Introduction: Dental health is important for the overall health and well-being of an individual. Traumatic dental injuries (TDI) need to be treated on time with proper dental care. This study was done to assess the negligence of TDIs among schoolchildren by evaluating the time elapsed between TDI and seeking the dental treatment. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study comprised 1000 school-going children of age group 12 and 15 years of schools randomly included from the urban and rural regions. Permanent teeth were examined, and dental traumatic injuries were recorded using Ellis and Davey's classification in the pro forma. Study data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: The majority of affected children of rural (48.7%) and urban (44.1%) schools had no treatment of any kind (P < 0.05); 0% rural and 1.7% urban traumatized children sought treatment in <24 h of TDI event. About 6.6% rural and 10.2% urban affected children with dental trauma had treatment only when pain was experienced. About 26.3% rural and 44.1% urban affected schoolchildren were not able to remember about the time of injury and treatment obtained. Conclusion: The study results indicated the lack of awareness and motivation for the prevention of dental injuries and its consequences. The study's findings also reflected the negligence by children, parents, and teachers for seeking timely optimal dental care.


In postnatal life progression of heart disease has been clearly documented. Natural history studies have been performed and as a consequence, guidelines for interventions (drugs, interventional or surgical procedures) have been developed. Early detection of fetal heart disease, even in the first trimester, is feasible and these fetuses can be followed in-utero for months. Progression of fetal congenital heart disease has been widely documented in case reports and small case series. Any cardiac valve can become more stenotic, even atretic or more incompetent during the course of pregancy, potentially leading to secondary damage to the heart and lungs. Consecutive impaired growth of ventricles and/or vessels may result in a univentricular circulation postnatally. Valve regurgitations have the potential to lead to hypertrophy, congestive heart failure and hydrops. Theoretically, as in postnatal life, timely fetal intracardiac intervention should lead to normalization or improvement of flows, pressures and hemodynamics, thus preventing secondary damage to the fetal heart and organs, congestive heart failure or fetal death. Cardiac lesions, that might profit from timely interventions could be subgroups of: critical valvar aortic stenosis, critical valvar pulmonary stenosis, pulmonary atresia with intact septum or a closed or severely restrictive foramen ovale in cases of left heart obstructive lesions like e.g. hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Successful in-utero dilatation of aortic and pulmonary valve, perforation of valvar pulmonary atresia and atrio-septostomy with ballon dilation of the created ASD have already been reported. As these procedures carry a high risk of technical problems, morbidity and mortality, careful patient selection is crucial.


Politicians are eager to engage with citizens because the support for political parties is declining in Denmark like many other places in the world increasing a politician-citizen divide. Critics also fear that the Internet might be contributing to a polarization in overall political debate. This study examines whether social media can be part of a solution to this problem and how politicians can successfully encourage interaction and debate. In a unique collaboration with the Danish Broadcasting Corporation this study will analyze interaction between politicians and citizens based on a collection of politicians' Facebook activity during the Danish National Election 2011 (totaling +100.000 status messages and comments). All this contributes to an understanding of how diverse a public the politicians have been able to engage with during the election, and whether social network sites as Facebook might be a promising platform for bridging the political divide between politicians and citizens.


The current model of the cloud consists of a static set of data centers (or cloud cores) which drive the computation and storage needs of large numbers of applications. We envision a new paradigm where the cloud will be comprised of a large dynamic collection of cloud cores along with a static set of cores, the nucleus, to create a cloud computing universe with a capacity much larger than the nucleus and a cost much smaller than owning the entire infrastructure. This model is rooted by the observation that a tremendous amount of computation exists outside the core that can potentially augment the nucleus' capacity. An example of this surplus capacity are enterprizes with diurnal trends in usage behavior that join the cloud during predicted periods of usage troughs. We propose to leverage this elastic and dynamic infrastructure to create a unified cloud service. A number of challenges, at all levels of the software stack, need to be addressed for these futuristic architectures to become a reality. We focus on the challenge of an elastic and agile data management infrastructure to deal with the dynamics associated with this novel paradigm.


In this paper we revisit the classic theory of forest succession that relates shade tolerance and species replacement and assess its validity to understand patch-mosaic patterns of forested ecosystems of the USA. We introduce a macroscopic parameter called the "shade tolerance index" and compare it to the classic continuum index in southern Wisconsin forests. We exemplify shade tolerance driven succession in White Pine–Eastern Hemlock forests using computer simulations and analyzing approximated chronosequence data from the USDA FIA forest inventory. We describe this parameter across the last 50 years in the ecoregions of mainland USA, and demonstrate that it does not correlate with the usual macroscopic characteristics of stand age, biomass, basal area, and biodiversity measures. We characterize the dynamics of shade tolerance index using transition matrices and delimit geographical areas based on the relevance of shade tolerance to explain forest succession. We conclude that shade tolerance driven succession is linked to climatic variables and can be considered as a primary driving factor of forest dynamics mostly in central-north and northeastern areas in the USA. Overall, the shade tolerance index constitutes a new quantitative approach that can be used to understand and predict succession of forested ecosystems and biogeographic patterns.


The case study describes the use of a simple visualization technique to help resolve difficult performance problems in a large distributed system. The event trace data used was collected on a large distributed system built to run a benchmark of a complex securities trading application. The system was designed to handle several hundred transactions per second with subsecond response times. The complete benchmark workload consisted of several different types of transactions. For simplicity, the examples show only two types of transactions, representing about half the total workload. >


Being sued for malpractice, especially for the first time, can be an unsettling and frustrating experience. The consequences of a lost case can range from an increase in future insurance premiums to a health department investigation which could affect your license. So it is imperative that you immediately report a malpractice claim to your professional liability insurance carrier and retain an attorney specializing in the defense of medical malpractice cases in order to protect your interests.


Problem statement: Numerous animal studies have shown that administration of Parathyroid Hormone (PTH) or a related analogue promotes callus formation and bone union. However, there has yet to be sufficient evidence in human subjects to justify the use of PTH or related analogues in promoting fracture healing. The purpose of this paper is to (1) review all literature involving the use of PTH analogues in humans (2) compare the clinical efficacy of PTH analogues to conventional management of fracture healing and (3) evaluate the safety profile and potential side-effects of PTH analogues administered in humans. Approach: We conducted a systematic review of multiple databases analysing papers within the last 10 years. All studies involving the use of PTH analogues in humans were included. All animal studies were excluded. Appropriate statistics regarding patient's age, gender, site of fracture, teriparatide treatment regime, clinical outcomes and imaging outcomes were extracted, analysed and summarized. Results: A total of 10 observational studies and 2 randomized controlled trials were evaluated in this study. With administration of teriparatide (PTH1-34), the mean time to 100% disappearance of fracture site pain was 3.1 months ±0.7 months. Delayed or non-union fractures achieved bony bridging in 4.3 months. For new fractures treated non-surgically, there have been reports of shorter time to cortical bridging in the treatment group (7.4 weeks, n = 34, p = 0.006) as compared to the control group (9.1 weeks, n = 34). Lastly, a total of 8 out of 254 patients (3.1%) experienced mild side effect from teriparatide administration. Conclusion: Teriparatide shows promise to be a viable option for the treatment of fractures. Although initial studies do prove encouraging, greater evidence is needed to evaluate the optimal dosing regimen and the patient and fracture types that would achieve the best response.


Applying theology to worship and to the practice of liturgy, this innovative work reclaims the importance of word and sacrament as the center for the church's life and witnesses. Drawing connections between liturgy and life, this collection of essays deepens worship-life by helping congregations "to talk with each other about the ways we encounter the living God in worship;" and by strengthening "skills that enhance worship." Inside Out: Worship in an Age of Mission addresses pastoral liturgical and sacramental issues at work in congregations today and offers a comprehensive vision for congregational life centered around word and sacrament.


The purpose of this paper is to provide a method for planning and control of electrical energy budget for an industrial plant. The authors propose a methodology that approaches effectiveness and efficiency of budget estimation based on energy consumption forecast and control and energy price analysis. The methods aims to obtain a very high confidence of predicted electrical energy cost to include into the estimation of budget and a continuous control of energy consumption and cost. The methodology is based on tools already used in other sectors as statistical control of production processes, market demand forecast and budget planning and control in project management. Authors show the methodology in detail through practical application to a case study of an industrial plant with the 20% incidence of electrical energetic cost on the final product.


Micro turbomachinery demands gas bearings to be light compact and should operate at varying temperature conditions. Low heat generation friction and lack of lubricant circulation system makes it compact reliable and eco-friendly. However low stiffness and damping coefficients, high cost and lack of sufficient knowledge and predictive tools somewhat restricts GFBs use in mass produced application. Current commercial and engineering application demands more and more aggressive designs with high surface speed and unit loads as well as thinner fluid film. Again rotor-dynamics analysis uses stiffness and damping coefficients to represent fluid film behavior or in other words these coefficients play the key role in determining dynamic characteristics of a rotor shaft. Stiffness coefficients depend mainly on two factors first the static deflection of foil due to shaft load and second the hydrodynamic effect produced due to the fluid film. Here is an approach to calculate the stiffness coefficient produced due to static deflection of GFBs due to static load using finite element analysis and the stiffness coefficient has been calculated. Reynold's equation is to be solved using FDM to obtain pressure profile during hydrodynamic action of fluid film and using these pressure values in the bearing model dynamic component of stiffness can be produced. Adding both components will produce the overall stiffness coefficient of a gas foil bearing.


