B . L i u b a r s k y i Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor* E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com N . L u k a s h o v a Assistant** E-mail: email@example.com O . P e t r e n k o Doctor of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor** D . I a k u n i n PhD, Associate Professor* E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com O . N i k o n o v Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor*** E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com O . M a t s y i PhD*** E-mail: email@example.com *Department of Electrical Transport and Diesel Locomotives National Technical University «Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute» Kyrpychova str., 2, Kharkiv, Ukraine, 61002 **Department of Electrical Transport O. M. Beketov National University of Urban Economy in Kharkiv Marshala Bazhanova str., 17, Kharkiv, Ukraine, 61002 ***Department of Computer Technologies and Mechatronics Kharkiv National Automobile and Highway University Yaroslava Mudroho str., 25, Kharkiv, Ukraine, 61002 A mathematical model has been built of the subway car on two double-axle bogies with an axial characteristic of 20–20, whose spring suspension's central link is equipped with springs and electromechanical dampers. A special feature of the model is its integration of such components as 17 differential equations of the second order, which describe the operation of the mechanical part «carriage-rail track», as well as 8 differential equations of the first order that describe the operation of 4 electromechanical shock absorbers. The model is complemented with three polynomials of orders 32 and 63 describing the state of the magnetic field of electromechanical shock absorbers and their electromagnetic force, as well as 4 algebraic coupling equations. The mathematical model of the «carriage-rail track» system equipped with electromechanical shock absorbers takes into consideration the following components: – the longitudinal and transverse oscillations by wheelsets of the car bogies and body; – the parameters of a rail track; – the electromagnetic features of electric shock absorbers; – the excitation arising from a track irregularity; – the path parameters, as well as the properties of other elements in a spring suspension. This paper reports a study into the operation of a subway car's spring suspension that travels over a track with a sinusoidal irregularity. The study has established that the electromechanical processes in electric shock absorbers can be divided into three parts. The oscillation free mechanical components, free components, and the forced electromagnetic components. The duration of action, the amplitudes, and nature of the oscillations' components have been determined. The oscillation amplitude varies considerably with the increased speed: from 0.01 A and 2 V at 40 km/h up to 0.9 A and 115 V at 100 km/h. The oscillations are harmonious. The frequency of oscillations corresponds to the frequency of the track irregularity. The electric power of the electric shock absorber increases from 0.018 W at 40 km/h to 98 W at 100 km/h


A 5V, 0.6μm CMOS phase locked loop (PLL) is presented. The circuit design of the PLL, which consists of a phase-frequency-detector (PFD), charge-pump (CPP), bias-generator (BG), voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) and differential to single converter (DSC), is introduced and the simulation results are given. The details of design theory and calculation are also described. The PLL is integrated in CMSC 0.6μm 5V 2P2M CMOS technology, the simulation results show that the PLL operates within the frequency range between 100MHz to 500MHz, and the phase noise are -89dBc/Hz and -100dBc/Hz at 100KHz and 1MHz offset frequency.


The purpose of this study is to improve the performance of grade 4 students infractions through Realistic Mathematics Education (RME). This research was conducted at SDN Cilendek Timur 2 Bogor, Indonesia. The research method used is Classroom Actionresearch with Kemmis and Taggart model, which consists of planning, action, observation,and reflection. This study consists of three cycles. The percentage of students whoachieved fraction score more than or equal to 70 in the first Cycle was 12.5%, in thesecond Cycle was 56.5%, and in the third Cycle was 92%. The activities of teachers andstudents in accordance with the learning steps with RME reach 92.5% at the end of CycleIII. So it can be concluded that RME can improve student learning outcomes in fractions.Also, RME increased students mathematics attitudes


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how and why different forms of organizational change have different levels of organizational intensity, which in turn differentiate its impact on commitment to organizational change (COC). Its purpose is to also identify how procedural justice can reduce change-related stress and buffer the strain inducing effects of job demands.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors tested the hypotheses using data collected from two sources in Korea. First, the authors conducted a survey in several organizations to identify employees' attitudes and stress during organizational change. Second, the author surveyed MBA students to evaluate the degree of organizational change intensity (severity) across the types of change.

Findings

There is a hierarchy of the severity of organizational change and the most severe forms of change are the ones that impact employees' job security and organizational identity. The influence of job demands (represented as organizational change intensity-severity) on COC can depend on the nature of COC. Procedural justice not only facilitates employees to accept values and goals pertaining to organizational change but also adapt themselves to pressures of external change. Buffering effects of job resources (represented as job resources) had significant impacts only on normative commitment to organizational change (NCOC).

Research limitations/implications

This study contributes to the job demands-resources model by considering organizational change intensity as job demands and procedural justice as job resources and showing the relationships among them. Future studies can further extend the model by identifying other variables related to job demands and resources during organizational change and extending the nomological networks of NCOC and continuance commitment to organizational change.

Practical implications

The results of this study provide important insights for human resource managers who plan and implement organizational changes. Procedural justice and organizational change intensity-severity should be considered to increase commitment to change.

Originality/value

This study is one of the few studies to identify the different types of organizational change and quantify them to measure organizational change intensity-severity. A new finding is that the buffering role of job resources (procedural justice in this study) can be marginal when the influence of job demands on employees' attitudes is strong.


INTRODUCTION
Mental retardation (MR) constitutes a clinical and social relevant condition accounting for 3% of the pediatric population. Studies focusing the repercussion or MR on nutritional status are scarce and, in occasions, have produced contradictory results.

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the nutritional status of mentally retarded children in our region, on the basis of the influence of sociofamilial factors, including details of diet and appetite.

PATIENT AND METHODS
Our sample comprise 128 mentally retarded children (81 boys and 47 girls) aged 0 17 years. In all children a nutritional and social family environment questionnaires and a valuation of a series of nutritional and anthropometric variables were performed. A factorial analysis was carried out by means of the statistical package SPSS allowing the obtaining of 2 anthropometric factors (AF) and 3 biochemical factors (BF) that condensed the most information content. Results of the nutritional and sociofamilial questionnaire were correlated with biochemical and anthropometric factors.

RESULTS
Score of the factor AF1 declined with declining quality of diet and appetite. Mean AF1 score was lowest among children from inland rural areas, intermediate among children from urban areas and highest among children of coastal areas. Age of the parents and number of brothers also influenced the value of AF1 score. Score of AF1 was not significantly affected, however, by social class. Quality of diet, appetite, geographic origin, number of brothers an age of the parents showed a similar influence on BF1. Moreover, the score of BF1 declined with declining socioeconomic status.

CONCLUSIONS
Feeding behaviour has a significant influence on nutritional status both in biochemical and anthropometric parameters, so it must be promptly evaluated in mentally retarded children. Biochemical parameters were the most influenced by variation of socioeconomic status. Children from coastal areas showed the highest scores of nutritional parameters. Age of the parents significantly influenced the nutritional state.


The poorly studied iron-rich terrestrial sediments, referred to as the Fluvio-lacustrine Formation, that crop out in the southern part of the Grande Terre of New Caledonia document the last 25 Ma of the geological history of the island. The age of this formation, which is mainly derived from the erosion of an ultramafic regolith, is not tightly constrained yet; however, it has recorded several episodes of post-obduction erosion and sedimentary infill preceded and followed by weathering and reactivated erosion. A correlation with early Miocene slab break-off, which may have triggered a first stage of erosion marked by coarse conglomerate, is suggested. Thereafter, sediments filled topographic lows and were in turn weathered during an interval of tectonic quiescence. Finally, Holocene sea-level drop and southward tilt of southern New Caledonia, owing to the involvement of eastern Australian Plate in the New Hebrides (Vanuatu) subduction zone, locally changed the drainage pattern and deeply eroded the sediments.


In assisted reproduction techniques (ART) settings, reactive oxygen species (ROS) can be produced from endogenous and exogenous sources during in vitro manipulation. Endogenous sources of ROS include gametes and embryo, whereas exogenous sources are oxygen tension, light exposure, culture media, and the nature of some protocols, such as centrifugation or cryopreservation. Elevated ROS production can result in oxidative stress (OS), which is harmful to gametes and embryos, and reduces the procedure's outcomes. Therefore, addressing various aspects of the adverse effects of oxidative stress and its management is necessary.


In 76 of 575 children operated on for intracranial tumors during a 15 year period, symptoms had started during the first 2 years of life. Excision of the tumor was complete in 44, subtotal in 13, partial in 13, and in 6 only a biopsy was taken. Surgical mortality was 13% (10/76). 31 died later as their tumors progressed. The overall survival rate was 46% and 27 of the survivors are leading useful lives, with no signs of recurrence, 8 months to 14 years after operation. All of these had total or subtotal removal of the tumor. Only 3 required oncologic treatment. Despite radical surgery, the late neuropsychological results were good. However, 8 children who had had brain irradiation are severely handicapped. We conclude that in infancy functional recovery from a focal surgical lesion, even if extensive, is more complete than after diffuse damage to the immature central nervous system caused by irradiation. In this age group brain irradiation leads to severe handicapping in the great majority of cases. Radiotherapy should therefore be used only for highly malignant tumors, especially when surgical excision is incomplete. Radical surgery gives the best results in terms of survival and satisfactory neuropsychological state.


Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL

EphA2 is a receptor tyrosine kinase that is over-expressed in various malignancies including ovarian cancer. EphA2 is known to promote tumor growth, however its regulation is not well understood. On the basis of data available from The Cancer Genome Atlas, we predicted that miR520d-3p would be a potent inhibition of EphA2. To investigate interaction between miR520d-3p and EphA2, we first examined the mRNA level of these genes in 123 tumors of ovarian cancer patients. There was an inverse correlation between miR520d-3p level and EphA2 mRNA levels (p<0.001); and the prognosis of patients with high miR520d-3p expression was significantly better than those with low miR520d-3p (p<0.001). Next, we established stable clones over-expressing miR520d-3p in HeyA8 and SKOV3ip1 ovarian cancer cells, in which baseline EphA2 levels are high. Compared with parental cell and clones transfected empty vector, EphA2 protein levels were decreased by ∼60%. MiR520d-3p transfection also resulted in significantly decreased migration and invasion in vitro and tumor growth in vivo in orthotopic mouse models. Tumor with high miR520d-3p had decreased EphA2 levels and decreased microvessel density (p<0.01). In conclusion, miR520d-3p is a key regulator of EphA2 levels and may represent a novel therapeutic approach.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 141. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-141


P-coumaric acid is a nonflavonoid phenolic acid and is a major constituent of the species Cynodon dactylon Linn. (Pers.). In this study isolation of P-coumaric acid was achieved by preparative TLC and the compound thus isolated was characterised by UV, mass, and H(1) NMR spectral analysis. An isocratic RP-HPLC method was developed for the estimation of P-coumaric acid from methanolic extracts of durva grass. The chromatographic separations were achieved by RP-C18 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μ), Shimadzu LC-20AT Prominence liquid chromatograph, and a mobile phase composed of water : methanol : glacial acetic acid (65 : 34 : 1 v/v). The flow rate was 1.0 mL/min and the analyses of column effluents were performed using UV-visible detector at 310 nm. Retention time of P-coumaric acid was found to be 6.617 min. This method has obeyed linearity over the concentration range of 2-10 μg/mL and the regression coefficient obtained from linearity plot for P-coumaric acid was found to be 0.999. RP-HPLC method was validated in pursuance of ICH guidelines.


We report a case of morphologically microgranular acute promyelocytic leukemia with PML/RARA fusion transcripts demonstrated by reverse transcriptase-PCR and cDNA sequencing, and no PML/RARA fusion detected by karyotype and FISH analyses. Karyotype was 47,XX,+8[19]/46,XX[1]. Although the newer FISH probes provide more accurate detections of t(15;17), it would be necessary to perform other molecular tests to further identify the masked PML/RARA fusions.


The diagnostic value of enzyme activity measurements in serum is undoubted and many methods are recommended for the determination of individual enzyme activities. These methods have been designed to differentiate health from disease and to give quantitative measurements of changes in enzyme activity. However, many of these procedures have been based on sera with "normal" enzyme values; therefore their relevance to sera from pathological sources is open to question. Such sera will have enzyme complements closer to those of the damaged tissue.


Objective: This study describes the process of production, findings for a policy brief on Increasing Access to Skilled Birth Attendance, and subsequent use of the report by policy makers and others from the health sector in Uganda. Methods: The methods used to prepare the policy brief use the SUPPORT Tools for evidence-informed health policy making. The problem that this evidence brief addresses was identified through an explicit priority setting process involving policy makers and other stakeholders, further clarification with key informant interviews of relevant policy makers, and review of relevant documents. A working group of national stakeholder representatives and external reviewers commented on and contributed to successive drafts of the report. Research describing the problem, policy options, and implementation considerations was identified by reviewing government documents, routinely collected data, electronic literature searches, contact with key informants, and reviewing the reference lists of relevant documents that were retrieved. Results: The proportion of pregnant women delivering from public and private non-profit facilities was low at 34 percent in 2008/09. The three policy options discussed in the report could be adopted independently or complementary to the other to increase access to skilled care. The Ministry of Health in deliberating to provide intrapartum care at first level health facilities from the second level of care, requested for research evidence to support these decisions. Maternal waiting shelters and working with the private-for-profit sector to facilitate deliveries in health facilities are promising complementary interventions that have been piloted in both the public and private health sector. A combination of strategies is needed to effectively implement the proposed options as discussed further in this article. Conclusions: The policy brief report was used as a background document for two stakeholder dialogue meetings involving members of parliament, policy makers, health managers, researchers, civil society, professional organizations, and the media.


Introduction The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of two MS formulas, DanMilk™ (AB Neo, Denmark) (MS1) and Neopigg® RescueMilk (Provimi, Netherlands) (MS2) administered manually and to compare two ways of administration (manual vs automatic) of MS1 on growth performance, health, fecal microbial profile, behavior, and skin lesions of piglets during suckling and post-weaning. Methods Forty litters (528 piglets) were divided into 4 groups: 1) Control group receiving no MS (CON); 2) MS1 administered automatically (A-MS1); 3) MS1 administered manually (Ma-MS1) 4) MS2 administered manually (Ma-MS2). All groups had access to sow milk and creep feed. On day 5 after birth (d0), litters were equalized (13.2 piglets/litter ± 0.8 SD), thereafter no cross-fostering was allowed. Piglets were weighed at day 5 after birth (d0), at the end of milk supplementation (d14), at weaning (d21 of the trial, 26 days of age) and ten days post-weaning (d31). Piglet welfare was assessed using behavioral and lesion measures at d4 and d10. Feces were collected at d14 and d21. Results and discussion During the suckling period, A-MS1 had lowest mortality (p < 0.05), while Ma-MS1 had lower mortality compared with CON and Ma-MS2 (p < 0.05). Negative social behavior at d4, was more frequent in MS groups (A-MS1, Ma-MS1, Ma-MS2) compared to CON group (p = 0.03). Growth performance and lesion prevalence were not affected by MS provision. During lactation, Ma-MS2 group had a higher percentage of piglets not eating during suckling at d18 compared with Ma-MS1 (p = 0.03). MS1 increased microbial diversity compared with CON at d14 (Chao1, p = 0.02; Shannon, p = 0.03) and compared with CON (Shannon, p < 0.05; InvSimpson, p = 0.01) and Ma-MS2 (Chao1, p < 0.05; Shannon, p = 0.05, InvSimpson p = 0.01) at d21. Groups that received MS1 were characterized by genera producing short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), i.e., Lachnospiraceae (A-MS1) and Oscillospiraceae (Ma-MS1). MS composition and availability can contribute to reduce piglet's mortality during the suckling phase and can also affect intestinal microbiota by favoring the presence of SCFAs producing bacteria.


An increasing number of works have addressed the socio-economic determinants of suicide. Social capital is a key factor in preventing suicide. However, little is known about the experience of suicide consideration using subjective values. From the viewpoint of suicide prevention, it is worth examining how people think of suicide. This paper attempts to examine the effect of social capital on suicide consideration based on individual-level data from Japan. Furthermore, the paper compares the effect of social capital between urban and non-urban areas. After controlling for various socio-economic factors, the major findings are that both individual-level social capital and social capital accumulated in one's place of residence reduce the probability that one will consider suicide. After dividing the sample into urban and non-urban residents, the effect of social capital in one's place of residence for urban residents is remarkably larger than for non-urban residents. In contrast, the effect of individual-level social capital disappears for urban residents, while the effect persists for non-urban residents. Overall, community-level social capital plays a more important role in deterring suicide for urban residents.


Experimental studies of collisions between highly charged ions and molecules have been carried out using the coincidence time of flight technique at high and low collision velocities. We have studied ionization of the target molecule and electron capture caused by ion impact. In general the trends are similar for molecular and atomic targets, and thus one can use the knowledge about one kind of target to help understand the other. Twoelectron processes, like ionization-excitation and double-ionization, become almost as important as single-electron processes in collisions between highly charged ions and two-electron targets. It is shown that in collisions between highly charged ions and molecules the high energy tail of the distribution of kinetic energy released in the dissociation into ion-pairs is associated with one or two electrons in highly excited states.


BACKGROUND
A hypertensive disorder in pregnancy comprises one of the deadly triad along with hemorrhage and infection-that contributes greatly to maternal morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to compare the feto-maternal outcome in pregnancy induced hypertension with normotensive pregnant women.

METHODS
A cross sectional prospective study was conducted in Paropakar Maternity and Women's Hospital from 1st February 2018 to 1st May 2018. All pregnant women seeking help for hypertension during this period was included in the study and were followed up to six weeks of postpartum period.

RESULTS
Total 40 patients were enrolled in each arm. The highest number of pregnancy induced hypertension cases was seen in age group 20-24years (32.5%) and were mostly primigravidas (60%). The commonest symptom in Pregnancy induced hypertension was headache 47.5 %. The mean hemoglobin value was 11.91 gm/dl, mean SGPT (Gestational hypertension 25.44 IU/L, preeclampsia 55.25 IU/L and eclampsia 32.17 IU/L) and mean platelet count was 1, 95,140 lakh/cumm in pregnancy induced hypertension. Mean prothrombin time in gestational hypertension was 13.78±0.7 seconds. Most common maternal complication was preterm labor and fetal complication was prematurity. The most common mode of delivery was vaginal.

CONCLUSIONS
Pregnancy induced hypertension was more common in primigravida with young age group of 20-24 years and presented commonly with complain of headache. Preterm labor was the most common maternal complication similarly prematurity was the commonest fetal complication seen in pregnancy induced hypertension. Vaginal delivery was the commonest mode of delivery. Blood investigation showed significant thrombocytopenia in eclampsia and decreased prothrombin time in gestational hypertension.


