Seoul, South Korea: Hanoi University of Algriculture. Chau T.L.M., Tuan N.Q., 2011. Application of SWAT for soil erosion management at river subbasins in Duong Hoa commune, Huong Thuy town, Thua Thien Hue province. Paper presented at the 3rd National GIS conference Danang University of Education, Danang, Vietnam. CLIMsystems. http://www.climsystems.com/simclim/. Department of Geography, L. U. SDSM Statistical Downscaling Model: http://copublic.lboro.ac.uk/cocwd/SDSM/software.html. FAO. http://www.fao.org/land-water/databases-and-software/cropwat/en/. Hanratty M.P., Stefan H.G., 1998. Simulating climate change effects in a Minnesota agricultural watershed. J. Environ. Qual., 27, 1524-1532. IPCC, 2000. Special Report on Emissions Scenarios. United States of America. IPCC, 2007. Fourth Assessment Report: Climate Change 2007 (AR4). Li Y., Chen B.M., Wang Z.G., Peng S.L., 2011. Effects of temperature change on water discharge, and sediment and nutrient loading in the lower Pearl River basin based on SWAT modeling. Hydrolog. Sci. J., 56, 68-83. Liem N.D., Hong N.T., Minh T.P., Loi N.K., 2011. Assessing water discharge in Be river basin, Vietnam using GIS and SWAT model. Paper presented at the National GIS application Vietnam. http://gisnetwork.vn/wpcontent/uploads/2012/04/GIS2011_BAI1.swf. McBean E., Motiee H., 2008. Assessment of impact of climate change on water resources: a long term analysis of the Great Lakes of North America. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 12, 239-255. MONRE, 2009. Climate Change, Sea level rise scenarios for Vietnam.  Vietnam. MONRE, 2012. Climate Change, Sea level rise scenarios for Vietnam.  Vietnam. MONRE, 2016. Climate Change, Sea level rise scenarios for Vietnam.  Vietnam. Nhu N.Y., 2011. Researching on the impacts of Climate Change on the extreme of the flow on Nhue-Day rivers basin, Hanoi. (Master), Hanoi University of Science, Hanoi National University, Vietnam. Ouyang W., Gao X., Hao Z., Liu H., Shi Y., Hao F., 2017. Farmland shift due to climate warming and impacts on temporal-spatial distributions of water resources in a middle-high latitude agricultural watershed. Journal of Hydrology, 547, 156-167.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2017.01.050 Phan D.B., Wu C.C., Hsieh S.C., 2011. Impact of Climate Change and Deforestation on Stream Discharge and Sediment Yield in Phu Luong Watershed, Viet Nam Environmental Science and Engineering, 5, 1063-1072. Phan D.B., Wu C.C., Hsieh S.C., 2011. Impact of Climate Change on Stream Discharge and Sediment Yield in Northern Vietnam. Water Resources, 38(6), 827-836. doi: 10.1134/S0097807811060133. Rossi C.G., Srinivasan R., Jirayoot K., Duc T.L., Souvannabouth P., Binh N.D., Gassman P.W., 2009. Hydrologic evaluation of the lower Mekong river basin with the soil and water assessment tool model. International Agricultural Engineering, 18, 1-13. Son N.T., Tuan N.C., Hang V.T., Nhu N.Y., 2011. Impact of climate change on water resources to transform Nhue-Day rivers basin. Natural and Technological Science, 27, 218-226. Thang T.Q., 2010. Application of remote sensing images and GIS technique to assess soil erosion in Tam Nong Commune, Phu Tho province. Master. Hanoi University of Agriculture, Hanoi. Trong T.D., Viet N.Q., Huong D.T.V., 2012. Assessing the soil erosion possibility in Dakrong Commune, Quang Tri province using RMMF (Rrevised Morgan-Morgan-Finney) model. Scientific journal, Hue University,Vietnam, 74A(5), 173-184. Tu L.H., Liem N.D., Minh T.P., Loi N.K., 2011. Assessing soil erosion in Da Tam watershed, Lam Dong province using GIS technique Paper presented at the National GIS application  Danang, Vietnam. USGS. National Map Seamless Data Distribution System. Vargas-Amelin E., Pindado P., 2014. The challenge of climate change in Spain: Water resources, agriculture and land. Journal of Hydrology, 518, Part B, 243-249. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2013.11.035 Winchell M., Srinivasan R., Di Luzio M., Arnold J., 2013. ArcSWAT Interface for SWAT 2012. User's Guide. Texas: Blackland Research and Extension Center; Grassland Soil and Water research laboratory.


The design and development of a digital library involves different stakeholders, such as: information architects, librarians, and domain experts, who need to agree on a common language to describe, discuss, and negotiate the services the library has to offer. To this end, high-level, language-neutral models have to be devised. Metamodeling techniques favor the definition of domainspecific visual languages through which stakeholders can share their views and directly manipulate representations of the domain entities. This paper describes CRADLE (Cooperative-Relational Approach to Digital Library Environments), a metamodel-based framework and visual language for the definition of notions and services related to the development of digital libraries. A collection of tools allows the automatic generation of several services, defined with the CRADLE visual language, and of the graphical user interfaces providing access to them for the final user. The effectiveness of the approach is illustrated by presenting digital libraries generated with CRADLE, while the CRADLE environment has been evaluated by using the cognitive dimensions framework.


Education plays an important role in eveyone's life. now in changing situation of world different subjects like English,Maths, science, social science are equally important. Teacher has to take care of everything while teaching process. Social science is a vast subject,It includes Knowledge of society as well as geogrophy. It is the subject of human life which can't be taught by only lecture method. It is a practical subject. Teacher has to deal with the different aspects of human life. Teacher has to adopt different innovative methods to enhance interest level of a students, so classroom will become live. here question is raised about the effectiveness of particular innovative methods. This research is small attempt to know effectiveness of innovative teaching methods of social science.


This essay deals with the principle of surprise warfare and its development as well as the adaptation of military action that had to be made to surprise the opponent in the modern era.The concept of surprise is divided into its components in order to clarify what is required to implement a surprising maneuver, to understand the complex concept and form a theoretical framework for gathering facts in the case study.Development and adaption are demonstrated by a comparative case study where Pearl Harbor illustrates an example of historical surprise and Operation Desert Storm illustrates a modern surprise. The product will then be analyzed in order to detect the development and how military conduct is forced to adapt in order to carry out a surprising maneuver. The results shows that the military action of performing a surprise attack has had a major development and is now carried out in a different stage of the attack.


Education about death and dying has been almost ignored in medical schools. Recently, however, it has become increasingly obvious that the preferences of dying patients are being ignored, leaving many patients to die lonely, scared, and in pain. There is a growing realization that physicians can help dying patients achieve a more peaceful death and increased recognition that good end-of-life care is not just the province of specialized hospice physicians or nurses. In "A Physician's Guide to Coping with Death and Dying" Jan Swanson and Alan Cooper, a physician and a clinical psychologist with many years of experience, offer insights to help medical students, residents, physicians, nurses, and others become more aware of the different stages in the dying process and learn how to communicate more effectively with patients and their families. They also discuss the ways physicians and other caregivers can learn to reduce their own stress levels and avoid the risk of burnout, allowing them to achieve balance in their lives and be more effective professionally. The authors use case examples and thought-provoking exercises to provide a personal learning experience. "A Physician's Guide to Coping with Death and Dying" includes an extensive bibliography and a unique web resource section with contacts to many organizations working with patients suffering from life-threatening illnesses.


