Specification, simulation and optimization of sensors and actuators can be done through behavioral modeling using analog hardware description languages. The resulting models can be used in conjunction with models of the associated electronics to simulate a complete microsystem. This paper presents VHDL 1076.1 modeling considerations applicable to microsystem design and simulation. The methodology will be applied in the case of a Hall magnetic sensor.


This study aimed to analyze the factors affecting the number of workers in the wooden house indutry at Tompaso Baru, South Minahasa. The data used were primary data obtained from the 23 available wooden house enterprises in Tompaso Baru by using questionnaires. Data were analysed using multiple regression and a Cobb Douglass Model was apllied. The Factors that were analyzed including the wages, production values and capital. The preliminary analysis shows there was a high correlation (multicollinearity) between the production value and capital. It has been decided to drop the capital factor in further analysis. Results of the analysis showed that the models used were good enough to be used for analysis, indicated by the R2 value of 91.4% and a significant level of the model which was of less than 1%. Partial significant level of each factor, wages and production value, was also less than 1%. This showed that wages and production value were significant factors in the determining the number of workers recruited in the wooden house industry in Tompaso Baru. Both of them have positive directions, meaning that an increase in wages or production value would increase the number of workers in this industry.*ghmk*


providing a minority service, could be in danger of sinking to a poor standard. They too find that there are disadvantages in their position, and an exaggeration of the conflict between society's and patients' interests can occur. Both special hospitals and the prison medical service need to come closer to mainstream NHS practice, but by coming closer to one another the disadvantages under which they both suffer could increase by association and isolate them even further. The general public might not see the change as any change at all. Only some effort towards decentralisation combined with closer association with the NHS would, I suggest, be effective. The views expressed are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of the DHSS or of Moss Side Hospital. EILEEN M BELL


Gus Dur is a controversial and inspirational figure who has contributed brilliant ideas to religious life and nationality. To manifest religious life were fair and peaceful, the tap religion should be opened as wide as each religion entitled to the recognition of the country; Pluralism is a guarantee for every Indonesian to worship according to their religion or belief peacefully; In addition, the indigenization and contextualization of Islam, appreciate the culture and creativity of the nation itself. Indonesian Islam has own repertoire in appreciating the teachings of religion. In the context of a state, an ideology that can be accepted by all components of the nation and ensure the rights of all citizens is Pancasila; Furthermore, Democracy must be fought  systemic and cultural continuously without radicalism.


The human organism is a complex structure composed of cells belonging to all three domains of life on Earth, Eukarya, Bacteria and Archaea, as well as their viruses. Bacterial cells of more than a thousand taxonomic units are condensed in a particular functional collective domain, the intestinal microbiome. The microbiome constitutes the last human organ under active research. Like other organs, and despite its intrinsic complexity, the microbiome is readily inherited, in a process probably involving 'small world' power law dynamics of construction in newborns. Like any other organ, the microbiome has physiology and pathology, and the individual (and collective?) health might be damaged when its collective population structure is altered. The diagnostic of microbiomic diseases involves metagenomic studies. The therapeutics of microbiome-induced pathology include microbiota transplantation, a technique increasingly available. Perhaps a new medical specialty, microbiomology, is being born.


Managing rangeland enterprises requires balancing socio-economic goals within a production environment characterised by ecological complexity and large climatic variability. Trafalgar Station in north-east Queensland, has been trying to maintain this balance over a period of 80 years and three generations of the one family. This paper explores how management on Trafalgar Station has gone through four evolutionary phases and examines the advantages and disadvantages of each of these stages of development. The first 50 years of management was a technologically constrained era of low stock numbers and poor productivity but there were few resource management problems. Next followed a 20 year period of production maximisation which was made possible by improved cattle genetics and nutritional technologies. With drought feeding occurring more frequently and loss of perennial grasses and soil becoming more evident, there came the realisation that this high stocking strategy was unsustainable. The management of Trafalgar then embarked on a new philosophy based on conservative stocking (similar to historical levels) and increased emphasis on herd, pasture and financial management. This new management philosophy required a transitional phase where stock numbers. and income, were very low to allow pasture condition to improve. Current herd management focuses on maintaining quality rather than quantity, strategic use of supplements for production, and developing a diverse range of markets for sale cattle. Conservative stock numbers have increased opportunities in pasture management with 15 to 20% of the property now annually rested from grazing. Fire has been reintroduced to restrict "thickening" of native woody plants and to control exotic woody weeds. Together with long-term financial planning, these improvements in management are reducing economic risk. The perceived benefits of the current management philosophy are supported by simulation modelling studies of pasture and animal production and analyses of property economics.


Living sustainably is apparently the ultimate objective in the cosmos for the resilience of all biotic and abiotic phenomena. Paradoxically, sustainable lifestyles envisaged in sustainable development goals (SDGs), are almost an unfeasible end. Consumption of unrecorded alcohol is hypothesized in this study to be a major inhibitor to attainment of sustainable lifestyles. This study therefore, conducted in Embu County at Shauri "Yako," sought to find out the effects of consumption of unrecorded alcohol on lifestyles. Specifically, the study sought to: Determine the lifestyles in Shauri "Yako," identify the unrecorded alcohol sold in Shauri "Yako," assess the perception of consumers about unrecorded alcohol and investigate the causes of consumption of unrecorded alcohol in the study area. The study also evaluates possible mitigation measures for consumption of unrecorded alcohol. Focus Group Discussions, interview guides, observation checklist and questionnaires were used as instruments for primary data collection. A pilot study was conducted at Ena market, in order to test for validity and reliability of data collection instruments. For the main study, a sample size of 302 respondents was arrived at, using Raosoft Sample Size Calculator, at 95% confidence level with 5.37% error margin. Purposive sampling technique was employed to select respondents. Analysis for this descriptive research was aided by use of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel package. Thereafter results were presented in form of tables and charts. The study conformed to good ethics throughout pre-fieldwork, fieldwork and post-fieldwork period. Results showed a significant relationship between consumption of unrecorded alcohol and sustainable lifestyles. Majority of respondents consumed unrecorded alcohol (96.7%). Sex disaggregated data for this showed a ratio of 66.6%:33.4% for men and women respectively. Most consumers of unrecorded alcohol were youths (67%). Most respondents disposed wastes and pollutants in the open environment (69.2%). Majority of consumers of unrecorded alcohol preferred their drinks due to availability (50%). The drinks were mostly made from a plant -Kigelia Africana of the family name Bignoniaceae, and honey from Apis Mellifera. If they could afford, 81% would consume the recorded alcohol. This research concluded that consumption of unrecorded alcohol has adverse implications on the lifestyles of consumers. It therefore recommended that, that crucial implements to mitigate the consumption of unrecorded alcohol should be exercised.


This paper describes a novel lean premixed reheat burner technology suitable for Hydrogen-rich fuels. The inlet temperature for such a combustor is very high and reaction of the fuel/oxidant mixture is initiated through auto-ignition, the delay time for which reduces significantly for Hydrogen-rich fuels in comparison to natural gases. Therefore the residence time available for premixing within the burner is reduced. The new reheat burner concept has been optimized to allow rapid fuel/oxidant mixing, to have a high flashback margin and to limit the pressure drop penalty. The performance of the burner is described, initially in terms of its fluid dynamic properties and then its combustion characteristics. The latter are based upon full-scale highpressure tests, where results are shown for two variants of the concept, one with a pressure drop comparable to today's natural gas burners, and the other with a two-fold increase in pressure drop. Both burners indicated that Low NOx emissions, comparable to today's natural gas burners, were feasible at reheat engine conditions (ca. 20 Bars and ca. 1000C inlet temperature). The higher pressure drop variant allowed a wider operating window. However the achievement of the lower pressure drop burner shows that the targeted Hydrogen-rich fuel (70/30 H2/N2 by volume) can be used within a reheat combustor wit hout any penalty on gas turbine performance.


This research proposes a new application of 3-axis CNC milling machine for polishing the 60 HRC hardness steels. The rotary polishing tools are designed by refer to the end-mill ball nose's design. And the diamond powder was coated in rotary polishing tools. The L12 orthogonal array of the Taguchi's method is selected to conduct the matrix experiment to determine the optimal polishing process parameters. The result show that polishing time was a dominant parameter for the surface roughness and the next was depth of penetration. The response surface design is then used to build the relationship between the input parameters and output responses. The experimental results show that the integrated approach does indeed find the optimal parameters that result in very good output responses in the rotary polishing tools polished hardness mould steel using CNC milling machine.


Estrogens are involved in the initiation of breast, prostate, and other kinds of human cancer. In this process, the endogenous estrogens, estrone and estradiol, are metabolized to 2‐catechol estrogens (2‐CE, major) and 4‐CE (minor). If the 4‐CEs are further oxidized to CE‐3,4‐quinones, they may react with DNA to form depurinating adducts at N‐7 of guanine and N‐3 of adenine, and generate apurinic sites. Similarly, the carcinogenic synthetic estrogen hexestrol, a hydrogenated derivative of diethylstilbestrol, is metabolized to its quinone, which reacts with DNA to form analogous depurinating adducts. This could be the primary critical event leading to oncogenic mutations and then initiation of cancer. Evidence supporting this hypothesis has been obtained from the human breast and animal models susceptible to estrogen‐induced tumors, including the Syrian golden hamster kidney, ACI rat mammary gland, and Noble rat prostate. The oxidation of phenols to catechols and then to quinones is not only a mechanism of tumor initiation for natural and synthetic estrogens, but also for the leukemogen benzene. In fact, catechol, one of the metabolites of benzene, when oxidized to its quinone, reacts with DNA to form N7guanine and N3adenine depurinating adducts. Thus, a unifying mechanism, namely formation of catechol quinones and reaction with DNA, could initiate not only cancer by oxidation of specific endogenous estrogen metabolites, but also leukemia by oxidation of benzene.


