In this paper we introduce a diagrammatic method to calculate asymptotic statistics of functions of large random isometric matrices. We have applied this method to calculate the mean and variance of the MMSE SIR for downlink synchronous CDMA systems. We compare our results to numerical simulations using three types of randomly generated isometric matrices, namely complex unitary Haar matrices, real orthogonal Haar matrices and orthogonal matrices generated from random sub- spaces of the N-dimensional real Hadamard matrix. While the first two types of matrices have good agreement with our analytic results, the Hadamard generated matrices give a consistently higher variance when the channel matrix is assumed to have a Toeplitz form. We argue that this discrepancy is due to the structure of eigenvectors of the Hadamard matrix.


Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) was used to assess the genetic structure of Hemileia vastatrix populations. Forty-five rust isolates with different virulence spectra and from different hosts and geographical regions were analyzed. Out of 45 bands, generated with three RAPD primers, 35 (78%) were polymorphic and scored as molecular markers. Cluster analysis exhibits unstructured variability of this pathogen with regard to physiological race, geographical origin or host. The genotypic diversity (H') inferred from Shannon's index was higher than gene diversity (Ht), suggesting that diversity is distributed among clonal lineages. Estimates of gene diversity in Africa and Asia populations were higher in total (Ht) as compared to within population diversity (Hs). Genetic differentiation was considerable among coffee rust isolates from Africa (Gst = 0.865) and Asia (Gst = 0.768) but not among isolates from South America (Gst = 0.266). We concluded that genetic diversity in H. vastatrix was moderately low and that the genetic differentiation among populations shows that asexual reproduction is likely to play an important role in the population biology of this fungus. This should be taken into account for the development of breeding programs.


Abstract. Significance: Processing and diagnosing a set of 12 prostate biopsies using conventional histology methods typically take at least one day. A rapid and accurate process performed while the patient is still on-site could significantly improve the patient's quality of life. Aim: We develop and assess the feasibility of a one-hour-to-diagnosis (1Hr2Dx) method for processing and providing a preliminary diagnosis of a set of 12 prostate biopsies. Approach: We developed a fluorescence staining, optical clearing, and 3D open-top light-sheet microscopy workflow to enable 12 prostate needle core biopsies to be processed and diagnosed within an hour of receipt. We analyzed 44 biopsies by the 1Hr2Dx method, which does not consume tissue. The biopsies were then processed for routine, slide-based 2D histology. Three pathologists independently evaluated the 3D 1Hr2Dx and 2D slide-based datasets in a blinded, randomized fashion. Turnaround times were recorded, and the accuracy of our method was compared with gold-standard slide-based histology. Results: The average turnaround time for tissue processing, imaging, and diagnosis was 44.5 min. The sensitivity and specificity of 1Hr2Dx in diagnosing cancer were both >90  %  . Conclusions: The 1Hr2Dx method has the potential to improve patient care by providing an accurate preliminary diagnosis within an hour of biopsy.


Abstract : Military training on fields and ranges at Canadian Force Bases is essential to prepare our troops for potential wars and/or peace missions. On the other hand, the growing concern of DND leaders and of the general population makes it necessary to evaluate the impacts of training on the environment. During the last 10 years, new methods of characterisation have been developed to assess the energetic materials contamination, which is different from the usual contamination in residential or industrial scenarios. The CFB/ASU Wainwright in Alberta was characterized to assess the contamination by metals and energetic materials into the soil and the biomass. This location was selected based on its intensive use by Canadian and allied troops and based on its potential for heavier training intensity in the future. Several types of training sites were visited such as grenade, rifle, battle run, small arms and anti-tank ranges. The different methods of characterisation were adapted for each situation, i.e. the type of fired ammunition, the concentration of contaminants, and the size and the pattern of the training sites. Soil and biomass samples were taken using a composite approach to be statistically representative. The metal analyses were performed at PSC laboratory in Edmonton and the energetic materials were analyzed at DRDC Valcartier. This work was realized in May-June 2004 and was supported by the Director Land Environment (DLE), Ottawa, Canada and the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP), Washington D.C., USA.


Background. The effects of persuasive health communications are influenced by activated self-regulatory processes. In the present study, the method of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is studied to understand these processes. It is hypothesized that EMDR disturbs these processes that take place in the working memory. Methods: Participants from a university sample (N=124) were asked to listen to the persuasive message in a randomized laboratory experiment. In the EMDR condition, they were also instructed to follow with their eyes a dot on the computer screen. Findings: The effects of EMDR on actual fruit and vegetable consumption after two weeks dependend on pretest scores on Cognitive Self-affirmation Inclination (CSAI): In people who scored high on CSAI, EMDR significantly lowered the consumption, but in people who scored low on CSAI, EMDR significantly increased the consumption. Discussion: The results suggest that EMDR disturbed defensive processes that lower persuasion in people with low CSAI, and self-affirming processes that support persuasion in people with high CSAI.


This paper presents a multimodal emotion recognition system, which is based on the analysis of audio and visual cues. From the audio channel, Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients, Filter Bank Energies and prosodic features are extracted. For the visual part, two strategies are considered. First, facial landmarks' geometric relations, i.e., distances and angles, are computed. Second, we summarize each emotional video into a reduced set of key-frames, which are taught to visually discriminate between the emotions. In order to do so, a convolutional neural network is applied to key-frames summarizing videos. Finally, confidence outputs of all the classifiers from all the modalities are used to define a new feature space to be learned for final emotion label prediction, in a late fusion/stacking fashion. The experiments conducted on the SAVEE, eNTERFACE'05, and RML databases show significant performance improvements by our proposed system in comparison to current alternatives, defining the current state-of-the-art in all three databases.