Lipids and proteins are essential elements of a living organism. Proteins, as one of the most abundant macromolecules of life, have countless functions ranging from catalyzing vital biological reactions to transporting nutrients. Likewise, lipids also play integral roles such as storing energy or being a major component of a membrane [12]. Despite their individual importance, interactions between these two molecules can provide functions that would not be possible individually. The greatest number of these interactions are seen in cell membranes, which are composed of a wide variety of lipids and proteins. While biological membranes elegantly fulfill many structural roles, the complexity of lipid-protein interactions facilitates a potentially stunning diversity of function and interaction.


Wherever person goes, he finds unless it finds advertisement tools in various shapes and sizes. These ads, which have become an important pattern in the life of traders are indispensable for them than in contemporary reality. But now companies are specializing in the production of these ads and incentives, taking advantage of all the modern means of magazines and broadcasting video and audio formats and even mobile internet services.  Each of these companies have their own philosophy of it, some of which consider the legitimate controls in advertisements but other are to make money regardless of the appropriateness of these ads or following the controls of legitimacy and this research aims at highlighting the most important of these Islamic perspective controls which must be adhered when designing these commercials ads.  Islam regulates the trade system and provides a sound guideline to its followers. It has forbidden all the malpractices being exercised in business and its advertisement. The research talks about the commercial advertisements, their types, aims and the opinions of Islamic experts about them. Besides, the research proves that advertisement is permissible according to shariah.


First published in 1986, Interpreting Japanese Society became something of a classic in the field. In this newly revised and updated edition, the value of anthropological approaches to help understand an ancient and complex nation is clearly demonstrated. While living and working in Japan the contributors have studied important areas of society. Religion, ritual, leisure, family and social relations are covered as are Japanese preconceptions of time and space - often so different from Western concepts. This new edition of Interpreting Japanese Society shows what an important contribution research in such a rapidly changing industralised nation can make to the subject of anthropology. It will be welcomed by students and scholars alike who wish to find refreshing new insights on one of the world's most fascinating societies.


We present a lightweight Byzantine fault tolerance (BFT) algorithm, which can be used to render the coordination of web services business activities (WS-BA) more trustworthy. The lightweight design of the BFT algorithm is the result of a comprehensive study of the threats to the WS-BA coordination services and a careful analysis of the state model of WS-BA. The lightweight BFT algorithm uses source ordering, rather than total ordering, of incoming requests to achieve Byzantine fault tolerant, state-machine replication of the WS-BA coordination services. We have implemented the lightweight BFT algorithm, and incorporated it into the open-source Kandula framework, which implements the WS-BA specification with the WS-BA-I extension. Performance evaluation results obtained from the prototype implementation confirm the efficiency and effectiveness of our lightweight BFT algorithm, compared to traditional BFT techniques.


The aim of the Global Earth Observation System-of-Systems (GEOSS) is to improve the information available to decision makers, at all levels, relating to human health and safety, protection of the global environment, the reduction of losses from natural disasters, and achieving sustainable development. Specifically, GEOSS proposes that better international cooperation in the collection, interpretation, and sharing of Earth observation information is an important and cost-effective mechanism for achieving this aim. While there is a widespread intuition that this proposition is correct, at some point the following question needs to be answered: how much additional investment in Earth observation (and specifically, in its international integration) is enough? This leads directly to some challenging subsidiary questions, such as how can the benefits of Earth observation be assessed? What are the incremental costs of GEOSS? Are there societal benefit areas where the return on investment is higher than in others? The Geo-Bene Project has developed a ldquobenefit chainrdquo concept as a framework for addressing these questions. The basic idea is that an incremental improvement in the observing system (including its data collection, interpretation and information-sharing aspects) will result in an improvement in the quality of decisions based on that information. In turn, this will lead to better societal outcomes, which have a value. This incremental value must be judged against the incremental cost of the improved observation system. Since in many cases there will be large uncertainties in the estimation of both the costs and the benefits, and it may not be possible to express them in comparable monetary terms, we show how order-of-magnitude approaches and a qualitative understanding of the shape of the cost and benefit curves can help guide rational investment decisions in Earth Observation Systems.


FLEXSTREAM: SDN-BASED FRAMEWORK FOR PROGRAMMABLE AND FLEXIBLE ADAPTIVE VIDEO STREAMING Ibrahim Ben Mustafa Old Dominion University, 2018 Director: Dr. Dr. Tamer Nadeem Co-Director: Dr. Dr. Ravi Mukkamala With the tremendous increase in video traffic fueled by smartphones, tablets, 4G LTE networks, and other mobile devices and technologies, providing satisfactory services to end users in terms of playback quality and a fair share of network resources become challenging. As a result, an HTTP video streaming protocol was invented and widely adopted by most video providers today with the goal of maximizing the user's quality of experience. However, despite the intensive efforts of major video providers such as YouTube and Netflix to improve their players, several studies as well as our measurements indicate that the players still suffer from several performance issues including instability and sub-optimality in the video bitrate, stalls in the playback, unfairness in sharing the available bandwidth, and inefficiency with regard to network utilization, considerably degrading the user's QoE. These issues are frequently experienced when several players start competing over a common bottleneck. Interestingly, the root cause of these issues is the intermittent traffic pattern of the HTTP adaptive protocol that causes the players to over estimate the available bandwidth and stream unsustainable video bitrates. In addition, the wireless network standards today do not allow the network to have a fine-grain control over individual devices which is necessary for providing resource usage coordination and global policy enforcement. We show that enabling such a network-side control would drive each device to fairly and efficiently utilize the network resources based on its current context, which would result in maximizing the overall viewing experience in the network and optimizing the bandwidth utilization. In this dissertation, we propose FlexStream, a flexible and programmable Software-Defined Network (SDN) based framework that solves all the adaptive streaming problems mentioned above. We develop FlexStream on top of the SDNbased framework that extends SDN functionality to mobile end devices, allowing for a fine-grained control and management of bandwidth based on real time contextawareness and specified policy. We demonstrate that FlexStream can be used to manage video delivery for a set of end devices over WiFi and cellular links and can effectively alleviate common problems such as player instability, playback stalls, large startup delay, and inappropriate bandwidth allocation. FlexStream offloads several tasks such as monitoring and policy enforcement to end-devices, while a network element (i.e., Global Controller), which has a global view of a network condition, is primarily employed to manage the resource allocation. This also alleviates the need for intrusive, large and costly traffic management solutions within the network, or modifications to servers that are not feasible in practice. We define an optimization method within the global controller for resource allocation to maximize video QoE considering context information, such as screen size and user priority. All features of FlexStream are implemented and validated on real mobile devices over real Wi-Fi and cellular networks. To the best of our knowledge, FlexStream is the first implementation of SDN-based control in a live cellular network that does not require any internal network support for SDN functionality.