We have demonstrated the growth of ZnO thin films with c-axis orientation at room temperature on various substrates such as Si(100), SiO2, and sapphire by the r.f. magnetron sputtering method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy altogether indicated that the larger grain size and the higher crystallinity were attained when the ZnO films were deposited on sapphire substrates, compared to the films on Si or SiO2 substrates. The c-axis lattice constant decreased by thermal annealing for the ZnO films deposited on Si or SiO2 substrates, while increased by the thermal annealing for the ZnO films grown on sapphire substrates.


In the need of computational tools for epsilon-multiplicity, we provide a criterion for a module with a rank E inside a free module F to have rational epsilon-multiplicity in terms of the finite generation of the saturation Rees algebra of E. In this case, the multiplicity can be related to a Hilbert multiplicity of certain graded algebra. A particular example of this situation is provided: it is shown that the epsilon-multiplicity of monomial modules is Noetherian. Numerical evidence is provided that leads to a conjecture formula for the epsilon-multiplicity of certain monomial curves in the 3-affine space.


Psychological capital (PsyCap) is a higher-order construct comprising hope, efficacy, optimism, and resiliency, which has attracted more and more attention from both academics and practitioners. Despite promising progress made in the PsyCap literature, the underlying mechanisms linking PsyCap to organizational outcomes still need more investigation utilizing longitudinal research design. Moreover, the reciprocal relationships between PsyCap and positive affect require more attention. Therefore, we aim to test the central role of positive affect in the relationships between PsyCap and affective organizational commitment (AOC) on one hand and organizational citizenship behaviour toward organization (OCBO) on the other hand as well as the reciprocal relationships between PsyCap and positive affect in this study. A three-wave longitudinal survey was conducted using a cross-lagged panel design with a one-month time lag between two consecutive waves. Panel data was collected from 208 workers in Beijing, China. The results support the hypothesis that positive affect serves as a mediator in the relationships between PsyCap and OCBO. Moreover, we also find some support for a reciprocal relationship between PsyCap and positive affect. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are also discussed.


The habits, preferences and demographics of consumers at farmers' markets are topics of interest as the number of markets burgeon across North America. This study, using a survey (via interview), researches five markets near Vancouver, British Columbia, focusing on factors associated with spending. The results reveal that spending is significantly related to frequency of shopping, type of products purchased, preferences about buying organic, parking habits, and demographics such as age, education level, ethnicity, family composition and home ownership. The study also shows that Vancouver-area farmers' market shoppers are not significantly different from those elsewhere—they too tend to be older, well-educated and disproportionately Caucasian. Results yield valuable practical strategies for market managers.


Background: Currently, urea reduction seems to be the most widely used dialysis dose parameter. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility to monitor beta 2-microglobulin (β2-M) elimination by utilizing the ultraviolet (UV) absorbance of spent dialysate. Methods: Blood and spent dialysate were collected during two week's sessions in 8 patients, one week in hemodialysis (HD) and one in hemodiafiltration (HDF). Correlation analysis between UV-wavelengths and concentrations of solutes in spent dialysate was performed. The reduction ratio (RR) of concentrations in blood, dialysate and UV-absorbance were compared. Results: Differences between HD and HDF were discovered in wavelength correlation maxima for the solutes. Relative error in RR (%) was larger (p < 0.05) for β2-M than for the other solutes. The most reasonable explanation is that β2-M does not absorb UV-radiation; instead, the absorbance of surrogate substances is measured. Conclusion: A high correlation between UV-absorbance and β2-M can be achieved for HDF but not for HD. Still, UV-absorbance could perhaps be used in solely HDF mode for estimation of β2-M removal.


EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS OF ARCHIMEDES SCREW TURBINES Kathleen Joanna Songin Advisor: University of Guelph, 2017 Professor W. D. Lubitz This study investigated how power and efficiency in Archimedes screw turbines (AST) is impacted by varying parameters including; length, inner and outer diameter, pitch and number of flights. An index was created that determined how important some variables were over others by testing a number of laboratory sized screws and comparing the resulting power and efficiencies. A MATLAB AST performance model was implemented that included simplified power losses from internal hydraulic friction and outlet submersion to predict experimental results. New experimental techniques were developed and used to investigate fill height and overflow leakage in ASTs. The experiments showed screw rotation speed had an important effect on overflow, however current models are quasi-static and do not include rotation. A revised equation was developed to predict overflow in operating screws that includes the effect of screw rotation speed, and was shown to more accurately predict overflow in laboratory-scale screws.


The processing of the German plural has been examined
in a range of behavioral and neurophysiological studies. A number of studies so
far showed differences between the processing of the default plural form -s and
the irregular plural form -(e)n. While previous studies focused on the examination
of generally two plural categories (e.g. -(e)n versus -s), the current study
aimed at examining four German plural categories with different morpheme
endings and violating them cross-wise. The results of the current auditory
event-related (ERP) and reaction time study show general similarities between
the more acoustically salient plural categories. In the early latency range
from 200 - 400 ms -n violated by -s plural (and the cross-condition) act
differently from the -e versus -er plural violations (and the cross-conditions)
but in the later time windows only violation effects are visible. Processing
differences may be explained by the morphological characteristics of the plural categories and/or phonetic differences between the
suffixes.


This thesis investigates the military equipment of the south Italic peoples known to the Romans as Samnites, Campanians, Lucanians and Apulians during the 5th to 3rd centuries BC. According to the ancient sources this period was characterised by two distinct phases of military conflict. The first phase was from the end of the 5th to the beginning of the 4th century when south Italic peoples seized control of Greek and Etruscan urban centres along the coast. The second phase was from the middle of the 4th to the early 3rd century when Roman involvement in the region resulted in a series of wars. Archaeological evidence shows that within this historical context a number of developments and innovations occurred in the south Italic panoply. Greek ideas and influences were adopted and integrated into native Italic forms of armour that suited local needs and tastes. It is also evident that south Italic arms and armour had a significant influence on the Romans. South Italic military equipment, however, has long been treated as an ancillary chapter to the better-documented Greek and Roman armies and never as a subject of investigation in its own right. This is surprising since such a large quantity of evidence exists from warrior burials, which consists of not only the arms and armour but of depictions of this equipment in tomb and vase-paintings. This thesis seeks to bring together a large corpus of material and information for the first time and investigate not only tactical and technical aspects but also less obvious meanings. These include questions of identity, cultural significance and the role of this equipment in a larger continuum of development and evolution.


The establishment of the Banking Union (B.U.) creates a large banking market comparable to that of the U.S. This paper calculates the market share of the top 20 banks in the new B.U. France appears to take a prominent place with 5 banks in the top 10, followed by Germany, the Netherlands and Italy. Earlier integration episodes did not lead to cross-border consolidation in Europe. In contrast, the lifting of interstate banking restrictions caused a cross-state merger wave cumulating in large U.S.-wide banks. This paper investigates whether cross-border consolidation can be expected within the B.U. The answer is yes over time, but not yet as subdued growth, lingering influence of national supervisors and cultural differences may hamper cross-border mergers in the short run. Over time, the B.U. will become an integrated market, where banks can manage their balance sheet at the aggregate B.U. level and the European Central Bank (ECB) conducts supervision with a European perspective.


ABSTRACT A simple 3-D physical model has been developed to investigate the use of in-situ combustion in heterogeneous reservoirs. Gas over-ride phenomena is one of the major causes of instability of combustion process; gas override results in poor sweep efficiency with subsequent low oil recovery. However, the use of horizontal wells in direct line drive arrangement has shown a great deal of combustion stability and propagation by means of controlling gas override This paper has extended the scope of using horizontal wells in direct line drive configuration in heterogeneous reservoirs. Three cases of reservoir heterogeneity were investigated in this study. In the first case, a dual-layer permeability of sand was used (a high permeability layer on top and a low permeability layer on bottom); in the second case, placement of the aforementioned layers was swapped, and in the third case, a high permeability streak was sandwiched between two low permeability layers of fine sand. The results indicated that a stable combustion front has been achieved in the first two cases with a high oil recovery, however the performance of the combustion process markedly deteriorated when a high permeability streak layer was utilised as a result of a severe low temperature oxidation due to oxygen channelling through the streak, with subsequent poor sweep efficiency and in turn low oil recovery. The use of horizontal wells as producers and injectors in a line drive configuration is beneficial and effective for minimising the effect of reservoir heterogeneity to some extent.


In this study, it was aimed to determine the change in fatty acid profiles of trout fillets stored for 18 days in refrigerator conditions using different packaging techniques (vacuum, stretch, chitosan coating (prepared with acetic acid or lactic acid).
It was observed that different packaging fillets had different fatty acid ratios, specially treated with chitosan group gave better results (p<0.05), at the end of the storage period. When the fatty acid profile of the fillets was examined, it was determined that Saturated Fatty Acids (SFA) was the least affected by the packaging technique. The highest Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid (PUFA) content was found in chitosan-coated groups (p<0.05). It has been determined that packing is more effective than time in terms of fatty acid profile and that chitosan coating gives better results.


Regression analyses of per cwt. beef production costs of four sizes of Utah cattle ranches indicate that no size of Utah range cattle operation up to 500 head is capable of covering all costs. When all production costs were taken into account, the 1968 optimum sized Utah cattle ranch from the ranch owner's viewpoint was 392 head of breeding cows. The weighted average beef price necessary for the optimum ranch size to meet all costs was $30.95 per cwt. When interest on investment in land, livestock, and improvements was ignored, the optimum sized cattle ranch from the owner's viewpoint was one with a capacity of 414 breeding cows. In order to meet all costs except interest on investment, the optimum ranch size would require a weighted average beef price of $17.77 per cwt.