In some managerial approaches there is the hidden risk of reducing people to their rational capabilities applied to decision-making; on the contrary, people cannot suppress their deep nature, which involves emotions and spirituality in all their actions. This paper starts from this point of view and explores the importance of practical wisdom to build institutions that work toward the common good. The paper explores the Rule of St. Benedict (RSB) as a crucial source of spiritual capital that can help the development of practical wisdom for management. The research highlights three strongly related characteristics of the RSB: the coenobitical nature of Benedictine communities, the vision of abbots as "prudent managers", and the role of manual labor in monastic daily life. This analysis reveals several managerial implications of the RSB; in particular, with regard to the recognition of the purpose of organizations, which exceeds the narrow limits of individual (profitable) goals.


We present a pricing kernel that summarizes well the main features of the dynamics of interest rates and risk in postwar U.S. data and use it to uncover how the pricing kernel has moved with the short rate in this data. Our findings imply that standard monetary models miss an essential link between the central bank instrument and the economic activity that monetary policy is intended to affect and thus we call for a new approach to monetary policy analysis. We sketch a new approach using an economic model based on our pricing kernel. The model incorporates the key relationships between policy and risk movements in an unconventional way: the central bank's policy changes are viewed as primarily intended to compensate for exogenous business cycle fluctuations in risk which threaten to push inflation off target. This model, while an improvement on standard models, is considered just a starting point for their revision. It leads to critical questions that researchers need to answer as they continue to revise their approach to monetary policy analysis.


COPYRIGHT © 2023 Bartolini, Caciagli, Larivière and Trimmel. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Editorial: Advances in neuroimaging of epilepsy


The aim of this study was to investigate freshmen college students' alternative conceptions on electric circuits. For this purpose, data gathered through audio-tape recorded classroom discussion, interviews and a 25-item open-ended alternative conceptions test were used to assess students' conceptions concerning electric circuits. Students' conceptions were investigated using choice-explanation-consistency analysis of their grain-size knowledge before and after instruction. The results of the pretest via grain-size knowledge analysis indicated that students' have different patterns of preconception and that individual students have different explanations to a particular situation. The choice-explanation-consistency analysis of the pretest revealed patterns of preconception such as correct choice with accurate explanations, correct choice with a partly correct explanation, inconsistent choice/explanation and reiteration of question/choice. Similar patterns were seen considering the end points, that is pre-test and post-test results. The patterns of conceptual change that were exhibited by the students through the lens of choice-explanation-consistency analysis are unchanged alternative conceptions, regression of alternative conceptions, attenuated alternative conceptions, reinforced alternative conceptions, and reconstructed alternative conceptions. The results suggest that a substantial revision of teaching strategies is needed in relation to electric circuits. However, from the Observer Daily Diary (ODD) the teachers were using heterogeneous lecturing styles. That is, teacher's instructional actions in the classroom are not only comprised of teaching methods, but also strategic pedagogical moves, interactions with students, cognitive engagements, laboratory activities and the use of instructional technology. This maybe because the teacher participant was a grantee in the 1990 Philippine-Australia Science and Mathematics Program (PASMEP) physics teacher.


The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has been tasked with ensuring that the United States of America maintains a reliable electric grid that provides its citizens with affordable power and energy security.  This responsibility of regulating electric energy delivery comes with the ability to charge and collect Interstate Commerce Tax.  In this ability, is the separation of state and federal regulatory of electricity transactions, which is a contested topic in the U.S. Supreme Court.  The reason for this is that FERC is trying to enforce Interstate Commerce Tax control over any equipment that poses the potential to generate electricity.  They're utilizing the 1880's understanding of direct current (DC) electricity which moves through the "flow of electrons", and therefore this gives them direct authority over all generators interconnected to the grid.  Using the Quantum Movement Theory of Alternating Current established in 2023, this notion of a flow of electrons does not occur on the grid, and therefore restricts the jurisdiction and the taxing ability of FERC (Wade et al., 2023). This change would increase the implementation of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) and save transmission operators, electric utilities, and ultimately consumers up to $500 million per year over the next several decades.


Worldwide rice production totaled 481 million metric tons in 2011, including 7.1% in trade. Fragrant rice is estimated to account for 15-18% of the rice trade procuring the highest prices on the world market. Some new players are interested in entering this premium segment, including the US, Vietnam, and other rice growers and traders. The fragrant rice commodity chain is deciphered through a meta-analysis of data on rice cropping and trading. We conclude on a possible split between fragrant and coarse rice markets. The upcoming challenges for fragrant rice industry are discussed with the next release of genetically modified varieties; water scarcity in rice cropping; and land use trade-offs between fragrant and coarse rice.


A lthough ancient China contributed greatly to many of the world's major scientific and technological developments, it fell behind Western countries starting with the late Ming Dynasty. With the founding of the People's Republic, China's science and technology sector started to grow rapidly. During the past four decades, China has successfully set up a modern science and technology system whose research capability is more advanced than that of other developing countries and even reaches international levels in some areas. But China's infrastructure for basic research still has a long way to go before it catches up with the developed world.

