Background
Plasticity of visual system is one of the mechanisms of deprivation amblyopia.Our previous study showed that synapsin plays a role during visual developmental plasticity, and conventional protein kinase C-γ (cPKC-γ) probably is one of upstream kinases of synapsin.However, whether or how the cPKC-γ plays its effects on visual developmental plasticity is below understood.

Objective
This study was to investigate the dynamic expression of cPKC-γ in visual cortex of normal mice and explore the effects of abnormal visual experience on cPKC-γ expression.

Methods
The bilateral visual cortex tissues were obtained from 36 clean C57BL/6 mice at postnatal (P) 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42 days respectively and 6 mice for each for the researching of cPKC-γ dynamical expression in visual cortex over aging.Other 24 C57BL/6 mice were randomized into developmental phase group and adult phase group, 12 for each group.The monocular deprived (MD) models were established by suturing the upper and inferior eyelides in P14 mice for 14 days in 6 mice in the developmental phase group and 6 healthy mice served as controls, and MD models were established in the same way in 6 P60 mice in the adult phase group, and the same aged mice (6 mice) were used as controls.The mice were sacrificed and bilateral visual cortexes were obtained.The expression of cPKC-γ protein in the visual cortex was quantitatively detected using Western blot assay.The study protocol was approved by Ethic Committee of Tongren Eye Hospital.The use and care of the experimental mice followed the ARVO Statement.

Results
The cPKC-γ protein was faintly expressed in visual cortex in normal P7 mice, with the related expressing level of (39.74±11.22)% and (40.78±10.37)% in the left and right cortex, respectively.The expressing level of cPKC-γ protein was gradually increased over aging, with the peak value of (138.68±15.73)% and (138.47±23.48)% in P21 mice.A significant difference was found in the expression of cPKC-γ protein in various ages of mice (Fage=57.174, P=0.000), and the expression of cPKC-γ protein was not significantly different between the left and right visual cortexses (Flateral=0.059, P=0.809). No significant differences were found in the expression of cPKC-γ protein on bilateral visual cortexes among the mice of the developmental phase group and adult phase group (Fage =1.798, P=0.159) or among the MD group and normal control group (Fgroup=0.104, P=0.749).

Conclusions
The dynamic expression of cPKC-γ in the visual cortex of normal mice presents a consistant tend with the aging and development of visual critical period.MD does not affect the expression of cPKC-γ protein in bilateral visual cortexes.Further researches should be performed in the activity of cPKC-γ protein in MD mice.

Key words:
Visual cortex/physiology; Neuronal plasticity/physiology; Synapses/physiology; Monocular deprive; Mice, inbred C57BL; Conventional protein kinase C-γ


'Imperfection' is a key concept in both aesthetics and semiotics; Algirdas J. Greimas devoted a monograph to it (De l'imperfection, 1987), emphasizing the revelatory value of the aesthetic experience as capable to transport the subject from the appearance of imperfection to the perfection of being. Taking this elegant series of five semiotic analyses as a point of departure, the paper will seek to articulate a typology of imperfections in visual communication, arguing that each of them appeals to a different semiotic ideology and elicits, as a consequence, specific pragmatic responses. The article will indicate, in particular, some lines for the possible development of a 'semiotics of the pixel'. It is a highly speculative enquiry, for it must starts with a foundational skeptical question: are pixels semiotic objects at all? Do they signify autonomously from the image they give shape to? And if that is not the case, if they appear to be simple and inert constituents of digital configurations, what is their status then? According to Umberto Eco's witty definition, everything that can be used to lie can become an object for semiotic enquiry (1976: 18); but can pixels actually 'lie'? Or are they bound to produce light and color according to a cold mathematical rule, with no possibility for the randomness of intentional communication? (Mitchell 2005: 87-92). In other words: is it possible to design imperfection in digital signification and communication?


India is a developing country and in ordered to achieve our goals we have to strengthen our higher education system. The continuing growth of the middle class in India (approximately 200 million people) has led to increased demand for higher education and we know that this demand cannot be met very easily by the Indian Higher Education system. Although the Indian government is planning to establish new universities and colleges in the near future, these will not be enough to provide places for all students who seek higher education. If we think that what India will be like 25 years from now, we can estimate quantitatively with a fair degree of confidence in some areas.Ever since the establishment of National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) it has been involved in evaluating the performance of the Universities and Colleges in the Country. The main philosophy of NAAC is based on objective and continuous improvement rather than being punitive or judgmental, so that all institutions of higher learning are empowered to maximize their resources, opportunities and capabilities. Across India there are few states who have taken up initiatives to go for Accreditation with the support of the government and higher education Council. Among these states Karnataka is one such state where more number of higher education Institutions have been accredited across different cycles. There are many factors which contributes for the institutions to have high cumulative grade point average and also grades. In this paper an attempt is being made to find out how location and source of funding influences on the accreditation status of higher education Institutions in Karnataka.


The quality of drinking water is a factor of vital importance in public health. Much of the ill health in. the under developed countries is largely due to lack of safe drinking water. There can be no state of positive community health and well being without safe water supply (Giroult, 1977). Chlorination is one of the greatest advances in water purification. Chlorine kills pathogenic bacteria and in high doses destroys the bacterial spores and viruses. It oxidizes iron, mangnese and hydrogen sulphide. It also destroys some taste and odour producing constituents in the water (WHO, 1976'. Chlorine demand is the amount of chlorine that is needed to destroy bacteria and to oxidize all the organic matter and ammoniacal substances present in the water. If further chlorine is added beyond this point, free chlorine begins to appear in the water.


This paper is devoted on the methodology for assessing the development of extra- and intra-integration structures. This methodology consists of three levels of economic assessment of the agro-industrial sector: the regional level, the economic sector level, and the enterprise level. The agro-industrial complex of the Altai Republic has positive business dynamics due to the development of the livestock industry. Through assessing the business outlook for agro-industrial integration using the three levels, it has been determined that the livestock industry has the greatest potential for creating large integrated structures in the Altai Republic. The study justifies the need for creating an internal cluster (intra-cluster) in the maral deer breeding sphere of the Altai Republic, and an external cluster (extra-cluster) in the sphere of meat-and-dairy cattle breeding in the Altai Republic and the Altai Territory. The authors propose a 'business-as-usual' and a target scenario for the development of the agro-industrial complex of the Altai Republic until 2025. The target scenario reflects the effectiveness of the proposed measures for the development of the agro-industrial complex of the Altai Republic. According to this scenario, the formation of intra-clusters and extra-clusters in 2025 will lead to an increase in total profits of the livestock industry enterprises under analysis by 451 million rubles and of budget allocations by 194.3 million rubles. The goal of this study is to develop theoretical and methodological guidelines for shaping and developing integrated structures in the agro-industrial complex.


This article discusses the relationship between hegemony and resistance using the framework of the social representations theory (SRT). It starts by describing hegemony and resistance as dyadic processes that emerge from the work of representation and shows how SRT encompasses both the hegemonic nature of representations and their potential to transform by presenting empirical studies of gender and race. In the second part of the article an explanation of hegemony and resistance from a social representations perspective is developed, one centred around notions of similarity, consensus, "possibility of difference" and alternative representations. In the end, an analogy between systems of representation and geographical environments is made in order to emphasise the dynamic nature of the forces that shape our social life.


AIMS
Research suggests that wellbeing is at its lowest when individuals' quality of life (QoL) dimensions are rated poor and also very important. We aimed to find out how people evaluated guided individualised feedback when a graphical profile of subjective QoL dimensions and their perceived importance was presented. The study examined whether this novel feedback was considered relevant and valued in self-management and healthcare.
METHODS
In this mixed-methods cross-sectional pilot study we recruited participants from the community and primary care, targeting 70% with a chronic illness and 30% healthy. The multidimensional WHOQOL-BREF and WHOOL-BREF Importance measures were completed by 129 participants. Inspecting their results presented together, they used directed guidance to identify and interpret graphed differences between the 25 QoL dimensions and their respective importance. Evaluative ratings and written comments appraised the feedback. At follow up, relevance to healthcare was explored with a subgroup from amongst those who found the feedback helpful.
RESULTS
Following feedback, 65% of participants reported changes in thoughts and perceptions of QoL. They described new insights, interpreting these as self-affirming. Goals or expectations changed for 34%, with increasing motivation to change reported. Over 50% evaluated the feedback as helpful, in the short tem or for the future. Follow up in-depth interviews showed participants valued the feedback process; 92% acknowledged its usefulness in sharing information with a healthcare professional. Participants suggested it would facilitate communications, and would help health professionals to treat them with greater understanding and relevance. They also expressed a desire for health professionals to use these understandings in providing targeted health advice and support.
CONCLUSIONS
To capitalize on the benefits of individualised, comprehensive guided feedback, this pilot complex intervention needs testing in a fully randomised controlled trial. Our innovative feedback mechanism, whereby self-rated QoL is presented alongside its importance, has value beyond self-monitoring. It has potential to promote individual behavior change and could support clinical decision-making and patient self-management in a variety of health and social care settings.