This master thesis investigates twisted tube type shell-and-tube heat exchangers with emphasis on thermal-hydraulic characteristics, fouling and vibration properties. An extensive literature study has been carried out in order to map all published research reports written on the topic. The mapping of performed research shows that the available information is limited. Mathematical correlations for twisted tube thermal-hydraulic characteristics are extracted from the research reports found in the literature study. Correlations for convective heat transfer coefficients and pressure loss for both shell side and tube side are presented. The enhancement of heat transfer by swirl flow in a twisted tube bundle is also discussed. Measurements on thermal-hydraulic characteristics are collected from a twisted tube heat exchanger installed at the process facility LNG Hammerfest situated at the northern end of Norway. These measurements are then compared to output from the heat exchanger design software HTRI Xchanger Suite. The calculation accuracy of the twisted tube program module is predicted on this basis. HTRI Xchanger Suite can evaluate heat exchanger design in two different modes. Simulation mode calculates two outlet parameters and thereby the duty, while rating mode calculates only one output parameter where the duty is specified by the user. In rating mode the software has an accuracy of +/-4% for temperature, flow and duty calculations. The overall heat transfer coefficient is miscalculated by approximately +50% and the shell side pressure loss is miscalculated by +40%. In simulation mode the duty is not specified by the user and the program may calculate two output parameters. The predicted accuracy depends on the calculated parameters. Calculation accuracy for two unknown outlet temperatures is +/-7% while calculation accuracy for two unknown mass flow rates is up to +200%. The accuracy on the overall heat transfer coefficient and shell side pressure loss is the same as for rating mode. The StatoilHydro twisted tube heat exchanger 25-HA-113 design on LNG Hammerfest is evaluated with respect to thermal-hydraulic characteristics. 25-HA-113 is operated with other flows and temperatures than it was designed for. By use of a mathematical method the expected performance in design operation point is predicted. By analysing the measured overall heat transfer coefficient and by use of this mathematical method, it is stated that the heat exchanger has insufficient thermal design. However, investigation of the pressure loss in the same manner shows that the unit performs better than specified in the design basis. The fouling characteristic is examined by evaluation of the overall heat transfer coefficient over a time period. This analysis shows that the fouling tendency is minimal. By use of the computer program HTRI Xchanger Suite and field measurements a quantitative comparison of a twisted tube, a helix baffled and a single segmental baffled unit is performed for the application of 25-HA-113. The alternatives are compared to each other by evaluation of heat transfer coefficients, pressure loss, fouling characteristics and vibration risks. The conventional and the helix alternative are equipped with low fin tubes which show a somehow higher heat transfer capacity per volume unit. However, the twisted tube provides a higher overall heat transfer coefficient than the two other alternatives. The single segmental baffle concept appears to have the lowest shell side pressure loss, followed closely by the twisted tube. With respect to vibration risk the twisted tube has a superior performance compared the two competing concepts due to a very rigid bundle construction. By considering the thermal hydraulic characteristics and the vibration risk connected to the evaluated application the twisted tube is the recommended alternative.


Extracts of Acacia longifolia yielded two major histamine aldaloiks which were separated by tlc. Nmr, ms, uv, ir and other physical measurements led to structural assignments of the compounds as N-(2-imidazol-4-yl-ethyl)-trans-cinnamamide and N-(2-imidazol-4-yl-ethyl)-deca-trans-2, cis-4-dienamide. Confirmation of these structures was by comparison of literature data in the case of the cinnamamide and by synthesis of the new decadienamide. Dowex-50 ion exchange resin (H+ form) was found to be highly efficient in the isolation of these compounds from crude plant extracts.


Toluene insolubles (TI) in coal tar is harmful to the downstream hydrotreating, and it may be difficult to be removed by conventional filtration. The TI is separated from coal tar which is washed by toluene and centrifugated at 2000 rpm and analyzed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), particle size measurements, X-ray Diffraction analyses (XRD) and elemental analysis. It is concluded that TI in coal tar is present typically as globular aggregates. The primary particles range in size from less than 0.5μm to about 20μm. Characterization of TI in the coal tar showed that it is a nitrogen and oxygen rich material. TI is mainly inorganic elements representative of quartz, albite and calcite associated with kerogen material.


Bone Joint J 2013;95-B, Supple A:124–8. Received 7 September 2013; Accepted after revision 8 September 2013 Isolated patellofemoral arthritis is a common condition and there are varying opinions on the most effective treatments. Non-operative and operative treatments have failed to demonstrate effective long-term treatment for those in an advanced stage of the condition. Newer designs and increased technology in patellofemoral replacement (PFR) have produced more consistent outcomes. This has led to a renewed enthusiasm for this procedure. Newer PFR prostheses have addressed the patellar maltracking issues plaguing some of the older designs. Short-term results with contemporary prostheses and new technology are described here.


Wayside acoustic defective bearing detector (ADBD) system is a potential technique in ensuring the safety of traveling vehicles. However, Doppler distortion and multiple moving sources aliasing in the acquired acoustic signals decrease the accuracy of defective bearing fault diagnosis. Currently, the method of constructing time-frequency (TF) masks for source separation was limited by an empirical threshold setting. To overcome this limitation, this study proposed a dynamic Doppler multisource separation model and constructed a time domain-separating matrix (TDSM) to realize multiple moving sources separation in the time domain. The TDSM was designed with two steps of (1) constructing separating curves and time domain remapping matrix (TDRM) and (2) remapping each element of separating curves to its corresponding time according to the TDRM. Both TDSM and TDRM were driven by geometrical and motion parameters, which would be estimated by Doppler feature matching pursuit (DFMP) algorithm. After gaining the source components from the observed signals, correlation operation was carried out to estimate source signals. Moreover, fault diagnosis could be carried out by envelope spectrum analysis. Compared with the method of constructing TF masks, the proposed strategy could avoid setting thresholds empirically. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed technique was validated by simulation and experimental cases. Results indicated the potential of this method for improving the performance of the ADBD system.


Direct seeded trees and shrubs are difficult to establish in semi-arid coastal environments due to the poor moisture holding sandy or calcareous soils and the exposure to extreme winds. This trial assessed different weed control strategies, in terms of width of the spray band and length of the weed control period, to determine the effect of moisture conservation and protection from winds on the establishment of Acacia sophorae and Eucalyptus diversifolia. The trial was carried out during a much drier than average period, which resulted in very poor establishment of Eucalyptus diversifolia. However it was found that Acacia sophorae were more drought tolerant than Eucalyptus diversifolia and significantly more plants were established when weed control was maintained throughout the first summer. There was no long term benefit for Acacia sophorae from a two metre wide weed control strip over a one metre wide strip.


Gradient permeable metallic substrate material consisting of two layers of NiAl alloy was developed for the SOFC design. The open-cell foam layer (thickness 1-2 mm, cell density 60 ppi) provides the structure robustness, while a thin (100-200 μm) mesoporous layer facilitates supporting functional layers. Cathode layers (LSM, LSFN and their nanocomposites with GDC or YSZ) and anode layers (NiO/YSZ, NiO/YSZ +Ru/Ln-Sr-Mn-Cr-O nanocomposite catalyst) were deposited by slip casting, electrophoretic deposition or air brushing. Thin (5-10 μm) YSZ layer was deposited by MO CVD. Power density up to 550 mW/cm2 at 700oC was obtained on button-size cells using wet H2-air feeds.


Neural models for NLP typically use large numbers of parameters to reach state-of-the-art performance, which can lead to excessive memory usage and increased runtime. We present a structure learning method for learning sparse, parameter-efficient NLP models. Our method applies group lasso to rational RNNs (Peng et al., 2018), a family of models that is closely connected to weighted finite-state automata (WFSAs). We take advantage of rational RNNs' natural grouping of the weights, so the group lasso penalty directly removes WFSA states, substantially reducing the number of parameters in the model. Our experiments on a number of sentiment analysis datasets, using both GloVe and BERT embeddings, show that our approach learns neural structures which have fewer parameters without sacrificing performance relative to parameter-rich baselines. Our method also highlights the interpretable properties of rational RNNs. We show that sparsifying such models makes them easier to visualize, and we present models that rely exclusively on as few as three WFSAs after pruning more than 90% of the weights. We publicly release our code.


The authors propose a model of line-edge and line-width roughness (LER and LWR) of actual device patterns, which received some smoothing steps, for accurate estimation of device variability. The model assumes that LER/LWR has originally an exponential autocorrelation function (ACF) and is smoothed using another exponential function. The power spectrum of this ACF almost completely fits the experimental one of polycrystalline silicon lines, which were formed using plasma etching. The authors investigate the effect of LER/LWR on the current factor of metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistors, comparing this to conventional models. The Gaussian ACF, which is widely used in device simulations, calculates the variation in the current factor with considerable accuracy as long as accurate LER/LWR statistics are used. However, it alone cannot provide the statistics. The exponential ACF underestimates the variation by a nonnegligible amount. From these results, the authors propose to use the aforementioned smoothed exponential ACF in the device simulations. They also alert to the possibility that a little-known long-range correlation exists universally in the LER/LWR even of the present-day devices and is causing an unexpectedly large mismatching between wide-channel devices.