We consider the financial planning problem of a retiree wishing to enter a retirement village at a future uncertain date. The date of entry is determined by the retiree's utility and bequest maximisation problem within the context of uncertain future health states. In addition, the retiree must choose optimal consumption, investment, bequest and purchase of insurance products prior to their full annuitisation on entry to the retirement village. A hyperbolic absolute risk-aversion (HARA) utility function is used to allow necessary consumption for basic living and medical costs. The retirement village will typically require an initial deposit upon entry. This threshold wealth requirement leads to exercising the replication of an American put option at the uncertain stopping time. From our numerical results, active insurance and annuity markets are shown to be a critical aspect in retirement planning.


The structure of alpha-cytidine, C9H13N3O5, monoclinic with space group C2 and cell parameters a = 20.064 (3) A, b = 7.100 (1) A, c = 7.860 (2) A, beta = 104.60 (2) degrees, Z = 4, was determined by X-ray diffraction using a combination of direct methods, Patterson and difference Fourier techniques and refined by block-diagonal least-squares to a final R of 0.033 for 1002 reflections measured on a diffractometer. The glycosidic torsional angle, chiCN = -28.4 degrees, is in the anti region; the sugar pucker is C(2')exo-C(3')endo in a nearly pure 32H twist; and the conformation of C(4')-C(5') is gauche-gauche. The molecules are bound by hydrogen bonds in the lattice with little likelihood of base-stacking interactions. The molecular features of the compound are compared and contrasted with those of its naturally occurring beta-anomer, and some biological implications of this structure, and alpha-nucleosides in general, are discussed.


We examined gender differences in drug use patterns and in medical presentation among 520 hospitalized, HIV-infected African-Americans. Substance abuse history was self-reported, and medical data were obtained by chart review. Overall, 321 (65%) reported ever having used heroin, with equivalent rates in men and women. Women were more likely to report current use, to have sought treatment, and tended to feel more dependent on heroin than men. Among heroin users, women were more likely to be admitted for conditions related to drug use, rather than AIDS, and to have CD4 counts > 200/mm3. These gender differences in opioid dependency and medical comorbidity may indicate a need for alternative treatment approaches for men and women.


Stations in IEEE 802.11 ad-hoc WLAN protocol exchange frames by contending for the channel using CSMA/CA mechanisms and follow the binary exponential backoff for retransmitting the frames on collisions. This contention and collisions lead to low throughput. The protocol facilitates power saving in stations by allowing the stations to enter sleep mode. However, once these stations wakeup they can receive the frames only after contending for the channel. This leads to long awake periods and high power consumption. We have devised improved mechanisms that facilitate transmissions with reduced contention. Our mechanisms allow the data frames to be transmitted contention-free, leading to high throughput. The stations also have to keep awake for short duration to receive these frames in a contention-free manner, leading to high power saving. The mechanisms involve only minimal software changes to the existing protocol and can be implemented on the existing 802.11 WLAN cards. The stations following these mechanisms can co-exist in a standard 802.11 based ad-hoc WLAN. The average power consumption in our mechanisms is only 1/6/sup th/ of the power consumed in 802.11b protocol, with the stations consuming 84% lesser power. Our maximum throughput improved to 25% higher than throughput of 802.11b protocol.


Spinal cord lesions on conventional MRI for MS diagnosis, prognosis and clinical monitoring, and advances in spinal cord imaging to improve visualization of lesions; (2) Spinal cord atrophy in relation to MS clinical features, and advances in Abstract: The spinal cord is frequently affected in multiple sclerosis (MS), causing motor, sensory and autonomic dysfunction. A number of pathological abnormalities, including demyelination and neuroaxonal loss, occur in the MS spinal cord and are studied in vivo with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The aim of this review is to summarise and discuss recent advances in spinal cord MRI. Advances in conventional spinal cord MRI include improved identification of MS lesions, recommended spinal cord MRI protocols, enhanced recognition of MRI lesion characteristics that allow MS to be distinguished from other myelopathies, evidence for the role of spinal cord lesions in predicting prognosis and monitoring disease course, and novel post-processing methods to obtain lesion probability maps. The rate of spinal cord atrophy is greater than that of brain atrophy (−1.78% versus −0.5% per year), and reflects neuroaxonal loss in an eloquent site of the central nervous system, suggesting that it can become an important outcome measure in clinical trials, especially in progressive MS. Recent developments allow the calculation of spinal cord atrophy from brain volumetric scans and evaluation of its progression over time with registration-based techniques. Fully automated analysis methods, including segmentation of grey matter and intramedullary lesions, will facilitate the use of spinal cord atrophy in trial designs and observational studies. Advances in quantitative imaging techniques to evaluate neuroaxonal integrity, myelin content, metabolic changes, and functional connectivity, have provided new insights into the mechanisms of damage in MS. Future directions of research and the possible impact of 7T scanners on spinal cord imaging will be discussed.


Abstract Implications for the academic and interpersonal development of children and adolescents underpin a global political consensus to maintain in‐classroom teaching during the ongoing COVID‐19 pandemic. In support of this aim, the WHO and UNICEF have called for schools around the globe to be made safer from the risk of COVID‐19 transmission. Detailed guidance is needed on how this goal can be successfully implemented in a wide variety of educational settings in order to effectively mitigate impacts on the health of students, staff, their families, and society. This review provides a comprehensive synthesis of current scientific evidence and emerging standards in relation to the use of layered prevention strategies (involving masks, distancing, and ventilation), setting out the basis for their implementation in the school environment. In the presence of increasingly infectious SARS‐Cov‐2 variants, in‐classroom teaching can only be safely maintained through a layered strategy combining multiple protective measures. The precise measures that are needed at any point in time depend upon a number of dynamic factors, including the specific threat‐level posed by the circulating variant, the level of community infection, and the political acceptability of the resultant risk. By consistently implementing appropriate prophylaxis measures, evidence shows that the risk of infection from in‐classroom teaching can be dramatically reduced. Current studies indicate that wearing high‐quality masks and regular testing are amongst the most important measures in preventing infection transmission; whilst effective natural and mechanical ventilation systems have been shown to reduce infection risks in classrooms by over 80%.


Following a skin injury like burn, surgery or a trauma, fibroproliferatives scars are responsible of cosmetic, psychologic and symptomatic disorders. Keloids are benign and occur secondary to an imbalance between the synthesis of extracellular matrix and its degradation. There is a lot of therapeutic modalities available. Despite this, recurrence and sometimes increasing lesions are the major complications. Surgery with adjuvant therapy like steroids injections, radiotherapy, silicone materials seems today the best therapeutic choice. A best physiopatholgy's comprehension is at the base of new treatments, but their efficacity still need to be demonstrate in larger studies.


Background and aims:

Studies have exhibited the superiority of appendectomy to antibiotics in acute appendicitis (AA) treatment for the overall effective rate and relapse. However, evidence to support the efficacy of appendectomy is lacking because limited randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have been conducted. Thus, the present study attempted to compare the two treatment methods through the meta-analysis of RCTs.
Methods

Databases such as PubMed, Cochrane Library, Medline, Embase, and Web of Knowledge were searched. RCTs comparing conservative therapy and surgical treatment for AA and published in any language between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 2020 were included in the study. The primary outcomes were 1-year efficiency and incidences of complications, whereas the secondary outcomes were length of stay and sick leave duration. The odds ratios (OR) and mean differences (MD) were combined, and the fixed- and random-effects models were calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
Results

The present study was conducted based on 12 studies involving 4195 patients and comparing appendectomy with antibiotic treatment. Of the total, 2135 patients had underwent appendectomy and 2060 were treated with antibiotics. The 1-year OR after antibiotic therapy and appendectomy was 0.03 (95% CI: 0.01–0.06). The MD for the two groups for length of stay was 0.38 (95% CI: 0.16–0.61). Appendectomy exhibited a significantly higher treatment efficiency at 1 year and shorter hospital stay than antibiotic treatment. However, antibiotic treatment exhibited lower incidences of treatment-related complications (RR: 0.52, 95% CI: 0.37–0.74; P = 0.0002) and sick leave duration (P < 0.05) than appendectomy.
Conclusions

Antibiotics are not inferior to appendectomy for the treatment of uncomplicated appendicitis. However, patients with an appendicolith exhibited higher recurrence risk after conservative treatment, and surgery is a better option for such patients.


This research concentrates on supply chain practices and its impact on supply chain performance of peanut chikki industry. The aim of this study to analyse the supply chain performance by using various constructs. By using the questionnaire survey the supply chain practices of peanut chikki industry in Kovilpatti was analysed. Survey was conducted directly in their consecutive firms in Kovilpatti. The respondents are the people who are suppliers of the peanut chikki industry in and around Kovilpatti. The nodes and linkages of supply chain are also determined. At the end of study outcomes were discussed with the available data and the suitable interpretation was done and suggestions are put forth setting a path for future studies.


This paper describes the results of our experiments in small and medium vocabulary dysarthric speech recognition, using the database being recorded by our group under the Universal Access initiative. We develop and test speaker-dependent, wordand phone-level speech recognizers utilizing the hidden Markov Model architecture; the models are trained exclusively on dysarthric speech produced by individuals diagnosed with cerebral palsy. The experiments indicate that (a) different system configurations (being word vs. phone based, number of states per HMM, number of Gaussian components per state specific observation probability density etc.) give useful performance (in terms of recognition accuracy) for different speakers and different task-vocabularies, and (b) for very low intelligibility subjects, speech recognition outperforms human listeners on recognizing dysarthric speech.