We have reviewed briefly the current status of research on central nervous system-immune system interactions, focusing attention on the neural and humoral pathways by which CNS and IS communicate and interact and on the effects of stress and psychiatric illness on immune function. It is evident that CNS-IS communication occurs by direct innervation of lymphoid organs and by means of hormones, neuropeptides and cytokines. There is also clear evidence that humoral substances each of which were thought to be the product of one specific cell type are elaborated and secreted by a variety of cell types. This observation suggests a new unified concept of CNS-IS interactions with mediators of these interactions being produced ubiquitously and acting on cells of the two systems. In examining the effects of stress on IS it has become apparent that stress of various types can have a depressive effect on immune functions, primarily at the level of T lymphocytes and NK cells. This suggests that the defense mechanisms affected by stress are those which are responsible for cytotoxic effector responses. These findings are interesting in that they support older studies implicating stress in the pathogenesis and/or the clinical course of neoplastic diseases. Further support for a role of stress-induced immunodepression in morbidity comes from a very interesting, recent prospective study showing that stress will affect susceptibility to viruses. Finally, exploration of the mechanisms of stress-induced immunodepression, suggests that a variety of mediators which regulate lymphocyte interactions and activation may be affected, perhaps at the level of gene expression.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


A critical problem for ubiquitous systems engineering is to exploit resource-rich environments without burdening the user with their configuration and management. A particularly important aspect of this problem is to support continuity in the face of mobility and dynamically varying resources. In this paper we argue that a solution to this problem requires new system-level components and architectures. Specifically, we describe our design of a personal "Aura" component that acts on behalf of a user to manage resources, provide continuity, and support high-level user tasks.


E-vapor products (EVP) have become popular alternatives for cigarette smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke. EVP research is challenging and complex, mostly because of the numerous and rapidly evolving technologies and designs as well as the multiplicity of e-liquid flavors and solvents available on the market. There is an urgent need to standardize all stages of EVP assessment, from the production of a reference product to e-vapor generation methods and from physicochemical characterization methods to nonclinical and clinical exposure studies. The objective of this review is to provide a detailed description of selected experimental setups and methods for EVP aerosol generation and collection and exposure systems for their in vitro and in vivo assessment. The focus is on the specificities of the product that constitute challenges and require development of ad hoc assessment frameworks, equipment, and methods. In so doing, this review aims to support further studies, objective evaluation, comparison, and verification of existing evidence, and, ultimately, formulation of standardized methods for testing EVPs.


Introduction We investigated child outcomes and mothers' perspectives following technology-based intervention sessions aimed at improving children's social play skills. Method Participants in this multiple case study included five children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, their mothers and five typically developing playmates, who had completed a parent-delivered play-based intervention 18 months previously. The initial intervention included the use of a technology-based interactive DVD at home and clinic-based sessions involving video-modelling. In this study, children received two additional technology-based clinic sessions involving video-modelling. Children's social play skills were measured pre- to post-intervention using the Test of Playfulness. Trends in scores were descriptively analysed by case. Mothers' perspectives were explored through semi-structured interviews; data were descriptively analysed by group and case. Results Two children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder showed an increase in their social play skills, and three a decrease in skills. Of the playmates, three showed consistent social play skills, one an increase and one a decrease. Qualitative findings suggest parents felt better able to support their child. Parents also suggested next steps for the intervention were necessary as their child continued to develop. Conclusion Additional intervention support using technology after initial intervention may need to be adapted to different developmental stages and for use across different contexts.


The input and recovered sounds for all of the experiments in the paper the project web page. Abstract When sound hits an object, it causes small vibrations of the ob- ject's surface. We show how, using only high-speed video of the object, we can extract those minute vibrations and partially re- cover the sound that produced them, allowing us to turn everyday objects—a glass of water, a potted plant, a box of tissues, or a bag of chips—into visual microphones. We recover sounds from high-speed footage of a variety of objects with different properties, and use both real and simulated data to examine some of the factors that affect our ability to visually recover sound. We evaluate the quality of recovered sounds using intelligibility and SNR metrics and provide input and recovered audio samples for direct comparison. We also explore how to leverage the rolling shutter in regular consumer cameras to recover audio from standard frame-rate videos, and use the spatial resolution of our method to visualize how sound-related vibrations vary over an object's surface, which we can use to re- cover the vibration modes of an object.


Agricultural production is becoming more like manufacturing in the routinization of processes, the extent to which raw materials are processed, capital intensity, and its emphasis on throughput. Some ascribe the changes to demand-side factors while others look to technological innovations. Emphasizing cost seasonality as a reference indicator for nature's role in agricultural production, this paper develops a simple model that includes both supply and demand sides. We show how cost seasonality can impede product development to meet consumer needs and find that there may be a ceiling level of cost seasonality below which a non-seasonal equilibrium production profile occurs. Price seasonality is decreasing in cost seasonality. An increase in demand for more-processed products induces a shift toward non-seasonal production. Regions with strongly seasonal cost advantages will produce lower-value products while less-seasonal regions will produce higher-value products. If a region with high-cost seasonality has a non-seasonal cost disadvantage, then an increase in demand for processing can reduce the region's competitiveness.


The last decade has witnessed a significant revival of belief in the efficacy of fiscal policy and mainstream economics is now reverting to the standard positions of mid-1970s Keynesianism. On the coattails of that revival, increased attention is being given to the doctrine of Modern Money Theory (MMT) which makes exaggerated claims about the economic costs and capability of money-financed fiscal policy. MMT proponents are now asserting society can enjoy a range of large government spending programs for free via money financed deficits, which has made it very popular with progressive policy advocates. This paper examines MMT's assertion and rejects the claim that the US can enjoy a massive permanent free program spree that does not cause inflation. As has long been known by Keynesians, in a static economy money financed deficits can be used to finance programs when the economy is away from the full employment - inflation boundary. However, that window will be temporary to the extent that those deficits drive the economy to full employment. Since the programs are permanent they have to be paid for with taxes or they will generate inflation. That is the economic logic behind the unpleasant Keynesian arithmetic.


For this issue of Metodo inviting us to conjoin linguistics and phenomenology, we wish to briefly retracesome of the dimensions that seem to define their both delicate and essential relations. We will do so not in a doxographical or historical fashion, but by working towards a clarification, from our positions in the field of the language sciences, of the necessary intrication of their theoretical stakes. This clarification can lead to a marked reorientation of both phenomenology and linguistics, right up to their conceptual origins. To that end, it seems necessary to us to situate our interrogation in a space where phenomenological reflection immediately meets the semiotic perspective – understood here in its broad sense as going beyond the fact of language and languages or the reanimation of any already instituted signs in order to consider a sort of primordial semioticity that is always imminent in experiences themselves oriented, solicited and borne by semiogeneses.


Uniform cyclomatrix polyphosphazene spheres with diameter of about 410 nm were firstly synthesized rapidly at room temperature by precipitation polymerization of hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene with 4,4′-sulfonyldiphenol, using triethylamine as acid-acceptor and acetonitrile as solvent. Then, monodisperse carbon spheres with abundant micropores were produced by carbonization of the polyphosphazene spheres at a high temperature under a nitrogen atmosphere. As-produced carbon spheres were well characterized by SEM, TEM, EDX, and N2 adsorption technique. Results show that the carbon spheres possess an average diameter of 320 nm, a BET surface area of about 752 m2·g-1, a total pore volume of 0.55 m3·g-1, and a micropore size distribution.


The mutation patterns of the p53 tumor suppressor gene have been shown to reflect the specific carcinogen(s) involved, or the epidemiological background in some cancers. To elucidate the impact of cigarette smoking or bilharzial infection on the p53 gene mutation pattern, 61 cases of urothelial cancer from Japan and 7 cases of bladder cancer with schistosomiasis from Egypt were examined for mutations of the p53 gene. In total, p53 gene mutations were detected in 20 Japanese cases (33%) and 6 Egyptian cases (86%). Although the incidence of p53 gene mutation was not significantly influenced by habitual smoking, a different mutation pattern was observed as follows: 4 of 10 mutations in smokers in Japan were A:T to G:C transitions, whereas such mutations were not detected in any of 10 mutations in nonsmokers, or in any of 6 mutations associated with schistosomiasis. Although no specific mutation pattern was detected for the squamous cell carcinomas with schistosomiasis, all 8 base substitutions observed in tumors with squamous cell carcinomas occurred at G:C sites, whereas base substitutions at A:T sites were observed in 33% (6 of 18) of mutations in transitional cell carcinomas. Our results suggest that cigarette smoking may have a significant impact on the mutations of the p53 gene in urothelial cancers. Furthermore, the distinct spectrum of the p53 gene mutation found in tumors with squamous cell carcinomas may reflect their unique etiological backgrounds.