The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) of Texas is both a water and energy supplier to a large area of Central Texas. LCRA generates approximately 10 percent of its power from hydroelectric power plants on the six dams in the Highland Lakes system of reservoirs. To improve power production, LCRA has investigated alternative operating procedures to increase the winter scheduling of hydroelectric power generation in the upper reservoirs of the Highland Lakes system without adversely impacting available water supplies. A methodology using both optimization and simulation techniques was developed to evaluate the ability of the hydroelectric facilities to meet weather-related winter peaking requirements. A linear programming procedure determined the hourly power generation schedule, over a 24 hour period, that maximized the total amount of power generated over the six hours of peak power demand. The full installed capacity was found to be available during the peak hours without violating system operating constraints including water storage limits at the individual lakes. Based on statistical simulation of daily winter inflows and releases using a LOTUS 1-2-3 spreadsheet, it was found that the full generating capacity could be supplied to meet the weather-related peak winter power demand with no significant impact on water availability.


primates that denotes the presence or absence of A,B, and O antigens on erythrocytes (red blood cells). The ABO gene encodes an enzyme responsible for producing A or B antigens, or an inactive enzyme resulting in the presences of O antigens. It is theorized that ABO and other blood groups provide protective diversity within populations to combat microbial invasion and has been maintained for millions of years. In humans, ABO is the major blood group for determining transfusion compatibility.


The Precambrian polycyclic basement terrains of Oban and Obudu in southeastern Nigeria contain a plethora of fractures, which on analysis fall into only four sets or trends. The most prominent fracture set in Oban Massif is the NNW-SSE, with a trend of 150 0 -160 0 from the north. Others are NNE-SSW, E-W and NW-SE sets. The most prominent fracture set in Obudu is the NW-SE which trends 140-150 0 from north. Minor sets occur in the NNE-SSW, E-W and ESE-WNW directions. While E-W fractures are interpreted as 'ac' tensile or extension fractures, NE-SW and NW-SE fractures are shear fractures. The orientation difference of 10 0 between the major facture sets in Oban and Obudu is interpreted as the amount of fracture induced angular rotation between the two basement blocks, leading to the formation of the Ikom-Mamfe embayment. The most frequently occurring fracture length in both areas is ~ 2km, while the fracture frequency decreases exponentially as fracture length increases. This is depicted by the exponential relationship n(l) = n oe -kl . There appears to be compensation between fracture length and frequency, such that directions of long fractures have lower density and vice versa. Whenever fracture lineaments less than 5km are ignored in the Nigerian basement, it could represent over 60% loss of data in the analysis.


Sequestering CO2 in the form of carbon-based liquid fuels would provide both a convenient and sustainable form of energy for practical use as well as mitigate the effects of global warming and climate change. Ocean wave energy is an abundant and relatively stable source of renewable energy, which would be highly desirable for the conversion of CO2 to conveniently stored and transported liquid fuels. In this work, we demonstrate a wave-energy-driven electrochemical CO2 reduction system, consisting of triboelectric nanogenerators, a supercapacitor and a CO2 reduction reactor, that converts ocean wave energy to chemical energy in the form of formic acid, a liquid fuel. We optimize the energy storage component of the system and operation voltage of the electrochemical cell to achieve efficient energy storage and maximize the production of formic acid. Under simulated waves, the system can produce 2.798 μmol of formic acid per day via the wave energy harvested from a water surface area of 0.04 m2. Moreover, we have performed field tests in the Red Sea to demonstrate the practicality of such an electrochemical CO2 reduction system. Finally, we present design guidelines for achieving a cost-effective, efficient, and large-scale wave-energy-driven CO2 reduction system for liquid fuel production.


Temporary Work Agencies (TWAs) are an example of a trend towards flexibility in the labour market. By hiring staff from TWAs organisations can keep their staff numbers down. This however, refers to the client companies´ use or temps, and omits the intermediary, the TWA, which also needs various flexibility strategies in its activities. The main purpose of this thesis is to study the organising of TWAs supply of manpower to different clients companies, and how managers and temps experience their terms of employment, working conditions and relationships with regular employees at the client companies. Two qualitative case studies were conducted. In study one, interviews have been carried out with managers and temps in a TWA and a client company in Jamtland. In the second study, managers and temps in an international TWA in Sweden were interviewed. The results show that both managers and temps work under complex conditions and demands on flexibility. The managers shall, by flexible prioritising, satisfy demands from the TWA on profitability, demands from client companies´ for an adaptable workforce and temps need of employment and community. The results also indicate that temps have to balance between a position as stranger and outsider, and handle insecurity of the assignments duration and spatial location. They have to be able to manoeuvre between the power inequalities, stigmatisation and exclusion they encounter in working conditions and social interactions in client companies. To handle such situations the ideal temp and manager have to be able to vary between distance and nearness in spatiality and indifference and involvement in social relations.


A theory has been developed showing the effect of multiple exposures on the fringes formed in the case of axial motion of a diffuser illuminated by a diverging beam from a laser point source. Experimental conditions are such that the speckle patterns remain fully correlated. Filtering has been done by the converging beam. Fringe profiles, in the case of multiple exposures, have been investigated for unequal and equal exposure times, and good agreement was found between theoretical and experimental results.


Hepatic nuclear factor-4 (HNF-4) is a transcription factor and a member of the large family of nuclear receptors. It was first cloned from liver but is expressed also in kidney, pancreas and intestine. Three genes encoding three isoforms have been identified, HNF- 4α and γ, in mammals, drosophila and xenopus and HNF-4β, exclusively in xenopus. HNF-4α is the best studied isoform, especially in liver. Such studies put HNF-4α at the crossroads between architecture and function of epithelia, as it induces expression of cell/cell junction proteins while it also controls glucido-lipidic metabolism and drug metabolizing enzyme genes. Furthermore, mutations in the HNF-4α gene lead to a metabolic disease in humans, Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young-1 (MODY-1). The existence of a "true ligand" is not clearly established but a "structural" fatty acid is present in the ligand binding pocket of HNF-4α and γ. Consequently, activity of HNF-4 can be modulated by the interaction with co-regulators or by post-translational modifications. Then, HNF-4 is a potential direct or indirect target for pharmacologic drugs, with a special interest for the intestinal epithelium which is the primary site of metabolic control, due to its roles in nutrient absorption and in sensing energy. The patents related to the HNF-4α gene are also discussed in this article.


Abstract. The land process model, ISAM, is extended to accurately simulate contemporary soybean and maize crop yields, and estimate changes in yield over the period 1901–2100 driven by past and future changes in environmental factors – atmospheric CO2 level ([CO2]) and climate (temperature and precipitation) – and management factors – nitrogen fertilizer and deposition, irrigation, and crop harvest areas. Over the 20th century, each of these factors contributes to the increase in global crop yield with increasing nitrogen fertilizer application the strongest of these drivers for maize and increasing [CO2] the strongest for soybean. Over the 21st century, two future scenarios – RCP4.5-SSP2 and RCP8.5-SSP5 – of the environmental and management factors are modeled to estimate their influence on future crop yield. For both crops under both scenarios, changing climate drives yield lower, while rising [CO2] drives yield higher. For soybean, the negative climate effect is more than offset by the other drivers – particularly the increase in [CO2] – leading to an increase in global soybean yield by the 2090s. For maize, combined negative climate and harvest area effects are offset in RCP4.5-SSP2, which has continued growth in nitrogen fertilizer application, leaving global yield roughly unchanged. However, in RCP8.5-SSP5 maize yield declines since this scenario has greater warming of climate and weaker nitrogen fertilizer application than RCP4.5-SSP2. The model also projects differences between geographical regions; notably, higher temperatures in tropical regions limit photosynthesis rates and reduce light interception by accelerating phenological development in both crops, particularly for RCP8.5-SSP5 and for soybean.