This article addresses the fluctuations in the annual numbers of candidates accepted into the noviciate of the Fatebenefratelli, the numbers of novices who took vows, and those who withdrew from the noviciate by their own choice or were rejected; the age structure of novices, their geographical and social origins. The main sources for the study of the personal make-up of the Vilnius Fatebenefratelli (Ordo S. Joannis de Deo) are two books of novices (libri novitiorum) (1678‒1725, 1761‒1823) that supply the relevant personal information on 243 novices. The analysis revealed that 51% of the novices had successfully completed the noviciate, while others resigned by their own will or were rejected. Most candidates were aged between 18 and 37; however, the order's internal structure and the short formation of novices allowed to accept older candidates. Most novices originated from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and mainly from the Vilnius, Navahrudak, Trakai palatinates and Samogitia. Most probably, this reflected the general trends of immigration to Vilnius as well as the lack of opportunities for religious vocations in Samogitia. The geographical origins of novices also show that candidates came from mainly rural localities, whereas only 30 originated from cities (including Vilnius) and towns. The sources do not adequately reveal the social origins of novices, and only sporadic mentions reveal some candidates to have come either from the nobility, towns- and tradespeople, or other groups. Nonetheless, considering their geographical origins and material status, it could be assumed that the majority of novices were of non-noble birth and originated from rural strata.


This study was designed to identify and to test a model to assist educational leaders to develop quantifiable assessments of student learning to meet the requirements for institutional assessment by external stakeholders and to produce data essential to plan specific curriculum and program improvements. The study population included English composition students at a small community college in eastern North Carolina. Data collected included test scores related to a terminology exam and also semester grades in courses that comprise a two-semester composition sequence. The study applies a conceptual framework that incorporates elements of working memory and curriculum potential to consider the possible relationships between the terminology exam and composition courses. The first research question examined the association between student scores on the terminology exam and student semester grades for the course. The second research question examined the association between student scores and semester grades in subsequent composition courses. The research methodology employed in this study was quantitative in design. Statistical analysis was performed to determine demographic influences on student academic performance. Rasch modeling was also employed to examine exam characteristics including item difficulty. Results indicated that academic excellence in composition courses was associated with a score of 80+ on the terminology exam by students. The results of this study indicate that an examination of foundational concepts through a five-step process to evaluate curriculum potential can provide educational leaders with quantifiable assessments of student learning as required for institutional assessment and with data meaningful to curriculum and program improvement.


In this paper, we introduce subband likelihood-maximizing beamforming (S-LIMABEAM), a new microphone-array processing algorithm specifically designed for speech recognition applications. The proposed algorithm is an extension of the previously developed LIMABEAM array processing algorithm. Unlike most array processing algorithms which operate according to some waveform-level objective function, the goal of LIMABEAM is to find the set of array parameters that maximizes the likelihood of the correct recognition hypothesis. Optimizing the array parameters in this manner results in significant improvements in recognition accuracy over conventional array processing methods when speech is corrupted by additive noise and moderate levels of reverberation. Despite the success of the LIMABEAM algorithm in such environments, little improvement was achieved in highly reverberant environments. In such situations where the noise is highly correlated to the speech signal and the number of filter parameters to estimate is large, subband processing has been used to improve the performance of LMS-type adaptive filtering algorithms. We use subband processing principles to design a novel array processing architecture in which select groups of subbands are processed jointly to maximize the likelihood of the resulting speech recognition features, as measured by the recognizer itself. By creating a subband filtering architecture that explicitly accounts for the manner in which recognition features are computed, we can effectively apply the LIMABEAM framework to highly reverberant environments. By doing so, we are able to achieve improvements in word error rate of over 20% compared to conventional methods in highly reverberant environments


Architects of complex software systems face the challenge of how best to assess the achievement of quality attributes and other key system drivers, how to reveal issues and risks early, and how to make decisions about architecture improvement. Software architecture quality has a large impact on this effort, but it is usually not assessed with quantitative measures. A software architecture metric quantifies architecture quality, value, and cost. While it is highly desirable to improve feedback between development and deployment through measurable means for intrinsic quality, value, and cost, efforts in software architecture quality measurement have lagged behind the body of work focusing on code quality. The goal of the Second International Workshop on Software Architecture and Metrics was to discuss progress on architecture and metrics, measurement, and analysis; to gather empirical evidence on the use and effectiveness of metrics; and to identify priorities for a research agenda.


This paper examines how Korean game developers have been experiencing deepening conditions of precarity and makes a few suggestions regarding how they could overcome their structural limitations. Despite the remarkable growth in the Korean game industry, many underlying problems overshadow its success, such as labor exploitation, low wages, employment instability, and alienated labor. This paper uses a qualitative methodology to investigate the implications of the game industry market's transition from PC online to the mobile game platform since the 2010s, which contributed to the industry's deteriorating working condition and production system. Given this context, this study explores how the game developers experienced deepening conditions of precarity. This paper offers a few suggestions about overcoming these structural constraints. First, game developers can appropriate their know-how and resources then integrate them into a new form of "digital creative labor," which refers to networked and collaborative cultural practices of game developers. Secondly, this paper argues that the intervention at the institutional and policy level is necessary to protect the rights and interests of workers.


We report the discovery and multicolor (VRIW) photometry of a rare explosive star MASTER OT J004207.99+405501.1 a luminous red nova in the Andromeda galaxy M31N2015-01a. We use our original light curve acquired with identical MASTER Global Robotic Net telescopes in one photometric system: VRI during first 30 days and W (unfiltered) during 70 days. Also we added publishied multicolor photometry data to estimate the mass and energy of the ejected shell, and discuss the likely formation scenarios of outbursts of this type. We propose the interpretation of the explosion, that is consistent with the evolutionary scenario where star merger is a natural stage of the evolution of close-mass stars and may serve as an extra channel for the formation of nova outbursts.


Previous approaches used to determine the rates of different earthquakes on a fault have made assumptions regarding segmentation, have been difficult to document and reproduce, and have lacked the ability to satisfy all available data constraints. We present a relatively objective and reproducible inverse methodology for determining the rate of different ruptures on a fault or fault system. The data used in the inversion include slip rate, event rate, and other constraints such as an optional a priori magnitude–frequency distribution. We demonstrate our methodology by solving for the long-term rate of ruptures on the southern San Andreas fault. Our results imply that a Gutenberg–Richter distribution is consistent with the data available for this fault; however, more work is needed to test the robustness of this assertion. More importantly, the methodology is extensible to an entire fault system (thereby including multifault ruptures) and can be used to quantify the relative benefits of collecting additional paleoseismic data at different sites.


Social scientists are producing an ever-expanding volume of data, leading to questions about appraisal and selection of content given finite resources to process data for reuse. We analyze users' search activity in an established social science data repository to better understand demand for data and more effectively guide collection development. By applying a data-driven approach, we aim to ensure curation resources are applied to make the most valuable data findable, understandable, accessible, and usable. We analyze data from a domain repository for the social sciences that includes over 500,000 annual searches in 2014 and 2015 to better understand trends in user search behavior. Using a newly created search-to-study ratio technique, we identified gaps in the domain data repository's holdings and leveraged this analysis to inform our collection and curation practices and policies. The evaluative technique we propose in this paper will serve as a baseline for future studies looking at trends in user demand over time at the domain data repository being studied with broader implications for other data repositories.


It is known that there are parallel manipulators that can perform nonsingular transitions between different assembly modes. In particular, 3-degree-of-freedom (DOF) manipulators have received primary attention related to this phenomenon. In this paper, the conditions for the existence of special points in the projection of the direct-kinematic-problem-singularity locus onto the joint space for one constant input are obtained. From these conditions, the coordinates of all cusp points can be obtained analytically. Encircling one of these cusp points, it is possible to make a nonsingular transition between two assembly modes of a parallel manipulator. Utilizing these conditions, the range for the existence of cusp points of each input value can be also determined. An extension of the concept of cusp points to the complete joint space is also performed. The procedure is applied to an RPR-2-PRR parallel manipulator that can be solved analytically. Its dimensional variables are parametrized as a 1-D function, and all results are obtained in closed form, which is a benchmark example for other procedures.


One of the direct ways of influencing emotions and service quality perceptions is by music stimulation. The purpose of this research is to examine the impact of music of different musical elements (i.e. sad vs. happy music) on respondents' emotions and their first impression perceptions of a healthcare institution's quality. The research was designed as an experimental simulation, i.e. data were collected in an online survey from respondents randomly assigned to evaluate a presentation consisting of multiple images of a healthcare institution in one of three experimental conditions (absence of, happy, and sad music stimulation). The results, in alliance with previous research, demonstrate a relationship between emotions and first impression quality perceptions and between music and emotions, but no relationship between music and first impression quality perception. The obtained significant results yet again emphasize the importance of inducing positive customer emotions as they lead to positive first impression service quality evaluations that subsequently provide appreciated returns. They also stress the importance of carefully choosing music when inducing emotions as music with different musical elements results in different emotional states. One of the limitations of this research is the non-real life situation experimental setting, which is to be overcome in future research. Keywords: Music, healthcare institutions, servqual, fist impression, pleasure, arousal


He was certainly not without interests apart from his professional duties. During the difficult period of establishing the new golf course for the Royal Canberra Golf Club, George Redshaw was President. His energy and ability in this position led to the A.C.T. acquiring one of the most beautiful golf courses in Australia. Apart from golf, his other recreations included snooker and solo, at both of which he could be a formidable opponent. A bachelor, George Redshaw had a wide circle of friends who were saddened by his sudden death. They will remember his quiet, gracious personality and his many unobtrusive acts of kindness.