Some of the measures China has already undertaken to promote basic research include setting up the National Natural Science Foundation and about 156 national key laboratories as well as many ministry-affiliated laboratories. Among China's advanced research facilities are the Beijing Electron-Positron Collider, the Lanzhou Heavy Ion Accelerator, an aerodynamic testing facility, and several large telescopes. Chinese scientists have made significant international achievements in the areas of high-temperature superconductors, condensed-matter physics, genetic engineering, and East Asian Monsoon research. In the emerging disciplines such as molecular biology, surface chemistry, surface physics, nonlinear sciences, and earth system sciences, rapid progress has also been made.

The number of publications authored by mainland Chinese scientists in major international academic journals has been increasing yearly, ranking 20th in the world in 1985, 11th in 1996, and 9th in 1997. In terms of articles indexed by Science Citation Index (SCI), China ranked 14th in 1996 and 12th in 1997.

Even with these achievements, China's scientific development is still far behind that of the developed world. In 1996, the number of publications authored by mainland Chinese scientists and indexed by SCI was only 5% of that of U.S. scientists and 19% of that of British scientists. China is internationally competitive in only about 5% of basic science fields and enjoys a relatively high level of performance in only about 20% of these fields. Basic research in China faces problems because of the lack of innovations and major breakthroughs with an international impact, the lack of an effective mechanism for optimal personnel flow, and the lack of young people involved in basic research.

To help alleviate these problems, the Chinese government has created the "State Key Program of Basic Research," identifying the targets and tasks of Chinese basic research up to the year 2010. As part of this program, we hope to carry out multidisciplinary research to address key problems arising in national economic and social development and in science and technology development, in such areas as agriculture, energy, information, resources and the environment, population and health, and materials. We also hope to set up a number of world-class scientific projects that represent China's comprehensive science and technology capability, to train high-caliber innovative scientists, and to establish a group of high-level research bases that can undertake key national science and technology tasks.

China expects to improve its processes for selecting research projects, allocating funds, and publishing results, as well as its systems for academic evaluation and conferring awards, to make them more effective and fair. Even with limited financial resources, we plan to provide adequate technical and logistical support for conducting basic research. To create an environment for innovation, we will emphasize selecting and fostering research leaders who will then be able to balance national science priorities and policies with academic autonomy. And we will encourage scientists to cooperate with international partners.

With the continuing development of the Chinese economy, we will increase our input into basic research step by step. I believe that, as long as we uphold the strategy of "revitalizing the nation through science and education," China's basic research will catch up with the advanced level of the developed world by the middle of the next century. The Chinese people will undoubtedly make new contributions to world scientific development.


Aim To assess the concurrent validity and discriminative ability of total, gross and fine motor (TM, GM and FM) scores of Dutch performance-based motor tests, the Baecke-Fassaert Motor Test (BFMT) and the 8- and 4-Skills Scan (SkSc) with the Movement Assessment Battery (MABC) for children at age 5. Method 116 Dutch children (40.3% boys) were included. Spearman's rho correlations and area under the curves (AUC) were assessed. Results Correlations between the TM scores of the tests were strong (absolute values from 0.58 to .65); the correlations between the GM scores and the FM scores between and within tests were weaker (absolute values from 0.30 to 0.45). Related to the cut-off (15th percentile) of the MABC, the AUC of the BFMT, 8- and 4-SkSc, the AUC was 0.853 (95% CI: 0.757–0.949), 0.905 (95% CI: 0.837–0.972) and 0.844 (95% CI: 0.730–0.957), respectively. At optimal cut-offs, the sensitivity and specificity of the BFMT, the 8- and 4-SkSc were 78.6 and 78.4%, 92.2 and 73.2%, 78.6 and 76.3%, respectively. Conclusion All tests had a reasonably high discriminative ability, but validation with the MABC-2 and adaptations are needed to meet the requirements for screening (i.e. sensitivity ≥80% and specificity ≥90%). The relatively weak correlation between GM and FM scores implies that tests should be normalized and validated for GM and FM ability, separately.


The ecology and taxonomy of the atherinids caught in the Swan-Avon River system was studied using data collected from monthly samples at ten main and some subsidiary sites. The study demonstrated that five species of atherinids from the three genera Allanetta, Atherinosoma and Pranesus utilise the estuary in different ways. One of the Atherinosoma species folllld in the estuary is currently unrecognised although it may previously have been described as Atherinosoma_ rockinghamensis (Whitley). The other species found in the river system are Atherinosoma elongata (Klunzinger), Atherinosoma presbyteroides (Richardson), Allanetta mugiloides (McCulloch) and Pranesus ogilbyi (Whitley). All the atherinid species spawned during the summer and in three Atherinosoma species and in Allanetta mugiloides the spawning period was protracted. The life cycle of these four species occupied one year. By contrast, in Pranesus ogilbyi the life cycle was either two or three years, with spawning occurring in the final two years of life. Although all of the species were opportunistic carnivores which fed in general on small invertebrates this study indicated that interspecific competition was reduced by a certain degree of selective feeding and by a tendency for slightly different distribution patterns. Pranesus ogilbyi, Allanetta mugiloides and Atherinosoma presbyteroides were marine species, while Atherinosoma elongata was estuarine and Atherinosoma rockinghamensis was largely restricted to fresh water. The feeding and breeding habits and pelagicnature as well as their large numbers in every part of the river system, mean that atherinids must be a very important component of the fauna of the estuary.


