I. In numerous discussions of The Brief Wondrous Lift of Oscar Wao conducted during interviews and public appearances, Junot Diaz has repeatedly suggested and even stated outright that readers should consider the relationship between authority exercised in the world at large and that of a story's narrator. "Isn't storytelling," he asks, "the desire to put everything about the world in your power?" (Diaz, "Junot Diaz Redefines Macho"). Although he claims his intention is to draw attention to "the dangers of the single voice" (Diaz, "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao: Questions for Junot Diaz"), Diaz, following the practice of many writers who discuss their books publicly, continues to exemplify that voice by attempting to shape how the novel is read. He insists that "Yunior's telling of this story and his unspoken motivations for it are at the heart of the novel" (Diaz, "Junot Diaz Redefines Macho"), but it might also be said that the interviews, and Din's unspoken motivations for them, are equally central. An author's compulsion to control does not necessarily end with publication. Like his narrator Yunior (and perhaps like all narrators), Diaz is torn between the competing needs to challenge authority and to exercise it. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao attempts to acknowledge and incorporate this internal struggle; it incorporates the struggle's most paradoxical feature, the notion that the act of telling is itself an exercise of power, into the deepest design of the novel. Even before he begins to tell Oscar's story, Yunior frames it in a way that both reflects his own ambivalence toward authority and places it in an historical, and quasi-mythic, context. The book's first epigraph, "Of what import are brief, nameless lives ... to Galactus?" is spoken by one of the uber-villains of the science fiction comic book world. Not incidentally, Galactus addresses Uatu the Watcher and sometime Teller, whose mission is to stand guard over Earth without interfering. Uatu occasionally does intervene, however, most notably to protect Earth from the godlike Galactus. Yunior, who has watched over Oscar intermittently and perhaps intervened too seldom, finds it useful to identify with Uatu: "It's almost done. Almost over. Only some final things to show you before your Watcher fulfills his cosmic duty and retires at last to the Blue Area of the Moon" (Diaz, Oscar Wao 329). Moreover, the book's title, chosen by Yunior himself (285), is a clear refutation of Galactus' words. In the second epigraph, an excerpt from Derek Walcott's poem "The Schooner Flight" the narrator, Shabine, a man with "a sound colonial education" (350), talks back to history and, as Yunior tries to do, to the tyrannies imposed by colonialism. Understanding that "all them bastards have left us" is "words" (Walcott 350), Shabine makes the most of the situation and uses language to construct an identity and textual space for himself that is his own "nation." For Yunior, however, the effort is complicated by his own narrative's genesis within the totalitarian history written by the Dominican Galactus, Rafael Trujillo. Diaz knows well that dictators in the real world can be highly accomplished storytellers. In Mario Vargas Llosa's The Feast of the Goat, the breaking point for one of Trujillo's assassins occurs when the dictator attacks the Church, turning himself into one of Satan's most effective allies" (187), a dark god who, like Satan, usurps the prerogatives of the Almighty. The tyrant not only terrorized, imprisoned, and murdered countless Dominicans, but also subverted and erased their sense of identity, attempting "to take away the stories [they] told about themselves" (Patteson 233) and thus strip them of cognitive and physical control of their lives. This erasure, the most fundamental of his crimes, had its origin in his power to reformulate the whole narrative of the Dominican Republic with himself as both author and superhero--Father of the New Fatherland. …


Douris, PC, Handrakis, JP, Gendy, J, Salama, M, Kwon, D, Brooks, R, Salama, N, and Southard, V. Fatiguing upper body aerobic exercise impairs balance. J Strength Cond Res 25(12): 3299–3305, 2011—There are many studies that have examined the effects of selectively fatiguing lower extremity muscle groups with various protocols, and they have all shown to impair balance. There is limited research regarding the effect of fatiguing upper extremity exercise on balance. Muscle fiber–type recruitment patterns may be responsible for the difference between balance impairments because of fatiguing aerobic and anaerobic exercise. The purpose of our study was to investigate the effect that aerobic vs. anaerobic fatigue, upper vs. lower body fatigue will have on balance, and if so, which combination will affect balance to a greater degree. Fourteen healthy subjects, 7 men and 7 women (mean age 23.5 ± 1.7 years) took part in this study. Their mean body mass index was 23.6 ± 3.2. The study used a repeated-measures design. The effect on balance was documented after the 4 fatiguing conditions: aerobic lower body (ALB), aerobic upper body (AUB), anaerobic lower body, anaerobic upper body (WUB). The aerobic conditions used an incremental protocol performed to fatigue, and the anaerobic used the Wingate protocol. Balance was measured as a single-leg stance stability score using the Biodex Balance System. A stability score for each subject was recorded immediately after each of the 4 conditions. A repeated-measures analysis of variance with the pretest score as a covariate was used to analyze the effects of the 4 fatiguing conditions on balance. There were significant differences between the 4 conditions (p = 0.001). Post hoc analysis revealed that there were significant differences between the AUB, mean score 4.98 ± 1.83, and the WUB, mean score 4.09 ± 1.42 (p = 0.014) and between AUB and ALB mean scores 4.33 ± 1.40 (p = 0.029). Normative data for single-leg stability testing for this age group are 3.9 ± 1.9. Higher scores reflect greater balance deficits. The AUB condition produced the greatest balance deficit. Our data provide evidence of the important role of the upper body in maintaining unilateral standing balance and supports its inclusion as part of rehabilitation and training protocols designed to improve balance.


The Arab Spring has generated unprecedented attention to the Arab world in Western news media. This paper presents a comparative study of Danish press coverage of the uprisings in Tunisia and Syria during the early months of the Arab Spring (January-March 2011). The study is based on a mixed quantitative and qualitative content analysis aimed at identifying patterns of news reporting of the Arab Spring. The investigation looks into whether temporal developments of the Arab revolutions, the level of journalistic presence in the region, and national differences influence Danish press coverage of the Arab Spring. The findings indicate that media coverage of the Arab Spring points in different directions. On the one hand there has been a remarkable increase in media attention to the Middle East in purely quantitative terms. On the other hand the study finds that a number of traditional media patterns persist, not least in relation to media perceptions of Islam and democracy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the ability to reform the Arab world from the inside.


GPR18, GPR55 and GPR119 (provisional nomenclature), although showing little structural similarity to CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors, respond to endogenous agents analogous to the endogenous cannabinoid ligands, as well as some natural/synthetic cannabinoid receptor ligands [98]. Although there are multiple reports to indicate that GPR18, GPR55 and GPR119 can be activated in vitro by N-arachidonoylglycine, lysophosphatidylinositol and N-oleoylethanolamide, respectively, there is a lack of evidence for activation by these lipid messengers in vivo. As such, therefore, these receptors retain their orphan status.


Objective High-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) is a novel biomarker of myocardial injury and ischaemia. Our objective was to ascertain correlates of hs-cTnI and its incremental prognostic utility for incident coronary heart disease (CHD) among older asymptomatic subjects. Methods We performed a cohort study among 1135 asymptomatic control participants in the ADVANCE (Atherosclerotic Disease, VAscular FunctioN and GenetiC Epidemiology) study at Kaiser Permanente Northern California and Stanford University, with follow-up through 31 December 2014. Hs-cTnI was measured in stored baseline (2002–2004) serum samples. Results After a median follow-up of 11.3 years, 164 CHD events were documented. The most significant correlates of hs-cTnI were black race, body mass index, hypertension, LDL cholesterol and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (R2=0.16) After adjustment for race/ethnicity, education level, diabetes status, ATP-III Framingham risk score (FRS), C reactive protein and eGFR, each 1 SD increment of log-transformed Hs-cTnI was associated with 1.11 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.23, p=0.04) increased hazard of CHD. The c-statistic increased to 0.70 from 0.68 (p=0.16) and the category-based net reclassification index was 18% (95% CI 8% to 30%) after adding hs-cTnI to the model containing the ATP-III FRS. Conclusions Hs-cTnI conveys incremental prognostic information for incident CHD among asymptomatic older adults.


Stationary Mean-Field Games with Congestion David Evangelista da Silveira Junior Mean-field games (MFG) are models of large populations of rational agents who seek to optimize an objective function that takes into account their state variables and the distribution of the state variable of the remaining agents. MFG with congestion model problems where the agents' motion is hampered in high-density regions. First, we study radial solutions for firstand second-order stationary MFG with congestion on R. The radial case, which is one of the simplest non one-dimensional MFG, is relatively tractable. As we observe, the Fokker-Planck equation is integrable with respect to one of the unknowns. Consequently, we obtain a single equation substituting this solution into the Hamilton-Jacobi equation. For the first-order case, we derive explicit formulas; for the elliptic case, we study a variational formulation of the resulting equation. For the first case, we use our approach to compute numerical approximations to the solutions of the corresponding MFG systems. Next, we consider second-order stationary MFG with congestion and prove the existence of stationary solutions. Because moving in congested areas is difficult, agents prefer to move in non-congested areas. As a consequence, the model becomes singular near the zero density. The existence of stationary solutions was previously obtained for MFG with quadratic Hamiltonians thanks to a very particular identity. Here, we develop robust estimates that give the existence of a solution for general subquadratic Hamiltonians. Additionally, we study first-order stationary MFG with congestion with quadratic or power-like Hamiltonians. Using explicit examples, we illustrate two key difficulties: 5 the lack of classical solutions and the existence of areas with vanishing densities. Our main contribution is a new variational formulation for MFG with congestion. With this formulation, we prove the existence and uniqueness of solutions. Finally, we devise a discretization that is combined with optimization algorithms to numerically solve various MFG with congestion.