The biomedical community has the imperative to develop reliable, clinically relevant and generalizable bioassays that can be used to accurately recognize those individuals with early-stage disease or those patients who will respond to therapy, with the ultimate aim of achieving individualized medicine. In recent years, increasingly sophisticated proteomic screening technologies have been introduced, providing the biomedical community with a valuable new approach for the systematic discovery and validation of novel diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic tools. Nevertheless, the complexity of the cellular milieu wherein a variety of macromolecules interact in dynamic fashion, combined with the complex clinical manifestation of chronic pathologies and widespread diversity of patient populations, mean that universal biomarkers will not be easily developed. In this review, the five key challenges that must be surmounted in order to advance the clinical impact of this nascent field are described, and plausible solutions based on the authors' own ongoing proteomic profiling of cardiovascular disease is outlined.


Introduction: Alongside the fiscal role, the taxation over cigarettes is expected to reduce smoking. The need for effective excise duty is particularly substantial in Bulgaria as it is the county with the biggest share of active smokers in Europe. Our aim is to test the effectiveness of some aspects of the cigarette tax policy in Bulgaria and to suggest ways for its improvement. Materials and methods: A literature review and a quantitative sociological survey have been performed. We conducted a survey using a questionnaire among 120 active smokers in December 2017. The vast majority of the respondents are between twenty and fifty years old, mostly living in Varna. Results: Despite the increase in the excise duty and the prices of tobacco products, around 70% of respondents continue to smoke the same price-class cigarettes. Around 30% of the passionate smokers, who are influenced by the price of cigarettes, prefer to switch to lower-priced cigarettes rather than to quit smoking. The new alternative, heated tobacco products are proven to be a good substitute for current tobacco products and around 40% of the respondents are likely to switch to them. Conclusion: Results show that the current cigarette tax policy in Bulgaria fails to provide the expected effectiveness. It should be considered that the sole measure of increasing excise rates does not significantly change the behaviour of the smokers. More active campaigns to address the disadvantages of smoking and the benefits of a healthier lifestyle are requested. The revenue from excises should be invested primarily in preventive activities and various non-smoking campaigns.


General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly pointed out in the report of the Nineteenth Party Congress that speeding up the reform of ecological civilization system and building ecological civilization are the millennium plan for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation. The ecological problems of mega-cities are related to the sustainable development of economy and society. Because the radiation area of mega-cities is relatively wide, the geographical environment of various city regions is different, and so is the functional orientation, the selection of evaluation criteria and evaluation indicators is particularly important in the evaluation process. Based on the perspective of mega-city functional areas and combining it with the urban development planning of Beijing, this paper discusses the evaluation of ecological civilization in mega-cities, constructs the evaluation index system of ecological civilization index, and uses the coefficient of variation method of objective empowerment method to determine the index weight, and evaluates the ecological civilization of each functional area in Beijing from three aspects: growth quality, ecological protection and air quality. It can be concluded that the index of ecological civilization in Beijing shows an upward trend as a whole, each functional area presents different characteristics, and the implementation of policies has a significant impact on the construction and development of ecological civilization.


It is known that the forming gas (N{sub 2}-H{sub 2} mixture) annealing process required for microcircuit fabrication results in an unacceptable electrical degradation of SrBi{sub 2}Ta{sub 2}O{sub 9} (SBT) ferroelectric capacitors due mainly to the interaction of H{sub 2} with the ferroelectronic layer of the capacitor. We have found a strong relationship between changes in the surface composition of the ferroelectric layer and the electrical properties of SBT capacitors as a result of hydrogen annealing. Mass spectroscopy of recoiled ions (MSRI) analysis revealed a strong reduction in the Bi signal as a function of exposure to hydrogen at high temperatures ({approximately}500 C). The Bi signal reduction correlates with Bi depletion in the SBT surface region. Subsequent annealing in oxygen at temperatures in the range of 700-800 C resulted in the recovery of the MSRI Bi signal, corresponding to the replenishment of Bi in the previously Bi-depleted surface region. XRD analysis (probing the whole SBT film thickness) showed little difference in the XRD spectra of the SBT fti before and after hydrogen and oxygen-recovery annealing. The combined results of the MSRI and XRD analyses can be interpreted as an indication that the degradation of the electrical properties of the SBT capacitors, after hydrogen annealing, is mainly due to the degradation of the near surface region of the SBT layer.


The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a fundamental process in electrocatalysis and plays an important role in energy conversion for the development of hydrogen-based energy sources. However, the considerably slow rate of the HER in alkaline conditions has hindered advances in water splitting techniques for high-purity hydrogen production. Differing from well documented acidic HER, the mechanistic aspects of alkaline HER are yet to be settled. A critical appraisal of alkaline HER electrocatalysis is presented, with a special emphasis on the connection between fundamental surface electrochemistry on single-crystal models and the derived molecular design principle for real-world electrocatalysts. By presenting some typical examples across theoretical calculations, surface characterization, and electrochemical experiments, we try to address some key ongoing debates to deliver a better understanding of alkaline HER at the atomic level.


Objective: to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of transvaginal ultrasound guided injection of hot saline into the ovarian stroma in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) cases in an office based gynecology practice under local anaesthesia.


The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing interim regulations to clarify the eligibility of temporary employees to continue their Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) coverage when they become compensationers. These regulations are necessary to distinguish between retirement as an employee annuitant and "retirement" as a compensationer. OPM is also issuing regulations to allow temporary employees an opportunity to change health plans if their salary is insufficient to pay the premium withholdings, to show the effective date of such an enrollment change, and to provide for the termination of these employees' enrollment if they do not change health plans.


This paper presents a computer simulation model of a thermally activated roof (TAR) to cool a room using cool water from a wet cooling tower. Modeling was achieved using a simplified 1-D resistance-capacitance thermal network (RC model) for an infinite slab. Heat transfer from the cooling pipe network was treated as 2-D heat flow. Only a limited number of nodes were required to obtain reliable results. The use of 6th order RC-thermal model produced a set of ordinary differential equations that were solved using MATLAB - R2012a. The computer program was written to cover all possible initial conditions, material properties, TAR system geometry and hourly solar radiation. The cool water supply was considered time dependent with the variation of the ambient wet bulb temperature. Results from RC-thermal modeling were compared with experimental measurements for a second story room measuring 5.5 m x 4 m x 3 m at Amarah city/ Iraq (31.865 ˚N, 47.128 ˚E) for 21 July, 2013. The roof was constructed of 200 mm concrete slab, 150 mm turf and 50 mm insulation. Galvanized 13 mm steel pipe coils were buried in the roof slab with a pipe occupation ratio of 0.12. The walls were constructed of 240 mm common brick with 10mm cement plaster on the inside and outside surfaces and 20 mm Styrofoam insulation on the inside surface and covered with PVC panel. Thermistors were used to measure the indoor and outdoor temperatures, TAR system water inlet and outlet temperatures and temperature distribution inside the concrete slab. The effect of pipe spacing and water mass flow rate were evaluated. Agreement was good between the experimental and RC-thermal model. Concrete core temperature reaches the supply water temperature faster for lower pipe spacing. Heat extracted from the space increased with water mass flow rate to an optimum of 0.0088 kg/s.m².


The purpose of this mixed methods study, within the altruistic, intrinsic, or extrinsic motives framework, was  conducted in order to document  the  motives of English as a foreign language (EFL) student teachers  to become a teacher by choosing a teacher education program at one public university in Jambi, Sumatra, Indonesia. A sample of 285 student teachers who were enrolled at EFL teacher education program at one public university in Jambi, Sumatra, Indonesia was investigated. Data were collected through a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The frequency of each statement was computed and expressed as percentage of its total score and all of the interview data were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and carefully analysed. The findings of this study revealed that the Indonesian EFL student teachers' interpretations of their motives for embarking on a journey to become a teacher were unique. Altruistic motives seemed to be predominant; the kinds of motives on their career choice were likely to involve an interaction among altruistic, intrinsic, and extrinsic motives across participants quantitatively and qualitatively. Implications policies to create good standards of teacher education programs in order to attract and recruit quality student teachers should be made before, during, and after entering the program.


This paper proposes a new approach for aerodynamic design optimization of wind turbines is developed by using Genetic Algorithm. Objective function is maximum power production subject to given wind speed, a rotational speed, a number of blades and a blade radius. We use the data from the literature which are designed or used in wind turbine applications. The airfoils with common geometrical characteristics are grouped as airfoil families in the dataset. We consider optimization variables as a fixed number of sectional airfoil profiles, chord lengths, and twist angles along the blade span. By using this approach the power production is improved by 50 to 70 percent.


Abstract 1. The present studies have shown that N-nitrosamines derived from the more active diarylamine antifatigue agents are considerably more effective as antifatigue agents than the parent amines when they are predispersed into rubber on an open mill, followed by conventional vulcanization. 2. Some N-nitrosamines are effective retarders of premature vulcanization. 3. All the nitrosamines examined with the exception of nitroso diphenylamine are effective heat stabilizers for rubber in an air oven test. 4. The nitrosamines are partially converted to the parent amine during vulcanization, but other products are also formed which contribute to the antidegradant activity.


PurposeThis study aims to examine the current state of literature on structural equation modeling (SEM) studies in "cloud computing" domain with respect to study domains of research studies, theories and frameworks they use and SEM models they design.Design/methodology/approachSystematic literature review (SLR) protocol is followed. In total, 96 cloud computing studies from 2009 to June 2018 that used SEM obtained from four databases are selected, and relevant data are extracted to answer the research questions.FindingsA trend of increasing SEM usage over years in cloud studies is observed, where technology adoption studies are found to be more common than the use studies. Articles appear under four main domains, namely, business, personal use, education and health care. Technology acceptance model (TAM) is found to be the most commonly used theory. Adoption, intention to use and actual usage are the most common selections for dependent variables in SEM models, whereas security and privacy concerns, costs, ease of use, risks and usefulness are the most common selections for causal factors.Originality/valuePrevious cloud computing SLR studies did not focus on statistical analysis method used in primary studies. This review will display the current state of SEM studies in cloud domain for all future academics and practical professionals.