Quality control of proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is achieved by two mechanisms, the productive folding mechanism, which is assisted by a number of ER-localized molecular chaperones and folding enzymes (collectively termed ER chaperones), and the ER-associated degradation (ERAD) mechanism, by which misfolded proteins are degraded by the ubiquitin-dependent proteasome system in the cytosol. Accumulation of unfolded proteins in the ER activates the unfolded protein response (UPR), resulting in transcriptional induction of ER chaperones and ERAD components. In mammals, three signalling pathways operate for the UPR, namely the IRE1-XBP1, PERK-ATF4 and ATF6 pathways. Analysis of mouse embryonic fibroblasts deficient in UPR signalling molecule indicates that transcriptional induction of ERAD components depends on the IRE1-XBP1 pathway. However, the molecular basis of this finding remains unclear. Here, we analysed the promoter of human HRD1, which encodes an E3 ubiquitin ligase, an important component of ERAD. We found that induction of HRD1 is mediated by two cis-acting elements, a canonical ER stress response element and a novel element we designate as UPR element II. The presence of UPR element II to which XBP1 but not ATF6 directly binds explains at least in part the dependency of HRD1 induction on the IRE1-XBP1 pathway.


Pavement inspection is an important part of pavement management systems. Because this part provides input and raw material information to the system. If the pavement situation has not been assessed or incorrectly assessed, it will not be possible to carry out optimum maintenance and repair operations. It can also cause higher maintenance costs and the risk of accidents. Pavement distress information is crucial data that should be collected and evaluated in the pavement inspection process. Accordingly, wide research has been conducted to develop more efficient systems for the evaluation of pavement distresses using new technologies. Bleeding is one of the asphalt pavement distresses, which directly affects the skid resistance and vehicle maneuverability. Based on the literature, pavement bleeding received the attention of the research community less than other pavement distress such as cracks, rutting, raveling, and potholes. This research attempts to develop an efficient system for automatic evaluation of asphalt pavement bleeding. For this aim, the transfer learning method has been applied to train a pre-trained convolutional neural network for bleeding detection. Also, various image processing techniques (wavelet transform analysis as the main technique) have been used to segment bleeding regions in pavement images. Results indicate that the proposed system has good performance in bleeding detection and segmentation with 98% and 87%, respectively. Accordingly, this system can be applied as an efficient system for pavement bleeding evaluation.


A fundamental artifact of any academic research is the data used as the basis of that research effort. A group of researchers, from institutions in multiple territories, has embarked on an ambitious research project that is aimed at enhancing the teaching of software engineering in four-year undergraduate programs. The research project details a set of workshops, for which the objective is the capture of data that will be the basis of the research effort. The first of these workshops was held in August 2011. The workshop comprised software engineering educators and representatives from the information technology industry. The data collection task sought to identify a set of topics that are considered suitable for teaching software engineering, along with identification of the years and depth at which these topics should be taught. The topics are derived from the outcome goals of the course/program.


Field experiment was conducted on alluvial soils (Typic Eutrochrept) of eastern India by adopting inductive cum targeted yield model to assess the fertility status, fertilizer requirements, and formulation with and without integrated plant nutrient supply fertilizer (IPNS) prescription equation for jute fiber, rice grain, and garden pea on soil-test and yield target bases. By using yields, initial soil-test values, uptake of nutrients, and fertilizer doses applied, the basic data [viz., nutrient requirement (NR) and contributions of nutrients from soil (Cs), fertilizers (Cf), and farmyard manure (Cfym)] were computed and used to develop fertilizer prescription equations for jute fiber, rice grain, and garden pea with and without IPNS under a jute–rice–garden pea sequence. The greatest nutrient requirement was observed in jute [2.88:0.97:5.07 kg nitrogen (N)/phosphorus (P)/potassium (K)] followed by rice (2.34:0.47:3.48 kg N/P/K) and garden pea (0.52:0.11:0.39 kg N/P/K) for the production of 100 kg yields of jute fiber/rice grain/green pod, respectively. It was found that soil has contributed the greatest percentage of N (20.6%) and K (47.29%) toward the total N and K uptake by rice followed in jute whereas the greatest percentage contribution of P (21.1%) occurred in jute. However, the greatest contribution of N, P, and K from the fertilizer was observed in jute, followed by rice and garden pea. Nitrogen contribution from fertilizer was 12.5 and 42.9% greater in jute than rice and garden pea, respectively. The greatest fiber and green pod yield in jute were recorded in the high-fertility gradient (strip III), whereas maximum rice grain yield was observed in the low-fertility gradient (strip I), which clearly indicated that high-fertility status favored the production of jute and garden pea but low-fertility status is suitable for rice production. By following ready table, a farmer can save N, phosphorus pentoxide (P2O5), and dipotassium oxide (K2O) in amounts of 3.21, 9.93, and 10.94; 6.35, 7.00, and 9.15; and 34.0, 26.0, and 34.4% more as compared to without IPNS respectively in jute, rice, and garden pea. Application of farmyard manure (FYM) in different fertility gradients improved the organic carbon (C) and available N, P, and K with increasing fertility.


The friction behavior of a high-purity bulk titanium aluminum carbide (Ti3AlC2) material dryly sliding against low carbon steel was investigated. Tests were performed using a block-on-disk type high-speed friction tester under sliding speed of 20 m/s and 60 m/s, several normal pressures from 0.1 to 0.8 MPa. The results showed that the friction coefficient is as low as about 0.18 for sliding speed of 20 m/s and only 0.1 for 60 m/s, and that almost not changes with the normal pressure. The reason could be related with the presence of a surface layer on the friction surface. The layer was analyzed to consist of Ti, Al and Fe oxides, which played a lubricate part inducing the friction coefficient decrease on the friction surface.


This thesis is concerned with some of the major dilemmas in modern senior-secondary music education: attracting enrolments, devising relevant and engaging curriculum that is rigorous and capable of satisfying a range of future aspirations of music students, dealing with the disparity of students' prior learning and experience levels, issues affecting pedagogy in an increasingly outcomes-driven environment, and so forth. The aims of this research are to improve the rigour and relevance of centralised, state-administered senior secondary music programmes via a multi-faceted approach that acknowledges the complexity and probable inter-relatedness of these dilemmas. The proposed approach provides a framework for understanding the interplay between curriculum design and content, assessment issues, pedagogy, and preparation for further musical pursuits, especially post-secondary studies. Once these relationships are understood, the underlying and most critical problems can be exposed and solutions proposed that are cognisant of this complex interplay. While such a systems thinking perspective has been applied widely in engineering, business and various social structures, the integration of such an approach to consider the issues surrounding education as a system is indeed very novel. A case study of the (1995-2000) Victorian (Australia) Certificate of Education (VCE) music and music performance study designs is used to demonstrate the application of such a multi-faceted approach towards improving senior-secondary music education models. Essential to the case study is an identification of the various strengths and weaknesses of the VCE music study designs, isolating problems and understanding their nature and scope. This is achieved via a research design involving extensive use of surveys of five demographic groups (VCE music students and teachers, tertiary students from VCE backgrounds, and tertiary lecturers and faculty/department heads), interviews, and literature-informed analysis. Detailed statistical analysis is presented, synthesised and cross-tabulated with demographic data to provide the necessary insights into differing perspectives and perceptions. The advantage of undertaking such a detailed case study is its capacity to illuminate a broad range of issues and allow the nexus between the various facets under consideration to be explored thoroughly. Thus, the primary aim of the case study is to enable an understanding of the complex interplay of factors at both macroscopic and microscopic levels. A secondary aim of the case study is to demonstrate that workable solutions to improve the rigour and relevance of the VCE music subjects can be, and indeed should be, devised from within such a multi-faceted perspective. Based on the insights obtained from the case study research, arguments for changes to the curriculum and assessment practices for each of the subjects are presented. Further, improved models of curricular content and assessment instruments are designed that consider their nexus with each other as well as with pedagogical issues and preparation for further musical pursuits. Implications for improvements to senior secondary music pedagogy, a consequence of modifications to curriculum and assessment, are discussed. Many of the recommendations of this research, as well as these proposed modifications, were adopted for the re-designed and reaccredited VCE music studies of 2000-2005 and beyond. This thesis thus makes significant contributions to policy-making, pedagogy, performance assessment methodology, and music education in general. It features an eclectic approach, drawing upon both quantitative and qualitative analysis, socio-historical research, and combined with a systems thinking framework. It is a novel attempt to understand the complex interplay affecting modern senior secondary music education in state-administered environments, and to demonstrate how this multi-faceted perspective is critical to achieving genuine and far-reaching improvements in music education.


Background The Internet can provide a confidential and convenient medium for sexual health promotion for young people. Objective This paper describes the development of an interactive, theory-based website (Sexunzipped) aimed at increasing safe sexual behavior of young people, as well as an outline of the evaluation protocol. Methods The website focuses on safer sex, relationships, and sexual pleasure. An overview of the site is provided, including a description of the theoretical constructs which form the basis of the site development. An integrated behavioral model was chosen as the guiding theory for the Sexunzipped intervention. A randomized trial design will be used to evaluate the site quantitatively. Results The content of the site is described in detail with examples of the main content types: information pages, quizzes, and decision-making activities. We describe the protocol for quantitative evaluation of the website using a randomized trial design and discuss the principal challenges involved in developing the site, including the challenge of balancing the requirements of theory with young people's views on website content and design. Conclusions Considerations for future interventions are discussed. Developing an online behavior-change intervention is costly and time consuming. Given the large public health potential, the cost involved in developing online interventions, and the need for attractive design, future interventions may benefit from collaborating with established sites that already have a user base, a brand, and a strong Internet presence. It is vital to involve users in decisions about intervention content, design, and features, paying attention to aspects that will attract and retain users' interest. A central challenge in developing effective Internet-based interventions for young people is to find effective ways to operationalize theory in ways that address the views and perspectives of young people.