In the United States, there is a growing momentum towards ranked choice voting. In this study, we conducted two independent yet complementary surveys to examine which voting system citizens prefer, one with the real candidates in the states holding Super Tuesday Democratic primaries and one with fictitious candidates in the whole country. In both surveys, respondents were invited to vote using four different voting rules – single, approval, rank, and point (score) – and then asked how satisfied they were using each system. In both studies the single vote remains the most preferred voting method. We find that citizens' views are strongly correlated with age, with the eldest being much more favorable to the single vote. Surprisingly, these views do not vary across education levels. Finally, those who have had personal experience with ranked ballot are more positive towards ranked voting, which suggests the presence of a status quo bias.


This paper will give a conceptual outline to explore the social and cultural meaning of photographs. The primary question is to explore what ways in which one can use the photograph as research material to delineate the social and cultural reality of a period. However, the methodological sophistication of contemporary social science and humanities practice makes it a challenging task to analyze photographs. The paper, therefore, while bringing various conceptual and theoretical insights on the photograph will explore a composite and critical readings on the facets associated with the photographic text—which is being mediated by social and technologically determinisms. The paper argues that the photographic text is discursively formulated and, as a source, can be used to understand the eminence of modern consciousness and mentalities as well as the entrenched social relations of the society.


Retrospective assessment of exposure to radon remains the greatest challenge in epidemiologic efforts to assess lung cancer risk associated with residential exposure. An innovative technique based on measurement of alpha-emitting, long-lived daughters embedded by recoil into household glass may one day provide improved radon dosimetry. Particulate air pollution is known, however, to retard the plate-out of radon daughters. This would be expected to result in a differential effect on dosimetry, where the calibration curve relating the actual historical radon exposure to the remaining alpha-activity in the glass would be different in historically smoky and nonsmoky environments. The resulting "measurement confounding" can distort inferences about the effect of radon and can also produce spurious evidence for synergism between radon exposure and cigarette smoking. ImagesFigure 1.Figure 2.Figure 3.Figure 4.


In the characterization of materials by field-flow fractionation (FFF), the experienced analyst understands the importance of incorporating additives in the carrier liquid that minimize or eliminate interactions between the analyte and accumulation wall, particularly in aqueous systems. However, as FFF is applied to more difficult samples, such as those with high surface energies, it is increasingly difficult to find additives that completely eliminate particle-wall interactions. Furthermore, the analyst may wish to use specific conditions that preserve the high surface energy of particles, to study their interaction with other materials through their behavior in the FFF channel. With this in mind, Williams and co-workers developed a model that quantifies the effect of particle-wall interactions in FFF using an empirically determined interaction parameter. In this work, the model is evaluated for the application of flow FFF in carrier liquids of low ionic strength, where particle-wall interactions are magnified. The retention of particles ranging in size from 64 to 1000 nm is measured using a wide range of field strengths and retention levels. The model is found to be generally valid over the entire range, except for minor discrepancies at lower levels of retention. Although retention levels are dramatically affected by particle-wall interactions, the point of steric inversion (500 nm), where the size-based elution order reverses, is not affected. When particle-wall interactions are not accounted for, they lead to a bias in particle sizes calculated from standard retention theory of up to 70%. The model can also be used to refine the measurement of channel thickness, which is important for the accurate conversion of retention parameters to particle sizes. In this work, for example, errors in channel thickness led to systematic errors on the order of 10% in particle diameter.


ABSTRACT This article examines how Norway, a veteran EU outsider by choice, works on a day-to-day basis to compensate for its lack of formal voice in EU institutions. After Norwegian voters' second rejection of EU membership in a national referendum in 1994, Prime Minister Brundtland observed that Norway now must be prepared to use "the back door" to reach EU policy-makers. I suggest that for Norway, a key alternative route to the EU decision-making table has gone through bilateral partnerships. I identify two chief variants of this bilateral trajectory, what I term long-term and rotating bilateralism. Firstly, Norway has pursued long-term ties with selected bilateral partners within the EU system. Secondly, it has systematically strengthened its diplomatic presence in the member state holding or about to take over the rotating presidency of the EU Council. I conclude with some reflections on the relevance of Norway's "bilateral experience" for Britain, as a future EU outsider.


Microbial communities are complex living systems that populate the planet with diverse functions and are increasingly harnessed for practical human needs. To deepen the fundamental understanding of their organization and functioning as well as to facilitate their engineering for applications, mathematical modeling has played an increasingly important role. Agent-based models represent a class of powerful quantitative frameworks for investigating microbial communities because of their individualistic nature in describing cells, mechanistic characterization of molecular and cellular processes, and intrinsic ability to produce emergent system properties. This review presents a comprehensive overview of recent advances in agent-based modeling of microbial communities. It surveys the state-of-the-art algorithms employed to simulate intracellular biomolecular events, single-cell behaviors, intercellular interactions, and interactions between cells and their environments that collectively serve as the driving forces of community behaviors. It also highlights three lines of applications of agent-based modeling, namely, the elucidation of microbial range expansion and colony ecology, the design of synthetic gene circuits and microbial populations for desired behaviors, and the characterization of biofilm formation and dispersal. The review concludes with a discussion of existing challenges, including the computational cost of the modeling, and potential mitigation strategies.


Traditionally, cooperation between people working within legal professions has taken the form of a partnership, under which each partner may be personally liable to third parties for any damages caused. There have been efforts to limit the liability of the partners in such a partnership. Several jurisdictions have adopted the Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) form, which is derived from the United States of America for legal professions. Other jurisdictions, such as the Netherlands and Indonesia, continue to use the civil form (or ordinary) partnership and the Maatschap. To date, there is a dearth of scholarship that comprehensively examines the concept of the LLP from the perspective of Indonesian Partnership Law. This article evaluates the idea of incorporating LLP as a new form in the Bill of Business Entities in Indonesia, which can be used for, amongst other matters, legal practice. The assessment offered may be useful for other civil law countries considering adopting the LLP-model. Currently, the ideal legal form for legal professions is being discussed in Indonesia. This paper argues that although it is necessary to revitalize the current regulations around the Indonesian Maatschap, it is not crucial to adopt LLP as a new form of business organization.


It is common practice that aging and structurally damaged prestressed concrete bridge members are taken out of service and replaced. This, however, is not an efficient use of materials and resources since the member can often be repaired in situ. There are numerous repair techniques proposed by entrepreneurial and academic institutions which restore prestressed concrete girder flexural strength and save both material and economic resources. Of course, not all repair methods are applicable in every situation and thus each must be assessed based on girder geometry and the objectives of the repair scenario. This document focuses on the practical application of prestressed concrete bridge girder repair methods. In this document, repair methods are presented for three prototype prestressed concrete highway bridge girder shapes: adjacent boxes (AB), spread boxes (SB), and AASHTO-type I-girders (IB), having four different damage levels. A total of 22 prototype repair designs are presented. Although not applicable to all structure types or all damage levels, the repair techniques covered include the use of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) strips, CFRP fabric, near-surface mounted (NSM) CFRP, prestressed CFRP, post-tensioned CFRP, strand splicing and external steel post-tensioning. It is the authors' contention that each potential structural repair scenario should be assessed independently to determine which repair approach is best suited to the unique conditions of a specific project. Therefore, no broad classifications have been presented directly linking damage level (or a range of damage) to specific repair types. Nonetheless, it is concluded that when 25% of the strands in a girder no longer contribute to its capacity, girder replacement is a more appropriate solution. Guidance with respect to inspection and assessment of damage to prestressed concrete highway bridge girders and the selection of a repair method is presented. These methods are described through 22 detailed design examples. Based on these examples, review of existing projects and other available data, a detailed review of selection and performance criteria for prestressed concrete repair methods is provided. Best practices based on the study objectives are presented.


Statistics that accurately represent the evolution of tourism activity are needed for tourism research and planning. Monthly accommodation statistics provided by the Chilean Statistical Institute show a negative trend despite considerable growth in the number of foreign visitors. This paper proposes a methodology to create sample weights to overcome statistics inaccuracy caused, as in the case of Chilean tourism statistics, by the use of a non-random sample with serious attrition bias. The benefits of the methodology are discussed, highlighting their relevance to a broader range of applications where tourism statistics are questionable or demonstrably inaccurate.


Abstract : Technologies to support Combat Identification (CID) are rapidly evolving and may be deployable to dismounted soldiers in the future. Two experiments examined the effectiveness of Identify-Friend-Foe (IFF) and Blue-Force Tracking (BFT) decision support for dismounted infantry soldiers. Subjects played the role of a dismounted infantry soldier in a first-person perspective environment and engaged a series of simulated targets. Subjects attempted to engage (i.e., shoot) only those figures that were enemies. Results demonstrated that subjects performed better overall when they were able to use a Decision Support System (DSS) than perform the task without assistance. There was no difference in effectiveness of the IFF and BFT systems. Adding a 10 second delay to the updating of position information in the BFT dramatically reduced the effectiveness of a BFT, regardless of whether subjects knew about the delay or not.


Multicarrier code division multiple access (MC-CDMA) is a spread-spectrum technique which allows simple implementation of multiuser detection techniques. Combining this with differential phase-shift keying (DPSK) allows a low complexity receiver design which achieves the channel estimation implicitly. If only downlink communication is considered, performing the DPSK at a subcarrier level allows significant performance gains and employing a joint phase estimation approach for all users signals allows the implementation of an effective equal gain combining receiver. Theoretical predictions and simulations of the performance in additive white Gaussian noise are demonstrated. Comparison with similar systems is shown through simulations in a fast fading typical mobile channel.