The monopoly electricity market in Indonesia uses flat tariffs but is being encouraged to change to dynamic pricing. Dynamic pricing scenarios have been implemented in many Western countries with various types of schemes. This paper discusses dynamic pricing scenarios based on residential load and generation in the Java-Bali system. The tariff scheme is a combination of critical peak pricing (CPP) and time-of-use (TOU). The CPP runs for only a few hours each year depending on the gas power plant operation. TOU will be used with peak and off-peak schedules as determined based on residential load characteristics. The gas power plant is a reference in designing the CPP rates because it is used to meet peak loads if other plants are unable to meet requirements and its cost of generating electricity is high compared to other power plants. The dynamic pricing scheme is simulated for a residential load. Then, the load reduction during peak times and the impact of reducing electricity consumption in the Java-Bali system is analyzed.


Pathology particularly histopathology is considered to be a busy and challenging field. It is considered as gold standard for the diagnosis and management of patient particularly in cases of tumor. It has been more than twenty years since the introduction of whole slide imaging (WSI) in the developed part of the world. Various whole slide image (WSI) devices and use of artificial intelligence (AI) based softwares have transformed the field of Pathology1.
Digital pathology is a novel technology and currently being implemented in most of the developed part of the world.2 Once the patient's data becomes digital, it is easily stored, reproducible on a single click and quality remains same. This data can be used to make disease models, disease trends and predict the outcome of a particular disease through data mining which will open new horizons of precise medicine.
The use of WSI with computational pathology and data storage devices have revolutionized the working in histopathology. The world witnessed an exponential rise in its adoption particularly after Covid-19 pandemic1. However, in the developing world either it is not being implemented or its use is still sub-optimal.
By realizing the potential of digital and computational pathology along with the use of artificial intelligence software, we can bring a drastic change in the field of personalized medicine in the developing part of the world 3. Numerous validation studies have been published indicating that WSI is a reliable tool for routine diagnosis in surgical pathology 4

Continuous...


Background: In the past decade, Social Media has been an interesting Internet phenomenon. Social Media has increased the ability for Internet users to communicate and interact with one another, allowing them to overcome boundaries that once made communication difficult and slow. It has become a big part of everyday life and has fundamentally changed the way we send and receive information. This transformation has led to businesses acknowledging the need for a change in the way they communicate with their customers. The purpose of this thesis is to understand what makes a business successful in Social Media and what are the tools that businesses may use in order to communicate with their consumer community. Method: This study is exploratory and qualitative in nature. Authors conducted a case study research and used an inductive approach in order to answer research questions. Several methods of gathering data are used in the thesis for the full analysis of the case study: interview, survey, netnography ("internet – based ethnography"). Qualitative measures are used to draw conclusions regarding Social Media metrics and consumer engagement. Conclusion : Authors state that there is no universal communication strategy suitable for every company, but the appropriate one may be build according to the company goals and means. Process of creating the communication strategy should focus on several targets which companies may identify by themselves or with the help of guides. One of those targets is identifying appropriate ways of engaging with the customers with the combination of Brand Awareness, Brand Engagement and Word of Mouth. Three main parts of the communication strategy are interconnected: Brand Awareness, Brand Engagement and Word of Mouth. Effectiveness of communication strategy (different combination of Brand Awareness, Brand Engagement and Word of Mouth) may be measured by specific metrics or statistical ones. Increasing those interconnected metrics depends on ability to follow the customer needs and the quality of content. Main B2C Social Media tools nowadays are Facebook, Twitter, YouTube. This thesis found out strong relationship between those three ("Social Media Triangle" model). Company having accounts in each of those networks should use it as a whole and not as separate tools.


of the Dissertation Cyberbullying Prevention and Intervention: Perspectives of School Psychologists and School Counselors By Rachel E. Burlet, M.S. Recent studies have found that increasing numbers of students are experiencing cyberbullying during middle and high school. The current study examined how school psychologists and school counselors are involved in the prevention and intervention of cyberbullying as well as what practices their schools are implementing to address this issue. Results found that school counselors were more involved than school psychologists with cyberbullying prevention and intervention efforts. However, 50% of school psychologists felt that their skills were being underutilized and 59% expressed a desire to be more involved in cyberbullying prevention and intervention efforts. Receiving training on cyberbullying was found to be related to increased feelings of preparedness to be involved with cyberbullying prevention and intervention. Though, in this study, only 8% of all participants felt very prepared to help select cyberbullying prevention and intervention programs. Participants rated creating a cyberbullying taskforce, positive school climate programs, peer mentors, and teaching empathy as the most effective prevention and intervention strategies. Based on these findings, schools need to provide the staff more training on the issue of cyberbullying and develop strategies to reduce school psychologists' barriers to involvement in this area. This will allow schools to develop knowledgeable teams to help address the issue of cyberbullying prevention and