Lately the Leyden Museum received from Prof. K. Martin some specimens of Siphonaria sipho Sow., collected by himself at Batoe Kapal on the eastcoast of Hoeamoeal, a peninsula of the island of Ceram, one of the Molucca's. Now it is not to be wondered at, that this species, widely distributed in the Molucca's, was also found in the quoted locality; but an observation about its mode of attaching, made by Prof. Martin, who communicated it to me, and kindly allowed me to publish it, seems to be very remarkable. On a piece of "Glimmerschiefer" (n° 389 of Prof. Martin's collection) he observed some small specimens of Siphonaria sipho, attached with their apices to the stone, so as to form little cups. Prof. Martin himself loosened the shells and took the soft parts out of them. The apices of the shells show no characters different from those of other shells of this species in our collection.


In a procession of Javanese tradition wedding ceremony nowadays, there is a procession which is called kirab pengantin (a ritual procession moving in a circle), namely kirab kanarendran and kirab kesatriyan In this procession, subamanggala will act as the leader of the procession (including the bride and the bridegrrom,putri domas, satria kembar and the family) that moves towards the stage (pelaminan) and leave the room for changing their clothes for the next kirab. Subamanggala usually uses the technique of joged Jawi the traditional style ofKasunanan Surakarta in the form basic movement, that is to say the pattern of walking movement alusan or lumaksana, namely lumaksana dhadhap anuraga, dhadhap impuran, lumaksana nayung, bambangan dan lumaksana oklak, with the combination of ulap-ulap or tawing. Alusan itself is the dance quality that presents male character with soft (alusan), luruh and alusan larryap characters, and presented by male dancers. In .the quality of dance alusan, besides having luruh character and lanyap, traditionally it also has movement quality which is called irama ngganggeng kanyut (a rhythm of movement like the movement of seaweed in the sea that is always left by the rhythm of the stream). The entire such a quality of attitude, character, behavior, and function of sl/bamanggala that can be assigned as the positive values which is reflective for all leaders of Indonesia.


This study aimed to investigate some antimalarial plants for effects on neuroinflammation. Freeze-dried infusions of the plants were investigated for effects on hemozoin-induced neuroinflammation in BV-2 microglia and levels of inflammatory mediators measured. Alstonia boonei (stem bark), Anacardium occidentale (stem bark), Azadiractha indica (leaves), Enantia chlorantha (stem bark), Khaya senegalensis (stem bark), Mangifera indica (stem bark), and Nauclea latifolia (stem bark) produced significant (p<0.05) reduction in TNFa, IL-6, IL-1β, MCP-1, RANTES and iNOS/NO production in BV-2 microglia stimulated with a synthetic hemozoin (400 µg/mL). Further experiments showed that pre-treatment with 50 µg/mL of A. boonei, A. indica, A. occidentale, E. chlorantha and M. indica prior to hemozoin stimulation resulted in inhibition of NF-kB activation by >40%, while E. chlorantha, K. senegalensis and N. latifolia produced weak activities. Pre‑treatment with A. indica (50 µg/mL) produced the highest inhibition (58.6%) of hemozoin-induced increased NLRP3 protein expression, while A. occidentale (50 µg/mL), M. indica (50 µg/mL) and A. boonei (50 µg/mL) reduced expression by 54.1%, 49.2% and 47.1%, respectively. Hemozoin-induced increased caspase-1 activity was reduced by A. boonei, A. occidentale, A. indica, E. chlorantha, and M. indica. These results suggest that A. boonei, A. occidentale, A. indica and M. indica produced strong inhibition of hemozoin-induced neuroinflammation through mechanisms involving NF‑kB and NLRP3 inflammasome activation, while moderate activities were produced by E. chlorantha, K. senegalensis and N. latifolia. The outcome of the study provides pharmacological evidence for the potential benefits of the plants as herbal treatments of cerebral malaria symptoms.


Energy efficiency (EE), which is one of the pillars of national strategy to improve economic competitiveness and sustainability of the economy. This is an area that complements and cross-cuts such national strategic goals as easing the burden of energy costs on the economy, ensuring energy supply security, alleviating risks arising from external dependency, the transition to low-carbon economy and protection of the environment. The energy consumption by Vietnam increases faster than in developed countries on account of population growth, rising prosperity, strengthening service sector and industrialization. The Vietnam National Energy Efficiency Program (VNEEP) was approved in 13 th March 2019 in Decision No. 280/2019/QD-TTg by the Prime Minister to set up the energy efficiency goals as well as activities, and outcomes for period 2019 – 2025 and 2026 – 2030 (Prime Minister of Vietnam, 2019). In accordance with the VNEEP program, all city/provincial governments have been developing their own action plans of EE to achieve the goals of 5%-7% of energy consumption. Through case study, the main purpose of this study is to develop the action plan of EE implementation (EEAP) at provincial level of Vietnam.


The paper is devoted to numerical modelling of R-curve behaviour in laminates with strong interfaces, in particular multilayers made of alumina (A) and zirconia (Z). Contrary to previous studies based upon the application of approximate weight function method originally developed for homogeneous specimens, a full field analysis by FE of a three-point bending test of a sandwich beam is attempted and compared with the results obtained by approximate weight function method. Also the crack penetration across the layer interfaces is discussed, particularly in the case of a weak singularity.


Twice daily intradermal (ID) injections of mouse epidermal growth factor (mEGF) in sterile saline for 1-4 days into delineated areas of skin of Merino sheep produced dose-dependent changes in wool follicles and fibres, ranging from slight reduction in follicle bulb size and transient disturbance of cuticle formation on some fibres to the induction of catagen of follicles and shedding of fibres with distorted, tapered ends. Regeneration of follicles commenced by day 7. By contrast, ID injections of saline did not affect follicle activity. The epidermis became thicker and more parakeratotic after multiple injections of mEGF than after injection of saline, but was almost normal again by day 14. Persistent small increases in sebaceous gland size, additional to those induced by ID injections of saline, and delayed small increases in sweat gland size also occurred after multiple injections of mEGF. Daily topical applications of mEGF in 50% (v/v) aqueous propylene glycol 5 days each week for 4 weeks did not affect wool growth or the follicles and other skin components. The only effect observed, due to application of the aqueous propylene glycol, was an increase in the number of layers of cornified cells in the stratum corneum of the epidermis, with the cells arranged in clearly discernible stacks. The effects produced by ID injections of mEGF indicate that mEGF acts directly on the pilosebaceous and epidermal components of skin.


Massive change in every area of life will result in the customization of daily life and leisure. The forces shaping such customization include a revolution in world population and living arrangements, a revolution in work, emerging post capitalist economies of knowledge and experience, a revolution of networked economies and globalization, multipolar and multicivilizational politics and power, revolutionary changes in environment, a revolution in urban areas, and a revolution in the mass customization of products and services. In combination, it is argued, these multiple revolutions will have the cumulative effect of customizing leisure behavior in terms of meaning, logistics, temporal aspects, benefits sought and location.


This thesis examines John Berryman's poetry of loss together with four different theoretical perspectives. It is the purpose of the study to involve Berryman's poetry and critical theory in a dialogue which attempts to break down the hierarchy that positions theory as the subject and literature or poetry as the object of study. Instead, by focusing on the otherness of each discourse, that is, what could be called the unconscious of Berryman's poetry of loss and the language of theory, poetry and theory can be seen to presuppose and mutually imply each other. Those of Berryman's poems mainly analyzed in the thesis, and which could be called his poetry of loss are "The Ball Poem," Homage to Mistress Bradstreet, and The Dream Songs. The four theoretical perspectives consist of Martin Heidegger's thinking concerning the word and concept departure, David S. Reynolds's notion of the subversive in the American Renaissance, Nicolas Abraham's psychoanalytical concept anasemia, and Maurice Blanchot's theory of death and poetry in his book The Space of Literature. The theoretical base of the thesis is developed primarily from Shoshana Felman's "To open the question," an editorial introduction to a special issue of Yale French Studies entitled Literature and Psychoanalysis. The Question of Reading: Otherwise and Timothy Clark's study Derrida, Heidegger, Blanchot.


Abstract Imagination is often associated with the art-making aspect of art therapy, with encouraging the patient's imagination and fantasy, as a preliminary to making an image. Yet imagination is also involved in the reception of art-works, both in the world of art and that of art therapy. Furthermore, imagination is at work in our perception of our clients and of the processes they engage in. All this depends on a view of fantasy and imagination as primary and inescapable elements of mental life. Yet art therapy literature does not often make much reference to them as such. Why is this, and how might their use work out in practice? I reckon that a variety of imaginative practices is central and fundamental to art therapy, and that this should be reflected in our thinking, and in the kind of language we use, first to ourselves as a profession, and then to others.


Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are the only cells in developing embryos that can transmit genetic information to the next generation. PGCs therefore have considerable potential value for gene banking and cryopreservation, particularly via production of donor gametes using germ-line chimeras. In some animal species, including teleost fish, the feasibility of using PGC transplantation to obtain donor-derived offspring, within and between species, has been demonstrated. Successful use of PGC transplantation to produce germ-line chimeras is absolutely dependent on the migration of the transplanted cells from the site of transplantation to the host gonadal region. Here, we induced germ-line chimeras between teleost species using two different protocols: blastomere transplantation and single PGC transplantation. We evaluated the methods using the rate of successful migration of transplanted PGCs to the gonadal region of the host embryo. First, we transplanted blastomeres from zebrafish, pearl danio, goldfish, or loach into blastula-stage zebrafish embryos. Some somatic cells, derived from donor blastomeres, were co-transplanted with the PGCs and formed aggregates in the host embryos; a low efficiency of PGC transfer was achieved. Second, a single PGC from the donor species was transplanted into a zebrafish embryo. In all inter-species combinations, the donor PGC migrated toward the gonadal region of the host embryo at a comparatively high rate, regardless of the phylogenetic relationship of the donor and host species. These transplantation experiments showed that the mechanism of PGC migration is highly conserved beyond the family barrier in fish and that transplantation of a single PGC is an efficient method for producing inter-species germ-line chimeras.