Quantum-mechanical multiple scattering theory of electron backscattering from crystalline materials is applied to simulate channelling images of dislocations situated near the surface of a crystal. A computational algorithm is developed which uses perturbation expansion of the solution of an inhomogeneous transport equation and which makes it possible to generate two-dimensional images of dislocations for various orientations of the Burgers vector. We compare the images simulated numerically with the results of experimental observations performed at inclined incidence using a conventional SEM and recently developed detector of backscattered electrons. The origin of the oscillations of the image intensity is discussed.


The majority of tobacco advertisement in Spain is directed at youth. This advertisement, carried out on several fronts, is particularly effective with young people. In the present work we analyze different advertising efforts involved in the ad campaign carried out by Fortuna-brand (a product of the company Tabacalera S.A., and sector leader of sales in Spain) in 1999 and 2000. In terms of their marketing strategy, we can conclude that Fortuna's principal commercial objective is presenting tobacco as intrinsically associated with being young. Both the indirect promotion of its products through activities and its commercials, are aimed towards developing the image that tobacco symbolizes the series of core values more appreciated by youth. Relevant legislation will have to be adapted to this reality in order to control specifically the manner in which publicity such as that promoted by Fortuna is directed to the population.


Investigation Organizer (IO) is a collaborative Web-based system designed to support the conduct of mishap investigations. IO provides a common repository for a wide range of mishap related information, and allows investigators to make explicit, shared, and meaningful links between evidence, causal models, findings and recommendations. It integrates the functionality of a database, a common document repository, a semantic knowledge network, a rule-based inference engine, and causal modeling and visualization. Thus far, IO has been used to support four mishap investigations within NASA, ranging from a small property damage case to the loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia. This paper describes how the functionality of IO supports mishap investigations and the lessons learned from the experience of supporting two of the NASA mishap investigations: the Columbia Accident Investigation and the CONTOUR loss investigation.


By using an assay system based on a human hepatoblastoma cell line (HB611) that continuously synthesizes hepatitis B virus DNA, the following compounds were found to inhibit hepatitis B virus DNA synthesis at concentrations that were significantly lower than their minimum cytotoxic concentrations: 9-(2-phosphonylmethoxyethyl)-2,6-diaminopurine (PMEDAP), (S)-9-(3-hydroxy-2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl)adenine, 9-(phosphonylmethoxyethyl)adenine, 2',3'-dideoxy-2',3'-didehydrocytidine, and 2',3'-dideoxycytidine. The most potent compound was PMEDAP (50% effective concentration, 0.02 micrograms/ml). The selective index, or ratio of the 50% cytotoxic concentration to 50% effective concentration, of PMEDAP was greater than 750.


This article reports a review of the most significant issues related to network architectures and technologies which will enable the realization of future optical Internet networks. The design of such networks has to take into consideration the peculiar characteristics of Internet traffic. Several architectures have been proposed to provide optical networking solutions, based on wavelength-division multiplexing and compatible with the IP world. These architectures are presented briefly, and the main advantages and drawbacks are discussed. Furthermore, advanced network architectures are reported. In particular, two network paradigms are illustrated and discussed: the optical transparent packet network and optical burst switching. Finally, the key technologies are illustrated.


The interaction of a quantized electromagnetic field in a cavity with a set of two-level atoms inside it can be described with algebraic Hamiltonians of increasing complexity, from the Rabi to the Dicke models. Their algebraic character allows, through the use of coherent states, a semiclassical description in phase space, where the non-integrable Dicke model has regions associated with regular and chaotic motion. The appearance of classical chaos can be quantified calculating the largest Lyapunov exponent over the whole available phase space for a given energy. In the quantum regime, employing efficient diagonalization techniques, we are able to perform a detailed quantitative study of the regular and chaotic regions, where the quantum participation ratio (PR) of coherent states on the eigenenergy basis plays a role equivalent to the Lyapunov exponent. It is noted that, in the thermodynamic limit, dividing the participation ratio by the number of atoms leads to a positive value in chaotic regions, while it tends to zero in the regular ones.


ABSTRACT There is significant potential for reducing energy use and emissions from buildings through energy efficiency retrofits. However, a number of barriers, including long payback periods and uncertainties around business models and technologies, restrict large scale implementation. A recent joint project, piloting green energy schemes and low-carbon investments in public and commercial buildings in the Changning district of Shanghai, China, indicated opportunities to break through these barriers. This study conducted a cost benefit analysis to investigate how an innovative combination of financial and non-financial supported retrofits, and could serve as a model for other urban areas. In total, 44 retrofit sub-projects were carried out and achieved energy savings of 30,217 tons of coal equivalent. The average payback period was 2.43 years, and with subsidies was further reduced to 1.79 years. The Changning Low Carbon Office played a critical role in coordinating and supporting the uptake of retrofit measures but non-economic factors continue to restrict investment by financial institutions and the implementation of retrofits on a larger scale. Key policy insights Public and commercial building retrofits in Shanghai are found to generate commercially acceptable payback periods while having achieved significant energy and emissions reductions. Subsidies from the city and district governments significantly reduced the payback periods of energy efficiency retrofits, but may also crowd out investment by financial institutions. The Changning Low Carbon Office has coordinated energy efficiency retrofitting efforts, provided access to information, helped to connect investment funds with project opportunities and support project management. Achieving the deeper retrofits needed to achieve China's climate targets may require more substantial financial incentives.


The effects of topography on both the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) and the hemispherical reflectance (surface albedo) of a forested scene are investigated with the Li-Strahler geometric-optical model. The Li-Strahler geometric-optical model treats a vegetation canopy as an assemblage of partially illuminated tree crowns of spheroidal shape, and through geometric optics and Boolean set theory, models the proportion of sunlit or shadowed canopy and background as functions of view angle, illumination angle, and crown geometry. The model has been modified to accommodate a sloping surface in its computation of bidirectional and hemispherical reflectance. When the BRDF of a flat vegetated surface is compared to the BRDF of a sloping surface that is similarly vegetated, the interaction of the illumination angle and the slope distort the shape of the BRDF. A hemispherical integration of this distorted BRDF provides an albedo for the sloping surface. >


The aim of this study was to investigate abrasion on human dentin after brushing with activated charcoal toothpastes. A self-designed brushing machine was used to brush five groups (Group A: Water, Group B: Sensodyne Pro Schmelz, Group C: Splat Blackwood, Group D: Curaprox Black is White, and Group E: Prokudent Black Brilliant) with electrically powered toothbrushes for 4 h. The abrasive dentin wear was calculated using profilometry data. Furthermore, thermogravimetric analyses and scanning electron microscopy were used to analyze the composition of the toothpastes. Mean dentin loss by brushing were (71 ± 28) µm (Splat Blackwood), (44 ± 16) µm (Curaprox Black is White), (38 ± 13) µm (Prokudent Black Brilliant), (28 ± 14) µm (Sensodyne Pro Schmelz), and (28 ± 13) µm (Water). Groups A/B/D/E and group C each lie in one subset, which is statistically different from the other subset according to a post hoc Tukey test (p = 0.05). Within the limitations, it can be concluded that the content of activated charcoal in charcoal toothpastes had little influence on the observed abrasive behavior, although one of the charcoal toothpastes showed the highest abrasion on dentin.


In this paper, biodiesel is successfully produced by the ester exchange reaction with solid base catalyst of K2O/Ti-HMS based on soybean oil as raw materials. The result of which shows that K2O/Ti-HMS has good ester exchange activity as solid base catalyst and the catalyst easily is separated from products. By single factor experiment, the influence of K2O load, molar ratio of methanol and oil and catalyst dosage on the biodiesel conversion rate is researched and the optimal relationship between the above parameters is obtained.


Probiotic strain Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) is widely sold on the market as a probiotic or added as a supplement in dairy foods because of its benefits in human health. However, due to the deficiency of lactose and casein utilization, LGG does not grow well in milk. ABSTRACT Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) is the most studied probiotic bacterium in the world. It is used as a probiotic supplement in many foods, including various dairy products. However, LGG grows poorly in milk, as it neither metabolizes the main milk carbohydrate lactose nor degrades the major milk protein casein effectively. In this study, we made L. rhamnosus GG lactose and protease positive by conjugation with the dairy Lactococcus lactis strain NCDO 712 carrying the lactose-protease plasmid pLP712. A lactose-hydrolyzing transconjugant colony was obtained on agar containing lactose as the sole source of carbohydrates. By microscopic analysis and PCR with LGG- and pLP712-specific primers, the transconjugant was confirmed to have originated from LGG and to carry the plasmid pLP712. The transconjugant was named L. rhamnosus LAB49. The isolation of plasmids revealed that not only pLP712 but also other plasmids had been transferred from L. lactis into LGG during conjugation. With plasmid-specific PCR primers, four additional lactococcal plasmids were detected in LAB49. Proteolytic activity assay and SDS-PAGE analysis verified that L. rhamnosus LAB49 effectively degraded β-casein. In contrast to its parental strain, LGG, the ability of LAB49 to metabolize lactose and degrade casein enabled strong and fast growth in milk. As strains with new properties made by conjugation are not regarded as genetically modified organisms (GMOs), L. rhamnosus LAB49 could be beneficial in dairy fermentations as a probiotic starter culture. IMPORTANCE Probiotic strain Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) is widely sold on the market as a probiotic or added as a supplement in dairy foods because of its benefits in human health. However, due to the deficiency of lactose and casein utilization, LGG does not grow well in milk. On the other hand, lactose intolerance and cow's milk protein allergy are the two major problems related to milk consumption. One option to help with these two conditions is the use of probiotic or lactose- and casein-hydrolyzing bacteria in dairy products. The purpose of this study was to equip LGG with lactose/casein-hydrolyzing ability by bacterial conjugation. As a result, we generated a non-GMO LGG derivative with improved properties and better growth in milk.