The purpose of the discussion is to enhance the understanding of importance of sustainable development in the industry and to expand the international relation on the technology of sustainable architecture. The theme of SB10 SEOUL conference, "Sustainable Building Assessment Technology and Strategies for Higher Education" is selected to expand the knowledge of the current condition and the direction of sustainable building assessment technology in the future.


The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a specialized synovial joint that is crucial for the movement and function of the jaw. TMJ osteoarthritis (TMJ OA) is the result of disc dislocation, trauma, functional overburden, and developmental anomalies. TMJ OA affects all joint structures, including the articular cartilage, synovium, subchondral bone, capsule, ligaments, periarticular muscles, and sensory nerves that innervate the tissues. The present review aimed to illustrate the main pathomechanisms involving cartilage and bone changes in TMJ OA and some therapeutic options that have shown potential restorative properties regarding these joint structures in vivo. Chondrocyte loss, extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation, and subchondral bone remodeling are important factors in TMJ OA. The subchondral bone actively participates in TMJ OA through an abnormal bone remodeling initially characterized by a loss of bone mass, followed by reparative mechanisms that lead to stiffness and thickening of the condylar osteochondral interface. In recent years, such therapies as intraarticular platelet-rich plasma (PRP), hyaluronic acid (HA), and mesenchymal stem cell-based treatment (MSCs) have shown promising results with respect to the regeneration of joint structures or the protection against further damage in TMJ OA. Nevertheless, PRP and MSCs are more frequently associated with cartilage and/or bone repair than HA. According to recent findings, the latter could enhance the restorative potential of other therapies (PRP, MSCs) when used in combination, rather than repair TMJ structures by itself. TMJ OA is a complex disease in which degenerative changes in the cartilage and bone develop through intricate mechanisms. The regenerative potential of such therapies as PRP, MSCs, and HA regarding the cartilage and subchondral bone (alone or in various combinations) in TMJ OA remains a matter of further research, with studies sometimes obtaining discrepant results.


This paper presents a new design methodology for strutted S-shaped compressor ducts that allows for more aggressive designs while maintaining current levels of duct loss. A baseline duct geometry was selected, which had a radius change to length ratio that is 34% larger than current engine design limits. A large-scale low-speed model of the baseline duct was experimentally tested. The flow in the corner between the hub and the strut was found to separate due to the high local diffusion causing an increase in duct loss. Area ruling was applied to the baseline duct and was predicted to reduce the size and extent of the strut-hub corner separation, but the duct design was compromised. The duct loss coefficient at midpitch was predicted to increase compared with that of the baseline design. Nonaxisymmetric endwall profiling was then used on the duct wall, locally to the strut, to remove the strut-hub corner separation and thus reduce net duct loss, without compromising the duct design away from the strut. The endwall geometry was produced by numerical optimization. It was shown that the net duct loss was insensitive to casing profiling but highly sensitive to hub profiling. The optimal hub geometry was experimentally tested and shown to completely remove endwall strut-hub corner separation. The profiling was found to reduce the net duct loss by 16%. The paper shows that the key benefit to endwall profiling is that it can be used to safely increase the size of the design space in which aeroengine duct designers can operate.


Crop revenue insurance offers farmers a way to manage revenue variability that results from yield and price risks. Commodity-level revenue insurance, particularly for corn, soybeans, and wheat, has become a major part of the subsidized Federal crop insurance program. Whole-farm revenue insurance, based on combined revenue from all commodities produced on a farm, is a more broad-based approach, but is difficult to administer.


This paper reports the influences of uniaxial mechanical stress on the reverse-biased source/drain to substrate junction leakage of state-of-the-art 65 nm CMOS transistors. For n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS) transistors, the band-to-band tunneling (BTBT) dominates the junction leakage current due to heavily doped junction and pocket implants. However, for p-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor (PMOS) transistors with embedded SiGe source/drain, the leakage current is found to result from both BTBT and generation current due to defects generated in the SiGe layer and at the SiGe/Si interface. A four-point bending technique is used to apply mechanical uniaxial stress on NMOS and PMOS devices along the longitudinal direction. It was found that the leakage current of both devices increases (decreases) with applied uniaxial compressive (tensile) stress, and that the strain sensitivity of the junction leakage of NMOS transistors is much weaker than that of PMOS transistors. By combining the bending technique with process strained Si (PSS) technology, additional stress was applied to NMOS and PMOS with high built-in stress to investigate the characteristics of junction leakage under extremely high uniaxial stress. It is shown that uniaxial tensile stress can both enhance the NMOS device performance and decrease the junction leakage. However, for the PMOS, there exists a tradeoff between boosting the transistor performance and decreasing the junction leakage current, so there is a limit in the amount of compressive stress that can be beneficially applied.


OBJECTIVE
To study the effect of Jingjielianqiao Decoction in promoting leg ulcer in rabbits.

METHODS
Nine adult male New Zealand albino rabbits with chronic leg ulcers were randomized into 3 groups, namely group A treated with Jingjielianqiao Decoction, group B with Shengjiyuhong Decoction, and group C with normal saline. Gross observation of the wounds was carried out regularly for evaluating the changes in the ulcerous area, depth and wound surface excretion. After 3 weeks of treatment, the tissues on the edge of the ulcer were sampled and prepared for routine pathological examination, electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and CD34. The number of blood vessels and their areas were also recorded.

RESULTS
The wounds showed no significant differences between the 3 groups by gross observation during the treatment, but after completion of the 3-week treatment, routine pathological examination and electron microscopy revealed significant differences between the groups. Immunohistochemistry for VEGF and CD34 yielded comparable results between groups A and B (positive control), but showed significant differences between group C and the other two groups (P<0.01).

CONCLUSION
Jingjielianqiao Decoction and Shengjiyuhong Decoction can obviously promote the healing of leg ulcer in rabbits.


Performance goals are used pervasively by organizations to motivate individual effort, and feedback about goal progress is often available on a highly frequent basis. While feedback can be beneficial, there is evidence that frequent unfavorable feedback can be demotivating. We use expectancy theory to predict that compared to infrequent feedback, frequent unfavorable feedback about goal progress will reduce effort by negatively impacting individuals' expectancy of goal attainment. We also predict that these negative effects will be mitigated when accompanied by a goal attainability reminder that bolsters the expectancy of goal attainment. Results from two experiments support both predictions and also show that a goal attainability reminder does not reduce the effort when early frequent feedback is favorable. These findings have practical implications as we demonstrate that a simple and readily implementable reminder about the attainability of assigned goals can mitigate the negative motivational effects of frequent unfavorable performance feedback.


Abstract Three typical elastic problems, including beam bending, truss extension and compression, and two-rings collision are simulated with smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) using Lagrangian and Eulerian algorithms. A contact-force model for elastic collisions and equation of state for pressure arising in colliding elastic bodies are also analytically derived. Numerical validations, on using the corresponding theoretical models, are carried out for the beam bending, truss extension and compression simulations. Numerical instabilities caused by largely deformed particle configurations in finite/large elastic deformations are analysed. The numerical experiments show that the algorithms handle small deformations well, but only the Lagrangian algorithm can handle large elastic deformations. The numerical results obtained from the Lagrangian algorithm also show a good agreement with the theoretical values.


An alternative approach for the calculation of the electron-positron (e-p) contribution to magnetic properties based on two-component Breit-Pauli spinors is presented. In it, the elimination of the small component scheme is applied to the inverse propagator matrix of e-p pairs. The effect of the positronic manifold is expressed as an operator acting on Breit-Pauli spinors. The operator form thus obtained sums up the relativistic correction as a geometric series and as a result a totally different behavior in the vicinity of a nucleus is obtained as compared to the one of the linear response approximation. This feature has deep influence in numerical values of the e-p contribution to the nuclear magnetic shielding of heavy atoms. Numerical calculations carried out for Kr, Xe, and I show that with this approach, the e-p contributions to this property are in good agreement with those of four-component methods.


This paper proposes a method for applying interlink correlation to evaluate a multiuser-multiple input multiple output (MU-MIMO) system and describes measurement of a multi-link MIMO propagation channel. The proposed method is validated through comparison of measurement results to those of the conventional MIMO propagation channel model. The results show that the proposed method employing the Weichselberger model can handle the interlink correlation property, and accurately reconstructs a MIMO propagation channel.


The present research systematically examines cognitive representations of stereotypes of old age and young adults' and older adults' perceptions of their own communication accommodative behaviors, emotions, and communication satisfaction when a particular Intergenerational Communication Schema is activated. Taiwanese respondents show both congruent and incongruent patterns of responding: Some schemas yield consistently positive or negative responses across dependent variables, whereas others yield mixed and apparently inconsistent patterns. Respondents from the USA show that a helping orientation, when it is associated with different schemas (positive, very sympathetic, or negative) may result in different overall evaluations of the intergenerational conversation experience. Results are discussed in relation to the Communication Predicament of Aging Model and Chinese cultural values of intergenerational communication. Limitations are acknowledged and future studies are suggested.