There have been many advancements in the field of aerospace and avionics. Scientists have increasingly started to focus on VTOL (vertical take - off and landing) aircrafts. We have built a miniature VTOL twinrotor UAV. UAVs have begun to grab a lot of attention these days due to its numerous applications such as surveillance and relief. Twinrotor is a kind of a helicopter having two main propellers instead of one and no tail fin. All three important motion of the aircraft i.e. roll, pitch, yaw are controlled by thrust vectoring using servo motors and changing the magnitude of thrust using electronics speed controllers. The paper deals with the design of a basic UAV based on application and the construction keeping in mind the different concepts that govern its motion.


Ion diffusion to plant roots is known to be a major factor influencing availability of certain nutrients in the soil. Diffusion of K⁺, Ca²⁺, and Mg²⁺ from soil to a H-saturated ion exchange resin sink was measured for 20 agricultural surface soils (18 from Montana and two from Iowa) to investigate the relationship between diffusion and selected chemical and physical soil properties. The soils were moistened to a tension of 0.1 mPa and packed into cylinders to a bulk density of 1.25 Mg m⁻³. Cylinders were placed in temperature-controlled chambers at 5 or 30°C and ion diffusion into an ionexchange resin sink was measured after 96 h. Diffusion of K⁺, Ca²⁺, and Mg²⁺ was significantly different between soils and at the two temperatures, and there was a significant soil times temperature interaction. Regression of 41 independent soil physical and chemical characteristics against amount of K⁺, Ca²⁺, and Mg²⁺ in the resin revealed several soil chemical and physical properties that were significantly related to ion diffusion. Values for NH₄OAC extractable ions were not as highly correlated to diffusion of these ions as were several other factors.


"Trust" - with its many alternative meanings - has received much attention in later years. In combination with security issues, trust has been identified as a critical factor for many interorganisational collaboration efforts. Many efforts have also been made to classify trust into various categories or types. However, there are so many of these classifications available, which have resulted in a lack of overview in the area. This paper addresses the gap in research and presents an overview of trust types with their internal relations. A total of 29 different trust types were identified and included in the analysis. The results include a model of the types and their relations, as well as a meta-classification.


SUMMARY New petrological, geochemical and isotopic age data have been obtained from concealed Precambrian and Lower Palaeozoic rocks in eastern England. The geochemical data suggest that concealed felsic volcanic rocks are petrogenetically unrelated to the Charnian igneous suites, while new isotopic data suggest that the former are probably of late Ordovician age. The concealed volcanic rocks probably occur as a stratigraphic unit (or units) within a Lower Palaeozoic sedimentary sequence, as in Wales and Belgium. These data, together with structural and geophysical evidence and results from mica crystallinity studies of pelitic rocks, suggest that much of eastern England is underlain by a concealed NW-SE trending Caledonide deformation belt. Pelitic rocks show a low-grade metamorphic zonation, with grade increasing from diagenetic conditions on the Midlands Microcraton, through anchizonal to epizonal (greenschist facies) conditions in the internal zone of the belt beneath the Wash. The structure and stratigraphy of this Caledonide belt are poorly known at present, but are likely to be as complex as those of the Welsh Caledonides, of which the concealed Caledonides of eastern England appear to form a mirror image. The key to the stratigraphy of this belt is probably to be found in the Brabant and Ardennes Massifs of Belgium. The Caledonide Midlands Microcraton is now seen as a restricted wedge-shaped area, underlain throughout by Precambrian crust, and forming a rigid indenter within the Caledonide Orogen of Britain.


The International Swimming Federation (FINA) uses a very simple points system with the aim to rank swimmers across all swimming events. The points acquired is a function of the ratio of the recorded time and the current world record for that event. With some world records considered 'better' than others however, bias is introduced between events, with some being much harder to attain points where the world record is hard to beat. A model based on extreme value theory is introduced, where swim times are modelled through their rate of occurrence, and with the distribution of the best times following a generalised Pareto distribution. Within this framework, the strength of a particular swim is judged based on its position compared to the whole distribution of swim times, rather than just the world record. This model also accounts for the date of the swim, as training methods improve over the years, as well as changes in technology, such as full body suits. The parameters of the generalised Pareto distribution, for each of the 34 individual long course events, will be shown to vary with covariates, leading to a novel single unified description of swim quality over all events and time. This structure, which allows information to be shared across all strokes, distances, and genders, improves the predictive power as well as the model robustness compared to equivalent independent models. A by‐product of the model is that it is possible to estimate other features of interest, such as the ultimate possible time, the distribution of new world records for any event, and to correct swim times for the effect of full body suits. The methods will be illustrated using a dataset of the best 500 swim times for each event in the period 2001–2018.


The genetic diversity and DNA fingerprinting of 25 rice genotypes using 20 SSR primers on chromosome numbers 7–12 was investigated. DNA was extracted from young leaves using modified CTAB method. The banding pattern was analyzed using UPGMA based Jaccard's coefficient. The results revealed that 15 primers showed distinct polymorphism among the cultivars studied indicating the robust nature of microsatellites in revealing polymorphism. The cluster analysis showed a significant genetic variation ranging between 0.36 and 0.92 among the rice cultivars. The dendrogram revealed 3 major distinct clusters. Present investigation revealed more genetic diversity among Basmati, non-basmati, hybrid and traditional varieties of rice. Based on this study, the larger range of similarity values for related cultivars using microsatellites provide tool for the assessment of genetic diversity and relationships. Our findings distinctly identify and characterize 25 varieties using 15 different SSR primers which can be used in background selections during backcross breeding programs.


Topoisomerase II is an essential enzyme that is required for virtually every process that requires movement of DNA within the nucleus or the opening of the double helix. This enzyme helps to regulate DNA under- and overwinding and removes knots and tangles from the genetic material. In order to carry out its critical physiological functions, topoisomerase II generates transient double-stranded breaks in DNA. Consequently, while necessary for cell survival, the enzyme also has the capacity to fragment the genome. The DNA cleavage/ligation reaction of topoisomerase II is the target for some of the most successful anticancer drugs currently in clinical use. However, this same reaction also is believed to trigger chromosomal translocations that are associated with specific types of leukemia. This article will familiarize the reader with the DNA cleavage/ligation reaction of topoisomerase II and other aspects of its catalytic cycle. In addition, it will discuss the interaction of the enzyme with anticancer drugs and the mechanisms by which these agents increase levels of topoisomerase II-generated DNA strand breaks. Finally, it will describe dietary and environmental agents that enhance DNA cleavage mediated by the enzyme.


The high number of available wound dressing materials as well as the scientific reports about the topic indicates that the problem of an ideal wound dressing is not jet solved. In the last thirty years lot of scientific reports about collagen as wound covering has been published. The positive effect of collagen by his application on a wound ist well known. We investigated the effect of a collagen sponge on healing of full thickness skin wound in guinea pig. The animals were divided in two control groups and two experimental groups. In the control group there were air exposed wounds and another wounds covered with paraffin gauze. In the experimental groups were such wounds covered with natural reconstituted collagen sponge as well as wounds covered with chemically prepared collagen sponge with hexamethyldiisocyanat. The results were compared. The air exposed wounds healed in 50 days, the wounds covered with paraffin gauze healed in 48 days. By covering the wounds with collagen sponge the healing was shortened in 24 or 27 days respectively. Not only the healing time was shortened but also the quality of the wound repair by dressing the wounds with collagen sponge was enhanced.


The temporal change of environmental contamination conditions after the Fukushima accident have been clarified based on large-scale environmental monitoring data repeatedly obtained in the 80 km zone. The decreasing tendency of air dose rates was confirmed to obviously depend on land uses. In human-related diverse environments the air dose rates have decreased much faster than the physical decay of radiocesium. The horizontal movement of radiocesium in undisturbed fields were found to be generally quite small, though it has gradually penetrated into the deeper parts of the ground.


The practice of nuclear medicine in Kuwait began in 1965 as a clinic for treating thyroid diseases. The practice developed gradually and until 1981 when the Faculty of Medicine established the Division of Nuclear Medicine in the Department of Radiology, which later became a separate department responsible for establishing and managing the practice in all hospitals of Kuwait. In 1987, a nuclear medicine residency program was begun and it is administered by Kuwait Institute for Medical Specializations originally as a 4-year but currently as a 5-year program. Currently there are 11 departments in the ministry of health hospitals staffed by 49 qualified attending physicians, mostly the diplomats of the Kuwait Institute for Medical Specializations nuclear medicine residency program, 4 academic physicians, 2 radiopharmacists, 2 physicists, and 130 technologists. These departments are equipped with 33 dual-head gamma cameras, 10 SPET/CT, 5 PET/CT, 2 cyclotrons, 1 breast-specific gamma imaging, 1 positron-emitting mammography, 10 thyroid uptake units, 8 technegas machines, 7 PET infusion systems, and 8 treadmills. Activities of nuclear medicine in Kuwait include education and training, clinical service, and research. Education includes nuclear medicine technology program in the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, the 5-year residency program, medical school teaching distributed among different modules of the integrated curriculum with 14 didactic lecture, and other teaching sessions in nuclear medicine MSc program, which run concurrently with the first part of the residency program. The team of Nuclear Medicine in Kuwait has been active in research and has published more than 300 paper, 11 review articles, 12 book chapters, and 17 books in addition to 36 grants and 2 patents. A PhD program approved by Kuwait University Council would begin in 2016.