In addition to the broad repertoire of regulatory functions nitric oxide (NO) serves in mammalian physiology, the L-arginine:NO pathway is also involved in numerous pathophysiological mechanisms. While NO itself may actually protect cells from the toxicity of reactive oxygen radicals in some cases, it has been suggested that reactive nitrogen oxide species formed from nitric oxide synthase (NOS) can be cytotoxic. In addition to NO, the one electron reduction product NO- has been proposed to be formed from NOS. We investigated the potential cytotoxic role of nitroxyl (NO-), using the nitroxyl donor Angelis's salt, (AS; sodium trioxodinitrate, Na2N2O3) as the source of NO-. As was found to be cytotoxic to Chinese hamster V79 lung fibroblast cells over a concentration range of 2-4 mM. The presence of equimolar ferricyanide (Fe(III)-(CN6)3-), which converts NO- to NO, afforded dramatic protection against AS-mediated cytotoxicity. Treatment of V79 cells with L-buthionine sulfoximine to reduce intracellular glutathione markedly enhanced AS cytotoxicity, which suggests that GSH is critical for cellular protection against the toxicity of NO-. Further experiments showed that low molecular weight transition metal complexes associated with the formation of reactive oxygen species are not involved in AS-mediated cytotoxicity since metal chelators had no effect. However, under aerobic conditions, AS was more toxic than under hypoxic conditions, suggesting that oxygen dramatically enhanced AS-mediated cytotoxicity. At a molecular level, AS exposure resulted in DNA double strand breaks in whole cells, and this effect was completely prevented by coincubation of cells with ferricyanide or Tempol. The data in this study suggest that nitroxyl may contribute to the cytotoxicity associated with an enhanced expression of the L-arginine:NO pathway under different biological conditions.


The songs of Hugo Wolf represent the culmination of the Romantic German Lied tradition. Wolf developed a personal chromatic harmonic style that allowed him to respond to every nuance of a poetic text, thereby stretching tonality to its limits. He was convinced, however, that despite its novel nature his music could be explained through the traditional theory of harmony. This study determines the degree to which Wolf's belief is true, and begins with an evaluation of the current state of research into Wolf's harmonic practice. An explanation of my analytical method and its underlying philosophy follows; historical perspective is provided by tracing the development of three major elements of traditional theory from their inception to the present day: fundamental bass, fundamental chords, and tonal function. The analytical method is then applied to the works of Wolf's predecessors in order to allow comparison with Wolf. In the investigation of Wolf's harmonic practice the individual elements of traditional functional tonality are examined, focusing on Wolf's use of traditional harmonic functions in both traditional and innovative ways. This is followed by an investigation of the manner in which Wolf assembles these traditional elements into larger harmonic units. Tonal instability, rapid key shifts, progressive tonality, tonal ambiguity, and transient keys are hallmarks of his style. He frequently alters the quality of chords while retaining the function of their scale-degree root. Such "color" chords are classified, and their effect on harmonic progression examined. Wolf's repetitive motivic style and the devices that he employs to provide motion in his music are also discussed. I conclude by examining Wolf's most adventuresome techniques—including parallel chords successions, chromatic harmonic and melodic sequences, and successions of augmented triads--and the suspension of tonality that they produce. This project encompasses all of Wolf's songs, and should be a useful tool for Wolf scholars and performers, students of late nineteenth-century music, the music theorist, and for anyone interested in the concept of harmony as a stylistic determinant.


Sixty patients with abuse headache (AHA) (58 women and 2 men, mean age 44.5 years) and 10 age- and sex-matched controls have been studied. AHA diagnostic criteria were as follows: daily or almost daily headache, daily or every other day use of analgesics, primary headache (migraine or headache of tension--HAT) in anamnesis, uneffectiveness of medication. Clinico-neurological analysis, headache diary, Beck depression scale, Spilberger Trait/State Inventory, "Pain lifetime anamnesis", autonomic dystonia questionnaire, evaluation of night-time sleep score subjective characteristics and nociceptive flexor reflex (R-111) (NFR) determination were used. The results obtained confirmed the literature data that analgesics abuse in migraine resulted in AHA 2 times more often than in HAT. The causes were mainly psychogenic: mood improvement, night-time sleep normalization and post-stress cephalgia intensification. An influence of such factors as age and menopause was not found. Headache was of mixed character with features of both migraine and HAT and was not dependent on cephalgia type in anamnesis. Quantity of analgesics taken by the patients ranged from 40 to 120 tablets a month and influenced, in general, a speed of primary HA to AHA transformation. For AHA formation, systematic analgesics intake was more significant comparing to its absolute quantity. Pronounced psycho-autonomic disorders and night-time sleep disturbances in AHA were revealed. In analgesics abuse, pain and NFR thresholds were significantly higher as compared to controls. However, pain to reflex thresholds ratio proved to be reduced that indicated a relative deficiency of antinociceptive system which is necessary for pain syndrome reduction.


This is a preliminary case study on students from a university in Japan learning English as a second language (L2). Three students volunteered to report weekly their motivational changes through a four-week English course provided by a language institute in Australia and to be interviewed twice at the beginning and the end of the course. The results show that learning experience in a new environment could help them develop the "L2 Selves"; however, the same factor they experience both inside and outside the classroom class could affect either positively or negatively their motivation. Also, their motivational intensity does not exhibit a significant change through the course. The study discusses the participants' actual experience of the primary difference in the contents of the English class between Japan and Australia may work positively their learning due to their desire to develop the English proficiency. However, the relationship between their perceptions of environmental factors reflected on their prior learning experiences and their motivational intensity could be more complex than we imagine. There may be a gap between learners' general perception of motivational factors and its influence on the deterioration and the development of motivation to learn.


It is not unheard of in the history of science that two sets of observations are incompatible and that eventually only one set proves replicable. This may be the case with X-chromosome markers in bipolar illness. Although my friend and colleague Professor Mendlewicz is puzzled at my letter, it offered a fair presentation of the current status of the controversy in this area. The first problem, inconsistency of the Xg antigen and color blindness linkage to the same marker, is no longer a subject of controversy as a result of the work of Mohandas et al, 1 which clearly links Xg to steroid sulfatase on the short arm of the X chromosome, whereas protan and deutan color blindness and G6PD are in a small region on the distal end of the long arm of that chromosome. The second problem is that the strikingly and consistently positive linkage series of color


We modified the haemagglutinin–neuraminidase (HN) glycoprotein of the virulent Newcastle disease virus (NDV) strain Banjarmasin/010/10 (Ban/010) by adding C-terminal extensions similar to those found in certain avirulent NDV strains. Extension of the 571 aa wt Ban/010 HN protein to 577 and 616 aa by removal of one or two translational stop codons moderately reduced HN function and viral pathogenicity in 1-day-old and 3-week-old chickens. Substantially greater reductions were achieved by altering the 616 aa form by introducing a R596C mutation or by replacing the C-terminal extension with that of avirulent strain Ulster, which naturally contains the amino acid 596C. These results showed that extension of the C terminus of HN reduces NDV pathogenicity, and that this effect is substantially increased by the presence of 596C. These results indicate that this attenuating mechanism in avirulent strains such as Ulster can be applied directly to a highly virulent strain recently in circulation.


UVA (320-400 nm) and UVB (290-320 nm) are the major components of solar UV irradiation, which is associated with various pathological conditions. UVB causes direct damage to DNA of epidermal cells and is mainly responsible for erythema, immunosuppression, photoaging, and skin cancer. UVA has oxidizing properties that can cause damage or enhance UVB damaging effects on skin. On the other hand, UVA can also lead to high levels of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression of cells that can provide an antioxidant effect on skin as well as anti-inflammatory properties in mammals and rodents. Therefore, this review focuses on the potential protection of UVA wavebands for the skin immune response, instead of mechanisms that underlie UVA-induced damage. Also, the role of HO-1 in UVA-mediated protection against UVB-induced immunosuppression in skin will be summarized. Thus, this review facilitates further understanding of potential beneficial mechanisms of UVA irradiation, and using the longer UVA (UVA1, 340-400 nm) in combination with HO-1 for phototherapy and skin protection against sunlight exposure.


Despite its diminished importance amongst philosophers, the deductive- nomological framework is still important to contemporary behavioral scientists. Behavioral theorists operating within this framework must be careful to distinguish between nesting and chaining. Explanations are chained when the explanandum sentence of one explanation is one of the antecedent conditions of another. They are nested when one of the antecedent conditions or the explanandum sentence of one explanation is one of the covering laws of another. Confusion between nesting and chaining leads to explanation nests that cannot be nomologically entrenched. They cannot, even in principle, be logically connected to laws arising from other sciences. This hazard should be particularly important for evolutionary psychologists to avoid, since many evolutionary psychologists tend to see themselves as dedicated to both nomological entrenchment and cognitive functionalist models. The hazard can be avoided if the intentional constructs of the behavioral sciences are construed not as ineffable and inaccessible antecedent conditions, but as complex, law-like patterns in behavior.


Ageliferin is a marine natural product having antiviral and antimicrobial activities. These functions remain to be characterized at a molecular level. Ageliferin is also thought a biosynthetic intermediary linking oroidin type alkaloids to more complex polycyclic derivatives. This scenario has the amino tetrahydrobenzimidazole motif in ageliferin serving as a reduced progenitor of oxidized, ring-contracted spirocycles. Here we describe the reverse. Namely, a concise synthesis of ageliferin which features ring expansion of a spirocyclic precursor - itself derived from reduction. The pathway also provides access to unique isosteres of the axinellamine ring system, allowing new synthetic additions to the growing family of pyrrole / imidazole alkaloids.