Three types of bottom electrodes were deposited by RF magnetron sputtering on SiO2/Si substrates: LaNiO3 (LNO), Pt/Ti and LNO/Pt/Ti. The effect of different deposition and processing conditions for the LNO films on the ferroelectric properties of sputtered Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 (PZT) capacitors was investigated. The LNO films were either deposited at room temperature and heattreated in O2 flow in the furnace at 500 or 600°C or made in situ in the range of 200-500°C. Other deposition parameters under study were the pressure, the RF power and the Ar:O2 ratio. The resistivity of the LNO films was measured and on some of the films with the lower values, amorphous PZT was deposited and then crystallized in the furnace. X-ray diffraction results show that the PZT films deposited over Pt/Ti had a preferential (100) orientation, while those deposited over LNO made in situ are strongly (100) oriented and the ones deposited over amorphous LNO do not exhibit any preferential orientation. The remanent polarization of the capacitors was around 28μC/cm2 when amorphous LNO or Pt/Ti electrodes were used and around 20μC/cm2 with LNO made in situ. Leakage currents were improved when LNO electrodes made in situ was used; a good ferroelectric fatigue performance of the capacitors when subjected to 1010 switching cycles was also observed


Recent advances in the description of compact binary systems have produced gravitational waveforms that include inspiral, merger and ring-down phases. Comparing results from numerical simulations with those of post-Newtonian, and related, expansions has provided motivation for employing post-Newtonian waveforms in near merger epochs when searching for gravitational waves and has encouraged the development of analytic fits to full numerical waveforms. Until searches employ full waveforms as templates, data analysts can still conduct separate inspiral, merger and ring-down searches. Improved knowledge about the end of the inspiral phase, the beginning of the merger and the ring-down frequencies will increase the efficiency of searches over each phase separately without needing the exact waveform. We will show that knowledge of the final spin, of which there are many theoretical models and analytic fits to simulations, may give an insight into the time–frequency properites of the merger. We also present implications on the ability to probe the tidal disruption of neutron stars through gravitational waves.


Rev BRas epidemiol JaN-maR 2017; 20(1): 115-123 ABSTRACT: Introduction: Away-from-home food consumption has increased in Brazil and is associated with fewer nutritious food choices. Objective: To describe energy and specific nutrient intake among consumers and non-consumer of away-from-home food in the Northeast Region. Methods: A sample of 11,674 individuals from the National Dietary Survey data, which is part of the 2008–2009 Household Budget Survey, from the Northeast Region, was analyzed. Individuals provided two dietary records in nonconsecutive days, informing the place where foods were consumed (at-home or away-from-home). Away-from-home food was defined as foods acquired and consumed away from home. Linear regression models were developed to assess the relationship between away-from-home food consumption in one of the two-day food record and the energy and nutrient intake, adjusted for age, gender, and per capita income. Results: Away-from-home food consumption, in at least one of the two-day food record, was reported by 42% of individuals in the Northeast Region. Individuals who consumed food away from home in the Northeast Region presented poor nutrient intake compared to those who did not report consumption away from home, with higher intake of energy, free sugar, saturated fat, and trans fat and lower intake of protein, iron, and dietary fiber, regardless of age, gender, and income (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Away-from-home food consumption in the Northeast Region contributed to higher energy and poorer nutrient intake. Therefore, the development of public policies and strategies that favor health food choices when individuals eat away from home is necessary.


The formation of polar question also called a Yes-No question, appears to be language-specific, a situation which makes Echie speakers to find it difficult to accommodate the system of the English language, vice versa. This paper, using the qualitative design and the transformation approach, investigated the structural forms of both languages. The analysis showed great structural differences in both languages: while there is a swop in the position of the subject and the auxiliary in English, there is no such in Echie. In Echie, there are two forms of polar question realization: the resumptive pronoun type and the emphatic construction type. The paper noted that, although, the structural and derivational forms parametrically differ, polar questions exist in both languages and also perform the same syntactic and functional communicative roles.
Key Words: Polar, resumptive, inversion, emphatic, transformation


OBJECTIVE
The authors sought to compare the degree of mood improvement after light treatment with mood improvement in the subsequent summer in patients with seasonal affective disorder.

METHOD
By using the Seasonal Affective Disorder Version of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, the authors rated 15 patients with seasonal affective disorder on three occasions: during winter when the patients were depressed, during winter following 2 weeks of light therapy, and during the following summer. They compared the three conditions by using Friedman's analysis of variance and the Wilcoxon signed ranks test.

RESULTS
The patients' scores on the depression scale were significantly higher after 2 weeks of light therapy in winter than during the following summer.

CONCLUSIONS
Light treatment for 2 weeks in winter is only partially effective when compared to summer. Further studies will be necessary to assess if summer's light or other factors are the main contributors to this difference.


The Bella-Williamson rate of sediment turnover-organic content of sediment (RST-OCS) dissection plane method integrates relevant physical, chemical, and biological analyses in order to estimate the chronic impacts of dredging on estuarine ecosystems. A spectral analysis by a finite Fourier transform of estuarine sand waves is presented which only requires a spatial sand wave record that is relatively easy to measure in contrast to stochastic analyses which require both spatial and temporal observations of sand wave profiles. The total energy content (or, equivalently, the statistical variance of the spatial sand wave profile) and the equilibrium subrange of the wave number spectrum provide readily observable measures of the RST in an estuary; economic savings, promise to be significant. In addition, a uniform "-3 power law" for the wave number equilibrium subrange is presented which offers an opportunity to obtain a sand wave frequency spectrum without a temporal sand wave profile record through a dispersion transformation proportional to the bed shear velocity.