We present an analysis of deep mid- to far-infrared (MFIR) Spitzer photometric observations of the southern 2Jy sample of powerful radio sources (0.05 < z < 0.7), conducting a statistical investigation of the links between radio jet, active galactic nucleus (AGN), starburst activity and MFIR properties. This is part of an ongoing extensive study of powerful radio galaxies that benefits from both complete optical emission line information and a uniquely high detection rate in the far-infrared (far-IR). We find tight correlations between the MFIR and [O iii]λ5007 emission luminosities, which are significantly better than those between MFIR and extended radio luminosities, or between radio and [O iii] luminosities. Since [O iii] is a known indicator of intrinsic AGN power, these correlations confirm AGN illumination of the circumnuclear dust as the primary heating mechanism for the dust producing thermal MFIR emission at both 24 and 70 μm. We demonstrate that AGN heating is energetically feasible, and identify the narrow-line region clouds as the most likely location of the cool, far-IR emitting dust. Starbursts make a major contribution to the heating of the cool dust in only 15%–28% of our targets. We also investigate the orientation dependence of the continuum properties, finding that the broad- and narrow-line objects in our sample with strong emission lines have similar distributions of MFIR luminosities and colors. Therefore our results are entirely consistent with the orientation-based unified schemes for powerful radio galaxies. However, the weak line radio galaxies form a separate class of objects with intrinsically low-luminosity AGNs in which both the optical emission lines and the MFIR continuum are weak.


SUMOylation has emerged as an important post-translational modification that involves the covalent attachment of the Small Ubiquitin-like Modifier (SUMO) polypeptide to a lysine residue of a target protein. The enzymatic pathway of SUMOylation is very similar to ubiquitinylation and involves an activating enzyme, a conjugating enzyme, ligases and deconjugating enzymes. SUMOylation modulates the function of a number of proteins associated with various pathways, and in fact, dysregulation of the SUMOylation pathway is observed in both cancer and neurological diseases. In many cancers, the SUMO enzymes are upregulated and SUMO levels correlate directly with prognosis and disease progression. As a result, there has been an emphasis on the discovery and development of inhibitors of SUMOylation. In this review, the latest advances in SUMOylation inhibitors is described alongside the methods used to discover small molecule SUMOylation inhibitors, which include natural products, peptidomimetics, as well as synthetic derivatives identified via virtual screens.


OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE Aneurysms arising from the ophthalmic artery are extremely rare, compared with carotid-ophthalmic aneurysms arising from the wall of the internal carotid artery. We present a very unusual type of aneurysm arising from the ophthalmic artery itself. CLINICAL PRESENTATION A 54-year-old man presented with a sudden onset of headache and was transferred to a local hospital. Computed tomography demonstrated subarachnoid hemorrhage around the left anterior clinoid process, but digital subtraction angiography failed to localize the source of the hemorrhage. The patient was referred to our hospital for further evaluation and treatment. Conventional cerebral angiography did not reveal the source of the hemorrhage, but three-dimensional rotational angiography clearly demonstrated an aneurysm arising from the ophthalmic artery trunk, apart from the internal carotid artery. INTERVENTION The patient underwent microsurgical clipping of the aneurysm via a left pterional craniotomy. The aneurysm originated from the bifurcation of the ophthalmic artery and a perforating artery to the optic nerve. The aneurysm was successfully obliterated, and the postoperative course was uneventful. CONCLUSION This report is the first to describe a case of a ruptured aneurysm arising from the ophthalmic artery trunk. We discuss the clinical significance of an aneurysm at this site, as well as the role of three-dimensional rotational angiography in determining the source of subarachnoid hemorrhage.


System analysis and optimization of combustion engines and engine components are increasingly supported by digital simulations. In the simulation process of combustion engines multi physics simulations are used. As an example, in the simulation of a crank drive the mechanical subsystem is coupled to a hydrodynamic subsystem. As far as the modeling of the mechanical subsystems is concerned, elastic multibody systems are frequently used. During the simulation many equations must be solved simultaneously, the hydrodynamic equations as well as the equations of motion of each body in the elastic multibody system. Since the discretization of the elastic bodies, e.g with the help of the finite element method, introduces a large number of elastic degrees of freedom, an efficient simulation of the system becomes difficult. The linear model reduction of the elastic degrees of freedom is a key step for using flexible bodies in multibody systems and turning simulations more efficient from a computational point of view. In recent years, a variety of new reduction methods alongside the traditional techniques were developed in applied mathematics. Some of these methods are reviewed and compared for reducing the equations of motion of an elastic body used in multibody systems. The special focus of this work is on balanced truncation model order reduction, which is a singular value based reduction technique using the Gramian matrices of the system. We investigate a version of this method that is adapted to the structure of a special class of second order dynamical systems which is important for the particular application discussed here. The simulation of a crank drive with a flexible crankshaft is taken as technically relevant example. The results are compared to other methods like Krylov approaches or modal reduction.


To determine the time of activity in school, the school bell is needed as a tool or means that gives the code of Exchange sound of that time. The digital school bell-based Arduino or microcontroller has a lesson hour scheduling capability. Utilizing Arduino Uno R3 and RTC DS3231 into an automatic school bell is a destination in the development of a button-based electric school bell whose use is still in the category of manual. Hopefully the school Bell System can automatically help the school picket teachers in carrying out their duties. The method used in research is research and development, which is analysing the needs and designing and building the system. The results of the research conducted are automatic Bell devices using Arduino Uno R3 as the driver and schedule system of the school bell as well as RTC DS3231 as the time control on the system. Keywords—Automatic Bell School, Arduino Uno R3, DS3231


Human perception is a highly non-linear process, influenced by many more factors that we can measure on a video streaming service. In fact, despite the tremendous advances in video coding, we still donÕt understand the intricate relationship between a stream and its delivery systems. We have little clues as to how different network conditions actually affect the quality of a video service perceived by the end user. Today, the most predominant consumer of network capacity (video) transits through a Ôvideo-repellentÕ network (the Internet), one that has no notion of data delivery deadlines. So what are we getting from modern video services? Can we manage the quality of user experience, instead of trying to monitor or control the quality of network services? In this talk I give a critical perspective on video quality, its measurement and optimization, ending up with a controversial proposition.


The main goal of this study is to determine the relationship between the surface properties of polymeric materials and fibroblastic cell adhesion. Therefore, two series of polymeric beads, PHEMA and PS, were tested in microcarrier-facilitated cell culture systems. The crosslinked PHEMA beads were prepared by suspension polymerization of HEMA monomer in the presence of various acrylic monomers (i.e. MMA, EGDMA, DMAEMA). The hydrophobic PS beads were used after coated with different alkylamine monomers (i.e. EDA, ALAM, TEA) by plasma polymerization process. The cell culturing studies were performed with BHK cells in stationary culture conditions and the cell adhesion characteristics were determined by the common methods. Attachment of the BHK cells on these microcarriers were satisfactorily modeled by surface saturation type of mathematical expression. The results demonstrated that, there were finite number of sites on the microcarrier surfaces available for adhesion. Number of these sites depends on the surface charge density which was supplied by amine groups and surface wettability. It is possible to achieve desired cell adhesion and also growth, by changing the chemical structure of beads with suitable modification methods.


The main objective of this thesis was to gain further insight into the relationship between the exposed surfaces and the functional properties of antibodies and their complexes with antigens in solution. To study this relationship, a new technique, liquid-liquid partition chromatography (LLPC) in aqueous two-phase systems, was developed further with respect to sensitivity, selectivity and reproducibility. The capacity of LLPC to compare the surface properties of antibodies in relation to their antigen specificity was explored. The usefulness of LLPC for examination of the events upon binding of antigen and for analysis of surface properties of antigen-antibody complexes in relation their structural/functional properties were studied. In this study, it was shown that LLPC in aqueous PEG-dextran two-phase systems offers the unique possibilities of comparing the overall surface properties of intact antibodies and antigen-antibody complexes in solution. A remarkable relationship between the surface of an antibody´s combining site and its chromatographic behaviour was found. LLPC provided the means to screen the antigen-binding sites of unliganded antibodies for differences/similarities in exposed surfaces even in those cases when the specificities of the antibodies were unknown. Our data suggest that antibodies may be regarded as being constructed of highly solvent-exposed, dominant CDRs of variable shape and size which, depending on the actual isotype, are grafted onto different scaffoldings of basically conserved structure. Moreover, different conformational (isomeric) forms of antibodies and enzymes could be detected and even separated using LLPC. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that LLPC could be used to examine the events upon binding of ligand by both antibodies and enzymes. The surface properties of antigen-antibody complexes were found to be dependent on the variable regions of the antibodies, the nature of the antigen, and/or possible conformational changes induced by ligand-binding. (Less)