The implementation of a new rice field at a print program in the district of the Mentawai Islands from 2011 to 2016 had not given satisfying results. The realization of the original rice field print in each location reached 70% at most. This was the reason why this research was implemented, which was to identify and to explain the aspects related to the success and the failure in achieving the New Rice Fieldprint in the district of the Mentawai Islands. This research used a combination method of concurrent embedded strategy, which was to combine qualitative and quantitative methods simultaneously. The primer data resource derived directly from the result of the questionnaire and interview with 13 people used as respondents. The data analysis technique used was quantitative descriptive with the help of the rating scale method, then it was analyzed by using descriptive qualitative through the help of interpretative analysis tools. This research concluded that the aspects that would be able to implement the New Rice Fieldprint program succeed were 5 aspects; included very influential elements such as qualified human resources and economic, social, and political supports in the location where the program/ policy was implemented.  On the other hand, the aspects that would be able to make the program fail were also 5 aspects. The most influential elements of the failure included the limited resources such as human resources, budget, labor, material, time, and even a geographical condition of the implemented program location was painful to access by land transportation.


Brushless DC (BLDC) motor is attracting much interest due to its good performance for many applications. Moreover, cost reducing of the drive is more attractive for low cost applications. This paper presents the design and implementation of a reduced parts BLDC motor drive. Part reducing is achieved by elimination of three Hall Effect position sensors and reducing the number of power switches to four switches. For current commutation, a low cost sensorless control based on line voltages is developed. Two second-order Butterworth low-pass filters with little phase delay are designed to eliminate of high frequency PWM and calculation of average terminal voltages. Proposed sensorless control doesnpsilat need to any 30deg or 90deg phase shift that is prevalent in other sensorless methods. Moreover, to make the rectangular phase current waveforms, direct phase current control is used in which the currents of two phases A and B are controlled independently. The performance of the developed algorithms is verified via simulation and implementation. It is shown that the main source of the estimation error is drop voltage on the stator impendence in which at low speeds and for heavy loads it increases. Experimental results show that the developed sensorless control is effective and can be used for low cost applications.


Background: Pediatric patients who are receiving parenteral nutrition (PN) unsupplemented with trace minerals can become deficient. Due to shortages in trace mineral products and the 2004 American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition report stating that individualized trace element supplementation may be warranted, a review was conducted concerning the trace minerals selenium (Se), manganese (Mn), and iodine (I). Method: A retrospective review of pediatric patients receiving PN that contained Se and Mn was conducted to determine if a difference existed between them and patients receiving PN without Se and Mn. Statistical analysis was done to assess a difference between trace mineral levels and the time to deficiency between supplemented and unsupplemented patients. Unsupplemented I patients had urine I levels assessed to determine deficiencies in patients receiving PN. Results: Plasma Se levels were measured at a mean of 20 days for supplemented patients (n = 131) and 19 days for nonsupplemented patients (n = 57) with no difference between groups (P = .2973). Plasma Mn levels were measured at a mean of 28 days, showing no statistical difference (P = .721). Of the 177 nonsupplemented I patients, 74% demonstrated I deficiencies without supplementation. Conclusions: Time to the development of a Se, Mn, or I deficiency is important to guide supplementation of exclusive PN in children when trace mineral products are short in supply. Our retrospective experience supports assessment of the trace minerals Se at 21 days and Mn at 30 days. It also suggests that some pediatric patients receiving PN are deficient in I.


Spondylocarpotarsal synostosis syndrome (SCT) is an autosomal recessive disease that is characterized by short stature, and fusions of the vertebrae and carpal and tarsal bones. SCT results from homozygosity or compound heterozygosity for nonsense mutations in FLNB. FLNB encodes filamin B, a multifunctional cytoplasmic protein that plays a critical role in skeletal development. Protein extracts derived from cells of SCT patients with nonsense mutations in FLNB did not contain filamin B, demonstrating that SCT results from absence of filamin B. To understand the role of filamin B in skeletal development, an Flnb-/- mouse model was generated. The Flnb-/- mice were phenotypically similar to individuals with SCT as they exhibited short stature and similar skeletal abnormalities. Newborn Flnb-/- mice had fusions between the neural arches of the vertebrae in the cervical and thoracic spine. At postnatal day 60, the vertebral fusions were more widespread and involved the vertebral bodies as well as the neural arches. In addition, fusions were seen in sternum and carpal bones. Analysis of the Flnb-/- mice phenotype showed that an absence of filamin B causes progressive vertebral fusions, which is contrary to the previous hypothesis that SCT results from failure of normal spinal segmentation. These findings suggest that spinal segmentation can occur normally in the absence of filamin B, but the protein is required for maintenance of intervertebral, carpal and sternal joints, and the joint fusion process commences antenatally.


Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) has been implicated through epidemiologic studies as a co-morbid factor in cardiovascular disease. There is a greater incidence of hypertension and atherosclerosis related diseases such as stroke, angina, and acute myocardial infarction in patients with OSA. However, obesity is a common problem in OSA as well as cardiovascular disease and is argued by some to be the etiologic factor for both OSA and cardiovascular morbidity. Clearly, there is shortened longevity in patients with untreated or inadequately treated OSA. Other factors which could account for this early mortality in OSA are sudden death during sleep (arrhythmia) or even fatalities from sleep related automobile accidents. The reason that the association between OSA and cardiovascular disease remains unclear is that the relationship thus far is demonstrated only by epidemiological association, not by mechanisms showing a cause-effect relationship. Some of these possible mechanisms are discussed below. Regardless of the mechanisms, the evidence is that OSA needs to be treated aggressively if patient morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease is to be reduced.


Traffic control at intersections is a key issue and hot research topic in intelligent transportation systems. Existing approaches, including traffic light scheduling and trajectory maneuver, are either inaccurate and inflexible or complicated and costly. More importantly, due to the dynamics of traffic, it is really difficult to obtain the optimal solution in a real-time way. Inspired by the emergence of vehicular ad hoc network, we propose a novel approach to traffic control at intersections. Via vehicle to vehicle or vehicle to infrastructure communications, vehicles can compete for the privilege of passing the intersection, i.e., traffic is controlled via coordination among vehicles. Such an approach is flexible and efficient. To realize the coordination among vehicles, we first model the problem as a new variant of the classic mutual exclusion problem, and then design algorithms to solve new problem. Both centralized and distributed algorithms are. We conduct extensive simulations to evaluate the performance of our proposed algorithms. The results show that, our approach is efficient and outperforms a reference algorithm based on optimal traffic light scheduling. Moreover, our approach does not rely on traffic light or intersection controller facilities, which makes it flexible and applicable to various kinds of intersections.


Detecting changes in asset co-movements is of much importance to financial practitioners, with numerous risk management benefits arising from the timely detection of breakdowns in historical correlations. In this article, we propose a real-time indicator to detect temporary increases in asset co-movements, the Autoencoder Reconstruction Ratio, which measures how well a basket of asset returns can be modelled using a lower-dimensional set of latent variables. The ARR uses a deep sparse denoising autoencoder to perform the dimensionality reduction on the returns vector, which replaces the PCA approach of the standard Absorption Ratio, and provides a better model for non-Gaussian returns. Through a systemic risk application on forecasting on the CRSP US Total Market Index, we show that lower ARR values coincide with higher volatility and larger drawdowns, indicating that increased asset co-movement does correspond with periods of market weakness. We also demonstrate that short-term (i.e. 5-min and 1-hour) predictors for realised volatility and market crashes can be improved by including additional ARR inputs.


Syn-Upper Cretaceous tectonic movements are recognized along tectonic axes including the Portsdown-South Downs axis, Sandown pericline, Kingston anticline, the Fécamp-St Valery fault blocks and at the Bresle Valley axis. A spatial relationship is described between surface structures, chalk sedimentation and deeper level fault systems identified on seismic sections. The Ouse valley between Lewes and Newhaven, Sussex, provides the strongest evidence for this relationship in the Chalk of the Anglo-Paris Basin.. The sedimentary features that can be related to tectonic lines are local thickness changes, anomalous sequences including scour surfaces such as Strahan's Hardground, Rowe's Flintless Belt (Isle of Wight), the Downend slump sequence (Portsdown). These discordant surfaces and slumps relate to particular tectonic 'hinge lines' whilst other sedimentary features such as the Tilleul Hardgrounds appear to have formed flat-ramps over blocks. These two types of tectono-sedimentary feature are used to delineate horst-like structures from tilted surfaces or half grabens which underlie the surface periclinal fold-belts. Rejuvenation movements along tectonic axes during the Cenomanian to Campanian are discussed in relation to the currently recognized sequence stratigraphy and sea-level curves for the period.


A Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) technique has been applied for the identification of four widely used plastics, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), high-density polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS), whose recycling is required from commercial and biosafety points of view. The 3rd harmonic (355 nm) nanosecond pulse from an Nd:YAG laser is used to create plasma on the sample surface and identification of the type of the plastic is derived from the plasma emission. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of the LIBS spectra is employed for the classification of plastics. Distinct methods have been used, apart from principal components of PCA, to further confirm our results. Statistical parameters, viz., Mahalanobis distance (M-distance) and spectral residuals were used for decisive match/no match test which provided successful classification of plastics. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) and Youden's index analyses were carried out to obtain the diagnostic threshold for classification of all four classes of plastics. Sensitivity, specificity, predictive values and discriminative accuracy of the classification tests based on the optimum threshold were calculated. This proves the analytical predictive capabilities of the LIBS technique for plastic identification and classification. The technique of LIBS, in future, can be routinely used in field applications such as plastic waste sorting and recycling.