At Dreamer's Bay on the Akrotiri Peninsula of Cyprus lie remains of what has been interpreted as a, perhaps the main, port for Roman and early Byzantine Kourion. New research reveals a significantly different picture. This was not a nucleated port town as sometimes assumed, but a concentration of maritime facilities with a variety of functions, including an artificially enhanced (but still mediocre) harbour, and shoreline installations partly facilitating Kourion's commerce in commodities like wine and oil. It was also partly an industrial landscape focused on stone quarries above the bay and, perhaps equally important, a proposed watering and victualling stop for long-haul shipping between the Aegean, Egypt and the Levant. Dreamer's Bay was hardly a distinct 'site' or 'place', but rather a commercial/industrial zone forming part of an integrated landscape of settlement and activity spanning the entire peninsula, which itself constituted a major maritime crossroads in the eastern Mediterranean.


MINOS (Main Injector Neutrino Oscillation Search) is an experiment currently running in the US. A beam of neutrinos is created at Fermilab, Chicago, measured in the 1 kiloton 'Near Detector' and then travels 730 km to the 5 kiloton 'Far Detector' in the Soudan Mine, Minnesota. In the intervening time, it is hoped that some of these neutrinos will change from one flavor to another. If this is observed, it is strong evidence for neutrino oscillations, the parameters of which can be measured to 10%. The MINOS experiment is a large project with a huge number of technical issues. Many aspects of the experiment were tested several years before the main experiment itself began to run, by employing a scaled down version of the detectors, known as the Calibration Detector (CalDet). This was placed in a test-beam at CERN and extensively studied, the data from which is analyzed in this thesis. In this thesis, photomultiplier tube crosstalk is discussed, a phenomenon which generates false signals in the MINOS detectors. It is studied and an algorithm presented to enable its removal. Particle identification via various methods at CalDet is also described. Various pieces of hardware are available to assist with this,more » and a comparison is made to software techniques which are used at the larger MINOS detectors. A study of the CalDet beamline simulation is carried out and the discrepancies with data highlighted and explained. Finally, muon energy loss in CalDet is investigated. A comparison is made between published data and the observed data. NEMO-3 is an experiment that has been running for soe tie in the Frejus tunnel between France and italy. It is a 0{nu}{beta}{beta} experiment, hoping to show that the neutrino is a Majorana particle and set limits on its mass. This experiment, like every, has backgrounds. The dangerous background signals that arise from the radioactive decay of Uranium and Thorium are discussed in this thesis, specifically the measurement of the quantity of {sup 208}Tl and {sup 214}Bi in the source foils of the detector. This is achieved by using Monte Carlo simulations of the contaminants behavior in the detector, developing cuts on these events and applying them to the dataset.« less


People with chronic health problems use online resources to understand and manage their condition, but many such resources can present competing and confusing viewpoints. We surveyed and interviewed with people experiencing prolonged symptoms after a Lyme disease diagnosis. We explore how competing viewpoints in online content affect participants' understanding of their disease. Our results illustrate how chronically ill people search for information and support, and work to help others over time. Participant identity and beliefs about their illness evolved, and this led many to take on new roles, creating content and advising others who were sick. What we learned about online content creation suggests a need for designs that support this journey and engage with complex issues surrounding online health resources.


Every construction project requires approved shop drawings. Design drawings do not show details required for installation, so (sub)contractors cannot construct/install without approved shop drawings. Shop drawings are generally produced by subcontractors and should be reviewed and approved by appropriate parties promptly in order to avoid production delays. Observations on the shop drawing review process reveal that engineering review times of such major construction components as structural steels and reinforcing bars are unnecessarily long and often fail to meet the time frames within which contractors expect to receive responses from the design team. The primary goal of the study is to identify and speculate about possible measures for eliminating the root causes of long review times for engineering shop drawings. Since it is not a simple task to identify and eliminate root causes of any problem because problems are always coupled with their business and work processes, the study uses a systematic problem-solving technique: problem understanding, problemcause brainstorming, problem-cause data collection and analysis, and root-cause identification. The study reveals that the root cause of long engineering review time is insufficient and unclear information, rather than capability or availability of reviewers.


n A large and growing body of literature explores the social and economic benefits of women's ability to use reliable contraception to plan whether and when to have children. n Historical research has linked state laws granting unmarried women early legal access to the pill (at age 17 or 18, rather than 21), to their attainment of postsecondary education and employment, increased earning power and a narrowing of the gender gap in pay, and later, more enduring marriages. n Contemporary studies indicate that teen pregnancy interferes with young women' s ability to graduate from high school and to enroll in and graduate from college. Conversely, planning, delaying and spacing births appears to help women achieve their education and career goals. Delaying a birth can also reduce the gap in pay that typically exists between working mothers and their childless peers and can reduce women's chances of needing public assistance. n Unplanned births are tied to increased conflict and decreased satisfaction in relationships and with elevated odds that a relationship will fail. They are also connected with depression, anxi ety and lower reported levels of happiness. Contraceptive access and consistent method use may also affect mental health outcomes by allowing couples to plan the number of children in their family. n People are relatively less likely to be prepared for parenthood and develop positive parentchild relationships if they become parents as teenagers or have an unplanned birth. Close birthspacing and larger family size are also linked with parents' decreased investment in their children. All of this, in turn, may influence children' s mental and behavioral development and educational achievement. n Because not all women have shared equally in the social and economic benefits of contra ception, there is more work to be done in implementing programs and policies that advance contraceptive access and help all women achieve their life goals if and when they decide to become mothers.


Lithography is a field in which advances proceed at a swift pace. This book was written to address several needs, and the revisions for the second edition were made with those original objectives in mind. Many new topics have been included in this text commensurate with the progress that has taken place during the past few years, and several subjects are discussed in more detail. This book is intended to serve as an introduction to the science of microlithography for people who are unfamiliar with the subject. Topics directly related to the tools used to manufacture integrated circuits are addressed in depth, including such topics as overlay, the stages of exposure, tools, and light sources. This text also contains numerous references for students who want to investigate particular topics in more detail, and they provide the experienced lithographer with lists of references by topic as well. It is expected that the reader of this book will have a foundation in basic physics and chemistry. No topics will require knowledge of mathematics beyond elementary calculus.


The disadvantage that women experience in patriarchal religious communities is well documented and it affects the self-validation of their personal spiritual experiences. The patriarchal domination of women's spirituality in conservative contexts has disempowered women's faith-experience through limiting their ways of knowing God to those that involve a masculinised paradigm. Such limitations stifle the validation of women's self-actuated faith. This thesis has undertaken a study with Australian women who have experienced a conservative religious background and has explored the benefits they have found in accessing spiritual direction. A framework for feminine spirituality has then been developed out of the research.

For women, speaking about personal experience is limited by the style of language and conceptualisation in conservatism, and by the sanctioned mode of being female and the roles deemed suitable for women in the congregation. Limitations from the collective shadow of a conservative faith-group prevent women speaking openly about their authentic spiritual experiences. Conversation, this thesis will assert, is a feminine mode of validation and the quality of the conversation space is an important aspect of validation. Using a feminist narrative research methodology, an investigation into the benefits of engaging in one-to-one conversations with a spiritual director has been designed to look at the potential outcomes for women, particularly with regard to validating a personal feminine spirituality.

 The biblical metaphor of a "broad space" has been used as a framework for raising awareness about aspects of the spiritual direction conversation space that limit and aid the exploration of authentic spiritual experience. Issues considered in this thesis include the limitations of conservative shadow effects, inherited female role models, the process of spiritual direction and the personality attributes of the spiritual director. Narrative selections of interview transcripts are used verbatim to indicate the influence of these attributes on the personal faith journey of the women participants. It will be shown that their comments help clarify how shadow constraints and cultural subtexts interfere with the potential for deep personal self-validation by a directee. A summary section then looks at the reported benefits of engaging in spiritual direction. Finally, a rationale has been developed for speaking about feminine spirituality as it was revealed in the women's narratives.


Introduction It is a pleasure to speak at this 29th session of Bahamas Business Outlook. I am continuing with a presentation that was given in Exuma, just weeks after Hurricane Dorian, when our attention to disaster recovery and resilience in the financial sector gained new traction. My focus today is on how the domestic financial sector should be viewed as a supportive force in supporting national recoveries for natural disasters. This ties in to policies to sustain and enhance the collective strength of the balance sheets of deposit-taking institutions; reinforcing the role that foreign exchange buffers provide for recoveries and boosting the resilience of household balance sheets. As the public finances improve, so will resiliency prospects, as would initiatives to reduce disaster risk exposures for tourism assets. A central bank digital currency, as encapsulated in the Project Sand Dollar initiative will also promote the resilience most vital in restoring the access and connectivity to financial services after disasters strike.


This article compares Defeasible Description Logics (DDL) and Topological Approach to reason on Ontologies with exceptions. DDL is integration between Description Logics and Defeasible Logics to deal with monotonic and non-monotonic parts of the knowledge bases respectively. Topological approach tries to reason on inconsistent knowledge bases using the conventional topological operators e.g., interior, exterior, border and closure. We develop neo-Topology based on topological operators and we make major development and improvements of current Topological approach by properly introducing the "Thickness Border" with strong inference rules. We proof the validity of the inference rules using set operations. We demonstrate both approaches with appropriate example. We show the advantages and disadvantages of both approaches.