This paper proposes a CAE-based method to predict the maximum load at which bolts start to loosen. The qualitative validity of this method was confirmed using the fastening bolts between the differential case and ring gear.In general, the differential case and ring gear are fastened with bolts. Therefore, it is essential to estimate the maximum load of bolt loosening when designing these bolts. Moreover, prototypes found that tightening bolts are more likely to loosen as the thickness of the differential case or ring gear decreases and becomes easier to deform. This indicates that the deformation of the differential case and ring gear must be considered in bolt design. However, predicting the maximum load is relatively difficult because the behavior of both the screw and the contact surface between the differential case and ring gear is complicated.In contrast, recent transmissions require further weight reduction without sacrificing reliability. Consequently, a method of predicting the maximum load of bolt loosening is required.First, this paper describes a CAE model for estimating the pressure and friction generated at the contact surface between the differential case and ring gear, as well as at the screw surface and bolt seating surface. Furthermore, a method for determining bolt loosening is described that incorporates the pressure and friction on the bolt seating surface into friction circle theory. This method was used to derive the maximum load of bolt loosening. In addition, it was also confirmed that the results qualitatively agree with actual cases of bolt loosening.Second, this paper identifies the relative sliding of the screw surface and contact surface when the load increases. In this case, it was verified that the sliding on the contact surface between the differential case and ring gear induces relative sliding of the screw, followed by sliding of the bolt bearing surface and loosening of the bolt.Finally, this paper refers to design guidelines for reducing the weight of the differential case using an experimental design method. Certain ribs cause non-uniform bolt bearing surface pressure distribution, which likely affects bolt loosening.Through this research, the validity of the method was confirmed and the bolt behavior was clarified when a differential case and ring gear are loaded in one direction. Based on these results, it should be possible to apply this method to more complicated load cases in the future.Copyright © 2015 by ASME


The long-term contraception method is claimed as the effective and efficient contraception that can last for more than one year to a lifetime for delaying the pregnancy. The MKPJ contraception use is considered more effective compared with other MKPJs such as pills and contraceptive injection. Therefore, the number of MKPJ use in Ingin Jaya public health center is still low (11,68%, intrauterine device 6,17%, and contraceptive implant 9,58%) compared with other MKPJs (89,4%, contraceptive injection 45,58%,  pills 41,40% and condom 4,98%).  However, these numbers decline steadily each year. This study aims to analyze the MKJP use on KB acceptors. This study was a quantitative research by incorporating a cross-sectional design. The population was all active KB acceptors in Ingin Jaya public health center, Aceh Besar  (1.526 acceptors). The sample was chosen by using a random probability sampling technique and the data was collected through a questionnaire. The data was analyzed by using Logistic Regression test and multivariate with logistic regression.The findings showed that there was a relationship between the acceptor's knowledge with the MKPJ use (p-value =0,0001). The study also revealed there was a level of trust towards the MKPJ use with the acceptors' attitude (p-value =0,0001). However, the study also indicated that there was no relationship of level of trust with the MKPJ use (p-value =0,130). Further, the study found that there was a relationship of KB MKPJ exposure on the MKPJ use (p-value =0,019). It also proved that there was a relationship between the couple's talk status with the MKPJ use (p-value =0,0001). There was a relationship between medics therapeutic communication with the MKPJ use (p-value =0,0001). Therefore, the study contended that the dominant variable that relates to the MKPJ use was the couple's talk status (P-Value: 0,0001; OR : 43,5). It means the respondents that do not have the couple's talk have a greater probability  (44 times) of not using the MKPJ. From the findings, it can be concluded that there is a relationship between knowledge, attitude, exposure, couples' talk status, medics therapeutic communication with MKPJ use. Hence, the dominant variable is the couples' talk. It is suggested that the Health Department in Aceh Besar to always do the supervision to the midwives as to promote the use of MKPJ to KB acceptors. It is also suggested that Ingin Jaya public health center and Family Planning Field Officers to always give counseling and socialization about the contraceptive choice (MKJP) especially for the new couples (PUS) both for husband and wife and unemployed family planning acceptors, especially for the housewives. Further, the counseling needs to be done in relation to the high risks of pregnancy condition. Hence, getting informs of those risks may possibly become the consideration for the respected couples to choose a contraceptive method. Finally, this study recommends that new couples or fertile age couples (PUS) to choose MKJP for their contraception preference as it is more effective in delaying or stop the pregnancy.


In this paper, we study multicast tree construction in MPLS network. We discuss the difficulty in combining multicast and MPLS in a network. We describe some MPLS proposals for the multicast traffic and we justify the need for defining a new protocol. Thereafter we propose MMT, the MPLS multicast tree protocol, which uses MPLS LSP (label switched path) between multicast tree branching nodes in order to reduce the multicast routing states in routers and to increase scalability. We present improvements to MMT protocol and we evaluate it in term of scalability and efficiency. Finally, we present simulation results to validate our evaluation and we conclude that the MMT protocol seems promising and well adapted to a possible implementation of multicast traffic engineering in the network.


SUMMARY: Antisera, prepared against 'smooth' variants of the Flexner, Boyd and Sonne types of Shigella, were investigated for their agglutinin and precipitin content. The precipitation reactions, employing formamide extracts of the organisms, showed a marked degree of specificity which was lacking in the agglutianation reactions except with the Boyd and Sonne types. Cross-precipitation reactions occurred with Boyd's Flexner IV (103) and Flexner Y and also with Boyd's Flexner V(P110) and Flexner X. Absorption tests, however, revealed each of these four organisms to have a predominant specific precipitinogen.


Family-friendly policy is impossible to fit all working individuals. The circumstance has been revealed in work-family literature which relationship between the policy use and the work-family conflict mitigation has been found inconsistent. Little focus is given in the past studies to ensure the human resource policy is truly useful in meeting individuals' needs. Work, family or both work and family life could be important to individuals. The distinctive life centrality requires individuals to negotiate with the significant others who have influence on their work and family life arrangements to access and use the preferred and needed family-friendly policy. Boundary management practices seem to be useful for working individuals to reduce work-family conflict. This conceptual paper aims to propose work-family boundary negotiation to buffer the relationship of family-friendly policy use and work-family conflict. Boundary theory is the underlying theory embedded to explain the phenomena. Boundary negotiation style that could be employed for accessing the policy and managing work-family boundary effectively is identified. Future directions and implications for research on negotiation in dealing with work-family issue are discussed.


PURPOSE
Motion-mask segmentation from thoracic CT images is the process of extracting the region that encompasses lungs and viscera, where large displacements occur during breathing. It has been shown to help image registration between different respiratory phases. This registration step is, for example, useful for radiotherapy planning or calculating local lung ventilation. Knowing the location of motion discontinuity, i.e., sliding motion near the pleura, allows a better control of the registration preventing unrealistic estimates. Nevertheless, existing methods for motion-mask segmentation are not robust enough to be used in clinical routine. This article shows that it is feasible to overcome this lack of robustness by using a lightweight deep-learning approach usable on a standard computer, and this even without data augmentation or advanced model design.

METHODS
A convolutional neural-network architecture with three 2D U-nets for the three main orientations (sagittal, coronal, axial) was proposed. Predictions generated by the three U-nets were combined by majority voting to provide a single 3D segmentation of the motion mask. The networks were trained on a database of non-small cell lung cancer 4D CT images of 43 patients. Training and evaluation were done with a K-fold cross-validation strategy. Evaluation was based on a visual grading by two experts according to the appropriateness of the segmented motion mask for the registration task, and on a comparison with motion masks obtained by a baseline method using level sets. A second database (76 CT images of patients with early-stage COVID-19), unseen during training, was used to assess the generalizability of the trained neural network.

RESULTS
The proposed approach outperformed the baseline method in terms of quality and robustness: the success rate increased from 53% to 79% without producing any failure. It also achieved a speed-up factor of 60 with GPU, or 17 with CPU. The memory footprint was low: less than 5 GB GPU RAM for training and less than 1 GB GPU RAM for inference. When evaluated on a dataset with images differing by several characteristics (CT device, pathology, and field of view), the proposed method improved the success rate from 53% to 83%.

CONCLUSION
With 5-second processing time on a mid-range GPU and success rates around 80%, the proposed approach seems fast and robust enough to be routinely used in clinical practice. The success rate can be further improved by incorporating more diversity in training data via data augmentation and additional annotated images from different scanners and diseases. The code and trained model are publicly available. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


In this research design and fabrication of 3.7-4.8 micrometer long-wave pass filter with high reflection on 1064 and 750-900 nm unther 45 degree has been reported. Deposition was performed in vacuum chamber using electron gun deposition method. Quartz crystal was used to monitor the thickness of thin films. Transmission spectra of coated samples were measured using a double-beam spectrophotometer and a FTIR spectrophotometer. Finally the optical long-wave pass filter with minimum reflection 3.8 percent and mean reflection of 98.4 percent in 750-900 nm range and 97.8 percent in 1064 nm was fabricated.


Performance analysis of multiprocessor architectures in the early design phases is an important task in the development of complex parallel architectures. An approach for the hierarchical modeling and analysis of a wide class of multiprocessor architectures is introduced. The technique combines and extends several efficient approaches to analyze large CTMCs underlying hierarchical models of multiprocessor systems. First, the generator matrix is represented in a very compact format which can be exploited in efficient numerical solution techniques. Second, symmetries inherent in most multiprocessor systems can be exploited by generating a CTMC with a smaller state space, which results from exact aggregation. Symmetry exploitation is fully automated and keeps the compact representation of the generator matrix.