Glaucoma is defined as an optic disc neuropathy meaning the nerve fibers are being atrophied similar to the fate occurring in non-glaucomatous optic atrophies. Furthermore, the nerve fibers are always being destroyed randomly in all the non-glaucomatous optic atrophies. In contrast, the nerve fibers in glaucoma are invariably destroyed in an orderly tandem fashion, from peripheral to central, never randomly. Is glaucoma really an optic disc neuropathy in light of orderly destruction of nerve fibers in glaucoma? The current prevailing theories in glaucoma such as posterior bowing of the lamina cribrosa or cupping can't explain the orderly destruction of nerve fibers occurring in glaucoma. In fact, there is no biological mechanism acting directly on the nerve fibers or their RGCs which could lead to their orderly destruction. Therefore, there should be some mechanical way, which could result in the orderly destruction of nerve fibers even though this mechanical scenario may have resulted from the direct biological effect of raised IOP on some important component of the optic disc. It is proposed that the border tissue of Elschnig (BT) atrophies due to chronic ischemia caused by raised IOP, and as a result, the lamina cribrosa (LC) begins sinking in the scleral canal—a mechanical problem. Due to sinking of the LC, the nerve fibers get stretched and broken starting with the most peripheral nerve fibers being closest to the edge of the scleral opening and ending with the most central nerve fibers in an orderly tandem fashion. Therefore, in view of the orderly destruction of nerve fibers, glaucoma may not be an optic disc neuropathy but an optic disc axotomy.


Proposes a method for the visual-based navigation of a mobile robot in indoor environments, using a single omnidirectional (catadioptric) camera. The geometry of the catadioptric sensor and the method used to obtain a bird's eye (orthographic) view of the ground plane are presented. This representation significantly simplifies the solution to navigation problems, by eliminating any perspective effects. The nature of each navigation task is taken into account when designing the required navigation skills and environmental representations. We propose two main navigation modalities: topological navigation and visual path following. Topological navigation is used for traveling long distances and does not require knowledge of the exact position of the robot but rather, a qualitative position on the topological map. The navigation process combines appearance based methods and visual servoing upon some environmental features. Visual path following is required for local, very precise navigation, e.g., door traversal, docking. The robot is controlled to follow a prespecified path accurately, by tracking visual landmarks in bird's eye views of the ground plane. By clearly separating the nature of these navigation tasks, a simple and yet powerful navigation system is obtained.


The paper outlines and examines how China and Vietnam deal with tensions relating to their territorial disputes in the South China Sea. It looks specifically at the tension caused by incidents in late May and early June 2011 and how the tension was brought under control by the two countries. These developments are then examined in the broader context of the Sino-Vietnamese approach to managing border disputes in the period since full normalisation of relations in late 1991, both progress made in terms of conflict management and challenges faced in terms of tension are addressed. The implications and lessons drawn from the developments in May-June 2011 and from the broader period since late 1991 is outlined. Furthermore, the challenges for China and Vietnam to properly manage their disputes and related tension in the South China Sea are discussed.


Economic governance in the EU has been undergoing substantial changes since the beginning of the sovereign debt crisis. The re-arrangements are affecting the convergence of European economies, budgetary control and emergency reactions. Some of them are still at proposal stage, such as the "sixpack" proposed by the Commission for a series of legislative measures on convergence and budgetary surveillance, which is still under scrutiny in Parliament and which is accompanied by activity of the European Council (Euro-Plus-Pact, European Semester). Emergency action is being undertaken since May 2010 (Greek package, EFSM, EFSF) and should lead to a newly inserted provision in the TFEU together with a new international financial institution (ESM). From a European constitutional lawyer's view, the soundness of the reforms already at proposal stage, as well as the emergency activity currently undertaken, may be called into question. European constitutionalism is at stake, as core rules of the Treaties are disrespected. Democratic governance is threatened, as most of the new structures are devoid of parliamentary backing. Stability and welfare are jeopardized as the policy of the Union deviates from successful ways of economic governance as enshrined in the Treaties. European legal scholarship must not be reluctant in pointing at such deficiencies and should participate in showing ways out of the crisis.


Cardiac electrical stimulation as primary or adjunctive treatment of congestive heart failure is entering its second decade of existence. Initial trials of conventional DDD pacing1-5 were followed by bifocal right ventricular stimulation.6 The concept of multisite stimulation for haemodynamic support was introduced in 1994.7 8 Various studies have already reported the benefits of this method,9 10 or are in progress.11

The transition from conventional DDD pacing to multisite stimulation was not fortuitous. Successive "advances" in the design of cardiac pacing systems have aimed at correcting anomalies in the sequence of cardiac chamber activation, as well as in the synchronisation of the various phases of myocardial contraction and relaxation. The phenomenon of asynchrony is a consequence of progressive, global or focal degradation of the myocardium. One can easily visualise interstitial fibrosis gradually replacing areas of normal myocardium, and causing heterogeneous propagation of cardiac electrical activity. Such heterogeneity combines, to various degrees, three consecutive atrioventricular, interventricular, and intraventricular asynchrony levels. Among various analytical and modelling methods, Doppler echocardiography is preferred for its ease of application in day to day practice.12

The oldest concept, that of desynchronised atrioventricular sequential activation, applies only to sinus rhythm. It is the product of a mismatch between end of atrial systole and onset of ventricular systole, sometimes facilitated by a disorder of atrioventricular conduction or QRS prolongation. It may be simply described as an abbreviated ventricular filling time with respect to the complete cardiac cycle, and, on occasion, by early passive ventricular filling flow superimposed on atrial systole dependent flow. Dual chamber pacing, by linking ventricular to atrial activation, normalises flow patterns of ventricular filling, provided atrial contraction …


Studies of short (few ns) pulse cell electroperturbation require high-voltage nanosecond pulses delivered to low-impedance (10 Omega) electroporation cuvette loads. Here we present two pulse generators for these applications. The generators comprise of three stages of pulse modulation: an LC resonant stage switched by IGBT/MOSFET; a magnetic pulse compression stage; and a diode opening switch output stage. The all-solid-state design results in reproducible pulses and reliable, long-life operation. Pulses produced by the LC resonant stage are compressed using nonlinear properties of the magnetic material. The compressed pulses are fed to the diode opening switch, which is constructed by series and parallel connecting ordinary automotive rectifying diodes. Two versions of the pulse generator are described: The first version is capable of generating 20 ns wide, 4.5 kV amplitude pulses of 20 Hz repetition rate. A second version generates 5 ns, 7.5 kV amplitude pulses into the same 10 Omega cuvette load.


The number of clients with end-stage renal disease and acute kidney injury requiring kidney replacement therapy is at an all-time high. At the end of 2010, the number of persons in the United States with end-stage renal disease totaled 594 374. Because the majority of clients select hemodialysis, understanding best-practice techniques to prevent infection is paramount. The purpose of this article is to review best-practice recommendations for care of the 3 major vascular access devices used for hemodialysis, with a particular focus on infection prevention recommendations. Implications for infusion nurses are also discussed.


The growth of the World Wide Web in the last two decades has posed a lot of challenges to the field of Information Retrieval. The way in which the information is collected, shared and searched is changed drastically. Searching information has never been so easy because of the search engines. Any Information Retrieval application has different components such as query handling where the user enters the user information need, Indexing part where the document representation is stored and maintained, the Ranking part which arranges the documents based on the relevance and the matching part which compares the query representation with the document representation. Most of the time since the user information need is not specified correctly, the documents that are retrieved may not be relevant or the relevant links may be less. Hence it is the challenge to be addressed by the search applications which can transform the original query into another representation which will be more responsive for the information retrieval. In this work we propose a hybrid framework which can be used to transform the original query representation to another representation which helps to retrieve more relevant results than the original representation. We further validate our point with an experiment we conducted.


There will come someday when UAVs can fly into the airspace of manned aircraft in the near future because of the increasing number of operational UAVs together with technologies development. Since pilots of UAVs are on the ground, the equipment for sensing and avoiding obstacles in front is indispensable. In this paper, the TCAS II, a collision avoidance device for manned aircraft, is implemented to UAVs and investigated on the interlaces with a flight control computer. It turns out to be that the onboard directional antenna of TCAS II does not provide a precise directional information, and that the TCAS II is not assumed to be installed alone, but used as supplementary with other device which tells a precise direction.


General education teachers in the Republic of Korea were investigated regarding their participation in programs to include students with disabilities in general education settings. Previous studies have shown that even general education teachers with positive attitudes towards inclusion are reluctant in practice to have students with disabilities in their classrooms. This study examines 33 Korean general education teachers from three primary schools in Seoul regarding their attitudes towards, and willingness to accommodate, the needs of a student with a disability. The results show that 41.37% of general education teachers had positive attitudes towards inclusion programs, while 55.16% were unwilling to actually participate. Quantitative data obtained through a questionnaire was supplemented by qualitative data obtained through interviews. The interviews focused on the positive and negative effects of inclusion, as well as problems in implementing inclusive education programs. The findings will be discussed in the light of previous international research and will highlight links between the age and teaching experience of general education teachers and their negative attitudes towards inclusion.