There are suggestions of an inverse association between folate intake and serum folate levels and the risk of oral cavity and pharyngeal cancers (OPCs), but most studies are limited in sample size, with only few reporting information on the source of dietary folate. Our study aims to investigate the association between folate intake and the risk of OPC within the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology (INHANCE) Consortium. We analyzed pooled individual‐level data from ten case–control studies participating in the INHANCE consortium, including 5,127 cases and 13,249 controls. Odds ratios (ORs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated for the associations between total folate intake (natural, fortification and supplementation) and natural folate only, and OPC risk. We found an inverse association between total folate intake and overall OPC risk (the adjusted OR for the highest vs. the lowest quintile was 0.65, 95% CI: 0.43–0.99), with a stronger association for oral cavity (OR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.43–0.75). A similar inverse association, though somewhat weaker, was observed for folate intake from natural sources only in oral cavity cancer (OR = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.45–0.91). The highest OPC risk was observed in heavy alcohol drinkers with low folate intake as compared to never/light drinkers with high folate (OR = 4.05, 95% CI: 3.43–4.79); the attributable proportion (AP) owing to interaction was 11.1% (95% CI: 1.4–20.8%). Lastly, we reported an OR of 2.73 (95% CI:2.34‐3.19) for those ever tobacco users with low folate intake, compared with nevere tobacco users and high folate intake (AP of interaction =10.6%, 95% CI: 0.41‐20.8%). Our project of a large pool of case–control studies supports a protective effect of total folate intake on OPC risk.


Climate change is increasingly being recognized as a serious threat to dominant modes of social organization, inspiring suggestions that capitalism itself needs to be transformed if we are to 'decarbonize' the global economy. Since the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, carbon markets have emerged as the main politico-economic tools in global efforts to address climate change. Newell and Paterson (2010) have recently claimed that the embrace of carbon markets by financial and political elites constitutes a possible first step towards the transformation of current modes of capitalist organization into a new form of greener, more sustainable 'climate capitalism.' In this paper, we argue that the institutionalization of carbon markets does not, in fact, represent a move towards the radical transformation of capitalism, but is better understood as the most recent expression of ongoing trends of ecological commodification and expropriation, driving familiar processes of uneven and crisis-prone development. In this paper, we review four critical Marxist concepts: metabolic rift (Foster, 1999), capitalism as world ecology (Moore, 2011a), uneven development and accumulation through dispossession (Harvey, 2003, 2006), and sub-imperialism (Marini, 1972, 1977), developing a framework for a Marxist analysis of carbon markets. Our analysis shows that carbon markets form part of a longer historical development of global capitalism and its relation to nature. Carbon markets, we argue, serve as creative new modes of accumulation, but are unlikely to transform capitalist dynamics in ways that might foster a more sustainable global economy. Our analysis also elucidates, in particular, the role that carbon markets play in exacerbating uneven development within the Global South, as elites in emerging economies leverage carbon market financing to pursue new strategies of sub-imperial expansion.


Electronic-marketing moves commercial banks from traditional marketing into digital marketing which gives them a competitive edge over others in the same industry. In spite of the numerous advantages of e-marketing, there is a growing concern about the payoff of the investments (value for money) as to whether it will be useful to banks in boosting their revenue generation and enhance their competitive advantage. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to examine the relationship between e-marketing adoption and banks' competitive advantage. To achieve this objective, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was used with two additional variables (Perceived Value for Money and Service Differentiation) integrated into it, to form the conceptual model. The study was conducted using the entire 17 commercial banks branches in Bauchi metropolis, Nigeria. Census survey method was used with a total valid 221 respondents which involved the staff of all the commercial banks. The results of the regression analysis revealed that perceived usefulness, perceived value for money and service differentiation of e-marketing adoption have significant relationship with the competitive advantage, while perceived ease of use of adopting e-marketing was not found to have any significant relationship with CA. The implications of the study were also adequately discussed. Keywords— Electronic Marketing Adoption(EMA), Competitive Advantage, Technology Acceptance Model(TAM),


Gene regulation has turned out to be a surprisingly complex process governed by various types of regulatory DNA, which may lie deep in the wilderness of so-called junk DNA that lies between genes. Far from being humble messengers, RNAs of all shapes and sizes are actually powerful players in how genomes operate. Finally, there9s been increasing recognition of the widespread role of chemical alterations called epigenetic factors that can influence the genome across generations without changing the DNA sequence itself. The scope of this "dark genome" became apparent in 2001, when the human genome sequence was first published.


Drawing on philosophy of language and recent linguistic theory, Rowland surveys several approaches to classroom communication in mathematics. Are students intimidated by the nature of mathematics teaching? Many students appear fearful of voicing their understanding - is fear of error part of the linguistics of mathematics? The approaches explored here provide a rationale and a method for exploring and understanding speakers' motives in classroom mathematics talk. Teacher-student interactions in mathematics are analysed, and this provides a toolkit that teachers can use to respond to the intellectual vulnerability of their students.


Application of electronic fuel injection lead to rate shaping of fuel at different injection pressures on internal combustion engines. In the present study, an experimental investigation was performed to study the influence of multiple injections on a modified single cylinder air-cooled diesel engine operating in reactivity controlled compression ignition combustion mode-a clean combustion mode with higher thermal efficiency, in which extensive research is being performed now a days to meet emission norms. One of the key characteristics of this combustion mode is combustion phasing control, by varying fuel reactivity distributions prior to start of ignition that greatly influences combustion process. Diesel injection pressure and the split diesel fuel mass has a vast impact on fuel reactivity. Methanol has been injected at port (a low reactivity fuel) and diesel has been injected directly into the cylinder. The RCCI combustion strategy was realized at no load by varying high reactivity diesel injection pressure from 400 bar to 600 bar and start of injection mass variation from 40% to 80%. It was found from the investigation that increasing the injection pressure from 400 bar to 600 bar had a better effect on combustion parameters and emissions. At 60% fuel injection mass, the indicated thermal efficiency and emissions showed a better result than other combinations.


Background Fruit intake has been associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the effects of individual sub-groups of fruit on CVD have rarely been investigated. The aim of the current study is to explore the association between total fruit intake, sub-groups of fruit intake according to polyphenol content and CVD mortality using data from the UK Women's Cohort Study (UKWCS). Method Total fruit intake (g/day) was obtained from 30,458 participants (mean age 52 years) who completed a 217 item food frequency questionnaire between 1995–1998 at baseline. Fruit intakes were further sub-categorised into groups according to similarities in polyphenol content listed in Phenol Explorer (http://www.phenol-explorer.eu/), including berries, citrus, drupes, pomes and tropical fruits. For inclusion in the analysis, participants were free from history of CVD. Mortality records for participants were reported via the NHS Central Register, and during the follow-up period of 18.9 years, 286 fatal CVD cases [138 coronary heart disease (CHD), 148 stroke] were observed. Survival analysis was undertaken using Cox proportional hazard ratios. Adjustments included age, body mass index, alcohol, physical activity, smoking and socio-economic status. Results Total fruit intake was significantly, negatively associated with risk of fatal CVD, with a 6% decrease in risk (CI 0.90–0.99, p-value = 0.013) for every additional 80g portion of fruit consumed. Total fruit intake was also significantly associated with fatal CHD when investigated separately, with a 7% decrease in risk (CI 0.87–0.99, p-value = 0.031) for every additional portion of fruit consumed. Total fruit intake was not associated with risk of fatal stroke, however citrus fruit consumers had a significantly lower risk of fatal stroke, [HR 0.44 (CI 0.26–0.76)] than non-consumers. A significant dose response was not observed for this association. Other sub-groups of fruit analysis as mentioned above did not show any association with fatal CVD. Conclusion These analyses suggest that consumption of total fruit intake may be protective against fatal CVD. However, whilst these data do not suggest a differential association with certain sub-groups of fruit, they do lend support to widely promoted guidelines promoting fruit consumption for health.


In this paper we report on a study of possible service level agreements in an IP network employing differentiated services. We discuss the nature of the quality of service guarantees given to network flows and relate this to the capacity provisioning processes of network operators. A contribution of this paper is to address the way service level agreements might be determined from a coherent collection of models of network phenomena which themselves naturally operate on widely differing time–scales. The very fastest timescales within IP routers. The next fastest time-scale relates to session level controls embedded within the end-system behaviour of the TCP/IP congestion avoidance algorithms, operating in the range of milliseconds to seconds. The per-packet routing and the management of aggregated traffic flows can take place over time‐scales ranging from seconds to minutes to days. Provisioning of network resources takes place over intervals of weeks and months. All of these phenomena influence the overall structure of service level agreements. This paper highlights the use of quantitative modelling methods which address fundamental concerns for network operators seeking to provide differentiated IP Quality of Service. The work described here is at a preliminary stage, but provides strong motivation for both further study and experimental validation. Our tentative conclusion is that the DiffServ Quality of Service mechanism is unlikely to be able to provide real measurable distinctions between classes on a pure IP network with no access restrictions, without either bandwidth partitioning at a lower layer or gratuitously damaging some traffic. It will, however, function as a back-stop minimum guaranteed level in times of congestion.


Purpose. To examine relationships between physical activity (PA) and awareness and treatment status of low bone mineral density (BMD) among adults. Design. Cross-sectional. Setting. Stratified sample of adults living independently in the community. Subjects. A total of 1928 adults aged 50 years and older who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005–2006 were included in the analysis. Among those, about 54% were women, 84% were non-Hispanic whites, 65% were married, and 44% were between 50 and 59 years of age. Measures. Objective measures: femoral neck BMD and duration of PA and step counts measured by accelerometers. Self-report: strength exercise, and awareness and treatment of low bone density. Analysis. Multivariate regression analyses using SUDAAN. Results. Despite a high prevalence of low BMD, self-reported awareness, treatment, and PA were very low. After controlling socio-demographic and health-related factors, those who were aware of their low bone density status and who received treatment for it were less physically active than those who were unaware of their bone condition or who did not have any treatment. Conclusions. PA levels are below the recommended level for bone health benefits. Health care providers should consider screening individuals at risk of low bone density and encourage them to implement prevention and treatment regimen including increasing daily levels of PA.