The furnace absorption method has been applied to the spectrum of neutral atomic uranium. In the wavelength interval 335 < λ (nm) < 361, the oscillator strengths for 497 transitions in neutral uranium have been determined. For the strongest transition at 358.48773 nm, the result was f = 0.043 ± 0.005, where the stated uncertainty represents one root-mean-square variance. The latter result may be compared with the absolute oscillator strength, f = 0.041 ± 0.003, derived from opacity measurements in the uranium nitride system. The excellent agreement between these two determinations permits the establishing of a single absolute scale for oscillator strengths in neutral atomic uranium.


The core-binding factor (CBF)-associated leukemia fusion protein CBFbeta-SMMHC impairs myeloid and lymphoid differentiation. By inhibiting RUNX function, the fusion oncoprotein predisposes specifically to acute myeloid leukemia in both patients and mouse models. We have shown that Cbfbeta-SMMHC expression leads to a sustained reduction of circulating B lymphocytes in the mouse. In this study, we demonstrate that the activation of Cbfbeta-SMMHC reduces pre-pro-B cells approximately 3-fold and pre-B cells more than 10-fold and that this differentiation block is cell-autonomous. The reduction of pre-pro-B cells coincided with an increase in apoptosis in this population. The number of common lymphoid progenitors (CLPs) were not affected; however, the expression of critical early B-cell factors Ebf1, Tcfe2a, and Pax5 was significantly reduced. In addition, Cbfbeta-SMMHC reduced Rag1 and Rag2 expression and impaired V(D)J recombination in the CLPs. Furthermore, CLPs expressing Cbfbeta-SMMHC also show inhibition of B cell-specific genes Cd79a, Igll1, VpreB1, and Blk. These results demonstrate that CBF/RUNX function is essential for the function of CLPs, the survival of pre-pro-B cells, and the establishment of a B lineage-specific transcriptional program. This study also provides a mechanistic basis for the myeloid-lineage bias of CBFbeta-SMMHC-associated leukemia.


The paper studies the role of international implications after EU enlargement. Based on a formal model with migration costs for both capital and labor, it predicts a two-sided migration from the new to the old EU countries which is later reversed. As the migration pattern chosen by market forces turns out to be efficient, migration should not be artificially reduced by means of legal constraints or subsidies to the new member countries. The paper draws the parallel with German unification and points out the lessons to be learned by Europe. The analysis concludes with a brief discussion of the second best problem posed by the existence of welfare states in the old member countries.


The ROI method applied to Ga-68 EDTA PET dynamic study data for the quantitative determination of brain tumor BBB permeability assumes that the tumor is homogeneous in terms of Ga-68 EDTA kinetics, even though it is known that brain tumors are highly heterogeneous in structure. The relatively high image noise of Ga-68 PET studies have prevented the examination of Ga-68 EDTA kinetics by nonlinear regression on a single pixel basis. In this study, we have developed an efficient and effective method to separate brain tumor tissue into sub-regions with different Ga-68 EDTA kinetics on a pixel-by-pixel basis. Computer simulation and ten Ga-68 EDTA PET patient studies were used to evaluate the performance of the new method. During a PET dynamic study (total 64 min), 20-25 arterial samples were taken for the input function. Whole-tumor ROIs were defined on T1-weighted MRI images and then copied to the registered PET dynamic images to measure whole-tumor time activity curves. The method uses a two-compartment model to extract three component factors (vascular component, fast and slow component factors) from whole-tumor kinetics by model fitting. The kinetics in each pixel were expressed as a linear combination of the three factors. The three coefficients in the expression can be estimated by the linear least-square method and produce three factor images corresponding, respectively, to the permeability of the fast and the slow component factors and the plasma volume. Whole-tumor regions were separated into two regions-one with mainly fast kinetics that was evident in the fast factor images and one with slow kinetics that was evident in slow factor images. The two regions have markedly different uptake (0.036/spl plusmn/0.015 ml/min/g and 0.009/spl plusmn/0.006 ml/min/g for fast and slow kinetic sub-regions, respectively) and clearance rates (0.22/spl plusmn/0.15 /min and 0.023/spl plusmn/0.021 /min for fast and slow sub-regions, respectively). The overlap of the two resulting sub-regions is small (3.5/spl plusmn/1.7% of the two regions). Computer simulation and patient studies show that the method is robust for a wide range of noise levels. This method has combined the advantages of statistical factor analysis and the modeling approach.