This paper is the first report on Cladonia species from Ardahan, a north-eastern province of Turkey. A circumpolar boreal-low arctic species, Cladonia acuminata , rarely reported from Asia, and the recently described Cladonia monomorpha are reported as new for Turkey. Their detailed descriptions and taxonomical remarks are provided. Localities of other ascertained Cladonia species in the province supplement the knowledge of their distribution patterns in the country. In addition, the typically corticolous/lignicolous species Vulpicida pinastri is mentioned as also growing on primary squamules and podetia of C. pyxidata .


A combined dataset of near-real-time multi-satellite observations and in situ measurements from a high-resolution survey is used for characterizing physical-biogeochemical properties of a patch stretching from the coast to the open sea in the Levantine Basin (LB) of the eastern Mediterranean (EM). Spatial analysis of the combined dataset indicates that the patch is a semi-enclosed system, bounded within the mixed layer and separated from ambient waters by transport barriers induced by horizontal stirring. As such, the patch is characterized by physical-biogeochemical properties that significantly differ from those of the waters surrounding it, with lower salinity and higher temperatures, concentrations of silicic acid and chlorophyll a , and abundance of Synechococcus and picoeukaryote cells. Based on estimates of patch dimensions (∼40 km width and ∼25 m depth) and propagation speed (∼0.09 m s −1 ), the volume flux associated with the patch is found to be on the order of 0.1 Sv. Our observations suggest that horizontal stirring by surface currents is likely to have an important impact on the ultra-oligotrophic Levantine Basin ecosystem, through (1) transport of nutrients and coastally derived material, and (2) formation of local, dynamically isolated niches. In addition, this work provides a satellite-based framework for planning and executing high-resolution sampling strategies in the interface between the coast and the open sea.


The ultimate goal of antenatal and intranatal care is to have not only a healthy mother and a healthy baby, but also to achieve a successful vaginal delivery, keeping in mind the rising rates of caesarean deliveries.Though the aim is to achieve spontaneous vaginal delivery, many times labour has to be induced for various maternal and fetal indications. It has been stated that nearly about 13-20% term patients requires induction of labour (IOL) (Maslow and Sweeny, 2000). Recently intrapartum ultrasound examinations has been gaining popularity to assess not only labour mechanics, and also for assessing cervical findings for prediction of successful induction. Bishop's score obtained from pervaginal examination is considered as a tool to predict successful vaginal delivery. However, it is
subjective and has significant inter observer variation. Ultrasound examinations are found to be superior to digital pelvic examination to determine fetal head position and station. Thus ultrasound can help the obstetricians in a significant way to counsel the patients before induction of labour and explain them the probability of successful induction.


The Viennese fondness for the chalumeau is confirmed by the prominent role it played in the repertory throughout the 18th century. These composers were amongst the most innovative in writing for the instrument in all its four sizes. In music for the stage, the chalumeau was most often used to accompany pastoral and romantic scenes. Its treatment at the hands of Fux, the Bononcini brothers and Joseph I is particularly exquisite in their anticipation of Mozart's use of the clarinet in Cosi fan tutte. Gluck chose the chalumeau for the Vienna versions of Orfeo and Alceste. Florian Gassmann, who settled in Vienna after studies in Italy, was amongst several composers still writing for the chalumeau at a time when clarinets were readily available. In chamber and orchestral music too, the chalumeau made its mark. Vaclav Pichl wrote for the instrument in the 1770s, and only later did he develop an enthusiasm for the clarinet. Further proof of the instrument's survival into the pre-Classical era is found in the divertimenti by Florian Gassmann and Carl Dittersdorf. An important concertante work is the concerto for soprano chalumeau by Franz Hoffmeister. Mozart was aware of the chalumeau, as his father's copying of Joseph Starzer's Musica da camera testifies. This work was later attributed to Mozart as K.187/159c and exerted a clear influence on Mozart's own divertimento, K188/240b, for a similar combination. This paper traces the development of the chalumeau repertoire in 18th century Viennese opera, chamber, orchestral, and solo literature. In the actual delivery, live illustrations enabled listeners to gain a greater insight into the sound world of the various chalumeaux. Issues unique to the performance of chalumeau repertoire such as reed-position and instrument size are also discussed.


The paper is concerned with the approaches to reducing losses in primary distribution network, considering reliability of power supply to consumers. The distribution network reconfiguration is the main procedure for the minimization of losses. A proposed reconfiguration algorithm is based on the graph theory methods and implemented in a high-performance program for load flow calculation. An algorithm is devised to optimize daily load curve of load-controlled consumers, considering daily electricity price charts, constraints on state variables and invariable daily electricity consumption. The research is focused on individual and joint impact of reconfiguration, renewable generation, and optimization of load curves of loadcontrolled consumers on reduction in daily power and voltage losses. Consideration is also given to the influence of renewable generation on the number of switchings at reconfiguration, and the possibility of choosing some constant reconfiguration under which daily power losses could be compared with the losses obtained for hourly reconfiguration. The research into how the uncertainty of the day-ahead forecast data on load and generation affects the value of power losses in distribution network is conducted. The results of the research demonstrate that the information uncertainty does not affect much the loss reduction at reconfiguration. Index Terms – load-controlled consumer, graph theory, distribution network, loss reduction, reconfiguration, renewable power generation.


A high spatial resolution, high velocity resolution all-fiber laser Doppler vibrometry (LDV) based on heterodyne detection for vibration measurements is reported. A linewidth of 1-kHz single-mode continuous fiber laser, polarization-preserving fiber, and a telescope with 30-mm aperture are used in this LDV. With the inphase-quadrature circuit and the digital differentiating discriminator, a high velocity resolution of 96.9 nm/s and a high displacement resolution of 2.5 pm are obtained simultaneously with a glass attached to a piezoceramic transducer. These values correspond to the measurement uncertainties of vibration velocity and displacement within 4.14% and 4.6%, respectively.


Abstract The European Union is working toward providing 2-MW, coaxial-cavity, continuous-wave (cw) 170-GHz gyrotrons for ITER. Their design is based on results from an experimental preprototype tube having a pulse length of several milliseconds, in operation at Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe (FZK) for several years now. The first industrial prototype tube was designed for cw operation but, in a first phase, aimed at a pulse length of 1 s at the European Gyrotron Test Facility in Lausanne, Switzerland, as part of a phased testing/development program (1 s, 60 s, cw). The first experimental results of the operation of this prototype gyrotron are reported here. The microwave generation was characterized at very short pulse length (<0.01 s) using a load on loan from FZK, and the highest measured output power was 1.4 MW, at a beam energy significantly lower than the design value (83 kV instead of 90 kV), limited by arcing in the tube. The radio-frequency (rf) beam profile was measured to allow reconstruction of the phase and amplitude profile at the window and to provide the necessary information permitting proper alignment of the compact rf loads prior to pulse extension. Arcs in the tube limited the pulse length extension to a few tens of milliseconds. According to present planning, the tube is going to be opened, inspected, and refurbished, depending on the results of the inspection, to allow testing of an improved version of the mode launcher and replacement of some subassemblies.