Penetration of renewable energy sources (RESs) and electrical energy storage (EES) systems in distribution systems is increasing, and it is crucial to investigate their impact on systems' operation scheme, reliability and security. In this paper, expected energy not supplied (EENS) and voltage stability index (VSI) of distribution networks are investigated in dynamic balanced and unbalanced distribution network reconfiguration, including RESs and EES systems. Furthermore, due to the high investment cost of the EES systems, the number of charge and discharge is limited, and the state-of-health constraint is included in the underlying problem to prolong the lifetime of these facilities. The optimal charging/discharging scheme for EES systems and optimal distribution network topology are presented in order to optimize the operational costs, and reliability and security indices simultaneously. The proposed strategy is applied to a large-scale 119-bus distribution test network in order to show the economic justification of the proposed approach.


The Attica (N.Y.) earthquake of August 12, 1929 has been classified MM VIII. Recent detailed investigations indicate that the shock was of Intensity VII. These investigations include a review of scientific accounts, original reports and original newspaper accounts, studies of instrumental records, comparison with other shocks of Intensity VII and VIII, and interviews with local residents and witnesses to the disturbance. A detailed review of the Modified Mercalli Scale of Intensity and its application was part of the investigation.

None of the investigations support a classification of MM VIII. Original accounts of the earthquake indicate an Intensity no higher than VII. Magnitude estimates developed from diverse instrumental records correlate with an Intensity of VII or less. Comparison with the effects of Intensity VIII shocks clearly indicate that the 1929 Attica event was less intense, and comparison with other Intensity VII shocks support this contention. Interviews with local residents indicate that the Attica shock was MM VII.

It is concluded that the Attica earthquake of August 12, 1929 was an Intensity VII event and should be so classified in the record.


The numerical analysis of heat transfer by finite element method (FEM) has been used widely. It is usually assumed that the parameters relevant to the heat transfer process are accurately known. However, many of these parameters may vary in a random way in reality. The reliability of the heat transfer performance is needed to be evaluated. The paper introduces an accurate, efficient sensitivity analysis method to compute the FEM response with respect to input parameters. Combining this sensitivity analysis, first order reliability method (FORM) algorithm based stochastic finite element method (SFEM) method is used to evaluate the reliability of the limit state for heat conduction of a benchmark plate with input uncertainties.Copyright © 2014 by ASME


Introduction Transgender women are at high risk for HIV infection, but less is understood about their rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and the quality of sexual health services they receive. The Washington University Virology Clinic (St. Louis, MO USA) serves patients living with HIV; 2% of patients report being transgender women. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of transgender women living with HIV (n=41) to document frequency of testing for incident bacterial STIs [syphilis, gonorrhoea (GC), chlamydia (Ct)], with demographic information, markers of HIV care, and STI test results from 2011–2015. Results Most patients were African American (91%) and on antiretroviral medications (>88%), although only 56% maintained HIV viral load suppression. Health challenges included a history of disrupted antiretroviral treatment (66%) and STIs (65%). Incident syphilis was diagnosed in 7.3% patients, and GC and Ct were diagnosed in 19.5% and 9.8% of patients, respectively. For syphilis screening, 90% of patients were tested at least once a year, and 53% of patients were tested more than once a year. For GC/Ct screening, 89% of patients were tested at least once a year and 49.3% of patients were tested more than once a year. For patients with GC or Ct infection, only 44% of patients were retested at the site of infection 3–6 months after treatment. Reinfection with GC or Ct was subsequently diagnosed in 19.5% of patients. Frequency of three site testing for GC/Ct (genital, rectal, pharyngeal) increased over the course of the study period (from 3% of patients to 34% of patients, X2=17.69, p=0.001). Conclusion Transgender women living with HIV are at high risk for incident bacterial STIs. Frequency of testing for STIs increased over a five-year period, but many patients with documented infection were not re-tested after treatment as recommended by current guidelines. Understanding STI rates, primary locations of infection, and lack of retesting in patients will improve patient education and standardise care for patients.


This work presents the analytic determination of vibrations effective accelerations for a cinematic element of a crank and connecting rod assembly and the experiment that validated it. The movement equations of the linear viscoelastic straight cinematic elements in plan-parallel motion are presented by using Hamilton's variation principle. In order to obtain the dynamic response, the Laplace integral transforms and the finite Fourier transforms are applied. Finally, for a crank and connecting rod assembly R (RRT) in concrete work conditions, a comparison between the experimental results and the analytic determination of the vibrations transversal accelerations is given.


Constituent and dispersoid phases in two Direct Chill-cast 3xxx aluminum alloys after low-temperature annealing, with different silicon content have been studied. The lattice parameters, chemical composition, morphology and orientations relationships of constituent particles with regard to Al matrix have been addressed. Al(Fe,Mn) is found to be the most prominent constituent phase in the alloy with a low Si content. The orientation relationship between aluminum matrix and this phase is determined as , , which is consistent with the orientation relationships of Al(Fe,Mn) dispersoids. –Al(Fe,Mn)Si constituent particles in the Si rich alloy have been found to have various possible orientations. A gradient of Fe content is found in the –Al(Fe,Mn)Si dispersoids due to slow diffusion of Fe into dispersoids during annealing.


Off the shelf camera based eye pupil center detection has been very popular among computer vision community for the recent years. We propose an accurate and robust regressor based pupil center estimation method without any specialized hardware. The method trains a Support Vector Regressor using HOG features against the Euclidean distance between the center of the train patches and the ground-truth pupil center. On the test stage, we employ a sliding window approach to produce a score image that contains the regressor estimated distances to the pupil center. We select the best center position among the candidate centers by fitting a second degree polynomial to the maximal score image positions. The detected locations are improved by using an iterative method that repeats the center finding operation until there is no change. We evaluate our method on the challenging BioID data set. The results of the experiments are overall very promising and the system exceeds performance of the similar state of the art methods.


Recently, there is a growing trend of filing intrafamilial tort actions, especially against spouses. In the past, and, to a certain extent, even at present, immunities existed in common law against tort litigation within the family. Is it appropriate today to block such claims, or should they be considered in the same way as any other tort suit? The present essay will address this question, by examining the possibility of establishing a delicate balance between an individualistic approach, which focuses on realizing the autonomy of the individual to sue for harm done to him, and a family-collectivist approach, which attempts to determine what is best for the family as a whole, and is concerned that legal intervention in its affairs may be more detrimental than beneficial. The essay presents the current situation in a critical look. The assumption is that although this claim may be consistent with the goals of tort law, one cannot ignore the fact that this is not a suit involving two strangers. In addition, one cannot ignore the aim of the establishment of family courts - in which these claims are being filed - that is dispute resolution in ways of peace. Moreover, since these are particularly charged, emotional claims, the real remedy desired may at times not be financial compensation at all, but some other remedy, an emotional one, which the law cannot provide, but which might be provided specifically through extrajudicial proceedings. But requiring the parties to take part in such a proceeding under the auspices of the court (e.g. mandatory mediation) is itself problematic, since these are essentially voluntary proceedings. I will propose a desirable model that balances the two approaches, the individualistic and the family. This model will present a theoretical and practical framework for hearing such claims, applicable to the different stages of tort proceedings in the courts (and in pre-trial stage also), while also making use, in the framework of such proceedings, of quasi-mandatory extrajudicial processes. Part of the suggested solution will influence the criminal discussion on intrafamilial offenses.


Assessing the influence that socio-economic characteristics have on the division between traditional voters and those who choose to vote via the internet is crucial to political debate as well as for the future development of democracies. Does the introduction of internet voting technology simply widen the divide between voters and non-voters, further isolating the part of the electorate already underrepresented in the political process? We address these issues by reviewing the current state of research in 22 empirical studies relating internet voting to socio-economic variables. The results are not homogeneous but suggest that although socio-economic factors do play an important role in explaining the choice of voting channel, they are strongly moderated by the general use of and trust in the internet.


Sufficient workspace and high natural frequency of a micromanipulator are the fundamental requirements in its design. In this study, a previous design was analyzed from the viewpoint of the axiomatic design. Then, a new design parameter as displacement amplifier which transforms a coupled design into a decoupled design, was suggested. And a design procedure based on axiomatic design was developed. A planar 3-DOF parallel-type micromanipulator was chosen as an exemplary device. According to the suggested design procedure, the micromanipulator having the required natural frequency was designed in the first step, and then the displacement amplifier satisfying the required work space was designed sequentially. To check the effectiveness of the manipulator and displacement amplifier, simulations and experiments were performed. Those are verified that the displacement amplifiers implemened work very well for satisfying the required task workspace.