We present an analysis of seasonal variations in the trophic pathways of carbon in a highly productive coastal upwelling region in the Humboldt current system off Chile. Seasonal changes in phytoplankton, protozooplankton, and bacteria biomass, along with rates of primary production (PP), bacterial growth, secondary production, vertical particle fluxes, and feeding by protozooplankton, omnivorous mesozooplankton, and carnivorous gelatinous zooplankton were determined from July 2004 to June 2005. Phytoplankton biomass and PP were maximal during spring/summer months, associated with upwelling episodes. Heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNF) were the principal consumers of bacteria, removing >100% of their biomass daily. During autumn/winter, the protozooplankton grazed down a large fraction of HNF production (56% to 96% d−1). The mesozooplankton consumed 1–6% of the PP d−1; the different size fractions of copepods were omnivorous mostly during autumn/winter months, and ctenophores preyed most strongly on small copepods (0.5% to 5% d−1). A large part of the PP was channeled through the microbial food web, and only a small part directly to copepods via the herbivore food chain. The microbial food web transfers bacterial or small algal carbon to protozooplankton, and then to mesozooplankton, and a large percentage of this carbon is also available for the gelatinous predators. Because zooplankton are not able to feed on dissolved organic matter and cyanobacteria, the combined feeding activity of zooplankton either by direct (phytoplankton) or indirect (microbial) pathways increases the yield of PP reaching the zooplankton and, eventually, the upper trophic levels. Our findings suggest that the carrying capacity for larger omnivorous and carnivorous metazoans, and even for commercially exploitable pelagic fishes, might be considerably larger than that expected from a simple herbivore‐dominated food chain in coastal upwelling areas.


Swissted takes rock concert posters of the '70s, '80s, and '90s and remixes and reimagines them through a Swiss modernist lens. The result is some of the coolest images you've ever seen! The book features 200 posters, all microperforated and ready to frame. Or keep them bound in one collection as an art book. The foreword is written by legendary designer Steven Heller. Posters are from legendary indie, alternative, and punk bands such as Jane's Addiction, Blondie, the Beastie Boys, the Clash, the Pixies, Green Day, the Ramones, Devo, the Sex Pistols, Dead Kennedys, Public Image Ltd., Sonic Youth, the Cure, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Husker Du, Danzig, the Replacements, Fugazi, the Lemonheads, Pearl Jam, Pavement, Superchunk, They Might Be Giants, Guided by Voices, Sugar, Sleater Kinney, Violent Femmes, Iggy Pop, Fishbone, Nirvana, and many, many more!


The nurse as a majority health worker in the health care sector including the hospital has a significant role in the health care. The value of nursing care that is continuous, constant, coordinative, and advocative so the preparation, usage, distribution, and retention of the nurse, has an important implication to obtain the objectives of health care and its continuity. The purpose of this study was to determine the perception of nurses on the patern of career development of clinical nurses at Aisyiyah Ponorogo General Hospital. The method used is qualitative method. Data collection was done by in – depth interview and FGD. Sample used is nurse clinical in public hospital Aisyiyah Ponorogo PK 1,2,3 with sample size of each group discussion is 6 person nurse. The result of research that the system of career nurse care ladder in Aisyiyah general hospital has been done but not yet maximal. From the result of the interviews, the informants said that three has been no awards in the improvement of careers nurse clinic level. Faktors that affect the implementation of careers nurse career level at Aisyiyah Ponorogo General Hospital is not yet compiled regulation in accordance with the guidelines issued by DEPKES RI  in 2013. Lack of understanding of nurses about the levels and benefits of career nurse clinic level, along with the absence of reward system in the form of remuneration from Aisyiyah Ponorogo General Hopital. To improve the implementation of nursing career development system, Public Hospital Aisyiyah Ponorogo must make rules on remuneration and optimize the functions of nurses committees in the preparation guidance, SPO, socialization guide, and implementation in accordance with the regulation of career development system of nursing staff of Aisyiyah Ponorogo General Hospital.


We investigate a new type of electromagnetic meta-materials (MTMs), which we dub Proca MTMs, constituting an interesting medium behaving like a "relativistic material" for potential use in electromagnetic applications. It is rigorously proved using a field-theoretic approach that Maxwell theory inside certain classes of nonlocal metamaterials is equivalent to Maxwell-Proca theory in vacuum, where in the latter photons acquire a nonzero mass (massive electromagnetism.) It turns out that the key to the operation of Proca MTM is nonlocality (here spatial dispersion since the Proca MTM is homogeneous), and hence Proca MTMs represent an important example of the more general family of nonlocal MTMs. Our analysis involves multiphysics aspects, utilizing concepts and methods taken from classical electromagnetism, special relativity, quantum theory, electromagnetic materials, and antenna theory. Extensive discussion of the physics, computational methods, and design parameters of Proca MTMs is provided to further understand the nature of massive electromagnetism in nonlocal MTMs. Proca waves carry an additional polarization degree of freedom and each wave appears to behave like a single mode with two transverse components and one longitudinal. This opens the door for applications in wireless communications and other fields where information could be encoded in polarization. As a concrete application, we develop the main ingredients of Proca antennas as an example of the emerging technology of nonlocal antennas, where we establish that a single Proca dipole possesses a perfect isotropic radiation pattern, a radical departure from conventional local antennas (radiators in vacuum and temporally dispersive media) where such radiation characteristics is impossible. Moreover, the new connection between electromagnetic theory in some nonlocal MTMs and Maxwell-Proca theory allows the use of relativistic techniques developed in the latter in order to efficiently perform calculations like field quantization in nonlocal domains which would be very difficult to perform otherwise.


Since the post-Civil War era law professors have perceived themselves first and foremost as lawyers. For the most part, during that time, we were lawyers teaching students about the law and about how to practice law. But we were not merely lawyers teaching apprentices. We were law professors, mostly in university-affiliated law schools, who wrote scholarly articles and books. Even so, our scholarship revolved around our perception of ourselves as lawyers. We wrote to reform and to improve the law. Through our scholarship we directly participated in the legal system, in legal and judicial practices, by advising lawyers and judges, or at least so we imagined. Today law professors' sense of themselves as primarily lawyers is crumbling. Our claimed connection to legal and judicial practices, our imagined participation in the legal system, increasingly appears spurious. Recent recommendations for the future direction of legal scholarship reflect our uncertainties. But if we are not lawyers, what are we? The most likely answer -- our new or future self-identity, so to speak -- appears to be that we are university professors. But this answer provides a future that seems, to many, uncertain and frightening. If, after all these years, we recognize that we really are more university professor than lawyer, then exactly what type of university professor might we be? What are our purposes?


Gravitational waves enable tests of general relativity in the highly dynamical and strong-field regime. Using events detected by LIGO-Virgo up to 1 October 2019, we evaluate the consistency of the data with predictions from the theory. We first establish that residuals from the best-fit waveform are consistent with detector noise, and that the low- and high-frequency parts of the signals are in agreement. We then consider parametrized modifications to the waveform by varying post-Newtonian and phenomenological coefficients, improving past constraints by factors of ${\sim}2$; we also find consistency with Kerr black holes when we specifically target signatures of the spin-induced quadrupole moment. Looking for gravitational-wave dispersion, we tighten constraints on Lorentz-violating coefficients by a factor of ${\sim}2.6$ and bound the mass of the graviton to $m_g \leq 1.76 \times 10^{-23} \mathrm{eV}/c^2$ with 90% credibility. We also analyze the properties of the merger remnants by measuring ringdown frequencies and damping times, constraining fractional deviations away from the Kerr frequency to $\delta \hat{f}_{220} = 0.03^{+0.38}_{-0.35}$ for the fundamental quadrupolar mode, and $\delta \hat{f}_{221} = 0.04^{+0.27}_{-0.32}$ for the first overtone; additionally, we find no evidence for postmerger echoes. Finally, we determine that our data are consistent with tensorial polarizations through a template-independent method. When possible, we assess the validity of general relativity based on collections of events analyzed jointly. We find no evidence for new physics beyond general relativity, for black hole mimickers, or for any unaccounted systematics.


The volatiles of the kawista fruit (wood apple) were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and a combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS). Character impact odorants of the fruits were systematically characterized by aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA) with GC-Olfactometry (GC-O). A total of 75 compounds were identified, including 28 esters, 11 alcohols, 10 aldehydes, 1 acetal, 10 ketones, 4 lactones, 1 heterocyclic, 4 aliphatic hydrocarbons, 1 furan and 5 acids. However, only 44 volatiles were detected by GC-O. Among these, compounds with the most impact were ethyl butyrate (fruity, sweet, banan-like)and methyl butyrate (fruit, sour) with a flavor dilution factor of 256 and 64, respectively. Based on AEDA results, butyric acid, 3-mathyl valeric acid, 1-octen-3-ol, pentyl isobutyrate, 2-ethyl hexanoic acid, ethyl octanoate, gamma-decalactone, 2,3-pentanedione, 3-octanone, 5-methyl-3-heptanone, 9-methyl-5-undecene and (E)-2-hexenyl butyrate seem to contribute to kawista fruit flavor. Key words : Character impact compounds, GC-MS, GC-Olfactometry, AEDA, Feronia limonia


As a reaction to the Great Depression of the 1930s, many countries introduced labour services. These institutions organized unemployed persons for unskilled work projects for the common good. Labour services focused on unemployed youth and had an explicit educational dimension. In the 1930s, nazi Germany offered the most important example of a labour service in practice. Therefore, all democratic countries with a labour service faced the problem of delimitation. This article examines the discussions and politics surrounding the labour services in the USA and Sweden against the backdrop of the 'fascist model'. The transnational comparative study analyses how these two Western democracies reacted to this challenge. It demonstrates that the perceptions of the nazi labour service left a deep imprint on both democratic societies. Moreover, there are many parallels in the way in which the Third Reich impinged on their social policies in the 1930s and 1940s.