"Reverse" or "exclusion" payments to settle pharmaceutical patent lawsuits are facilitated because the Hatch-Waxman Act has been interpreted to give 180 days of generic exclusivity to the first generic company to file for FDA approval, whether or not that company succeeds in invalidating the patent or finding a way to avoid infringement. As a result, the patentee can "buy off" the first generic entrant, paying them to delay their entry into the market while still offering them the valuable period of generic exclusivity. And if that first generic is entitled to its 180 days, no one else can enter until after the exclusivity period has expired or been forfeited. The result is that the 180-day exclusivity period is not serving its purpose of eliminating weak patents. True, it is encouraging lots of challenges to those patents. But it is encouraging the challengers to accept compensation to drop those challenges, rather than taking them to judgment and benefiting the rest of the world. We propose a change to the Hatch-Waxman statutory scheme. Our alternative is straightforward: first-filing generic drug companies should be entitled to 180 days of exclusivity only if they successfully defeat the patent owner, for example, by invalidating the patent or by proving that they did not infringe that patent. The point of 180-day exclusivity was to encourage challenges to patents because the invalidation of bad patents benefits society as a whole. Society doesn't benefit from a private deal to drop a challenge. That doesn't mean settlement is never a good idea; it is a commonplace in our legal system. But it seems bizarre to insulate a company from competition just because it settles the case. Indeed, we expect that our proposal, if implemented, would facilitate more rational settlements, in which the settlements that result accurately reflect the likelihood of success in litigation.


The World Happiness Report 2018 ranks 156 countries by their happiness levels, and revealed a link between happiness and obesity. Despite the importance of this link, few studies have analyzed this relationship. Moreover, it may be the case that the relationship between happiness and obesity is non-linear. The relationship between happiness and income, however, has been studied by several researchers, particularly after the publication of Easterlin (1974). In his famous paradox, Easterlin found that after reaching a certain level, the further increase of material wealth no longer promotes happiness. Here, we investigate whether there is a quadratic relationship between happiness & obesity and happiness & income, for a panel of EU countries for the period 2005-2016, using the system GMM method. The empirical results suggest an inverse U-shaped relationship between happiness & obesity and happiness & income, implying that as obesity (income), represented by body mass index, increases, happiness first increases then stabilizes and finally decreases. Hence, the existence of an inverted U-shaped relationship between happiness and income supports the validity of the Kuznets curve hypothesis. Some control variables were also included in the regressions in order to solve omitted variable bias problems. The results indicate that income inequality and unemployment have a significantly negative impact on happiness. Keywords: Happiness, Obesity, Income, Kuznets Curve, EU countries. JEL: D60, I31, J35.


This fifth Jerry L. Swedlow Memorial Lecture begins with a brief philosophical and historical overview of applied fracture mechanics, particularly as it pertains to the safety of pressure vessels. It then progresses to a more-or-less chronological panorama of experimental and analytical results pertaining to the important subject of constraint, a fundamental aspect of fracture mechanics in which Jerry Swedlow had a keen interest and to which he made valuable contributions. To be truly useful and dependable in application to the safety analysis of real structures, new analysis developments must be physically realistic. That means that they must accurately describe physical cause and effect. Consequently, before useful mathematical modeling can begin, a pattern of cause and effect must be established from experimental data. This can be a difficult and time consuming process, but it is worth the effort. Accordingly, a central theme of this paper is that, consistent with the scientific method, the search for patterns is constant and vital. This theme is well illustrated historically by the development of small, single-specimen, fracture toughness testing techniques. It is also illustrated, at the end of the present paper, by the development, based on two different published large-strain, elastic-plastic, three-dimensional finite-element analyses, of a hypothesis concerning three-dimensional loss of constraint. Specifically, it appears that, at least in standard compact specimens, when a generalization of Irwin's thickness-normalized plastic-zone parameter, β, reaches a value close to 2π, the through-thickness contraction strain at the apex of the near-tip logarithmic-spiral slip-line region becomes the dominant negative strain accommodating crack opening. Because slip lines passing from the midplane to the stress-free side surfaces do not have to curve, once these slip lines are established, stresses near the crack tip are only elevated by strain hardening and constraint becomes significantly relaxed. This hypothesis, based on published three-dimensional elastic-plastic analyses, provides a potentially valuable means for gaining additional insight into constraint effects on fracture toughness by considering the roles played by the plastic strains as well as the stresses that develop near a crack tip.


While analyses of gender, ethnicity, and race have become widely accepted and are put to use in religious and theological studies, this is not the case with the notion of class. Despite the fact that race, gender, and class are often mentioned together, there is very little sustained reflection on class. Reflections on race and gender in religious and theological studies, while addressing issues of power, rarely include reflections on class. In the rare cases when class is addressed, especially in the United States, it is connected to notions of poverty, social stratification, or income differentials, which are insufficient at best and misleading at worst. Of course, investigating class does not mean turning one's back to matters of gender, ethnicity and race. The intersectionality of these various factors is non-negotiable, yet without deeper understandings of class the analysis of the other factors is likely to suffer.


Microbial symbionts commonly protect their hosts from natural enemies, but it is unclear how protective symbionts influence the evolution of host immunity to pathogens. One possibility is that 'extrinsic' protection provided by symbionts allows hosts to reduce investment in 'intrinsic' immunological resistance mechanisms. We tested this idea using pea aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisum) and their facultative bacterial symbionts that increase host resistance to the fungal pathogen Pandora neoaphidis. The pea aphid taxon is composed of multiple host plant associated populations called biotypes, which harbor characteristic communities of symbionts. We found that biotypes that more frequently carry protective symbionts have higher, rather than lower, levels of intrinsic resistance. Within a biotype there was no difference in intrinsic resistance between clones that did and did not carry a protective symbiont. The host plant on which an aphid feeds did not strongly influence intrinsic resistance. We describe a simple conceptual model of the interaction between intrinsic and extrinsic resistance and suggest that our results may be explained by selection favoring both the acquisition of protective symbionts and enhanced intrinsic resistance in habitats with high pathogen pressure. Such combined protection is potentially more robust than intrinsic resistance alone.


Semiconductors technologies are rapidly evolving driven by the need for higher
performance demanded by applications. Thanks to the numerous advantages that
it offers, gallium nitride (GaN) is quickly becoming the technology of reference
in the field of power amplification at high frequency. The RF power density of
AlGaN/GaN HEMTs (High Electron Mobility Transistor) is an order of magnitude
higher than the one of gallium arsenide (GaAs) transistors. The first demonstration
of GaN devices dates back only to 1993. Although over the past few years some
commercial products have started to be available, the development of a new
technology is a long process. The technology of AlGaN/GaN HEMT is not yet
fully mature, some issues related to dispersive phenomena and also to reliability
are still present. Dispersive phenomena, also referred as long-term memory effects,
have a detrimental impact on RF performances and are due both to the presence
of traps in the device structure and to self-heating effects. A better understanding
of these problems is needed to further improve the obtainable performances.
Moreover, new models of devices that take into consideration these effects are
necessary for accurate circuit designs. New characterization techniques are thus
needed both to gain insight into these problems and improve the technology and
to develop more accurate device models.
This thesis presents the research conducted on the development of new charac-
terization and modelling methodologies for GaN-based devices and on the use of
this technology for high frequency power amplifier applications.