1. The insect monooxygenase system is involved in the oxidative metabolism of both endogenous and exogenous substrates. 2. Monooxygenases appear to be important in insect growth and development, in adaptation to multiple food plants in phytophagous insects and in pesticide resistance. 3. The genetics, purification and properties of cytochrome P-450 isozymes of the house fly (Musca domestica) are discussed in relation to their role in resistance to xenobiotics. 4. Induction of insect cytochrome P-450 isozymes is discussed in comparison to induction in mammals and with reference to polyphagy.


Topical application of phorbol ester tumour promoter evoked the stimulated generation of hydrogen peroxide in the mouse skin in vivo, probably resulting from its action on an associated non-target population of infiltrating inflammatory cells. This formation was demonstrated indirectly by hydrogen peroxide dependent 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole catalase complex formation and confirms the hypothesis and findings of Goldstein et al. (1983). In the assay model discussed, n-alkanes representing the range C6-C14 caused stimulated production of hydrogen peroxide but in mouse skin already containing inflammatory cells. It is proposed that the known tumour-promoting activity of dodecane and tetradecane is free radical mediated, and that this activity is expressed when these alkanes cause an inflammatory state such as occurs upon repeated dermal application. Free radical generation and possible tumour-promoting activity of lower alkanes is latent, due to lower irritancy and high volatilization, unless these alkanes are encountered in combination with an irritant. Skin explant studies demonstrated a priming potential of the phorbol ester tumour promoter to the induction of skin catalase by oxygen. This dose-dependent induction is also seen in untreated skin and may represent a possible compensatory response to oxygen toxicity. Such induction may confound the interpretation of other air-incubation studies in vitro. The generation of hydrogen peroxide was stimulated as a consequence of abrasion, a known tumour promoting agent, and this indicates that irritation, (and possibly the immune response) has a role in tumour promotion and in the variation in strain susceptibility to tumour promoters. Current techniques for the assay of enzymic activities specific for cytochrome P-450 and cytochrome P-448 failed to detect these in mouse skin. The presence of these activities in mouse hepatic tissue was demonstrated. Preliminary data is presented for a novel skin irritation screening test based on phorbol ester-stimulated oxygen consumption by inflammatory cells responding to the applied test material. The technique may offer a more precise and convenient measure of irritancy than that provided by the currently used Draize test.


This paper identifies the types of immigrants that Canada has recruited to foster modern Canadian economic development and assesses how effective Canada has been in recruiting and retaining these required immigrants in the 21st century. Evidence from both "balance of trade" and "balance of payments" exercises indicates that it is difficult to determine if there actually exist positive net inflows of managers and professionals during the 1982-2001 period. The entry of these highly skilled immigrants resulted from a series of distinct labour market policies adopted by Citizenship and Immigration Canada and its predecessor agencies. The paper presents evidence to support that between 1976-1990 a "tap on-tap off" policy admitted skilled immigrants to Canada only if a labour vacancy was anticipated. However, after 1990 tests reveal that the previous year's economic immigrant admissions determined the contemporary immigrant flows with a 10 month lag. Offsetting this robust admission of economic immigrants in the 1990's was the substantial outflows of previous Canadian immigrants as part of the rising phenomenon of "brain circulation". Of particular note is the large number of highly skilled Chinese who have returned to Hong-Kong after 1997. Given this "brain circulation" and the chronic underutilization of its highly trained immigrants I conclude that Canada's traditional use of immigrants as an "engine of growth" is very limited in the 21st century and suggest recruitment of foreign graduate students to revitalize the role of immigrants in Canadian development.


ANCAP has precipitated significant advancements in Australian and New Zealand occupant protection over the 10-year life. However, the number of serious and fatal injuries still occurring indicates that further improvements can be made in vehicle performance and assessment within an overall framework of improving road infrastructure and driving standards. ANCAP remains a small program in world terms and benefits greatly from harmonization with EuroNCAP. A strategic review was carried out in 2002 to determine a further 10 year vision for the program taking into account current market data, current and future funding and benefits of harmonization. Being small also allows greater agility and ANCAP has identified a number of enhanced and new performance assessments that will ensure a continued and appropriate focus on injury reduction and ensure the relevance of information provided to the Australian and New Zealand consumer. This paper sets out the relative merits of the proposals and the agreed forward strategy for maintaining ANCAP relevance over the next decade. The new direction includes replacement of the current side impact test with a pole side impact test, addition of an active safety assessment program and to seek additional funding. For the covering abstract see ITRD E825082.


Recently, the use of social networking has been transitioning from the recreational to more formal uses in corporate and educational contexts. As more businesses begin to adopt social networking as a means of communication and collaboration in the workplace, the effective use of social networks by students for formal communication (as opposed to recreational or informal) becomes an imperative skill for achieving efficiency and productivity. In this paper, we discuss our experience with different social networking sites (Twitter, Facebook, and Google+) to engage learners in various computer science courses at Miami University. Based on our experience, we have categorized the strengths and weaknesses of using different social networks by looking at generic activities that happen within the workplace and then identifying how a particular social network feature supports the given activity. Specifically, our experience encompasses several different use cases including using status updates as a means for addressing technical issues, social tagging to mark areas of interest, and video teleconferencing for virtual office hours. Our observations reflect some interesting trends in academic achievement and student engagement which may have implications for future use of social networks in education and, in turn, in the workplace.


ABSTRACT In this study, fatigue crack propagation under the condition where the superimposed stress history with different frequency components was given intermittently was investigated by numerical simulation and fatigue crack propagation test. The numerical simulation of fatigue crack propagation used in this study can consider the opening and closing behaviour of fatigue crack and implement stress history extraction algorithm that contributes to fatigue crack propagation under superimposed stress history with different frequency components. An advanced fracture mechanics approach based on the RPG (Re-tensile Plastic zone Generating) stress criterion to identify the effective stress intensity factor range was applied to estimate the fatigue crack propagation history. Fatigue crack propagation test under superimposed stress history containing different frequency component appearing intermittently was also conducted. Validity of our applied numerical simulation method was investigated by comparing numerical simulation results with experimental ones. As a result, the validity of our proposed numerical simulation procedure to estimate the fatigue crack propagation history under such a complicated applied stress history was confirmed.


Abstract Precipitation particle sizes were measured using a continuous hydrometeor sampler (foil impactor) during penetrations of hailstorms with an armored T-28 aircraft. Data have been analyzed from three penetrations of a storm near Raymer, Colorado, on 9 July 1973 at altitudes between 5.5 and 7.2 km MSL, which correspond to temperatures between about −2°C and −12°C. Other results pertinent to the Raymer storm are discussed in Parts I,II,III and elsewhere in this issue. Most of the particles were identified as ice particles or ones containing both ice and water; however, significant amounts of liquid particles were found in the updrafts of developing cells at temperatures as cold as −12°C. Particles larger than 5 mm in diameter were typically found along the edges of the updrafts, with the precipitation concentrations being strongly dependent on these larger particles. The downdrafts were composed of ice particles. Several particle size distributions from one of the penetrations were examined. The dist...


This paper addresses the important question of how educational leaders think about how they spend their working time in the context of significant changes to the nature and purposes of their daily work. The report focuses on a dilemma that is confronting many educational leaders – why is it that I seem to get so little time to engage with the things that I value most? Put another way, why am I spending so much time responding to external accountability requirements and so little, in relative terms, on the learning culture of my school community? If our core business is learning, then surely the promotion of a culture of learning should be occupying most of my time. If not, why not, and what can I do about it? To explore these questions we take on four main tasks in this paper. First, we explore the context in which measuring performance has become the main game for educational funding, and thus for educational institutions. Then, drawing on Carol Dweck's (1999) research, we set out a case for understanding learning and performance as different sorts of goals, rather than seeing them as inextricably linked to each other. Having outlined this distinction, we then ask about how both of these goals are pursued in the 'attentional economy' (Taylor, 2005) of educational leaders - that is, how such leaders divide their attention across these two sets of goals and with what effect. Finally, we present empirical data on one school principal's 'attentional economy' for comment and self-reflection.


Number of University Teknologi Petronas (UTP) staff and students are growing from
year to year. Directly to that reason, many departments in UTP such as Academic Central
Services and Finance have started to use computerized system in handling most of their
tasks. However, the Security Department still using manual system.
The purpose of this project is to design a system for UTP Security Department,
specifically for the administration of students and staffs' vehicle management. The
system will be web - based application, can be executed using normal web browser for
inter - platform capabilities. The project is divided into two terms, first the research on
security and registration system for vehicle and second system development on the
Automated Vehicle Security and Registration System (AVSR System). Research on the
AVSR System will be based on the problem statements and objectives of the project
while the security and registration system for vehicle is the support idea for the project.
The purpose of this project also emphasize on the problem statement and scope of study.
The problem statement section verify a few existing problems faced by Security
Department staff. One of them is failure to manage too many paper documents.
This document also gives further information about the system in the literature
review/theory section. This section includes the features of the system, the benefits from
using the system, and the data flow diagram of the intended system.
Part of the Final Year Project, students manage to get known with the business
environment on how they manage their database, registration system and the performance
of the security in using Automated Vehicle Security And Registration System give the
best solution for security as the database plays an important asset for the security.
Capability and efficiency is the main subject in considering AVSR System.