In this study, we verified experimentally the mathematical expression we derive that generally characterizes the diffraction of a Laguerre-Gaussian beam by a double slit. We find that for a topological charge l, the interference fringes shift by l orders and that the direction of the shifting depends on the sign of l. The shifting effect can be used to determine the sign and the magnitude of the topological charge of a vortex beam, as long as, the distance between the slits is optimal. With a digital micromirror device (DMD) which acts as a dynamic slit, the optimal distance between the slits can be easily determined.


Arthropods harbor heritable intracellular symbionts that may manipulate host reproduction to favor symbiont transmission. In cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), the symbiont sabotages the reproduction of infected males such that high levels of offspring mortality result when they mate with uninfected females. In crosses with infected males and infected females, however (the "rescue" cross), normal numbers of offspring are produced. A common CI-inducing symbiont, Cardinium hertigii, causes variable levels of CI mortality in the parasitoid wasp, Encarsia suzannae. Previous work correlated CI-induced mortality with male development time in this system, although the timing of Cardinium CI-induction and the relationship between development time and CI mortality was not well understood. Here, using a combination of crosses, manipulation of development time, and fluorescence microscopy, we identify the localization and the timing of the CI-induction step in the Cardinium-E. suzannae system. Antibiotic treatment of adult Cardinium-infected males did not reduce the mortality associated with the CI phenotype, suggesting that CI-alteration occurs prior to adulthood. Our results suggest that the alteration step occurs during the pupal period, and is limited by the duration of pupal development: 1) Encarsia produces most sperm prior to adulthood, 2) FISH localization of Cardinium in testes showed an association with sperm nuclei throughout spermatogenesis but not with mature sperm, and 3) two methods of prolonging the pupal period (cool temperatures and the juvenile hormone analog methoprene) both caused greater CI mortality, suggesting the degree of alteration is limited by the duration of the pupal stage. Based on these results, we compare two models for potential mechanisms of Cardinium sperm modification in the context of what is known about analogous mechanisms of Wolbachia, a more extensively studied CI-inducing symbiont.


The main copper assemblage found at New Cliffe Hill Quarry comprises major amounts of cuprite, copper and malachite. Other minerals are uncommon but include trace amounts of silver, tenorite, the copper sulphides chalcocite/djurleite, yarrowite and the rare copper-arsenic species algodonite and domeykite. Analyses of domeykite (Cu2.99As) show it to be close to its stoichiometric formula Cu3As but algodonite has a range of compositions from Cu5.39As to Cu6.07As. This paper presents the first analyses of algodonite in Britain that are close to its stoichiometric formula. A minor sulphide assemblage from New Cliffe Hill Quarry carries chalcopyrite, bornite, 'chalcocite', spionkopite, yarrowite and covelline and in many respects has a similar petrography to the sulphide assemblage seen at Judkins Quarry where bornite (and its alteration product 'idaite'), chalcopyrite, minor tetrahedrite, trace amounts of possible cobaltite and blue copper sulphides including geerite, djurleite, digenite, spionkopite and yarrowite occur. An origin for the copper from Permo-Triassic red beds rather than spatially associated Precambrian igneous rocks is favoured


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore how organisational culture affects the internationalisation proclivity of international new ventures (INVs).

Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, a resource advantage (R-A) framework is adopted to examine how organisational culture can be a resource for INVs to leverage efficiently and/or effectively in order to make up for their challenges in internationalisation and create value for their international customers. In doing so, this study makes use of examples of five INVs from India, which have successfully achieved international business prowess and superior performance immediately after their foundation.

Findings
The findings reveal that an organisational culture including continuous learning, creativity and innovation, collaboration and sharing, and customer-centricity as traits have a positive influence on INV internationalisation proclivity. Most importantly, fostering a culture of collaboration and sharing can help INVs address resource limitations and augment opportunity discovery in the international market. Furthermore, INVs can benefit more from the "learning advantages of newness" by nurturing continuous learning as part of their culture.

Research limitations/implications
A key limitation of this study is that all the firms selected here are from a single country, India, and it may have effects on the way firms leverage these cultural traits.

Practical implications
Founders of INVs should develop organisational arrangements that encourage openness, creativity, and allows employees to contribute freely and fearlessly through new ideas, process innovations, and so on, and firms should recognise such contributions regularly. INVs can adopt policies and develop mechanisms that encourage employees to share knowledge and resources freely with others in the organisation.

Social implications
Growth of INVs is closely linked to job creation and economic progress. Policy makers in emerging economies can benefit from this study by developing infrastructure and creating social conditions that support the survival and growth of INVs. Adopting the findings of this study could possibly help INVs succeed in international markets and avoid failures, and thus save societal resources.

Originality/value
The paper highlights the critical role of organisational culture in INVs' internationalisation thrust. The paper develops testable propositions that delineate both the main effects as well as the other effects of organisational culture on INV internationalisation.


This study used HIMATT (Highly Interactive Model-based Assessment Tools
and Technologies) to evaluate the cognitive models of individuals who are
solving complex mathematical problems. The goal was to determine the ability
of HIMATT to assess learning in mathematics. Research on cognitive and
mental models proposes that internal conceptual systems are not easily observable; therefore, researchers can only learn about internal conceptual systems by interpreting individuals' communications and representations of their own knowledge. This study used HIMATT to compare the mental models of university students and their instructors and observe their transition from novice to expert. Subjects in this study used two tools in HIMATT: DEEP (Dynamic
Evaluation of Enhanced Problem Solving) and T-MITOCAR (Text-Model Inspection Trace of Concepts and Relations). According to this study's findings, by using a reference model to compare with individual students' conceptualizations, HIMATT can be used successfully to assess the learning in a complex mathematical domain.


The concept of an encyclopedic museum was born of the Enlightenment, a manifestation of society's growing belief that the spread of knowledge and the promotion of intellectual inquiry were crucial to human development and the future of a rational society. But in recent years, museums have been under attack, with critics arguing that they are little more than relics and promoters of imperialism. Could it be that the encyclopedic museum has outlived its usefulness? With "Museums Matter", James Cuno, president and director of the Art Institute of Chicago, replies with a resounding "No!" He takes us on a brief tour of the modern museum, from the creation of the British Museum - the archetypal encyclopedic collection - to the present, when major museums host millions of visitors annually and play a major role in the cultural lives of their cities. Along the way, Cuno acknowledges the legitimate questions about the role of museums in nation-building and imperialism, but he argues strenuously that even a truly national museum like the Louvre can't help but open visitors' eyes and minds to the wide diversity of world cultures and the stunning art that is our common heritage. Engaging with thinkers such as Edward Said and Martha Nussbaum, and drawing on examples from the politics of India to the destruction of the Bramiyan Buddhas to the history of trade and travel, Cuno makes a case for the encyclopedic museum as a truly cosmopolitan institution, promoting tolerance, understanding, and a shared sense of history - values that are essential in our ever more globalized age. Powerful, passionate, and to the point, "Museums Matter" is the product of a lifetime of working in and thinking about museums; no museum goer should miss it.


Dryland areas cover more than half of sub-Saharan Africa and are home to nearly 50 percent of its populations, who depend on agriculture (including livestock, crops and fisheries) as their main livelihood strategy. Sporadic and irregular rainfall patterns are the most important environmental driver for these regions and water, in particular surface water, is the primary element of scarcity in drylands. Generally, dryland water bodies are unstable and strongly pulsed ecosystems owing to intermittent and largely unpredictable precipitation. Such systems are characterized by very productive and highly resilient, small opportunistic fish species with "boom and bust" fluctuation adapted to strong environmental disturbances, and are therefore difficult to overfish. As a result of high productivity, they can sustain very high yields in years of good rains, but being largely short-lived they also respond rapidly to environmental changes in hydrological regimes, which means that alternating periods of low productivity are inevitable. The focus of this review is to both document the general resilience of many fish resources to climatic variability − including their underestimation in livelihood importance, particularly in protracted crisis situations − and to enhance the potential supply of fish from dryland areas through improved use of the available water bodies, and in particular small reservoirs. The important role that small water bodies play in supplying essential micronutrients and protein to rural communities has largely been overlooked since the termination of the FAO/ALCOM (Aquaculture for Local Community Development) programme in 1998, although they are more productive on a per unit area basis than the large lakes and reservoirs and, when pooled, constitute a much larger area of water. Most of the fish production, however, is consumed locally and goes unrecorded in official catch statistics. By refocusing attention on the fish productivity of small water bodies and reservoirs in drylands, and in particular by integrating fisheries with developments in water harvesting, irrigation and improved water storage facilities, the potential to increase the role played by fish in the diets of dryland people, and to provide improved livelihood opportunities is great. The overall conclusion is that the potential for increasing fish production in dryland areas is significant, that the resources are highly resilient and productive, but that the general and increased unpredictability of the rainfall required to sustain surface water bodies creates uncertainties in annual production. That must be counteracted by an adaptive and diversified livelihood strategy.