Background: Quality of work life is the reaction of employees to their work specially the individual results at work and mental health that affects their personal experience and work results.
Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of workload on quality of work life in staff of the teaching hospitals affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran.
Methods: This analytical study was conducted in 530 staff of four hospitals affiliated to the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences that were selected by Cochrane sampling method during 2014. The measurement tools were demographic questionnaire, Walton's quality of work life questionnaire (including 32 questions and eight dimensions), and the NASA TLX workload scale. Data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient.
Findings: The mean scores of quality of work life and workload were 48.21±13.34 and 64.70±11.44, respectively. There was negative significant correlation between workload and quality of work life (r= -0.0161).
Conclusion: With regards to the results, it seems that high workload is one of the most important factors of reduced quality of work life that can be reduced through proper organization and planning.
Keywords: Quality of life, Workload, Hospitals


A series of polycrystalline samples and submillimeter size single crystals of a cuprate oxychloride Ca2-xNaxCuO2Cl2 (Na-CCOC) with values of Na content ranging from underdoped to optimally doped regions were synthesized at pressure of 30-55 kbar and temperature of 1250-1700 °C. A systematic variation of the transition temperature Tc with a maximum value of 29 K for xapprox0.20 has been found as a function of Na content. In order to check the role of the apical oxygen for high-temperature superconductivity, we performed muon-spin rotation and magnetization studies of the in-plane magnetic penetration depth λabfor Ca2-xNaxCuO2Cl2 samples with xapprox0.11, 0.12, 0.15, 0.18, and 0.19. The absolute value of the in-plane magnetic penetration depth at T=0 was found to increase with decreasing doping from λab(0)=316(19) nm for the xapprox0.19 sample to λab(0)=430(26) nm for the xapprox0.11 one. Based on a comparison of the present Na-CCOC data with the data of La2-xSrxCuO4 cuprate superconductors, it is concluded that replacing of apical oxygen by chlorine decreases the coupling between the superconducting CuO2 planes, leading to an enhancement of the two-dimensional properties of Na-CCOC. The torque studies implies that the anisotropy coefficient λ=84(1) of Ca1.82Na0.18CuO2Cl2 single crystals is much more enhanced compared to the structurally related La1.82Sr0.18CuO4 where for same doping λ is much lower, i.e. γ approx 11. Synthesis and Bulk Properties of Oxychloride Superconductor Ca2-xNaxCuO2Cl2 N. D. Zhigadlo, J. Karpinski, S. Weyeneth, R. Khasanov, S. Katrych, P. Wägli and H. Keller (1) Laboratory for Solid State Physics, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland e-mail: email@example.com (2) Physik-Institut der Universität Zürich, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland Abstract A series of polycrystalline samples and submillimeter size single crystals of a cuprate oxychloride Ca2-xNaxCuO2Cl2 (Na-CCOC) with values of Na content ranging from underdoped to optimally doped regions were synthesized at pressure of 30-55 kbar and temperature of 1250-1700 oC. A systematic variation of the transition temperature Tc with a maximum value of 29 K for x≈0.20 has been found as a function of Na content. In order to check the role of the apical oxygen for high-temperature superconductivity, we performed muon-spin rotation and magnetization studies of the in-plane magnetic penetration depth λab for Ca2-xNaxCuO2Cl2 samples with x≈0.11, 0.12, 0.15, 0.18, and 0.19. The absolute value of the in-plane magnetic penetration depth at T=0 was found to increase with decreasing doping from λab(0)=316(19) nm for the x≈0.19 sample to λab(0)=430(26) nm for the x≈0.11 one. Based on a comparison of the present Na-CCOC data with the data of La2-xSrxCuO4 cuprate superconductors, it is concluded that replacing of apical oxygen by chlorine decreases the coupling between the superconducting CuO2 planes, leading to an enhancement of the two-dimensional properties of Na-CCOC. The torque studies implies that the anisotropy coefficient γ=84 of Ca1.82Na0.18CuO2Cl2 single crystals is much more enhanced compared to the structurally related La1.82Sr0.18CuO4 where for same doping γ is much lower, i.e. γ≈11. A series of polycrystalline samples and submillimeter size single crystals of a cuprate oxychloride Ca2-xNaxCuO2Cl2 (Na-CCOC) with values of Na content ranging from underdoped to optimally doped regions were synthesized at pressure of 30-55 kbar and temperature of 1250-1700 oC. A systematic variation of the transition temperature Tc with a maximum value of 29 K for x≈0.20 has been found as a function of Na content. In order to check the role of the apical oxygen for high-temperature superconductivity, we performed muon-spin rotation and magnetization studies of the in-plane magnetic penetration depth λab for Ca2-xNaxCuO2Cl2 samples with x≈0.11, 0.12, 0.15, 0.18, and 0.19. The absolute value of the in-plane magnetic penetration depth at T=0 was found to increase with decreasing doping from λab(0)=316(19) nm for the x≈0.19 sample to λab(0)=430(26) nm for the x≈0.11 one. Based on a comparison of the present Na-CCOC data with the data of La2-xSrxCuO4 cuprate superconductors, it is concluded that replacing of apical oxygen by chlorine decreases the coupling between the superconducting CuO2 planes, leading to an enhancement of the two-dimensional properties of Na-CCOC. The torque studies implies that the anisotropy coefficient γ=84 of Ca1.82Na0.18CuO2Cl2 single crystals is much more enhanced compared to the structurally related La1.82Sr0.18CuO4 where for same doping γ is much lower, i.e. γ≈11.


OBJECTIVE
The ability of nonfluoroscopically guided radiography of the knee to assess joint space loss is an important issue in studies of progression and treatment of knee osteoarthritis (OA), given the practical limitations of protocols involving fluoroscopically guided radiography of the knee. We evaluated the ability of the nonfluoroscopically guided fixed-flexion radiography protocol to detect knee joint space loss over 3 years.

METHODS
We assessed the same-day test-retest precision for measuring minimum joint space width (JSW), the sensitivity for detection of joint space loss using serial films obtained a median of 37 months (range 23-47 months) apart, and the relationship of joint space loss to radiographic and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures of knee OA. Participants were men and women (ages 70-79 years) with knee pain who were participating in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study. We assessed baseline radiographic OA and measured JSW using a computerized algorithm. Serial knee MRIs obtained over the same interval were evaluated for cartilage lesions.

RESULTS
A total of 153 knees were studied, 35% of which had radiographic OA at baseline. The mean +/- SD joint space loss for all knees over 3 years was 0.24 +/- 0.59 mm (P < 0.001 for change). In knees with OA at baseline, the mean +/- SD joint space loss over 3 years was 0.43 +/- 0.66 mm (P < 0.001), and in knees with joint space narrowing at baseline, joint space loss was 0.50 +/- 0.67 mm (P < 0.001). Joint space loss and its standardized response mean increased with the severity of baseline joint space narrowing and with the presence of cartilage lesions at baseline and worsening during followup.

CONCLUSION
Radiography of the knee in the fixed-flexion view provides a sensitive and valid measure of joint space loss in multiyear longitudinal studies of knee OA, without the use of fluoroscopy to aid knee positioning.


Muscle dysmorphia (MD) is a condition that is characterized by body image disturbance, a drive for muscularity and excessive exercising. It leads to considerable functional impairment. Most previous studies focused on male samples. The study aimed to validate a German version of the Muscle Dysmorphic Disorder Inventory (MDDI) in order to make the instrument available in German speaking countries. We further aimed to explore for gender differences in the MDDI factors (measurement invariance) and to assess the relationship between MD and positive dimensions of body experience as well as exercise dependence. 394 participants (53% females, mean age 24.3 years) took part in an internet-based survey. The three-factor structure of the English version of the MDDI was replicated, independent of gender (multi group CFA; Base model TLI = .961; CFI = .970). Cronbach´s alpha was .81-.84 for the subscales and .75 for the MDDI total score. MD was associated with exercise dependence and negatively correlated with dimensions of positive body experience, which can be considered relevant for satisfying relationships and a positive sense of self: e.g. body contact and sexual fulfillment. Men and women showed differences in two subscales of the MDDI (appearance intolerance, drive for size). Testing for measurement invariance resulted in weak invariance: Equivalent factor structure for men and women, but significantly different loadings and coefficients. No statistically significant difference in the MDDI total score was found. The findings suggest good psychometric properties of the German version of the MDDI. Future studies should address the question of cut-off scores and norms for different samples as well as a possible overlap between MD and eating disorder psychopathology in women.


Recent trends in the provision of infrastructure development indicate that the private sector is playing an increasingly important role in the procurement process. This trend has partly arisen out of a necessity for the development of infrastructure to be undertaken at a rate that maintains and allows growth. This has become a major challenge for many countries where it is evident that these provisions cannot be met by government alone. The emergence of Build‐Own‐Operate‐Transfer (BOOT) schemes as a response to this challenge provides a means for developing the infrastructure of a country without directly impacting upon the government's budgetary constraints. The concepts of BOOT are without doubt extremely complex arrangements, which bring to the construction sector risks not experienced previously. This paper examines perceptions of BOOT schemes in order to develop a framework of critical success factors. The developed framework is then tested against a case study of Stadium Australia, and the outcomes of the comparison are discussed.


Even though both the number and the size of tall building developments are increasing, tall building economics remain understudied. The goal of the research is to study developer behavior regarding height premiums in residential tall buildings. Literature offers little knowledge on developers' behavior when it comes to height premiums in the residential sector. Previous findings on the demand side of height premiums indicate that willingness to pay for height benefits depends user preferences, but all signal that higher floors offer characteristics that can be priced by developers. Contextually relevant height benefits in the residential sector are categorized as views and perception of social power. This research employs data from fifteen residential tall buildings in Rotterdam and analyzes the relation between developer unit prices, floor levels and height benefits. Results display a 0.5% increase in developer unit prices per floor level, ceteris paribus. However, a deeper analysis shows that height premiums display inter-building and intra-building differences, which is interpreted as evidence for heterogenous vertical price premium behavior amongst developers. The floor level premiums were found to be substantially impacted by height-induced view effects. The results further show that developers place a price on status aspects related to height. Penthouses premiums were found to be larger when placed on a greater vertical location and some developers seem to put a price label on the concept of being located on top of others. These novel insights can help various stakeholders to better understand developer vertical price premium behavior.