Nest predation is the principal cause of mortaliv for many grassland birds. Predation rates may be higher on prairie dog colonies because they may have less available nesting cover and may increase predator abundance. We compared 14-day nest predation rates for 1,764 artificial nests on 102 black-tailed prairie dog (Cynovnys ludovicianus) colonies and their paired off-colony sites (similar habitat lacking prairie dogs) from 14 May to 26 June 1998 in South Dakota and Wyoming. Predation rates on colonies (66.2 t 2.2%; f t SE) were 29.5% higher than at off-colony sites (51.1 t 2.7%). Nesting cover on colonies was less dense and more uniform in structure and regression analysis showed differences in nest predation rates were correlated with estimates of mean nesting cover. Avian species associated with prairie dog colonies had smaller clutches and more broods/ year than species associated with off-colony sites, suggesting a mechanism that may help compensate for increased risk of nest failure. Factors that influence predator-prey dynamics (e.g., habitat fragmentation) or foraging success (e.g., insect availability) also may help explain higher risk of nest predation on prairie dog colonies. Our conclusions support others in recommending protection of large, intact prairie dog ecosystems. JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT 64(3):776-784


CONTEXT
Thyroid nodule risk stratification allows clinicians to standardize the evaluation of thyroid cancer risk according to ultrasound features.

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate inter-rater agreement among clinicians assessing thyroid nodules ultrasound features and thyroid cancer risk categories.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
We surveyed Endocrine Society and Latin American Thyroid Society members to assess their interpretation of composition, echogenicity, shape, margins, and presence of echogenic foci of ten thyroid nodule cases. The risk category for thyroid cancer was calculated following the ACR-TIRADS framework from individual responses.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
We used descriptive statistics and Gwet's agreement coefficient (AC1) to assess the primary outcome of inter-rater agreement for ACR-TIRADS risk category. As secondary outomes the inter-rater agreement for individual features and subgroup analysis of inter-rater agreement for ACR-TIRADS category was performed (ultrasound reporting system, type of practice, and number of monthly appraisals).

RESULTS
A total of 144 participants were included, mostly endocrinologists (82%). There was moderate level of agreement for the absence of echogenic foci (AC1 0.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.24-0.81) and composition (AC1 0.54, 95%CI 0.36-0.71). The agreement for margins (AC1 0.24, 95% CI 0.15-0.33), echogenicity (AC1 0.34, 95% CI 0.22-0.46), and shape assessment (AC1 0.42, 95% CI 0.13-0.70) was lower. The overall agreement for ACR-TIRADS assessment was AC1 0.29, 95% CI 0.13-0.45. The AC1 of ACR-TIRADS among subgroups was similar.

CONCLUSIONS
This study found high variation of judgments about ACR-TIRADS risk category and individual features, which poses a potential challenge for the widescale implementation of thyroid nodule risk stratification.


Due to the rise of Chip multiprocessors (CMP's) the amount of parallel computing power has increased significantly. This is in contrast with the fact that a lot of programs are sequential and cannot exploit these parallel resources, urging the need of developing new techniques to extract parallelism from sequential programs. For this we present a new profile based technique. It works in a non-speculative way, based on data dependencies between functions and finds large chunks of code to parallelize. To achieve this, we introduce the so called interprocedural data flow graph and the data sharing graph. To test our technique we used the bzip2 program from the SPECcpu2000 benchmark suite. Our mechanism could significantly speed up the compression part (3.74 times), with a global speedup of 2.45 on a quad processor system.


We exploit the Zika outbreak in Colombia in 2015 to explore how a negative shock that puts at high risk the newborn's health affects female behaviours associated with fertility, according to their marital status. The potential endogeneity of behaviours and the outbreak onset is avoided by using instrumental variables strategies in the context of an intensity-of-treatment difference-in-differences at the municipality level. While single women reduce sexual activity (the extensive margin), married women do not; instead, married women increase contraception in both the extensive margin and the intensive margin (they substitute less effective methods for more effective ones). This result is in line with a moral hazard model of fertility decisions within the couple. According to the model, not having a child may aggrieve the husband, and he may, in turn, become a "difficult" husband. In such a model, the ZIKV epidemic increases the use of women's contraception and reduces the likelihood of men's retaliation. We find no significant effects on intra-household violence exerted by men (i.e. physical and psychological violence or forced sex) nor reductions in the proportion of expenditures made by women. We do find that husbands of older women are less likely to have other sexual partners. There are heterogeneous effects across age groups and education level.


Abstract Adjustment factors are provided for converting ground‐motion intensity measures between central and eastern North America (CENA) sites with different reference‐rock site conditions ( V S 30 =760, 2000, and 3000  m/s) for moment magnitudes ranging from 2 to 8, rupture distances ranging from 2 to 1200 km, Fourier amplitude spectra (FAS) for frequencies ranging from 0.01 to 100 Hz, response spectra for periods ranging from 0.01 to 10.0 s, peak ground acceleration, and peak ground velocity. The adjustment factors are given for a wide range of the site diminution parameters ( κ 0 ) for sites with V S 30 =760  m/s and for a κ 0 of 0.006 s for two harder rock sites. Fourteen CENA velocity profiles with V S 30 values within a factor of 1.1 of 760  m/s were used to derive average FAS amplification factors as a function of frequency, which were then used in simulations of peak ground‐motion parameters and response spectra to derive the adjustment factors. The amplification function differs from that used in western North America (e.g., Campbell and Boore, 2016) in having a peak near 9 Hz, due to the resonance of motions in the relatively thin low‐velocity material over hard rock that characterizes many CENA sites with V S 30 near 760  m/s. We call these B/C sites, because this velocity marks the boundary between National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program site classes B and C (Building Seismic Safety Council, 2004). The adjustments for short‐period motions are sensitive to the value of κ 0 , but there are very few if any determinations of κ 0 for CENA B/C sites. For this reason, we determined κ 0 from multiple recordings at Pinyon Flat Observatory (PFO), California, which has a velocity‐depth profile similar to those of CENA B/C sites. The PFO and other results from the literature suggest that appropriate values of κ 0 for CENA B/C sites are expected to lie between 0.01 and 0.03 s. Electronic Supplement: Zip files with parameters used by Stochastic‐Method SIMulation (SMSIM) and ratios of the ground‐motion intensity measures between hard‐rock sites and National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) B/C sites.


Over the past decade it has gradually become apparent that we are living in an age that is characterized by globalization. There is no single accepted definition of this process, although the word has been in our vocabulary for forty years. Our initial efforts to make sense of it have understandably focused so far on economic and political consequences. These are the most conspicuous, but the long-term significance is deeper and more comprehensive. Globalization has been building for several decades, and may have been inevitable. It is already palpable in relatively conservative sectors of our lives, such as the academic curriculum, and our formulation of research problems. It affects the year-to-year planning of institutions like AIPS, because of changes in the priorities of funding agencies, as well as individual academic careers. Unlike other types of social and cultural change over the past generation, globalization (as the term itself implies) is essentially global, and is therefore as visible in the national culture of countries like Pakistan as much as any in OECD. Pakistan Studies is a form of cultural and intellectual dialogue between the West and Pakistan. This dialogue when it began was bilateral. In the age of globalization it has been subsumed into the larger global dialogue. What are the implications of this change?