A 14-year-old thoroughbred gelding was presented for the evaluation of acute abdominal pain. Rectally, there was a soft fluctuant painful swelling dorsal to the bladder and to the right of the midline. The creatinine concentration of the peritoneal fluid was 15 mg/dl. Transrectal ultrasonographic examination of the urinary tract revealed a large collection of fluid dissecting from the pelvic portion of the right ureter ventrally through the right side of the bladder wall and into the retroperitoneal space, and a thickened right ureter and bladder wall at the level of the trigone. Cystoscopically there was moderate hemorrhage within the wall of the bladder. Ultrasonography revealed air within the retroperitoneal fluid collection after ureteral catheterization, confirming the preliminary diagnosis of a tear in the right ureter. The gelding was treated medically. After 48 h of hospitalization, nuclear scintigraphy revealed normal clearance from both kidneys and no apparent leakage from the right ureter. The ureteral tear and urinoma were monitored using transrectal ultrasound until resolution. The horse was successfully returned to racing. This case establishes the value of diagngstic ultrasound in the diagnosis and monitoring of a traumatic ureteral tear in a horse.


Allelic expression (AE) analysis has become an important tool for integrating genome and transcriptome data to characterize various biological phenomena such as cis-regulatory variation and nonsense-mediated decay. In this paper, we systematically analyze the properties of AE read count data and technical sources of error, such as low-quality or double-counted RNA-seq reads, genotyping errors, allelic mapping bias, and technical covariates due to sample preparation and sequencing, and variation in total read depth. We provide guidelines for correcting and filtering for such errors, and show that the resulting AE data has extremely low technical noise. Finally, we introduce novel software for high-throughput production of AE data from RNA-sequencing data, implemented in the GATK framework. These improved tools and best practices for AE analysis yield higher quality AE data by reducing technical bias. This provides a practical framework for wider adoption of AE analysis by the genomics community.


Precise combinations of probiotics can be useful in dog nutrition, treatment and care. Also, host specificity must be considered in order to increase the effectiveness of probiotics. In this study, Lactobacillus acidophilus HY7032 and Lactobacillus reuteri HY7506 were used, which were isolated from feces of healthy dogs through the verification of pH, bile salt tolerance, and antibacterial activity. In addition, the selected strains were confirmed for activity in immune cells. Briefly, L. acidophilus HY7032 and L. reuteri HY7506 enhanced oxidative burst and phagocytosis of innate immune cell activities in peripheral blood. In addition, beagle were administered vancomycin 50 mg and polymyxin B 100 KU for 7 days, and then 10 CFU of L. acidophilus HY7032 and L. reuteri HY7506 were orally administered for 3 weeks to confirm the effect of improving hair quality. Also, compared with the placebo group, the health improvement effect including stool pattern were confirmed. These results imply that the microflora imbalance caused by antibiotics can be gradually improved through the intake of probiotics. Through this study, it was confirmed that L. acidophilus HY7032 and L. reuteri HY7506 are good probiotics that contribute to the welfare and health of companion animals and have the effect of improving hair quality.


This article is a revised version of a paper delivered at the 33rd Annual Workshop on Commercial and Consumer law, held at the Faculty of Law of the University of Toronto. It is a commentary on Stephen Waddams, Dimensions of Private Law: Categories and Concepts in Anglo-American Legal Reasoning (Cambridge, Press 2003). The article first reviews Waddams' thesis of the inadequacy of simple explanations or categorizations of private law and Waddams' admonition to avoid labeling cases such as contract or tort, as if one involves solely enforcing agreements and the other only wrongdoing. The article then goes on to analyze questions inspired by Waddams' book: What accounts for the popularity of conceptualizing private law? What are the ramifications of the reality that private law is complex and multidimensional? What new approaches to the study of decision-making shed light on the judicial process when judges confront multidimensional problems? The article concludes that analysts should not be sanguine about the ability of judges to handle complexity and that judges make systematic errors in that environment just like everyone else. If categorizing or mapping moves only a few prominent concepts to the forefront, perhaps it performs an important service.


OBJECTIVE
This study sought to identify racial and ethnic differences in rates of alcohol-related advice given to veterans treated in Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities.

METHODS
This was a cross-sectional analysis of data from the VA Survey of the Healthcare Experiences of Patients (SHEP). Participants were 255,522 veterans treated in VA ambulatory clinics in fiscal year 2005. SHEP measures included alcohol consumption questions from the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and an item inquiring whether a VA clinician had given advice about drinking. Logistic regression was used to examine relationships between race and ethnicity categories and receipt of alcohol-related advice. Covariate measures included demographic characteristics and physical and mental component summary scores from the Veterans RAND Health Survey (VR-12).

RESULTS
Among veterans who consumed any alcohol, compared with veterans from the other racial or ethnic groups, Asian, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander veterans were less likely to be in the medium and highest alcohol consumption categories and non-Hispanic white veterans were less likely to be in the highest alcohol consumption category (p<.001). In a model adjusting for demographic characteristics, physical and mental health status, and alcohol consumption category, among veterans who consumed any alcohol, those who were non-Hispanic black (odds ratio [OR]=1.65, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.47-1.84), Hispanic (OR=1.56, CI=1.35-1.80), or non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native (OR=1.56, CI=1.06-2.29) were more likely to report receiving alcohol-related advice, compared with non-Hispanic white veterans.

CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that veterans from certain minority groups are more likely than white veterans to report receiving alcohol-related advice in the VA, after the model is adjusted for demographic characteristics, health status, and alcohol consumption. Further research is needed to understand the underlying reasons for observed differences in receipt of alcohol-related advice and the potential clinical implications.


The diamond anvil cell (DAC) has been used extensively in the study of solids and liquids at high pressure. For liquids it is necessary to use a metal gasket to retain the sample between the anvil faces. The pressure experienced by the fluid can be measured by including a small fragment of ruby, the fluorescence spectrum of which is sensitive to pressure. Several experimental arrangements for observing Raman spectra from a DAC have been tried. For 0° scattering, in which the laser passes straight through the cell, scattered light can be collected with an off-axis elliptical mirror which focuses it onto the entrance slit of the monochromator. Another technique uses a small mirror 15° off normal incidence to the DAC by which the laser is focused onto the sample. A lens then collects the near 180° scattered light and brings it to a focus at the monochromator.


There are very few cases in the literature on spinal cryptococcomas occurring alone without cerebral involvement at onset. Although cases of cerebral cryptoccomas followed by arachnoiditis have been reported, cases of spinal cryptococcoma followed by cryptococcal meningitis are exceedingly rare. We present a patient with spinal cord cryptococcoma who subsequently developed cryptococcal meningitis in a young immunocompetent patient. Early recognition and aggressive anti-fungal treatment is important.


Land-surface heterogeneity affects turbulent fluxes of momentum and scalars (i.e., heat, moisture and trace gases). In particular, non-uniform momentum and scalar flux distributions are expected downwind of complex urban environments and steep topography, where flow separation, re-attachment and re-adjustment are the dominant mechanisms. Understanding the effects of surface heterogeneity on land-atmosphere interaction is important for developing new parameterizations of surface fluxes and for validation of advanced numerical models, such as Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) and numerical weather prediction (NWP) models. We conducted wind-tunnel experiments over a series of representative, idealized complex surface features, including 2D and 3D blocks, steep 2D and 3D hills, and canopy patches that were immersed in the lowest portion of thermally-stratified turbulent boundary layers. Thermally-stratified boundary layers were simulated by independently controlling the temperature of air flow, the test section floor, and the surfaces of the model topography. Spatial distribution of surface shear stress and heat flux in different flow regions will be presented and correlated to the dynamics of turbulent flow measured by high-resolution Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and x-wire/cold-wire anemometry.


This paper describes individuals' inequality perceptions, distributional norms, and redistributive preferences in a panel of OECD countries, primarily focusing on the association between these subjective measures and the effective level of inequality and redistribution. Not surprisingly, the effective level of redistribution (after tax-and-transfer inequality) is positively (negatively) correlated with redistributive preferences. There is also evidence showing that the subjective and objective dimension of inequality and redistribution are, at least partially, linked with individuals' political preferences and their voting behavior. The association between objective and subjective measures of inequality and redistribution vanishes, however, once more fundamental country characteristics are taken into account. This suggests that these characteristics explain both redistributive preferences as well as the effective level of redistribution and after tax-and-transfer inequality.


In this paper we present a unified proof of the efficiency of residual-based a-posteriori error estimates for the dual-mixed variational formulations of linear boundary value problems in the plane. We consider the interior problem determined by a second order elliptic equation in divergence form with mixed boundary conditions, and the exterior transmission problem given by the same equation in a bounded domain, coupled with Laplace equation in the surrounding unbounded exterior region. The corresponding Galerkin scheme reduces to a mixed finite element method with Lagrange multipliers for the first problem, and to the coupling of the mixed finite element method with the boundary element method for the second one. Our analysis makes use of inverse inequalities in finite element subspaces and the localization technique based on triangle-bubble and edge-bubble functions.


The design and first results are presented from a bolometric diagnostic with high temporal resolution recently installed on the TCV tokamak. The system consists of two pinhole cameras viewing the plasma from above and below at the same toroidal location. Each camera is equipped with an AXUV-16ELO linear array of 16 p-n junction photodiodes, characterized by a flat spectral sensitivity from ultraviolet to x-ray energies, a high temporal response (< 0.5 mu s), and insensitivity to low-energy neutral particles emitted by the plasma. This high temporal resolution allows the study of transient phenomena such as fast magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) activity hitherto inaccessible with standard bolometry. In the case of purely electromagnetic radiation, good agreement has been found when comparing results from the new diagnostic with those from a standard metal foil bolometer system. This comparison has also revealed that the contribution of neutrals to the foil bolometer measurements can be extremely important under certain operating conditions, precluding the application of tomographic techniques for reconstruction of the radiation distribution. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0034-6748(99)04512-8].