A color laser microscope utilizing a new color laser imaging system has been developed for the visual inspection of semiconductors. The light source, produced by three lasers (Red; He-Ne, Green; Ar, Blue; He-Cd), is deflected horizontally by an AOD (Acoustic Optical Deflector) and vertically by a vibration mirror. The laser beam is focused in a small spot which is scanned over the sample at high speed. The light reflected back from the sample is reformed to contain linear information by returning to the original vibration mirror. The linear light is guided to the CCD image sensor where it is converted into a video signal. Individual CCD image sensors are used for each of the three R, G, or B color image signals. The confocal optical system with its laser light source yields a color TV monitor image with no flaring and a much sharper resolution than that of the conventional optical microscope. The AOD makes possible a high speed laser scan and a NTSC or PAL TV video signal is produced in real time without any video memory. Since the light source is composed of R, G, and B laser beams, color separation superior to that of white light illumination is achieved. Because of the photometric linearity of the image detector, the R, G, and B outputs of the system are most suitably used for hue analysis. The CCD linear image sensors in the optical system produce no geometrical distortion, and good color registration is available principally. The output signal can be used for high accuracy line width measuring. The many features of the color laser microscope make it ideally suited for the visual inspection of semiconductor processing. A number of these systems have already been installed in such a capacity. The Color Laser Microscope can also be a very useful tool for the fields of material engineering and biotechnology.


Linda Connor's world-renowned photographs are global and sublime. For thirty years she has created distinctively glowing, contemplative images of nature and religious sites around the world using a large-format camera and glass-plate negatives. This career-spanning retrospective collects Connor's haunting photos, including her renowned prints from century-old glass-plate astronomical negatives from Lick Observatory, contextualized by an unprecedented three-way conversation between Linda and two modern luminaries, Robert Adams and Emmet Gowin. Published to coincide with a major touring exhibition, Odyssey is a long overdue celebration of a modern photographic master.


GNSS provides excellent time accuracy for synchronizing many commercial applications – datacenters, communication networks, power and process control operations, and more. However, when these applications are part of critical infrastructures, which many are, then the susceptibilities of GNSS to jamming and spoofing can undermine the operation. Resiliency is needed.

This presentation will describe several ways that GNSS timing systems can be made more resilient for critical infrastructure. Specifically:
1. Interference Detection and Mitigation (IDM) techniques – analyzing the received GNSS signal can offer great insight into whether the signal is legitimate or not. The Dept. of Homeland Security has issued guidelines for protective measures for GPS receivers used in critical infrastructure, but additional methods are possible when all the GNSS constellations are considered. Also, advanced filtering techniques can eliminate some of the popular low-cost jamming signals in use today.

2. Anti-jam antennas – the best way to combat jamming and spoofing is not to allow the bad energy into the receiver in the first place. Directional, tracking and null steering antennas are available to block several types of jammers and spoofers but can become more costly as you add more protection. A cost-performance comparison will be shown along with real-world test results.

3. Augmentation with alternative signals such as Satellite Time and Location (STL) from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations – though less accurate than GNSS, these much stronger signals provide a high level of interference and jamming protection. Moreover, the strong encryption protection is impervious to spoofing. These signals can be used in conjunction with GNSS to authenticate location (i.e., guarantee GNSS is not getting spoofed), as well as alone during periods of GNSS spoofing or denial. STL signals are available worldwide today.

4. Next Generation Receivers – multi-frequency, multi-constellation receivers are becoming more affordable for widespread commercial use. Some are beginning to offer machine learning techniques and advanced signal processing to further eliminate noise, multipath and interference. In addition, new services such as Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OS-NMA) within Galileo will be operational in 2021. This will enhance protection against spoofing for any critical application.

The state of the industry will be presented in this paper as it exists today and projected out into the next few years.


We investigate the environmental impacts of several forms of policies that offer farmers subsides in return for adoption of conservation tillage. The policies differ on whether the tillage practice or one of the environmental benefits is targeted. We develop an environmental Lorenz curve that fully represents the performance of the targeting policies, and we show that these curves can be used directly to help select the optimal targeting strategy for special classes of social welfare functions. We apply the model to the state of Iowa.


The post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is defined as a severe anxiety disorder that develops after exposure to an event with actual, threatened, or perceived death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of oneself or others that results in significant psychological trauma. Moreover, the ability of people to handle acute severe stress experiences varies among individuals. Depending on the underlying personality and resiliency, therefore, PTSD can occur in individuals exposed to exceedingly stressful incidences or those who have encountered seemingly less overwhelming stressors. In addition to severe stressful exposure, multiple other factors including genetic susceptibility; past experiences; cultural, spiritual, and personal beliefs; bullying and harassments; and lack of support at the workplace, social, and home environement may contribute to the development of PTSD. Author investigated multiple potential mechanisms for the development and sustenance of PTSD based on the recent literature and his own experiences and insight. Based on this search, author indicates that among other pathological and biochemical abnormalities, hormonal aberrations are most likely key mechanisms initiating and the maintenance of the PTSD. These pathophysiological neuro-hormonal changes instigate maladaptive learning processes caused by sustained high levels of anxiety and fear, through a hypo-responsive hypothalamic-pituitary axis and hyper-responsive catecholamine system (persistently elevated blood norepinephrine levels and lower than appropriate glucocorticoid levels). In addition to having inappropriately low serum cortisol levels and high epinephrine and norepinephrine levels, patients with PTSD also have mitochondrial dysfunctions and other hormonal abnormalities. Based on these data, author concluded that these pathological, biochemical and sustained neurohormonal abnormalities are likely to influence the structural brain changes, particularly in the amygdala and hippocampus, which are characteristics of patients with PTSD. Considering these abnormalities, neuroendocrine system needs to be considered as a key target for new drug development for prevention and treatment of PTSD.


This study examines recent deterministic elements of gold prices. Financial, economic, and political conditions have changed the role of gold. Following recent major financial crises, the volume of transactions have increased. These phenomena, from 1990 to 2015, included a breaking point at 2008Q3 in gold prices for macroeconomic variables. In the first half of this period, exchange rates, inflation, and stock prices influenced gold prices; for the latter partof this period, exchange rates, interest rates, and inflation more greatly impacted gold prices. A large difference and change in deterministic elements of stock prices occurred around the time of the Lehman shock. Hedging the role of gold against inflation is a recent phenomenon; however, it played no significant role at the time of Lehman shock. Currency depreciation caused past demand for gold; however, appreciation of currency may have increased the recent demand for gold in some countries.


The study of national economic and financial security in the context of sanctions and import substitution revealed the lack of a unified methodology in the economic block of the Russian Federation, manifested in the form of discrepancies in the methodological approaches of regulatory institutions of the ministerial level. The presence of such theoretical and methodological discrepancies in the work of the regulatory institutions of Russia indicates the lack of a unified national state ideology for the formation of the development strategy of individual territories and the country as a whole. Effective and stable development of the country is impossible without strong science, the results of which are implemented in public practice. Declaring a serious large-scale import substitution project, there is actually no task to develop an appropriate theoretical and methodological basis for it, to define a paradigm that is designed to reflect national interests. The presence of developed theories and methodology as the basis of the scientific foundation in the country's economy, including economic security as an integral part of Russia's national security, allows us to develop effective strategies that constitute a unique intellectual base for the development of the country's economic sectors. If import substitution is based only on the initial level, without a scientific basis that takes into account the national interests of Russia, the preservation of the country's sovereignty turns out to be an impossible task. To verify the assertions made, letters were sent containing questions about the use by institutions of domestic or foreign theoretical and methodological tools in their work. The correspondence covered 7 ministries and the Bank of Russia, which form the economic bloc of the RF Government. The analysis of the responses allows us to conclude: import substitution in Russia is defined narrowly, only in relation to groups of goods, technology and equipment without taking into account scientific domestic developments in theory and methodology; it is not clear what domestic/foreign tools are used in the economic block of Russia; there is no constructive interaction between representatives of the scientific and educational community and managerial practitioners. Import substitution in Russia should start from the theoretical and methodological level, where the strategy is defined and the integrity in the activities of the institution and the relevant sector of the economy of the country is set.


On 8 April 1980, Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr was executed. His execution arousedno criticism from the West against the Iraqi regime, however, because Sadr had openly supported the Ayatollah Khomeini's regime in Iran and because the West was distracted by the turbulence in Iran that followed the revolution. Governments both in the West and in the region were concerned that the Iranian revolution would be "exported," and they set about eliminating that threat. When Ayatollah Khomeini called upon Muslims in Iraq to follow the example of the Iranian people and rise up against the corrupt secular Baʿthist socialist regime, they interpreted it as the first step in the spread of Islamic radicalism that would eventually lead to the destablization of the whole region.


Reportedly, over the past thirty years there has been a general sense of willingness, on behalf of suppliers and customers alike, to develop increasingly close 'emotional' relationships based on trust 1 . Whilst buyers reward suppliers with brand loyalty, suppliers in turn develop strategies to continually energise this 'connective' relationship. However, as customers and suppliers increasingly become physically connected to one another via computer networks an important emergent issue is: whether the nature of their relationship is changing as a result of transactions taking place across these networks. This paper discusses part of an exploratory research project designed to question the extent to which computer-based technologies that previously enabled the building of emotionally connective relationships through the analysis of customer data are instead facilitating anonymous transactional relationships. The project focuses on organisations in three European countries: France, Germany and the United Kingdom. The broad aims are to explore whether consumer segments are emerging, which actually prefer the minimal personal interaction afforded by sophisticated new computer technology, and to examine the extent to which financial service organisations are responding to the demands of such segments. The paper includes an outline of the contextual background, followed by the research methodology and a discussion of the findings. Conclusions are drawn about the implications of these findings for both industry practitioners and academic researchers.