In the wake of the Snowden revelations, encryption of communications at a large scale and in a 'usable' manner has become a matter of public concern. This turning of encryption into a 'political' issue, coupled with seminal secure messaging protocols such as PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) and OTR (Off-the-Record Messaging) starting to show their age in terms of security and usability, has led to renewed efforts by the cryptography community (in particular by academic and free software colectives) to create next-generation secure messaging protocols. One of the leading motivations behind this effort consisted to facilitate key exchange and key verification process, previously identified as the main obstacles to the mass adoption of encryption (Whitten & Tygar, 1999). The most advanced and popular of these next generation protocols is currently the Signal Protocol (formerly Axolotl, firstly introduced in Signal and adopted or forked by other instant messaging applications, ranging from WhatsApp and Wire to Matrix and Conversations). While the Signal protocol is widely adopted and considered as an improvement over both OTR and PGP, it remains officially unstandardized, even though there is an informal draft elaborated towards that goal by the protocol's creators, Trevor Perrin and Moxie Marlinspike.
This paper analyses the reasons behind this absence of official standardization and explores how and why, in parallel, a de facto standardization process is happening in the field of end-to-end encrypted messaging that mostly revolves around the development and adoption of the Signal protocol. Drawing from an ongoing three-year investigation, from an STS perspective, of end-to-end encrypted messaging, we seek to unveil the 'subtle' processes that make the Signal protocol a quasi-standard. In its conclusions, the paper seeks to comment on the governance implications of this quasi-standardization process, both for the end-to-end encrypted messaging field and for the main existing Internet governance standardization bodies, such as the IETF.


In June 1991 a Von Roll monorail commenced operations at the privately developed Merry Hill Shopping Centre in the U.K. The paper describes the application of the Von Roll monorail to the site, and the design problems following upon the decision to go ahead. The system was wholly privately financed. It is 1.8 km in length, with 4 stations, and is the first application of the Von Roll Mark III in Europe. The paper discusses the transport implications of the creation of the second largest retail centre in the country in a location chosen without regard to the pre-existing major road pattern.


BACKGROUND
Angiolipomas are benign tumors usually seen in patients during their 2nd and 3rd decades. The subcutaneous region of the trunk, neck and extremities are the places where they generally settle. There is only one case report on angiolipoma in the knee joint that was resected by arthroscopic procedure in the English literature.

CASE REPORT
We present a case of a giant-size multilobular non-infiltrating angiolipoma, extending outside of the right knee joint and causing lateral patellar dislocation in a thirteen-year-old boy. A large encapsulated mass with fatty and soft-tissue components on magnetic resonance imaging was suggestive of a liposarcoma. However, the diagnosis after the tru-cut biopsy was angiolipoma. The Quadriceps angle was 25°. Complete resection of the tumoral mass and repair of the medial retinaculum were performed with open surgery. Patellofemoral alignment was provided by transferring the tibial tuberosity medially. One year after the surgery, there was no evidence of recurrence.

CONCLUSION
Intra-articular angiolipomas are rarely seen masses in the knee joint. To our knowledge, this case report is the first to demonstrate that angiolipoma causes patellar dislocation.


ABSTRACT Over the past decade and a half, the Indonesian government has progressed fitfully and inconsistently toward a stricter tobacco-control policy regime, albeit without much impact on the country's worsening tobacco epidemic. This article explains this pattern of reform in terms of the unequal but changing relationship of power between tobacco companies and tobacco farmers, on the one hand, and tobacco-control advocates based in NGOs, health professional organizations, universities, and international organizations, on the other. The first of these coalitions has had greater structural leverage, better political connections, stronger organizational capacity, greater ability to mobilize popular forces, and more capacity to cultivate a positive public image. But the second coalition has been able to exercise some influence over policy because of changes wrought by democratization. In this analysis, the author engages with the literatures on (1) Indonesia's political economy in the post–New Order period and (2) the politics of tobacco control in developing countries. With regard to the former, the author argues that we need to give greater attention to the role of actors previously excluded from the policy-making process than is currently the case. With regard to the latter, the author contends that more focus is needed on domestic actors and political institutions in shaping tobacco-control policy. Looking to the future, the author suggests that further progress in Indonesia's tobacco-control policies will be contingent upon an ongoing process of struggle; however, there are signs that the tide is turning in favor of the second coalition.


Continuous advances in silicon technology enable the development of complex system-on-chip as cooperation among digital signal processors (DPSs), general purpose processors (GPPs), and specific hardware components. The impact of this choice is not only limited to the target architecture, but also encompasses the overall system specification. It is thus crucial to manage such a complexity using high-level specification languages and a tool chain supporting the designer throughout a set of strategic decisions, such as the identification of a set of possible target architectures, the verification of the correctness of the specification, and the partitioning of the specification onto a set of computational resources. This paper addresses this type of problem by proposing a design flow supporting the system-level design of heterogeneous multiprocessor system-on-chip (MP-SoC), by extracting information from the system description (e.g., SystemC) - statically and in a fast manner - and by providing a set of quantitative measures correlating the type of executor, the functionality, and a timing estimation. Partitioning and architecture selection are built on top of this data and the final analysis of the selected hardware-software solution over the identified candidates is finally submitted to a timing verification via simulation. Note that the possibility of actually performing a comprehensive design space exploration, in general, is tightly influenced by the interaction between partitioning/architecture-selection and timing simulation in the design flow; for this reason, the description of this aspect is particularly emphasized in the presentation of the methodology. To show the applicability of the proposed methodology, two relevant case studies are described in the paper.


Ice core records show atmospheric methane mixing ratio and interpolar gradient varying with climate. Changes in wetland sources have been implicated as the basis for this observed variation in the record, but more recently, modeling studies suggest that changes in the CH4 sink resulting from changes in sea surface temperature (SST) and emissions of other volatile organic carbon (VOC) compounds by vegetation must also be considered. We use the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) General Circulation Model (GCM) with the GISS Tropospheric Chemistry Model to study the response of the methane mixing ratio to source changes during the Holocene and also to a changing chemical sink during glacial‐interglacial transitions. We combine model results with ice core data to demonstrate a method that provides constraints on changes in northern and tropical methane sources. Results show that within the Holocene, changes in the atmospheric methane mixing ratio and latitudinal gradient are not linear with respect to changing methane emissions. Tropical and northern emissions varied from preindustrial levels by as much as 38% and 15%, respectively, within the Holocene. At glacial‐interglacial transitions the methane mixing ratio is sensitive to changes in both VOC and tropical methane emissions and the sensitivity also depends strongly on the assumed SST shift. Our findings suggest that changes in the ice core methane record are likely the result of changes in both the source and the sink. Changes in the sink become especially important when changes in methane mixing ratio and/or climate are large.


In stroke rehabilitation, the assessments of the severity of stroke that are based on objective and robust measurements are the key to improve the efficacy of the rehabilitation efforts. It is essential, therefore, to complement the existing tools, where the assessments are partly relied on therapists' subjective judgements, with a tool that can quantify important indicators of stroke recovery. One such indicator is the level of spasticity. The reliability of the current methods of measuring the severity of spasticity can be significantly improved by incorporating a feasible way to measure muscle forces and activations during stroke assessment. However, most of the present methods of estimating muscle forces require input parameters that are difficult to obtain in a clinical setting. A musculoskeletal arm model has been developed to bridge the gap between the domains of muscle forces estimation and stroke rehabilitation assessment. The project is divided into three stages. In the first stage, a biomechanical arm model that computes the joint torques with kinematic data from sensors is developed. The model has three features that eliminate the need for parameters that are difficult to obtain thus making it a feasible tool in clinical settings. The first is the use of a hybrid method that combines the data from sensors and a shoulder rhythm model to compute the orientation of the shoulder complex. The second is a method to compute the elbow joint angles without the need to compute the ambiguous carrying angle. The third is a method of estimating the inertial properties using published data, scaled by parameters that can be easily measured. The musculoskeletal properties of the human arm are added to the model in the second stage. The muscle model consists of 22 muscles that span from the thorax via the shoulder and the upper arm to the forearm. The muscle path is defined using Obstacle Set method where the anatomical structures are modelled using regular-shaped rigid bodies. Dynamics of the muscle is computed based on the Hill's type muscle model that consists of an active contractile element, a passive parallel element and a series element. Due the difficulties in defining the moment arms, an optimization routine is designed to compute the optimal moment arms for each muscle for a subject. The muscle-sharing problem is solved using optimization which minimises the square of sum of muscle stresses. The muscle activation predicted by the model is compared to EMG signal for validation. In the final stage of this project, the model is used in the application of spasticity assessment. The tonic stretch reflex threshold (TSRT) which is an indicator for the severity of spasticity is computed using the model. Fifteen patient subjects participated in the experiments where they were assessed by two qualified therapists using Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), and their motions and EMG signals were captured at the same time. Using the arm model, the TSRT of each patient was measured and ranked. The estimated muscle activation profiles have a high correlation (0.707) to the EMG signal profiles. The null hypothesis that the rankings of the severity using the model and the MAS assessment have no correlation has been tested, and was rejected convincingly (p ≈ 0.0003). These findings suggest that the model has the potential to complement the existing practices by providing an alternative evaluation method.