Dramatic growth in Internet Protocol (IP) traffic demand is driving the need for new high-bandwidth IP interfaces. Today, router-to-router and router-to-transport system connections using Ethernet interfaces are limited to 10 Gbits/s (10GE) or slower. Although techniques, such as link aggregation, allow a limited degree of extensibility beyond 10 Gbits/s, they are limited in terms of scalability, introduce additional complexity, and reduce throughput efficiency. Discussion now centers on defining an Ethernet architecture that meets the needs of carriers and is conducive to implementation by the switch and server vendors. In this paper, we consider aggregation at the physical layer (APL) as a means to reuse existing 10GE physical layers (PHYs), while offering interface scalability to 100 Gbits/s and beyond. With APL, aggregation is performed at the PHY, whereby full Ethernet frames are transmitted across the aggregated PHYs in a parallel fashion. This ensures equal utilization of all links and allows aggregate bandwidth between nodes to scale with each new link added. We have demonstrated the applicability of such an approach by implementing a 100 Gbits/s interface using off-the-shelf components and running it over a live 4,000 km backbone network of a tier-1 Internet service provider.


Art & Language is the name of a group of English artists who have spent their careers, some 40 years, working collectively, and are best known as forerunners to the current revival of collective work. Art & Language is also the title of their eponymous magazine, founded in 1968. Both the group and the publication center on critical analysis of the relationships between art, society and politics. In varied media, from painting to rock, these cofounders of conceptual art remain, even today, attentive observers of the after-effects of what they themselves call the "depressing collapse of modernism." Homes from Homes II is built around the major installation of the same title (2000-2001). Each element is described, annotated and put in the context of aesthetic, theoretical and political problematics through extended captions and essays by the artists, who question the notions of conservation, of institutional politics and the relation between art and its institutions.


In response to the global financial and economic crisis, which began almost a decade ago, many European countries have adopted austerity measures aimed at curtailing public expenditure, which have negatively impacted the domestic realisation of the 'European Social Model'. In particular, domestic policies on budget containment, and stricter controls on immigration have often curtailed the social right to healthcare for targeted categories of undesired migrants such as undocumented migrants. The aim of this paper is to assess whether the 'narrative of the crisis' has affected the interpretation of the right to health of undocumented migrants within the jurisprudence of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. This research offers the opportunity to reflect upon the 'consistent' understanding and use of the concepts of 'vulnerability', 'non-discrimination', 'core obligations', and 'austerity measures', in relevant reporting material, when undocumented migrants' access to, and level of, health care is concerned.


We present details of the development of a optical biochip, with integrated on-chip laser excitation, for fluorescence intensity cell based assays. The biochip incorporates an "active surface" for the control and manipulation of fluorescent species placed directly on the device. The active elements of the biochip are one-dimensional periodic sub-wavelength corrugations fabricated on a thin gold film. We have made fluorescence intensity measurements of both an organic dye (Cy5), and immobilized and fluorescently labeled (with 705 nm emitting quantum dots), mammalian tumor cells in contact with the active surface. Here we show that the presence of the periodic grating can be used to control both the excitation and fluorescence generation process itself. We demonstrate that the gratings convert evanescent surface optical modes into well-defined beams of radiation in the far-field and at the surface of the device this produces highly contrasting regions of fluorescence excitation providing regions of high spatial selectivity.


Evidence is increasing for small-vessel disease and disturbance of endothelium-dependent vasodilation in diabetic patients. The aim of this study was to compare coronary circulation in 11 diabetic patients (6 type I and 5 type II) and 7 control subjects. All patients had normal left ventricular systolic function and angiographically normal coronary arteries. To evaluate the maximal area of coronary microcirculation, coronary vascular reserve was determined by intracoronary Doppler and a maximally vasodilating dose of intracoronary papaverine (peak-to-resting coronary flow velocity ratio). To assess coronary endothelial function responses to stepwise intracoronary infusion of acetylcholine (10−8 to 10−5) M coronary estimated concentrations) were analyzed on four different segments in each patient by quantitative angiography. Peak-to-resting coronary flow velocity ratio was lower in diabetic patients than in control subjects (3.9 ± 0.9 and 5.0 ± 0.7, respectively, P < 0.02). Acetylcholine did not produce any diameter change at 10−8 and 10−7 M, but a progressive diameter reduction was observed at 10−6 and 10−5 M (−8.0 ± 15.2%, P < 0.02 and −24.0 ± 13.6%, P < 0.001, respectively). In control subjects, a progressive diameter dilation was produced from 10−8 to 10−6 M acetylcholine (5.1 ± 3.4, 12.1 ± 7.0, and 16.4 ± 7.3%, respectively, all P < 0.001), and a moderate reduction was observed at 10−5 M (−4.9 ± 7.5%, P < 0.02). In the two groups, all segments dilated similarly after intracoronary isosorbide dinitrate. In conclusion, these results provide evidence that diabetes mellitus may be responsible for both structural and functional alterations of the coronary circulation in patients with angiographically normal coronary arteries. These alterations of the coronary circulation in diabetic patients may contribute to the progressive deterioration of the myocardium and to the pathogenesis of diabetic cardiomyopathy.


In recent decades, housing affordability has been increasingly linked to household financial outcomes where high housing costs relative to income are perceived to negatively affect financial well-being. However, the traditional measure of housing affordability in Australia is housing stress, which is subject to widespread criticism as an inadequate representation of overall financial stress. This methodological paper first determines the extent to which housing stress correlates with experiences of financial stress and, second, demonstrates ways in which the measure can be modified to deliver a more reliable indication of how housing costs affect financial well-being. The study contributes to the international literature by showing how the use of longitudinal data can improve the measure of housing stress providing a more accurate assessment of the relationship between housing costs and financial well-being.


The canonical technique for Monte Carlo simulations in statistical physics is importance sampling via a suitably constructed Markov chain. While such approaches are quite successful, they are not particularly well suited for parallelization as the chain dynamics is sequential, and if replicated chains are used to increase statistics each of them relaxes into equilibrium with an intrinsic time constant that cannot be reduced by parallel work. Population annealing is a sequential Monte Carlo method that simulates an ensemble of system replica under a cooling protocol. The population element makes it naturally well suited for massively parallel simulations, and bias can be systematically reduced by increasing the population size. We present an implementation of population annealing on graphics processing units and discuss its behavior for different systems undergoing continuous and first-order phase transitions.


Background and Aim: Accountability is a process by which all service organizations including hospitals are required to legitimize their activities. This research aims to study the seven aspects of accountability in Iran's teaching hospitals. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional analytic study performed in the second half of 1390 in five major medical-educational hospitals in 5 points of the country. A research-made questionnaire with seven dimensions (ethical, cultural, financial, operational, legal, informational, and structural) was used. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The total number of subjects was 454, of whom 45.6% were males and the rest were females (n = 247). They were mostly (40.1%) in the age group of 21to 29-year-olds, and the least figure (6.8%) pertained to those older than 50 years of age. The average mean of structure turned out to be the highest (3.54 ± 0.97) and the informational dimension had the lowest (3.45 ± 0.97). The average accountability score was the highest in Rasht hospital (99.3 ± 0.61) and the lowest in Tehran hospital (3.02 ± 0.67). The correlations between all dimensions were confirmed. Moreover, accountability as evaluated in the studied educational hospitals was above average. Conclusion: Patients' attitude towards accountability in Iran's teaching hospitals was assessed to be above average. The findings show that an office or a unit for accountability, validation, and continuous audit of its dimensions is essential to advance the high goals of the hospitals.


1York Health Economics Consortium, University of York, York, UK; 2Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK; 3PTC Therapeutics, Zug, 6300, Switzerland Purpose: Deriving health utilities for rare medical conditions such as aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) deficiency poses challenges. The rarity of AADC deficiency and the fact that this genetic condition often presents in very young children means that robust utility values cannot be derived from the child or their parent/caregiver. Alternative approaches, eg, discrete choice experiments (DCE), are required in order to provide health utilities. The aim of the study was to generate health utilities for AADC deficiency using a DCE. Methods: The DCE was completed online by panel participants from a UK representative sample. The DCE comprised 6 AADC deficiency attributes (2–6 levels): mobility, muscle weakness, oculogyric crises, feeding ability, cognitive impairment and screaming. These were identified from published literature, clinician input, parent interviews and expert opinion. Participants were presented with 10 choice sets specified using an orthogonal design, including a repeat task to evaluate choice consistency. Participants were presented with 5 health state vignettes prior to the DCE. These were used to elicit time trade-off (TTO) utilities. Multinomial logit models were estimated for the DCE data. The TTO utilities for the worst/best health states were used as anchors to convert indirect DCE part-worth utilities to health utilities. Results: A total of 1596 participants completed the DCE. The majority (70.7%) gave consistent responses to the repeated choice task; only 1.7% (27) always chose the same alternative for every choice set. Five models were evaluated. There was one preference reversal ("sitting unaided"/"standing with assistance") occurring in all models; these two mobility level coefficients were set to be equal in the final model. Rescaled utilities ranged from 0.494 to 0.7279, corresponding to the worst (633233) and best (111111) health states. Conclusion: Health utilities were derived for AADC deficiency through a DCE. These will be used for a cost-effectiveness model of an AADC deficiency treatment.