After the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan stands on the edge of an abyss, in to which it may plunge the world. As this nuclear power nation, the front line of the West's struggle against Al Qaeda, enters the worst political crisis in its history, Zahid Hussain's acclaimed and updated book unravels the key questions: who really controls the country? Will Pakistan be Talibanized? Has Al Qaeda infilitrated the state?After 9/11, Pakistan's controversial President, Pervez Musharraf stunned the world by announcing his support for America's 'War on Terror'. But in Pakistan, as Zahid Hussain reveals, nothing is as it seems.Hussain documents for the first time in detail the incestuous relationship between Pakistan's jihadis and its all-powerful military intelligence agency - the ISI.Based on exclusive interviews with key players, he shows us the fall-out from Musharraf's momentous decision to support America. He penetrates the jihadi networks, revealing their sources of funding, and their links with the Taliban and Al Qaeda. From the dangerous mountain passes of Waziristan to the mess tables of Rawalpindi and the sectarian madrassas of the Punjab, Hussain portrays a country which was already seething with unrest before political violence claimed its highest profile victim in December 2007.As Hussain shows, whoever was behind the assasination of Benazir Bhutto, its main effect has been to accelerate the country's fragmentation, creating a level of uncertainty and chaos from which only extremists and terrorists can benefit. Whatever lies in wait for Pakistan - Talibanization, civil war or worse - it will have grave implications for the entire world.


Structured light techniques (Moire, projected fringes and other pattern projection techniques) have been used for many years in the aerospace and other industries for external defect location and characterization, 3D shape, deformation measurements and the like. The application of digital image processing methods to the images generated by these techniques has made possible the realization of fast and automatic systems for quantitative NDT measurements.
This work is divided in two parts. First, the principal approaches to structured light-based NDT are reviewed, presenting the basis, performance characteristics as well as their expected ranges and resolutions.
The second part concentrates on the digital image processing techniques of interest in the field of structured light-based NDT. As the images produced by these techniques are often in the form of phase-modulated fringe patterns, the branch of image processing that deal with this kind of images is denominated fringe pattern processing. Among the many existing fringe pattern processing techniques, the paper will concentrate on the phase-shifting methods (spatial and temporal) and the regularization and natural demodulation methods.
It will be shown how when acquisition time is not critical, and several phase-shifted images can be acquired, phase-shifting techniques are well-suited for phase demodulation. Related with these techniques is the so-called phase unwrapping problem that will be discussed.
Finally, fringe pattern processing techniques are discussed which can be applied in cases when acquisition time or the optical set-up only allows the use of one fringe pattern. In this case the problem of demodulating the phase is ill-posed from a mathematical point of view and special techniques as regularization and the so-called natural demodulation are needed.


INTRODUCTION
Allergic diseases are mediated by T helper cell type 2 (Th2) cells, which are differentiated by dendritic cells (DCs). Recently, it was reported that cAMP concentration in DCs is important for inducing allergic responses. However, the regulatory function of cAMP in DCs in Th2 immune responses is unclear. It was hypothesized that the regulation of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) to increase cAMP levels in DCs would reduce Th2 immune responses.

METHODS
Human DCs from patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) and from healthy controls were subjected to next-generation sequencing (NGS) to identify potential GPCR. To investigate the functions of GPCR agonists, the in vitro co-culture experiment that THP-1 cells were differentiated into DCs and cultured with human CD4+ T-cells and an AR animal in vivo model were used.

RESULTS
Among the GPCRs, the beta-2 adrenergic receptor (ADRB2) of allergic DCs was significantly increased by NGS analysis. The expression of ADRB2 was also increased in Der p 1-treated DCs, which was reduced by treatment with the ADRB2 agonist salbutamol. Salbutamol treatment induced cAMP production in THP-1 derived DCs. In an in vitro co-culture experiment, salbutamol-treated DCs reduced the secretion of Th2 cytokine. In an in vivo AR animal experiment, salbutamol-administered mice showed reduced allergic behavior and Th2 cytokine expression in the nasal mucosa.

CONCLUSIONS
The regulation of ADRB2 with salbutamol alleviated the allergic response in vitro DC-T cell co-culture and in vivo AR animal models, suggesting that ADRB2 is a therapeutic target for AR and that ADRB2 agonists may be a promising medication for AR.


Richard Gelfond knew little about the movie business when he and a partner acquired IMAX, back in 1994. At the time, most IMAX movies were nature documentaries, shown in the theaters of science museums, but he recognized that the entertainment experience the company provided had great potential. Figuring out how to move into mainstream markets turned out to be far more challenging than Gelfond had anticipated, however. The technology constraints of the predigital era and the cultural constraints of the Hollywood movie industry combined to slow IMAX's progress toward the successful business model it relies on today. At one point in 2001, the stock was trading at 55 cents a share, and some bondholders tried to force IMAX into bankruptcy. In 2006 Gelfond and his team actively tried to sell it. But doubts about its survival faded in 2009- particularly after the IMAX version of Avatar became a global phenomenon, bringing $250 million in revenue to the company. INSET: IMAX FRAME BY FRAME.


Priorities among the infectious diseases affecting the three billion people in the less developed world have been based on prevalence. morbidity. mortality and feasibility of control. With these priorities in mind a program of selective primary health care is compared with other approaches and suggested as the most cost-etTective form of medical intervention in the least developed countries. A flexible program delivered by either fixed or mobile units might include measles and diptheria-pertussis-tetanus vaccination. treatment for febrile malaria and oral rehydration for diarrhea in children. and tetanus toxoid and encouragement of breast feeding in mothers. Other interventions might be added on the basis of regional needs and new developments. For major diseases for which control measures are inadequate. research is an inexpensive approach on the basis of cost per infected person per year.


To ignore the historical perspective of socio-economical phenomena while looking ahead to the future in an attempt to raise expectations and set new challenges, can prove a risky move when approaching the cooperative movement as a whole. This is particularly so in the case of the European agricultural cooperatives. We expect them to play a relevant role in the overall panorama of a globalized world. The aim of this article is to trace the origins of the agricultural cooperative movement in seven European countries (Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal and the United Kingdom) and discuss the coincidences and differences which account for common problems with a view to avoiding them in future joint ventures. Some issues discussed here are, among others, the legal framework, the public institutions concerned with the promotion and development of cooperatives, promoting social groups, the underlying values involved, and finally the various types of cooperatives and the important role they play in specific economic sectors. The analysis includes a comparative synthesis as a point of departure for new challenges in the near future.


The present paper demonstrates how the interaction of the structural axiomatic core and the behavioral propensity function produces dynamically stable outcomes in the product market. The propensity function is a compact formal expression of random, semi-random, and deterministic behavioral assumptions. Its two components are direction and magnitude of the rate of change of an elementary axiomatic variable. A type-C propensity function is the formal container for a familiar conception that is known as qualitative prediction. In a random environment, two type-C functions are sufficient to produce stochastic stability and optimality in the product market. The propensity function is truly general.


An essential part of every quality assurance program is feedback of findings to physicians so they can improve patient care. The ways in which feedback programs are planned and implemented determines their degree of effectiveness. A central feature of successful programs is active physician involvement. The program described below is a model which has achieved national recognition.


The low return rate of fish released for stock enhancement has often been attributed to hatchery-reared fish having inferior behavioral characteristics. We tried to improve the behavioral characteristic of red sea bream (Pagrus major) juveniles by using a net-chasing treatment. The fish were provided with 2 min of net chasing twice daily for 3 weeks, following which their behavioral characteristics (emergence from a start area, avoidance response to novel stimulus, and foraging following transfer between tanks) were individually tested and compared with a control group. A predator exposure test was then conducted using marbled rockfish (Sebastiscus marmoratus). Net-chased fish exhibited a shorter latency to emergence, a higher avoidance rate, and an earlier foraging time than the control fish, indicating that the net-chasing treatment may improve adaptability for environmental change and alertness to a novel object. The net-chased fish also exhibited a better survival rate than the control fish, with an odds ratio of 6.76. We suggest that net-chasing training represents an easy and efficient method for improving the behavior of fish for stock enhancement.


In the vocabulary of Italian colonialism, the «meticcio» (pl. «meticci») or «halfcastes» was a child born of intimate relationships that were usually between a white man and a black woman. The Italian-Somalis were educated according to the Italian culture as well as language and were baptized by Roman Catholic priests. In close continuity with the colonial past, the Italian Trust Administration of Somalia deliberately conducted ed during the 1960s a policy of assimilation and Italianization of many Italian-Somalis thanks to the precious collaboration of the apostolic Vicariate in Mogadishu. When Somalia became independent on July 1, 1960, the new legislation didn't easily acknowledge the Somali citizenship to the Italian-Somalis. Many of them decided to left the country and other, very young, were brought to Italy as statelessness people. The Italian-Somalis were associated by the Somalis with the former white colonizers for being Christian, culturally Italian and too lightskinned, while once in Italy they were considered by Italians as no different from other Africans, for being too dark and not quite culturally Italian in contradiction with their history of forced Italianization.