eScholarship provides open access, scholarly publishing services to the University of California and delivers a dynamic research platform to scholars worldwide. Abstract: In this paper we examine the consequences of changes to the bilateral agreement which regulates air transport between Canada and the United States. A hubbing competition model based on an n-player non-cooperative game is used to simulate six alternative bilateral scenarios including the current positions of Canada and the U.S.. We find that changes to the bilateral does not have a significant effect on the total amount of traffic but it does effect the distribution of traffic between countries and among carriers and airports. For all scenarios up to cabotage both countries gain from the change in the bilateral. Two key results of the modelling effort are the pronounced asymmetry with respect to market shares attained by U.S. and Canadian airlines in each others country under cabotage. Canada can generally be expected to hub in smaller U.S. cities and therefore obtain less than 1% of the U.S. domestic market while U°S. carriers would gain 40% of the Canadian domestic market as major airports in Canada are relatively more accessible. Different bilateral policies have considerable and varying effects for different airports. Major capacity investments are planned for both Pearson and Vancouver International and an assessment of these investments should not be divorced from a decision regarding future bilateral policy. Canada may wish to reevaluate their open skies position contained in the 'new 'bilateral' proposal. The current U.S. proposal provides more benefits for Canada than the current Canadian proposal. Alternatively, Canada may wish to modify their open skies proposal with 'fences' established restricting access to major Canadian hubs at Toronto and Vancouver just as Canadian airlines are restricted at major American hubs. Abstract In tbAs paper we examine the consequences of changes to the bilateral agreement which regulates air transport between Canada and the United States. A hubbing competition model based on an n-player non-cooperative game is used to simulate six alternative bilateral scenarios including the current positions of Canada and the UoS.. We find that chan,ges to the biIateral does not have a significant effect on the total amount of traffic but it does effect the distribution of traffic between countries and among carriers and airports. For all scenarios up to cabotage both countries gain from the change in the bilateral. Two key results of the modelling effort are the pronounced asymmetry with respect to market shares attained by U.S. and Canadian airlh'aes in each others country under cabotage. Canada can generally be expected to hub in smaller U.S. cities and therefore obtain less than 1% of the U.S. domestic market while U°S. carriers would gain 40% of the Canadian domestic market as major airports m Canada are relatively more accessibleJ3ffferent bilateral policies have considerable and varying effects for different airports.Major capacity investments are planned for both Pearson and Vancouver International and an assessment of these investments should not be divorced from a decision regarding future bilateral poIicy.Canada may wish to reevaluate their open skies position contained in the 'new 'bilateral' proposal. The current U.S. proposal provides more benefits for Canada than the current Canadian proposal Alternatively, CanaCa may wish to modify their open skies proposal with 'fences' established restricting access to major Canadian hubs at Toronto and Vancouver just as Canadian airlines are restricted at major American hubs.


Producing a scientific desertification risk map has become one of the national primary tasks in order to effectively combat desertification in Turkey. In this respect, General Directorate of Combating Desertification and Erosion in cooperation with TÜBİTAK BİLGEM, generated the Desertification Model of Turkey (DMT), an original geographical and mathematical country‐specific model under the umbrella project called the "Watershed Monitoring and Evaluation System" (HIDS). The DMT is a tool used for estimating land degradation, assessing desertification vulnerability and risk, preparing watershed scale risk maps, and monitoring desertification hot spots of the country. The DMT has been designed to consist of 48 indicators and 37 subindicators under seven main criteria defined by an expertise group and using the analytical hierarchy process. Percentage distribution of desertification risk among watersheds was calculated in nine classes based on the Desertification Risk Map of Turkey and revised in accordance with field surveys carried out in 2016–2017 within the scope of the DMT Verification and Calibration Project. Results for major watersheds of Turkey revealed that at least 15% of lands of all river basins are under moderate–high desertification risk, with the exception of Aras, Western Black Sea, Konya Closed, Marmara, and Meriç–Ergene watersheds. In addition, it was identified that the DMT and the Desertification Risk Map of Turkey present results at an accuracy rate of 84% and with 90% level of confidence at microwatershed scale.


We provide direct evidence that overexpression of p53 is not sufficient for robust p53-dependent activation of the endogenous gadd45 gene. When p53 was induced in TR9-7 cells in the absence of DNA damage, waf1/p21 and mdm2 mRNA levels were increased, but a change in gadd45 mRNA was barely detectable. Activation of the gadd45 gene was observed when camptothecin was added to cells containing p53 in the absence of a further increase in the p53 level. Phosphorylation of p53 at serine 15 and acetylation at lysine 382 were detected after drug treatment. It has been suggested that p53 posttranslational modification is critical during activation. However, inhibition of these modifications by wortmannin was not sufficient to block the transactivation of gadd45. Interestingly, after camptothecin treatment, increased DNase I sensitivity was detected at the gadd45 promoter, suggesting that an undetermined DNA damage signal is involved in inducing chromatin remodeling at the gadd45 promoter while cooperating with p53 to activate gadd45 transcription.


A study that examines the impact of the bore shape on the harmonicity of the resonances for each note of simplified saxophone-like instruments is presented. The idea involves calculating the positions of the toneholes on a given bore shape for the fundamental resonance to correspond with the notes of the musical scale and then to calculate the deviation of the second resonance from perfect harmonicity. Many bore shapes were simulated. Four of them were selected for this paper. All geometries are made of a cylindrical mouthpiece of 15.8 mm diameter and 50 mm length followed by the air-columns. Approximating the mouthpiece as a cylinder may not be the most appropriate model but this is standard practice in the literature and no better geometry appears obvious. The application of an optimization algorithm that allows simultaneous variation of tonehole positions and bore shape could potentially lead to an improved design and a better understanding of the relation between the geometry of the bore and the quality of the instruments.


The aim of this Workshop is to learn hands-on to draw a building directly in perspective. You will experience how easy is to draw a view of The Arch of Defense (Paris) in accurate proportions, without the aid of blueprints. Unlike traditional methods, the entire process takes place on the perspective plane. All that it takes is the ability to see the building's points of interest in three-dimensions on this plane. We will begin with the basic notions of the Modular Perspective model and how the three modular scales of the perspective plane are read. The time lapse for each activity of the workshop is indicated (in minutes) at the beginning of each page.


Beginning in March 2014, the OSIRIS (Optical, Spectroscopic, and Infrared Remote Imaging System) cameras began capturing images of the nucleus and coma (gas and dust) of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko using both the wide angle camera (WAC) and the narrow angle camera (NAC). The many observations taken since July of 2014 have been used to study the morphology, location, and temporal variation of the comet's dust jets. We analyzed the dust monitoring observations shortly after the southern vernal equinox on May 30 and 31, 2015 with the WAC at the heliocentric distance Rh = 1.53 AU, where it is possible to observe that the jet rotates with the nucleus. We found that the decline of brightness as a function of the distance of the jet is much steeper than the background coma, which is a first indication of sublimation. We adapted a model of sublimation of icy aggregates and studied the effect as a function of the physical properties of the aggregates (composition and size). The major finding of this article was that through the sublimation of the aggregates of dirty grains (radius a between 5μm and 50μm) we were able to completely reproduce the radial brightness profile of a jet beyond 4 km from the nucleus. To reproduce the data we needed to inject a number of aggregates between 8.5 × 1013 and 8.5 × 1010 for a = 5μm and 50μm respectively, or an initial mass of H2O ice around 22kg.


A collaborative flight test programme was conducted to study among other objectives the potential of open-loop Individual Blade Pich Control (IBC) to reduce the external noise of a helicopter in partial power descent, a flight regime known to generate the highly annoying Blade-Vortex Interaction (BVI) impulsive noise. The blade root control system employing actuators in the rotating frame, was installed on a BO105 helicopter, which was flown over an extended linear microphone array. The acoustic measurements on the ground were synchronised to the flight track and rotor performance measurements supplemented by limited simultaneously acquired on-board acoustic and blade surface pressure data. Selected test results quantifying the noise reduction potential of the IBC technique, are presented and compared to numerical rotor simulation results calculated by the aeormechanic S4 code and the acoustic AKUROT code of the DLR. A significant noise reduction benefit (exceeding 5 dB) of the maximum A-weighted (BVI) noise level was obtained for the 2/rev IBC mode; further, over a wide range of IBC phase angles simultaneous noise and vibration reductions were observed. The complete data base acquired will contribute to the development and validation of a fast control algorithm for closed-loop IBC applications.


Related previous studies have recognized service learning ability to im-prove students' generic skills during the service learning projects, however strategies for implementing and evaluating the effects of service learning on students' generic skills in online environment remain limited. Therefore, this study conducted to identify what are the generic skills mentioned in students' reflections, the differences when the responses compare to stu-dents' performance in the course, and to analyze students' perception to-wards the integration of e-Service Learning platform. A learning environ-ment was created using face-to-face with integration of online delivery of service learning. By the end of the course, thirty-five students were required to reflect upon their learning process while using the e-Service Learning platform. Results showed that the design of the learning environment was effective in promoting the development of these generic skills such as Global Citizen, Scholarship, Adaptability and Teamworking. The major contribution of this study is that generic skills can be promoted through the hybrid strategy of service learning that combine both face-to-face and online delivery. Academic success is strengthened both via the use of tech-nologies as well as through the implementation of experiential learning op-portunities such as service learning.


A technical translator needs documentation to acquire knowledge of a certain specialised field and to keep that knowledge up to date. Even the most specialised dictionaries often fall short, since the development of technology is per definition ahead of any efforts to lay it down on paper.This is why it is necessary for the translator regularly to consult specialised literature. Not only does he so encounter the correct, and latest, terminology, he also gets acquainted with a particular style or way of expressing oneself customary in the relevant field. All this is bound to improve the quality of his translations. Many technical or scientific journals contain advertisements which are an almost inexhaustible source of information for the translator. The advertisers describe their products, the performances of these products and their ranges of application. A wealth of the most up-to-date specialised terminology is freely available here. There are many possibilites for recording and storing the terms thus found. The simplest one is the card index file. If the translator has access to equipment for storage of data in an electronic memory the range of possibilities is considerably widened. Electronically stored knowledge of this type may later be used to form part of a program for computer aided translation.