Objectives Children with Crohn's disease grow poorly, and inflammation depresses the response of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) to growth hormone. Correcting the inflammation normalises growth velocity; however, removing inflammation cannot be achieved in all children. Our lack of understanding of IGF-1 kinetics has hampered its use, particularly as high IGF-1 concentrations over long periods may predispose to colon cancer. We hypothesised that mathematical modelling of IGF-1 would define dosing regimes that return IGF-1 concentrations into the normal range, without reaching values that risk cancer. Design Pharmacokinetic intervention study. Setting Tertiary paediatric gastroenterology unit. Participants 8 children (M:F; 4:4) entered the study. All completed: 5 South Asian British; 2 White British; 1 African British. Inclusion criteria: Children over 10 years with active Crohn's disease (C reactive protein >10 mg/l or erythrocyte sedimentation rate >25 mm/h) and height velocity <–2 SD score. Exclusion criteria: closed epiphyses; corticosteroids within 3 months; neoplasia or known hypersensitivity to recombinant human IGF-1 (rhIGF-1). Interventions Subcutaneous rhIGF-1 (120 μg/kg) per dose over two admissions: the first as a single dose and the second as twice daily doses over 5 days. Primary outcome Significant increase in circulating IGF-1. Secondary outcomes Incidence of side effects of IGF-1. A mathematical model of circulating IGF-1 (Ac) was developed to include parameters of endogenous synthesis (Ksyn); exogenous uptake (Ka) from the subcutaneous dose (As): and IGF-1 clearance: where dAc/dt=Ksyn − Kout×Ac+Ka×As. Results Subcutaneous IGF-1 increased concentrations, which were maintained on twice daily doses. In covariate analysis, disease activity reduced Ksyn (p<0.001). Optimal dosing was derived from least squares regression fitted to a dataset of 384 Crohn's patients, with model parameters assigned by simulation. Conclusions By using age, weight and disease activity scaling in IGF-1 dosing, over 95% of children will have normalised IGF-1 concentrations below +2.5 SDs of the normal population mean, a level not associated with cancer risk.


Abstract:This article examines the representation of surveillance in Claude McKay's Romance in Marseille and the influence of surveillance on the novel's aesthetics. It uses McKay's 1929 novel Banjo as a prior representation of Marseille that establishes the historical constraints under which characters in Romance navigate the social world of Quayside, the city's international working-class quarter. The article argues that McKay depicts an important moment in which state and corporate actors create networks of transnational surveillance that aim at securing an advantageous global distribution of labor for capital. McKay's novel examines the mechanisms through which surveillance controls the mobility of racialized and gendered bodies, and depicts the strategies of resistance that such characters deploy more and less successfully against these oftenviolent mechanisms.


With a steady rise in power demand in the remote communities in Canada, utilities are looking for new options to provide a reliable supply of electricity. While distributed generation is a promising option, scaling and firming up the capacity of distributed generators is essential. Alternatively, small modular reactors (SMRs) can be used as a prime local source of electricity for remote feeders provided they are flexible enough to respond to the fluctuations in demand. Electrical energy storage (EES) can be used as a buffer to absorb fluctuations in demand and generation, and as a critical back-up for the SMR on-site power supply system by replacing the diesel-generator sets. The synergy of SMR-EES-distributed generation can be an all-inclusive alternative with win-win situation for both the utility and remote communities. This paper discusses the technical feasibility of the proposed synergy using an example of an existing remote feeder in Saskatchewan, Canada. The integral pressurized water reactor is considered along with the photovoltaic (PV) generation in an existing remote feeder in Northwest Saskatchewan to estimate the plant load factor (LF) of the SMR with and without the PV generation and EES. The results quantify the benefit of having EES to support the SMR in hosting more PV generation in remote communities. EES when used in support of the SMR to host 60% PV penetration, the plant load factor improves by as much as 5%.


Sensor-based localization is one of the fundamental problems in mobile robots. We present a technique for online robot localization in an a priori known indoor environment. Our approach uses the local Voronoi diagram, generated from a laser range scan, to match it against the global Voronoi diagram of the robot's workspace. The result from this process is used to estimate the robot's position in the map or to correct the robot's odometry. Experiments with real data are presented to validate this algorithm.


Titanium alloys have been widely used as superior engineering materials because of their high specific strength, high temperature resistance and high corrosion resistance. In their engineering applications such as used in aircraft engines, titanium alloys may experience even 10(10) fatigue cycles. Recently, faceted crack initiation was observed in high-cycle fatigue (HCF) and very-high-cycle fatigue (VHCF) regimes of titanium alloys, which resulted in a sharp decrease in fatigue strength. Therefore, the HCF and VHCF of titanium alloys have both scientific significance and engineering requirement. In this work, the effects of microstructure and stress ratio (R) on HCF and VHCF of a Ti-6Al-4V alloy have been investigated. Fatigue tests were conducted on a rotating-bending fatigue machine and an ultrasonic fatigue machine. All the fatigue fracture surfaces were observed by SEM. The results show that the HCF and VHCF behaviors of the fully-equiaxed and the bimodal Ti-6Al-4V alloy are similar. The observations of fracture surface indicate that two crack initiation mechanisms prevail, i.e. slip mechanism and cleavage mechanism. With the increase of stress ratio, the crack initiation mechanism switches from slip to cleavage. The S-N curves present the single-line type or the bilinear type. For the cases of rotating-bending and ultrasonic axial cycling with R= -1.0, -0.5 and 0.5, the S-N curves are single-line type corresponding to the slip mechanism or cleavage mechanism. For the cases of R= -0.1 and 0.1, the S-N curves are bilinear type corresponding to both slip and cleavage mechanisms. A model based on fatigue life and fatigue limit is proposed to describe the competition between the two mechanisms, which is in agreement with the experimental results.