This article aims to evaluate the degree of competition in the dairy industry, in the relevant markets of Ultra High Temperature (UHT) milk and pasteurized milk, by means of price transmission and marketing margin behavior. The empirical analysis is based on the model formerly proposed by Houck (1977) and latter detailed by Carman and Sexton (2005).This model analyzes separately the effects of input price increases and reductions on consumer prices, allowing for estimations of price transmission and margin behavior. Cepea-USP and Fipe provide, respectively, weekly input prices and consumer prices, both for the period of December 1999 to December 2005. As a major result, the degree of competition in the UHT relevant market was found to be robustly different from the pasteurized milk market. Whereas in the first price transmission corroborates the hypothesis of competitive market, in the pasteurized milk market there is evidence of imperfections both in price transmission and margin behavior. The outstanding increase of UHT milk consumption has fostered competition and liquidity in the dairy industry and milk distribution, allowing for faster price transmission throughout the production chain. Nevertheless fixed markup pricing found in the UHT relevant market shows that dairy industry and milk distribution have some degree of market power so as nominal changes in input prices are passed through consumers in a larger magnitude.


Abstract. The need of understanding and modelling the space–time variability of natural processes in hydrological sciences produced a large body of literature over the last thirty years. In this context, a multifractal framework provides parsimonious models which can be applied to a wide-scale range of hydrological processes, and are based on the empirical detection of some patterns in observational data, i.e. a scale invariant mechanism repeating scale after scale. Hence, multifractal analyses heavily rely on available data series and their statistical processing. In such analyses, high order moments are often estimated and used in model identification and fitting as if they were reliable. This paper warns practitioners against the blind use in geophysical time series analyses of classical statistics, which is based upon independent samples typically following distributions of exponential type. Indeed, the study of natural processes reveals scaling behaviours in state (departure from exponential distribution tails) and in time (departure from independence), thus implying dramatic increase of bias and uncertainty in statistical estimation. Surprisingly, all these differences are commonly unaccounted for in most multifractal analyses of hydrological processes, which may result in inappropriate modelling, wrong inferences and false claims about the properties of the processes studied. Using theoretical reasoning and Monte Carlo simulations, we find that the reliability of multifractal methods that use high order moments (>3) is questionable. In particular, we suggest that, because of estimation problems, the use of moments of order higher than two should be avoided, either in justifying or fitting models. Nonetheless, in most problems the first two moments provide enough information for the most important characteristics of the distribution.


p56lck (Lck) is a lymphoid-specific Src family tyrosine kinase that is critical for T-cell development and activation. Lck is also a membrane protein, and approximately half of the membrane-associated Lck is associated with a glycolipid-enriched membrane (GEM) fraction that is resistant to solubilization by Triton X-100 (TX-100). To compare the membrane-associated Lck present in the GEM and TX-100-soluble fractions of Jurkat cells, Lck from each fraction was immunoblotted with antibody to phosphotyrosine. Lck in the GEM fraction was found to be hyperphosphorylated on tyrosine, and this correlated with a lower kinase specific activity relative to the TX-100-soluble Lck. Peptide mapping and phosphatase diagests showed that the hyperphosphorylation and lower kinase activity of GEM-associated Lck was due to phosphorylation of the regulatory COOH-terminal Tyr505. In addition, we determined that the membrane-bound tyrosine phosphatase CD45 was absent from the GEM fraction. Cells lacking CD45 showed identical phosphorylation of Lck in GEM and TX-100-soluble membranes. We propose that the GEM fraction represents a specific membrane domain present in T-cells, and that the hyperphosphorylation of tyrosine and lower kinase activity of GEM-associated Lck is due to exclusion of CD45 from these domains. Lck associated with the GEM domains may therefore consitute a reservoir of enzyme that can be readily activated.


Psychodermatology covers all aspects of how the mind and body interact in relation to the onset and progression of various skin disorders. This book is the first text written by a multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, psychologists, child specialists and dermatologists for all the health professionals who treat patients with skin problems. They cover a broad range of issues affecting these patients, including: stigma, coping, relationships, psychological treatments, the impact on children, comorbidities, psychoneuroimmunology, quality of life and psychological treatments.


We present L0Learn: an open-source package for sparse linear regression and classification using $\ell_0$ regularization. L0Learn implements scalable, approximate algorithms, based on coordinate descent and local combinatorial optimization. The package is built using C++ and has user-friendly R and Python interfaces. L0Learn can address problems with millions of features, achieving competitive run times and statistical performance with state-of-the-art sparse learning packages. L0Learn is available on both CRAN and GitHub (https://cran.r-project.org/package=L0Learn and https://github.com/hazimehh/L0Learn).


ABSTRACT: Simply Soups Inc., a producer of organic canned soups, has hired your firm, Putnam and Jacobs LLP, to perform a financial statement audit for the year ended December 31, 2013. Using the PCAOB's proposed standard on confirmations, you are to complete the testing of the cash balance reported by Simply Soups Inc. at year-end. Today, a majority of large banks require auditors to use electronic cash confirmation requests and, as a result, almost all large audit firms use them. When using electronic confirmation requests, audit firms typically rely on a third-party intermediary to provide a secure technological platform to transmit information between the bank and the auditor as well as to validate the authenticity of the respondent. In requiring you to electronically confirm cash balances using a third-party intermediary, this case provides an opportunity to improve your understanding of current audit practice, strengthen your technical knowledge of applicable standards, and develop the professional ...


This paper presents a Markov chain model to analyze the performance of shared-resource array processors for multiple vector processing. Such a parallel processor contains multiple control units sharing a resource pool of processing elements and operating with multiple single-instruction multiple-data streams (MSIMD). In the steady state, the Markov model corresponds to a two-dimensional Markov chain, which can be expressed by a set of equilibrium equations. An iterative method is developed to solve the Markov chain after projecting the equilibrium equations onto a one-dimensional state space. The convergence rate of the iterative method can be greatly enhanced by choosing starting values corresponding to the approximated analytical results obtained earlier by the authors.


The overall goal of the Ministry of Education is to provide equal access to education for all the children irrespective of their socio economic status. This is in accordance with the government's commitment to achieving Education for All by 2015. Despite the introduction of Community Support Grants, poor access and low retention rates are observed in preschool education in Arid and Semi Arid Lands (ASAL) regions, many rural areas, urban informal settlements and other low potential areas. Although various studies have been carried out on preschool education, it is still not clearly understood why some children drop out of school or are not enrolled at all even after the initiation of the Community Support Grants in Eldama-Ravine Division Koibatek District. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that influence enrolment and retention of children aged 3-5 years in public preschools in Eldama Ravine Division, Koibatek District, Baringo County. The objectives of this study were to explore the public preschools enrolment and retention trends and to establish the factors that influence enrolment and retention of children in public preschools. A descriptive survey design was used in the study. The target population was the teachers and parents of 40 public preschools. Out of the 40 preschools, 12 of them were studied. A total of 54 respondents including 36 teachers and 18 parents were sampled for the study. The data was collected using questionnaires for the teachers and Focus Group Discussion for the parents. Descriptive statistics was used to describe the basic features of the data in the study. The collected data was analyzed by use of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The results were presented using frequency tables and percentages. The study found that enrolment and retention rates in public preschools in Eldama Ravine Division Koibatek District declined and that the dropout rate increased. The problem of low enrolment and retention affects girls more than boys. The most predominant causes of declining rates of enrolment and retention of children in public preschools in the division are socio-economic, socio-cultural, school-based and environmental factors that can cause a threat to achievement of Education For All which calls for attention from all stakeholders. It was recommended that there is need for the government to initiate School Feeding Programmes in public preschools in order to enhance enrolment and retention and introduce Free Preschool Education so that dropout rates can reduce.


Graphs are a natural fit for modeling concepts used in solving diverse problems in science, commerce, engineering, and governance. Responding to the diversity of graph data and algorithms, many parallel and distributed graph-processing systems exist. However, until now these platforms use a static model of deployment: they only run on a pre-defined set of machines. This raises many conceptual and pragmatic issues, including misfit with the highly dynamic nature of graph processing, and could lead to resource waste and high operational costs. In contrast, in this work we explore the benefits and drawbacks of the dynamic model of deployment. Building a three-layer benchmarking framework for assessing elasticity in graph analytics, we conduct an in-depth elasticity study of distributed graph processing. Our framework is composed of state-of-the-art workloads, autoscalers, and metrics, derived from the LDBC Graphalytics benchmark and SPEC RG Cloud Group's elasticity metrics. We uncover the benefits and cost of elasticity in graph processing: while elasticity allows for fine-grained resource management, and does not degrade application performance, we find that graph workloads are sensitive to data migration while leasing or releasing resources. Moreover, we identify non-trivial interactions between scaling policies and graph workloads, which add an extra level of complexity to resource management and scheduling for graph processing.


Identifying heavy hitter flows is a fundamental problem in various network domains. The well established method of using sketches to approximate flow statistics suffers from space inefficiencies. In addition, flow arrival rates are dynamic, thus keeping track of the most recent heavy hitters poses a challenge. Sliding window approximations address this problem, reducing space at the cost of increasing point query time. This paper presents two novel algorithms for identifying heavy hitters in streams and sliding windows. Both algorithms use statically allocated memory and support constant time point queries. For sliding windows, this is an asymptotic improvement over previous work. We also demonstrate reduced memory requirements of up to 85% in streams and 66% in sliding windows over synthetic and real Internet packet traces.