Boiling, evaporation, and liquid-vapor phase change are inherently multiscale processes. Current continuumbased numerical models fail to capture the atomistic nature of the local density fluctuations that lead to vapor nucleation. Atomistic methods, such as molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, are capable of fully resolving the effects of individual atomic interactions and nanoscale surface structure on the incipience of liquid-vapor phase change. Macroscopic problems, however, are still well beyond the reach of MD simulations due to the prohibitively large computational expense of modeling discrete particles. Hybrid atomistic-continuum (HAC) models offer a solution. HAC models limit the use of MD simulations to only a small region where atomistic-level resolution is necessary, such as near a wall or heater surface, and use continuum methods away from this region. In this work a fully parallelized hybrid atomistic-continuum model is developed to resolve nanoscale features of liquid-vapor phase change. The domain is decomposed into an atomistic domain, where individual atomic interactions are computed, and a continuum domain, where the Navier-Stokes equations are solved. The two domains are coupled through an overlap region in which the solutions in both domains are consistent. The accuracy of the HAC model is demonstrated through the simulation of sudden start Couette flow, unsteady heat transfer, and the bulk flow of a liquid-vapor interface. The new HAC model is used to model vapor nucleation at a heater surface and compares well to analytic solutions for evaporation. Unlike continuum-only methods, the new HAC model is able to nucleate vapor from liquid naturally, given the correct thermodynamic conditions, without any assumptions on the nucleation location or frequency. The new highly-parallelized HAC model is shown to reduce computation time by a factor of five for Couette flow in a 78 nm channel as compared to a fully-atomistic simulation. This speedup is expected to become even greater for larger systems. A general discussion on the performance of the new HAC model is included along with a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages, specific to HAC models, of the volume-of-fluid (VOF) method used to track interfaces within the continuum domain. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics First Advisor Jennifer R. Lukes Subject Categories Mechanical Engineering This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/846 A HYBRID ATOMISTIC-CONTINUUM MODEL FOR LIQUID-VAPOR PHASE CHANGE


INTRODUCTION
Snakebite is an important and preventable health hazard. Viper bites are more common than other poisonous snakebites in human beings. The present study aimed to collate the victim profile of viper bite cases in the region and to determine the pattern, manifestations, complications and the associated risk factors of these bites.

METHODS
This was a prospective study of viper bite cases admitted to Kasturba Hospital, Manipal, India between August 2003 and November 2005. The demographic and clinical details of each case were obtained from the patients, their relatives and the patients' hospital records, and analysed.

RESULTS
A total of 31 viper bite cases were reported during the study period. The victims were predominantly male and aged 25-55 years. The highest number of cases occurred during daytime in the months of September and October, which coincided with the harvesting season, and involved the lower limbs. 94% of the snakebite victims were farmers, suggesting that this was an occupational hazard. Envenomation was observed in patients with scratch marks, suggesting the importance of keeping the victim under observation in all alleged snakebite cases, even in the absence of clear fang marks. The mortality rate in our study was 6.5%.

CONCLUSION
Immobilising and transporting snakebite victims to the hospital and prompt administration of anti-snake venom remain the best way to reduce morbidity and mortality. It is also important to practise correct first aid measures, as otherwise they may cause more harm than good.


Recent years have witnessed a new interest in co-operative organizations, especially as a consequence of their transformation and expansion in new fields of activity. These two phenomena are connected, since transformation appears to be the prerequisite for expanding activities in new areas and as such, are worthy of specific analysis. This work explores co-operative evolutionary dynamics in advanced and transition economies with a view to provide researchers and practitioners interested in studying and promoting the development of social economy organizations, with working materials and new research paths. More specifically, co-operatives' recent developments towards what are currently defined as social enterprises within the co-operative framework are examined. This volume includes the most innovative reports presented and discussed by the contributors at the International Seminar - From Co-operatives to Social Enterprise, jointly organized by ISSAN (Institute for the Development Non-profit Organisations) and the EMES Network which took place in December 2003 in Trento (Italy).


The paper summarized some experimental main results of dynamic buckling under increasing compression load. The buckling behavior of 304 stainless steel was investigated using Euler and Johnson formulas, which is the most commonly used in industrial applications. It has been verified that metallic materials can exhibit non-linear buckling behavior with mechanical properties dependency. This behavior yield a non-linear model which based on Hong's model but using the mechanical properties with cycles to failure. It was observed that the proposed model gave safe predictions while the Hong's model yields non satisfactory predictions of critical buckling loads and also design electrical LASER alarm system to avoid the failure occurs in the specimen when access to critical buckling load.


This study offers the first detailed analysis on the social, economic, and political elite driven reforms undertaken in the Kingdom of Bahrain by King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa in the significant timeframe of 1999-2005. This era has witnessed the most fundamental changes in the country since the historic situation of 1973-75. Therefore, in accordance with the thesis' objectives, an original contribution is offered firstly through the detailed and micro level examination and analysis of the character of the reforms. Such analysis is largely absent from any scholarship on this topic. Secondly, it provides a comprehensive identification of the obstacles and challenges facing the implementation of future reforms and changes. The thesis focuses on a variety of differential factors within broad social, economic, political, and human rights spectrums. It provides an identification of policy relevant initiatives which would likely counter the obstacles to future reform. Here it is suffice to say that current policy relevant scholarship and indeed government practice may indicate that strategic vision exists but fails to appreciate that on a broad level there is an acute lack of detailed policy planning. This study shows how the lack of bureaucratic project management and analysis, at a bureaucratic agency level, on new initiatives is the overarching factor, which inhibits the successful advancement of reform for the future. Furthermore, attention is given to particular localised initiatives that also need to be undertaken. Finally, and most importantly, this thesis offers a new interpretation through a pragmatic analysis of this era of reform. Indeed, it offers a comprehensive understanding and meaning to the reforms and changes in Bahrain for scholarship in this field. Moreover, it builds on the existing body of scholarship on GCC states politics in particular and the Arab region in general, by showing the uniqueness of Bahrain and ultimately the need for a country specific solution to its existing barriers to future success.


High growth in vehicle, contribute air pollution and reduce human health quality. One of pollutants that generated by motor vehicle emissions is carbon monoxide (CO). CO gas can cause health problems for humans, even if exposed to long periods time will cause death. Emission test devices have been widely available in many auto repair shops, but at the moment emission testing, only read gas source or emissions sources from the muffler hole. Cabin space usually escaped from checking, whether there is pollution that enters the cabin or not. This final project has a purpose to design a carbon monoxide detector devices which will show the levels of carbon monoxide (CO) into 4 categories of air quality,that are safe, wary, watch out, and danger. System will automatically warning the driver if the gas exceeds the threshold. Microcontroller that used as the central data processing data is microcontroller Atmega 8, by ATMEL and use gas censor TGS 2442. Design begin with a hardware schematic and software design using BASCOM-AVR. Implementation phase include the implementation of the physical device, programs, and censor. Testing phase is done by testing the tool using 3 gas source, that are cigarette smoke, motorcycle exhaust, and car exhaust. The test result showed that the highest error rate on these tool when compared with a comparable gas analyzer scott instruments is 6.46%, with 93.54% accuracy rate. This CO gas monitor hasadvantage easily portable and include three actuators, that are LCD will show the levels of CO gas, buzzer will give warning sound when gas exceeds the threshold, and the vibrating motor provide tactile warning to the user.


Cloud computing is a promising way providing users computing resources. These resources are provided by means of standard computing instances. Currently there are three price schemas including spot, reservation and on-demand in cloud market, but the average difference among these three pricing schema can be as much as 2.7 times even for the same instance type. In the premise of ensuring service level object, how many and which compute instance are needed, which price schema is needed is important for company. In this paper, an intelligent capacity planning model was proposed. Experimental result shows that our model can save more money while the quality of service does not degrade.


We give a general framework for construction of small ensembles of capacity achieving linear codes for a wide range of (not necessarily memoryless) discrete symmetric channels, and in particular, the binary erasure and symmetric channels. The main tool used in our constructions is the notion of randomness extractors and lossless condensers that are regarded as central tools in theoretical computer science. Same as random codes, the resulting ensembles preserve their capacity achieving properties under any change of basis. Our methods can potentially lead to polynomial-sized ensembles; however, using known explicit constructions of randomness conductors we obtain specific ensembles whose size is as small as quasipolynomial in the block length. By applying our construction to Justesen's concatenation scheme (Justesen, 1972) we obtain explicit capacity achieving codes for BEC (resp., BSC) with almost linear time encoding and almost linear time (resp., quadratic time) decoding and exponentially small error probability. The explicit code for BEC is defined and capacity achieving for every block length.


The non-perturbative behaviour of the non-Abelian gauge theory of strong interactions, namely QCD, is investigated using the Schwinger-Dyson equations. Using an approximation based on solving the Slavnov-Taylor identities, we derive a closed integral equation for the full gluon propagator. We numerically solve this equation, finding a consistent solution which is as singular as 1/p(^4) the momentum p(^2) → 0, whilst at large momenta the gluon propagates like a free particle. This infra-red behaviour can be seen as a signal for the confinement of quarks and gluons, implying, for example, that the Wilson loop operator behaves an 'axea law'. We then derive an equation for the full massless quark propagator. Using our solution for the gluon, we find the quark propagator to be suppressed at low momentum, to such an extent that the physical particle pole is removed, and free quarks cannot propagate. This is just what we might expect of a confining theory. The inclusion of quarks means we must study their dynamical effects via closed fermion loops in the gluon propagator equation. This couples the two equations together. We solve the two equations simultaneously, finding that the previous infra-red behaviour still holds. As we introduce more flavours of fermions, however, the infra-red enhancement of the gluon propagator is diminished, and this in turn means that the quark propagator is less suppressed. This exhibits the dynamical importance of quarks. These physically realistic results demonstrate the importance and validity of the Schwinger-Dyson equations as a valuable tool for investigating the non-perturbative features of gauge theories.