Hou et al have introduced a framework to serve clients over wireless channels when there are hard deadline constraints along with a minimum delivery ratio for each client's flow. Policies based on "debt," called maximum debt first policies (MDF), were introduced and shown to be timely-throughput optimal. By "timely-throughput optimality" it is meant that if there exists a policy that fulfils a set of clients with a given vector of delivery ratios and a vector of channel reliabilities, then the MDF policy will also fulfill them. The debt of a user is the difference between the number of packets that should have been delivered so as to meet the delivery ratio and the number of packets that have been delivered for that client. The MDF policy prioritizes the clients in decreasing order of debts at the beginning of every period. Note that a throughput optimal policy only guarantees that lim infT→∞ 1/T Σt=1T 1{client n's packet is delivered in frame t} ≥ qi, where the right hand side is the required delivery ratio for client i. Thus, it only guarantees that the debts of each user are o(T), and can be otherwise arbitrarily large. This raises the interesting question about what is the growth rate of the debts under the MDF policy. We show the optimality of MDF policy in the case when the channel reliabilities of all users are same, and obtain performance bounds for the general case. We characterize the performance by almost sure bounds on lim supt→∞ {di(t)}/{φ(t)} for all i, where φ(t)=√(2tloglogt).


Liquid-assisted cleaning technology utilizing a nanosecond laser pulse is effective for removing submicron particulates from a variety of solid substrates. In the technique, saturated vapor is condensed on the solid surface to form a thin liquid film and the film is evaporated explosively by laser heating. The present work studies the role of liquid-film evaporation in the cleaning process. First, optical interferometry is employed for in-situ monitoring the displacement of the laser-irradiated sample in the cleaning process. The experiments are performed for estimating the recoil force exerted on the target with and without liquid deposition. Secondly, time-resolved visualization and optical reflectance probing are also conducted for monitoring the phase-change kinetics and plume dynamics in vaporization of thin liquid layers. Discussions are made on the effect of liquid-film thickness and dynamics of plume and acoustic wave. The results confirm that cleaning force is generated when the bubble nuclei initially grow in the superheated liquid.


We use a unique data set for 115 countries, from 2000–18, and 5-year non-overlapping averages to explore the impact of technical assitance on revenue mobilization. To the authors' knowledge this is the first such effort to determine a direct relationship between technical assistance and the improvement in tax revenues. The paper finds that technical assistance significantly and positively increases tax revenues. Both income per capita and openness were found to positively improve the tax ratio in line with findings in the literature. Dynamic estimations also uncovered a long-run relationship among technical assistance, income per capita, openness, and tax revenues. This result further underscores that it takes time to build capacity and institutional resilience.


This study introduces and validates a measure of a company's institutional profile for sustainability. It uses institutional theory as a lens to understand the factors that legitimize the adoption of renewable energy activities in an oil and gas company. The three institutional dimensions used in this study are regulative, normative and cognitive, which aimed to measure legitimacy in an oil and gas company under a sustainable change. Survey-based research was carried out among employees to test this theory. Moreover, structural equation modeling was used to test the model fit, validate the measures, and test the four hypotheses. The results showed that regulative and normative pillars play the main role in legitimating renewable energy practices in our case company. The findings provide researchers and companies with a valuable resource for exploring legitimacy in order to understand what makes companies legitimize new sustainable activities that are outside the companies' core business.


An unconstrained optimization model is established for assessing cylindricity errors by the minimum zone method based on radial deviation measurement. The properties of the objective function in the optimization model are thoroughly researched. On the basis of the modern theory on convex functions, it is strictly proved that the objective function is a continuous and non-differentiable and convex function defined on a subset of the four-dimensional Euclidean space. The minimal value of the objective function is unique and any of its minimal point must be its global minimal point. Thus, any existing optimization algorithm, so long as it is convergent, can be applied to solve the objective function in order to get the wanted cylindricity errors by the minimun zone assessment. An example is given to verify the theoretical results presented.


This formation was first distinguished as a separate member of the Carboniferous system in Eastern Nova Scotia by the writer, in a paper published in the first volume of the 'Journal of the Geological Society,' in 1845—and was defined to be an upper or overlying series superimposed on the productive Coal-measures, and distinguished by the absence of thick coal-seams, by the prevalence of red and grey sandstones and red shales, and by a peculiar group of vegetable fossils. Subsequently, in my paper on the South Joggins and in my 'Acadian Geology,' this formation was identified with the upper series of the Joggins section, Divisions 1 & 2 of Sir William Logan's sectional list, and with the Upper Barren Measures of the English Coal-fields and the third or upper zone of Geinitz in the Coal-formation of Saxony. Still more recently, in a 'Report on the Geology of Prince Edward Island,' 1871, I have referred to the upper part of the same formation the lower series of sandstones in Prince-Edward Island, not previously separated from the overlying Trias.


[1] The modulations of the outer ring current O+ ion fluxes by ULF Pc5 waves are investigated by multisatellite observations during storm times. The O+ ions have energies up to tens of keV. We concentrate on the process in terms of drift-bounce resonance of O+ ions with ULF standing waves to understand whether the ring current O+ ions could be accelerated/decelerated by ULF waves. Two case studies are performed, in which the Cluster satellites travel the outer ring current region in the morning sector with radial distances of about 5.5 RE. Distinct O+ ion flux oscillations are observed associated with fundamental mode ULF standing waves. On 25 October 2002, both satellites SC1 and SC4 observe strong poloidal and toroidal standing waves at approximately the same region one by one with a time lag of 45 min. The O+ ion flux oscillations at around 20 keV are dominantly coherent with the poloidal standing wave at 3.4 mHz with cross phases of near 90° with respect to the magnetic field waves. The O+ phase space density spectra at 10 to 25 keV, measured by both satellites, deviate significantly from the typical power law distribution. We suggest that the O+ ions at 10 to 25 keV are accelerated due to drift-bounce resonance with the poloidal standing wave. On 4 November 2002, satellite SC1 observes considerable poloidal and toroidal standing waves. The O+ ion flux oscillation at around 7 keV is well correlated with both of the two wave modes at 3.7 mHz with cross phases of about 90° with respect to the magnetic field waves. The O+ spectra at 4 to 8 keV deviates remarkably from the background power law distribution. When satellite SC4 closely encounters the same region 40 min later, the wave activities at 3.7 mHz are found to be rather weak and the O+ spectra is close to the background power law distribution. We suggest that the spectra variation of SC1 results from the deceleration of O+ ion at 4 to 8 keV via drift-bounce resonances during the strong wave activities. The observations made in this study reveal the effective role of ULF standing waves in accelerating/decelerating the ring current O+ ions.


Endothelium-derived relaxing factor, which is believed to be nitric oxide (NO), mediates vasodilation of arteries perfused with hypoxic solutions. The purpose of the present study was to determine if NO mediates the response of arterioles in the hamster cheek pouch to changes in superfusion solution PO2. This was accomplished by comparison of constriction of fourth order arterioles to increases in superfusate PO2 before and during superfusion with NG-nitro-L-arginine (L-NAG), a stereospecific inhibitor of NO synthesis. The efficacy of L-NAG was assessed by comparison of dilations induced by topical application of methacholine (MCH), an endothelium-dependent vasodilator. We found that 10-15 min superfusion with 30 microM L-NAG significantly inhibited MCH-induced arteriolar dilation. However, this concentration of L-NAG had no significant effect on resting arteriolar diameters, O2-induced constrictions, constrictions induced by phenylephrine or dilations induced by sodium nitroprusside (SNP). Increasing the concentration of L-NAG to 100 microM similarly inhibited MCH-induced dilations, but did not affect SNP reactivity and may have increased vasoconstriction induced by O2. Thus, effective inhibition of NO synthesis in the hamster cheek pouch does not inhibit responses to elevated oxygen. Therefore NO does not mediate arteriolar O2 reactivity in this tissue. Furthermore, there is little evidence for tonic modulation of arteriolar reactivity by NO in the microvessels observed in this study.


APS (adapter protein with a PH and SH2 domain) is the newest member of a family of tyrosine kinase adapter proteins including SH2-B and Lnk. We previously identified SH2-B as an insulin-receptor-binding protein and substrate [Kotani, Wilden and Pillay (1998) Biochem J. 335, 103-109]. Here we show that APS interacts with the insulin receptor kinase activation loop through its SH2 domain and insulin stimulates the tyrosine-phosphorylation of APS. Furthermore, the phosphorylation of activation-loop tyrosine residues 1158 and 1162 are required for this interaction.


This paper deals with the identification of
equivalent circuit models for strongly nonlinear devices by
taking advantage of the so-called "Vectorial Large-Signal
Measurements". A very specific device, the Heterojunction
Interband Tunneling FET (HITFET), has been selected as
case of study for its peculiar nonlinear behavior. A
comprehensive description of the identification is given
along with a number of experimental results. In
particular, the comparison between simulated and
measured data for different power levels and frequencies
from the set adopted during the identification confirms the
extrapolation capability of the approach.


This paper introduces a new class of finite memory compaction schemes called convolutional compactors (CCs). They provide compaction ratios of test responses in excess of 100/spl times/, even for a very small number of outputs. This is combined with the capability to detect multiple errors, handling of unknown states, and the ability to diagnose failing scan cells directly from compacted responses. The CCs can also be used to significantly enhance conventional multiple input signature registers. Experimental results presented in the paper demonstrate the efficiency of convolutional compaction for several industrial circuits.