Abstract Objective To describe the current methods used by English medical schools to identify prospective medical students for admission to the five year degree course. Design Review study including documentary analysis and interviews with admissions tutors. Setting All schools (n = 22) participating in the national expansion of medical schools programme in England. Results Though there is some commonality across schools with regard to the criteria used to select future students (academic ability coupled with a "well rounded" personality demonstrated by motivation for medicine, extracurricular interests, and experience of team working and leadership skills) the processes used vary substantially. Some schools do not interview; some shortlist for interview only on predicted academic performance while those that shortlist on a wider range of non-academic criteria use various techniques and tools to do so. Some schools use information presented in the candidate's personal statement and referee's report while others ignore this because of concerns over bias. A few schools seek additional information from supplementary questionnaires filled in by the candidates. Once students are shortlisted, interviews vary in terms of length, panel composition, structure, content, and scoring methods. Conclusion The stated criteria for admission to medical school show commonality. Universities differ greatly, however, in how they apply these criteria and in the methods used to select students. Different approaches to admissions should be developed and tested.


The biological availability of artificial beta-carotene as a water-soluble versus oily formulation based on cyclodextrin (Cyclocar tablets) was studied on volunteers given a single dose of 25 mg. The concentrations of beta-carotene and major carotenoids were measured in the blood serum during the experiment by high performance liquid chromatography. The maximum content of beta-carotene in the serum was attained 24-30 and 30-48 hrs after oily formulations and Cyclocar and were 48.0 +/- 7.7 and 28.1 +/- 3.6 mg/dl, respectively. The rate of beta-carotene utilization from Cyclocar was 2.2 times less than that from the oil paste. Besides, beta-carotene absorbed from these oily drugs retained in the blood serum for longer period than that form Cyclocar.


The objective was to identify exemplars in teaching pharmacy students awareness, knowledge, and the skills needed to provide care and services to the underserved. A call for exemplars was sent out in spring 2007. A subcommittee of the AACP Task Force on Caring for the Underserved reviewed all applications received. The 3 best exemplars for teaching pharmacy students the awareness, attitudes, knowledge, and skills needed to care for the underserved were selected and are described in this manuscript. Included are 1 didactic, 1 experiential, and 1 international experience. These exemplars in educating students on working with the underserved provide schools with models which could be adapted to fit individual programmatic curricular needs.


Question: Many functional diversity indices require the calculation of functional
trait dissimilarities between species. However, very little is known about
how the dissimilarity measure used might affect conclusions about ecological
processes drawn from functional diversity.
Methods: We simulated real applications of functional diversity, to illustrate
the key properties of the two most common families of dissimilarity measures:
(1) 'Gower' distance, using only 'mean trait' value per species and then standardizing
each trait, e.g. relative to its range; (2) 'trait overlap' between species,
which takes into account within-species trait variability.We then examine how
these approaches could affect conclusions about ecological processes commonly
assessed with functional diversity. We also propose a new R function ('trova',
i.e. TRait OVerlAp) which performs computations to estimate species trait
dissimilaritywith different types of data.
Results: The trait overlap approach generally produces a less context-dependentmeasure
of functional dissimilarity. For example, the results are less dependent
on the transformation of trait data (often required in empirical datasets)
and on the particular pool of species considered (i.e. trait range, regularity and
presence of outliers). The results therefore could bemore easily compared across
studies and biomes. Further, trait overlap more reliably reproduces patterns
expected when niche differentiation structures communities. The Gower
approach, on the contrary,more reliably detects environmental filtering effects.
Conclusion: The two approaches imply different conceptions of how species
dissimilarities relate to niche differentiation. Trait overlap is suitable for testing
the effect of species interactions on functional diversity within local communities,
especiallywhen relatively small differences in species traits are linked to different
resource acquisition. Gower is better suited to detecting changes in
functional diversity along environmental gradients, as greater differences in trait
values reflect increased niche differentiation. Combining trait overlap and Gower
approachesmay provide a novel way to assess the joint effects of environmental
filtering and niche complementarity on community assembly. We suggest
that attention should be given not only to the index of functional diversity
considered but also whether the dissimilarity used is appropriate for the study
context.


The care of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic has added many layers of complexity to ethical issues. Our response emphasizes the importance of having an ethically sound framework to inform our decisions, requiring caregivers to consider what is ethically optimal and feasible for the patient. It is increasingly important to understand the ethical principles and to appropriately apply them to both patient management decisions and guide scarce resource allocation. If we are to be prepared to face the many challenges of this pandemic, we must prioritize the ethical demands to our treatment and management concerns.


Objective: To review in the scientific literature the main lesions associated with pelvic fractures.
Methods and Results: An integrative review was carried out in the databases: LILACS, MEDLINE, SciELO and BDENF, including national and international publications, from 2006 to 2016, obtaining a sample for analysis of nineteen articles. Pelvic fractures can have a significant impact on the genitourinary system, with some patients having a direct lesion concomitant with the urethra or bladder. The thoracic trauma resulting from pelvic fracture, among them, rib fractures, accompanied by pneumothorax and pulmonary contusion, are often associated with abdominal injuries, the organs most affected are thoracic/abdominal organs, especially bladder, spleen, liver, urethra and kidneys. Bone lesions, including fractures of the upper and lower limbs, cranial fractures are also frequently associated with pelvic trauma, as well as hematological complications, mainly thromboembolism, deep vein thrombosis and hemorrhage.
Conclusion: This study made it possible to analyze the production of lesions associated with pelvic fractures. In this context, we emphasize the need for studies that also emphasize care for these patients through humanized care, in order to minimize physical discomforts and social, psychic and emotional problems that can be generated by these injuries.


Soil sodicity, where the soil cation exchange complex is occupied for a significant fraction by Na+, may lead to vulnerability to soil structure deterioration. With a root zone flow and salt transport model, we modeled the feedback effects of salt concentration (C) and exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) on saturated hydraulic conductivity Ks(C, ESP) for different groundwater depths and climates, using the functional approach of McNeal (1968). We assume that a decrease of Ks is practically irreversible at a time scale of decades. Representing climate with a Poisson rainfall process, the feedback hardly affects salt and sodium accumulation compared with the case that feedback is ignored. However, if salinity decreases, the much more buffered ESP stays at elevated values, while Ks decreases. This situation may develop if rainfall has a seasonal pattern where drought periods with accumulation of salts in the root zone alternate with wet rainfall periods in which salts are leached. Feedback that affects both drainage/leaching and capillary upward flow from groundwater, or only drainage, leads to opposing effects. If both fluxes are affected by sodicity‐induced degradation, this leads to reduced salinity (C) and sodicity (ESP), which suggests that the system dynamics and feedback oppose further degradation. Experiences in the field point in the same direction.


Introduction Teaching professionals have reported multiple conditions associated with low quality of life (QoL) perception. Various studies have also reported high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). In this context, there are few studies regarding the association between low QoL perception and MSD suffering in teachers. Objective Therefore, in this study the aim was evaluate MSD prevalence and its association with teachers' QoL perception. Participants and Methods A total sample of 544 Chilean teachers were included in a cross-sectional study. MSD prevalence was evaluated via the Standardized Nordic Questionnaire and QoL perception via the Short-Form 36 Health Survey Instrument. Multinomial logistic regression was applied to evaluate the association between MSD and QoL perception adjusted for gender and age. Results A total of 91% of teachers have had some MSD in the last 12 months, and 28.86% have had 6 or more painful regions. Females showed greater MSD prevalence than males. Teachers who reported no MSD had higher QoL scores compared to teachers with MSD. The group of teachers with the most MSD (≥p75) saw significant increases in the risk of having low scores in the physical (OR: 2.82) and mental components (OR: 2.65) of QoL. By contrast, teachers without MSD have a buffer effect for their QoL (physical OR: 0.2; mental OR: 0.44). Conclusions High MSD prevalence suggest that preventive and informative actions must be taken regarding these disorders to protect teachers' mental and physical health, considering the multiple risk factors to which teachers are exposed given their work conditions in Chile and worldwide.


Digital technologies can conduct an important role in preserving intangible cultural heritage (ICH). Nonetheless, existing work tends to be limited to digital storage, presentation, dissemination, and education, with comparatively little concentrating on production and reproduction of the craft, the key to revitalizing ICH. In this paper, we explore digital making as an approach for both the inheritance and innovation of ICH handicrafts. Taking Hairy Monkey craftsmanship as an instance, we conducted a workshop with 15 groups of makers, teaching them the traditional Hairy Monkey craft and subsequently enabling them to create innovative works with digital technologies in their own time. As revealed by our interviews with these participants, ICH brings cultural inspiration to digital making, and digital making rejuvenates ICH through innovative art forms and its positive influence on participants. As demonstrated in this paper, digital technologies can be deeply integrated with ICH through making to revitalize ICH from the core through living transmission.


Al2O3 nanoparticle-reinforced Al-12Si matrix composites were successfully fabricated by hot pressing and subsequent hot extrusion. The influence of weight fraction of Al2O3 particles on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and the corresponding strengthening mechanisms were investigated in detail. The Al2O3 particles are uniformly distributed in the matrix, when 2 and 5 wt. % of Al2O3 particles were added to the Al-12Si matrix. Significant agglomeration can be found in composites with 10 wt. % addition of Al2O3 nanoparticles. The maximum hardness, the yield strength, and tensile strength were obtained for the composite with 5 wt. % Al2O3 addition, which showed an increase of about ~11%, 23%, and 26%, respectively, compared with the Al-12Si matrix. Meanwhile, the elongation increased to about ~30%. The contribution of different mechanisms including Orowan strengthening, thermal mismatch strengthening, and load transfer strengthening were analyzed. It was shown that the thermal mismatch strengthening has a more significant contribution to strengthening these composites than the Orowan and load transfer strengthening mechanisms.