In this paper, we consider the signal detection for multiple input-multiple output intersymbol interference (MIMO-ISI) channels with diverse assumptions on the channel knowledge: perfect, blind, trained, etc. This general problem is cast into a unifying Bayesian statistics framework. With this formulation, the optimal detector is the one maximizing the posterior signal density [marginal maximum a posteriori (MAP)]. Since the marginal MAP is hard to deal with, a joint MAP formulation is proposed as a reasonable substitute that maximizes the posterior joint signal and channel density. It is also shown that for independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) signals, the two formulations will lead to very close results. The joint MAP formulation leads to an iterative projection algorithm that alternates between the optimization over channel parameters and signaling matrices. The bottleneck of iterative projections is on the finite-alphabet constrained quadratic minimization. We show that the notion of error decomposition can be bridged with greedy optimizations to construct iterative greedy search algorithms and examine their performance. A particularization, called full greedy search, is shown to be able to reach the global optimum (maximum likelihood solutions) starting with any initialization. Since potential constraints in computational complexity may prohibit the application of this version of greedy search, we explore the performance (loss) for greedy search implementations with complexity constraints, arriving at deterministic performance bounds and a bit-error rate (BER) upper bound. The effect of model imprecision is also theoretically characterized. Based on the theoretical development, an iterative local optimization with interference cancellation (LOIC) algorithm is proposed to achieve low complexity and exploit the finite alphabet constraint. Motivated by the Sylvester structure, it approximates the full greedy search by focusing on local error sequences. It can also be regarded as a flexible interference cancellation strategy with noncausal information and iterative computations. An empirical comparison of detectors with perfect channel knowledge demonstrated that the proposed LOIC algorithms can offer very attractive BER/complexity tradeoffs.


Seaports are natural bottlenecks in the transport chain, yet they are logical places to carry out customs and other services controls. Port Community Systems have played a major role in facilitating the more efficient movement of goods while allowing Customs and other government departments to maintain effective controls. This article concentrates on qualification and assessment of the role and place of Customs Office in the PCS organization. In so doing, the role that such Customs can play in terms of implementing the "Ports 24h" programme. The article presents some of the problems in creating the Polish port community system which has to integrate three Polish seaports: Gdansk, Gdynia and Szczecin-Œwionujœcie. Unfortunately, there is currently no port community system operating in Polish seaports. There are, however, certain single windows created by the Polish Customs Service, Maritime Administration and Main Container Terminal Operators, and they can be used to develop the PCS. There is a major problem concerning how to use those windows to create the PCS. Moreover, the Polish Customs Service has developed system called the "Ports 24h" programme. The article analyses the role and place the Polish Customs in creating integrated port community systems. Interviews conducted with prominent representatives of ports' stakeholders has made it possible to evaluate the role of Customs Service and indicate the benefits of adopting the system than just improving speed. Such advantages include more efficient control and supervision (risk analysis), costs reduction and increased competitiveness. All of these initiatives have jointly incentivised some of the former importers to return to Polish seaports; however, the situation is believed to change in the near future.


The UN Convention on Migrant Workers' Rights is the most comprehensive international treaty in the field of migration and human rights. Adopted in 1990 and entered into force in 2003, it sets a standard in terms of access to human rights for migrants. However, it suffers from a marked indifference: only forty states have ratified it and no major immigration country has done so. This highlights how migrants remain forgotten in terms of access to rights. Even though their labour is essential in the world economy, the non-economic aspect of migration – and especially migrants' rights – remain a neglected dimension of globalisation. This volume provides in-depth information on the Convention and on the reasons behind states' reluctance towards its ratification. It brings together researchers, international civil servants and NGO members and relies upon an interdisciplinary perspective that includes not only law, but also sociology and political science.


The non-equal-interval direct optimum Verhulst GM(1,1) model was built which extended equal interval to non-equal-interval and suited for general data modeling and estimating parameters of direct Verhulst GM(1,1)by optimizing the background value and modified x(n) be taken as initial value. The new model need not pre-process the primitive data, accumulated generating operation (AGO) and inverse accumulated generating operation (IAGO). It was not only suited for equal interval data modeling, but also for non-equal interval data modeling. The new model chooses the modified nth component of X(0) as the starting conditions of the grey differential model. As the new information is fully used, the accuracy of fitting is higher. The example showed that the new model was simple and practical. The new model was worth expanding and applying in test data processing or test on-line monitoring and social science and engineering science.


We propose simple behavioral definitions of comparative uncertainty aversion for a single agent towards different sources of uncertainty. Our definitions allow for the comparison of utility curvature for different sources if the agent's choices satisfy subjective expected utility towards each source. We discuss how our definitions can be applied to investigate ambiguity aversion in Klibanoff et al.'s (Econometrica 73(6):1849–1892, 2005) smooth ambiguity model, to study the effects of learning and situational factors on uncertainty preferences, and to compare uncertainty preferences between different agents.


We introduce LabelBoost, an ensemble model that utilizes various label aggregation algorithms to build a higher precision algorithm. We compare this algorithm with majority vote, GLAD and an Expectation Maximization model on a publicly available dataset. The results suggest that by building an ensemble model, one can achieve higher precision value for aggregating crowd-sourced labels for an item. These higher values are shown to be statistically significant.


Hospital admittance certificate for Privt. E. A. Edwards of Company "F," 1st regiment, N. Y. Veteran's Cavalry. The certificate states that Edwards was admitted to the hospital on July 14, 1864 and should report to Harper Ferry on December 6, 1864, the day of his release. The document also includes information about Edwards' pay which was mustered for the months of July, August, September, and October, but was not yet paid to the Private.


Among the noncompact matrix Lie groups, the special Euclidean group and the unipotent matrix group play important roles in both theoretic and applied studies. The Riemannian means of a finite set of the given points on the two matrix groups are investigated, respectively. Based on the left invariant metric on the matrix Lie groups, the geodesic between any two points is gotten. And the sum of the geodesic distances is taken as the cost function, whose minimizer is the Riemannian mean. Moreover, a Riemannian gradient algorithm for computing the Riemannian mean on the special Euclidean group and an iterative formula for that on the unipotent matrix group are proposed, respectively. Finally, several numerical simulations in the 3-dimensional case are given to illustrate our results.