Plaintiff, Jersey Central Power & Light Company (Jersey Central), a large public utility, was economically forced to announce a series of plant wide layoffs. The collective bargaining agreement in force between Jersey Central and various unions required that layoffs be conducted in reverse order of seniority, i.e., the last person hired is the first person to be fired. A conciliation agreement among Jersey Central, the unions and the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) called for the company to begin an affirmative action program designed to increase employment opportunities for women and minority workers. Plaintiff sought a declaratory judgment in federal district court as to its rights and obligations under the collective bargaining agreement, the conciliation agreement, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) and Executive Order 11246. Plaintiff named various locals of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (the Union), the EEOC, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance (OFCC), the General Services Administration (GSA), and the New Jersey Division of Civil Rights as defendants. Jersey Central took no position as to which of the two agreements must govern the proposed layoffs. The district court held that the layoffs could not alter the pre-layoff minority proportion of the work force by more than fifteen percent. On appeal, the Third Circuit reversed and held that layoffs were to be effectuated in accordance with the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement.


In the present study, a set of experiments in the full range of the volume fractions of the petroleum blends were conducted in order to achieve the volumetric behavior of the blends. The blends were prepared using a crude of 23.87 OAPI and a condensate of 53.76 OAPI. After accurate weight and volumetric measurements, the shrinkage factor in each composition was obtained. The experimental values were compared with the calculated results using the formula presented in API publication 2509C. Moreover, the experimental data were compared with the results obtained from the formula released in the Manual of Petroleum Measurements Standards published in 1996. It was observed that these two formulas are able to predict the volume of the mixtures produced from Omani crudes and diluents with an ignorable error in engineering calculations although the later one showed a better applicability. The Average Absolute Deviation percentage error of the first formula was showed to be 3.66% while that of the later formula was 1.41%.


Studying surface geochemical anomalies is important for detecting the presence of mineral deposits. However, distinguishing inconspicuous geochemical anomalies is a challenge for geochemists. This paper studies geochemical quantitative prediction for Pb–Zn metallic mineral deposits by identifying inconspicuous surface geochemical anomalies mainly associated with the Permian and Jurassic strata in the middle-southern Da Hinggan Mountains metallogenic belt. Some new methods are employed to highlight weak surface geochemical anomalies. The weak surface geochemical anomalies of Pb and Zn are effectively highlighted by the average contrast values of Pb–Zn–Ag–Cd. The similarity coefficient with the large typical discovered deposits is used to identify new Pb–Zn mineralized anomalies and delineate new prospecting target areas. The denudation degree of mineral deposit is determined by the ratio of (W × Sn)/(As × Sb). The analogy method and areal productivity method are employed for resource prediction. Thirty-six prediction areas with Pb–Zn resources of 307.73 million tons are delineated. Five prediction areas are verified, and some new mineral deposits are proven by drilling. The verification results show that the predicted resources are very reasonable and credible. This paper is a successful case of quantitative prediction assessment of mineral resource potential, which can be used as a reference for future prospecting activities.


A model of union interest was advanced with self-evaluation as linking economic and socio-economic realities to willingness to join a union in the context of a new psychological framework. Using a representative survey sample of non-union US employees (N = 1,010), the model was tested with structural equation modelling techniques. Support was generally found for the hypothesized model, although a revised model was considered. In particular, psychological self-sufficiency fully mediated the influence of financial dependency on self-enhancement (overconfidence in one's abilities and efficacy), and, in turn, self-enhancement fully mediated the influence of psychological self-sufficiency on union interest. Suggestions stemming from the model for future theory, research, and application are provided.


Abstract Benzimidazole carbamates (mebendazole, albendazole and fenbendazole) are the most commonly used anthelmintic drugs for the treatment of larval toxocariasis (Toxocara canis) in paratenic hosts. However, the bioavailability of these drugs for tissues is very low due to their extremely low solubility, resulting in the administration of relatively high doses over a long period. To overcome this problem, neutral, negatively or positively charged and stabilized liposome drug carriers were examined in the chronic phase of T. canis infections in mice each orally inoculated with 1000 eggs. Moreover, liposomized albendazole and fenbendazole were co-administered with liposomized immunomodulator glucan. The highest efficacy of both drugs, evaluated 4 weeks after treatment, was recorded after their subcutaneous administration (ten doses of 25 mg kg-1) in stabilized liposomes and intramuscular co-administration of liposomized glucan (two doses of 5 mg kg-1). Fenbendazole was more effective in muscles (91.5%) whereas albendazole was more effective in the brain (92.2%). Liposomes with incorporated benzimidazole carbamate anthelmintics provide sustained drug-release reservoirs and can considerably enhance drug efficacy. Moreover, despite suppression by T. canis antigens, stimulation of the immune system by the immunomodulator glucan potentiates the effects of these antiparasitic drugs.


Phomopsis sp. XP-8 (an endophytic fungus) was previously found to produce pinoresinol diglucoside (PDG), a major antihypertensive compound of Tu-Chung (the bark of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv.), which is widely used in Chinese traditional medicines. In the present study, two bioconversion systems were developed for the production of PDG in Tris-HCl buffer containing glucose and Phomopsis sp. XP-8 cells (both resting and freeze-dried). When other factors remained unchanged, the bioconversion time, glucose concentration, cell ages, cell dosage, pH, temperature, and stirring speed influenced PDG production in a similar and decreasing manner after an initial increase with increasing levels for each factor. Considering the simultaneous change of various factors, the optimal conditions for PDG production were established as 70 g/l cells (8-day-old), 14 g/l glucose, 28°C, pH 7.5, and 180 rpm for systems employing resting cells, and 3.87 g/l cells, 14.67 g/l glucose, 28°C, pH 7.5, and 180 rpm for systems employing freeze-dried cells. The systems employing freeze-dried cells showed lower peak PDG production (110.28 μg/l), but at a much shorter time (12.65 h) compared with resting cells (23.62 mg/l, 91.5 h). The specific PDG production levels were 1.92 and 24 μg per gram cells per gram glucose for freeze-dried cells and resting cells, respectively. Both systems indicated a new and potentially efficient way to produce PDG independent of microbial cell growth.


Face frontalization increases accuracies of face and gesture recognition applications. In this paper, we propose a 2D patch warping based face frontalization method which that has a simple but efficient flow due to its lower computation cost. We partition the human face into 23 nearly planar regions that are constituted by 68 landmark points to form a frontal face model and used for warping process. Planar places warped by using homography unlike other affine transform based methods. Warping rectangle regions with homography preserve global structure of face as well as it decreased the computational cost of frontalization as againts situations that work with a lot of triangular region like Delaunay triangulation. In order to test recognition performance, every test sample frontalized with respect to average face model computed as the average of all train samples. Test sets created by the pose angles of samples, tested separately to measure the contribution of proposed method to recognition and we compare the proposed method to another state of art frontalization method in literature.


Iterative reconstruction algorithms require previous computation of the system probability matrix P. This matrix is usually estimated through approximated calculations. The approach employed in this work is, however based on Monte Carlo simulations. This technique allows to describe P more accurately. Nevertheless. the amount of simulated events may limit the statistical quality of P. thus affecting the reconstructed image. The goal of this study was to quantify this effect for OSEM and PWLS applied to the small animal PET system MADPFT (O = 86 mm). The results showed that PWLS is more sensitive to the inaccurate description of P than OSEM. A mean relative error for P below /spl ap/ 40% (obtained from simulations with more than /spl ap/ 6,000 mean detected counts per detector pair) in combination with OSEM guaranteed a good image quality for 1 mm/sup 2/ pixels. For PWLS, however, a slight decrease of the mean relative error in the range 20%-30% might strongly affected the image properties. Simulations with more that /spl ap/ 45,000 mean detected coincidences per detector pair slightly improved the accuracy of P.


High energy particle colliders have been in the forefront of particle physics for more than three decades. At present the near term US, European and international strategies of the particle physics community are centered on full exploitation of the physics potential of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) through its high-luminosity upgrade (HL-LHC). A number of next generation collider facilities have been proposed and are currently under consideration for the medium- and far-future of the accelerator-based high energy physics. In this paper we offer a uniform approach to evaluation of various accelerators based on the feasibility of their energy reach, performance reach and cost range. We briefly review such post-LHC options as linear e+e- colliders in Japan (ILC) or at CERN (CLIC), muon collider, and circular lepton or hadron colliders in China (CepC/SppC) and Europe (FCC). We conclude with a look into ultimate energy reach accelerators based on plasmas and crystals, and some perspectives for the far future of accelerator-based particle physics.


Town halls are the key expression of civic consciousness in the urban environment. They were constructed at a period of change for local government, when there was an urgent need for transition to an altered method of control. They enable a degree of civic access and ritual, and encapsulate important messages of local culture and heritage, in an effort to appropriate them to boost the legitimacy of the political process. The change expressed by their building can be read as a microcosm of the town; and from the town, the city and country: the majority of concerns and triumphs expressed at local level echoed those being voiced nationally, tracking flux in the narrative of social and political history. This research shows that the town hall provides the resolution of local authority change: it is a static statement of a great political transformation, easing the passage of a local authority's development from a point of weakness and uncertainty to a position of strength. For this transition to be managed effectively, the ability of the town hall to express power is vital. This power is expressed through a broad range of source materials, including local and national sources of culture and history, and latterly, international inspiration as well. The function of the town hall's architecture as a civic space designed for social ritual changed dramatically during the period studied, from making public involvement the design's key driver in nineteenth century designs, to their relegation to external gathering spaces in the twentieth century. The social history of a locality was a frequent tool in the legitimisation of town halls – an effect heightened by the numerous strategies employed by their municipal designers to inculcate the suggestion of power within their construction. These could include the inclusion of redundant but impressive features, widespread demolition or the use of a culturally-significant location. This thesis describes how the narratives of power, ritual and civic access, drawn out during the construction of town halls, mirror those of contemporary society. It addresses the question of the role of town halls for urban society, and how they serve as monuments to distinct periods in the development of urban civilisation.