Preface. 1. Tuning Forks, Phasors. Where to Begin. Simplest Vibrations. Adding Sinusoids. Briefly Back to Newton's Second Law. Complex Numbers. Multiplying Complex Numbers. Euler's Formula. The Tine as Phasor. Beats. Notes. Problems. 2. Strings And Pipes, The Wave Equation. A Distributed Vibrating System. The Wave Equation. Motion of a Vibrating String. Reflection from a Fixed End. Vibration of a String Fixed at Two Points. The Vibrating Column of Air. Standing Waves in a Half-Open Tube. Fourier Series. Notes. Problems. 3. Sampling and Quantizing. Sampling a Phasor. Aliasing More Complicated Signals. Quantizing. Dynamic Range. Remedies: Companding and Prefiltering. The Shape of Things to Come. Notes. Problems. 4. Feedforward Filters. Delaying a Phasor. A Simple Filter. Digital Filters. A Big Filter. Delay as an Operator. The z-plane. Phase Response. Inverse Comb Filters. Notes. Problems. 5. Feedback Filters. Poles. Stability. Resonance and bandwidth. Resons. Designing a reson filter. Other incarnations of reson. Dropping in zeros: an improved reson. A powerful feedback filter. Notes. Problems. 6. Comb and String Filters. Comb Filters. Analogy to Standing Waves. Plucked-String Filters. Resonances of the Plucked-String Filter. The First-Order Allpass Filter. Allpass Phase Response. Tuning Plucked-String Filters. Notes. Problems. 7. Periodic Sounds. Coordinate Systems. Fourier Series. Fourier Series of a Square Wave. Spectral Decay. Pulses. Continuous-Time Buzz. Digital Buzz. Synthesis by Spectrum Shaping. Generating Variable Frequency Buzz. Notes. Problems. 8. The Discrete Fourier Transform and FFT. Circular Domains. Discrete Fourier Transform(DFT) Representation. The Discrete Frequency Domain. Measuring Algorithm Speed. Divide and Conquer. Decimation-In-Time FFT. Programming Considerations. The Inverse DFT. A Serious Problem. Notes. Problems. 9. Z-Transform and Convolution. Domains. The z-transform. Orthogonality. z-transform of the Impulse and Step. A Few More z-transforms. z-transforms and Transfer Functions. Convolution. Inverse z-transform. Stability Revisited. Notes. Problems. 10. Using the FFT. Switching Signals On. Switching Signals On and Off. Resolution. The DFT of a Finite Stretch of Phasor. The Hamming Window. Windowing in General. Spectrograms. Notes. Problems. 11. Aliasing and Imaging. Taking Stock. Time/Frequency Correspondences. Frequency Aliasing Revisited. Digital to Analog Conversion. Imaging. Nyquist's Theorem. The Uncertainty Principle. Oversampling. Notes. Problems. 12. Designing Feedforward Filters. Taxonomy. The Form of Feedforward Filters. Specifications. A Design Algorithm: METEOR. Half-band Example. Tradeoffs. Example: Notch Filter With a Smoothness Constraint. Example: Window Design. A Programming Consideration. Notes. Problems. 13. Designing Feedback Filters. Why the General Problem is Difficult. The Butterworth Frequency Response. The Butterworth Poles and Zeros. More General Specifications. A Lowpass/Highpass Flip. Connection with Analog Filters. Implementation. A Trap. Feedback vs. Feedforward. Notes. Problems. 14. Audio and Musical Applications. The CD Player. Reverb. AM and Tunable Filters. FM Synthesis. The Phase Vocoder. An Audio Microscope/Macroscope. Notes. Problems.


Astaxanthin is a carotenoid found in plants and algae; it provides the color of marine seafood such as salmon, lobster, or shrimp. Carotenoids are antioxidants and exhibit other biological functions, including effects on gap junctional communication important for homeostasis, growth control, and development of cells. Cancer cells have an impaired gap junctional intercellular communication. The objective of the present study was to determine the effects of astaxanthin and canthaxanthin on gap junctional intercellular communication in vitro. Primary human skin fibroblasts were exposed to carotenoids from 0.001 to 10 micromol/L, and gap junctional communication was measured with a dye transfer assay. After incubation with canthaxanthin for 24 and 72 h, intercellular communication increased, whereas it was strongly diminished by astaxanthin at levels > 0.1 micromol/L. Inhibition was reversed when astaxanthin was withdrawn. Western blot analysis showed that after exposure to canthaxanthin, the amount of the gap junction protein connexin43 was increased. Incubation with astaxanthin led to a change in the phosphorylation pattern of connexin43, shifting from higher to lower phosphorylation states. We suggest that astaxanthin affects channel function by changing the phosphorylation pattern of connexin43.


A spatial state-space formulation based on the linear twodimensional piezoelasticity theory and involving local/global transfer matrices is applied to investigate the active vibration suppression of a simply supported, arbitrarily thick, orthotropic elastic beam, imperfectly integrated with spatially distributed piezoelectric actuator and sensor layers on its top and bottom surfaces, respectively. A linear spring-layer model is adopted to simulate the bonding imperfections between the host structure and the piezoelectric layers. To assist control system design, system identification is conducted by applying a frequency domain subspace approximation method with N4SID algorithm based on the first five structural modes of the system. The state space model is constructed from system identification and used for state estimation and development of control algorithm. A linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) optimal controller is subsequently designed and simulated based on the identified model in order to actively control the response of the smart structure in both frequency and time domains.


While patenting activity is common in advanced economies, this is not the case in emerging economies. However, there is reason to be optimistic that patenting activity benefits an emerging economy such as Malaysia. This study analyzes the relationship between the patenting activity and financial performance at the Malaysian firm level for firms that have been granted patents in Malaysia and the United States of America. While previous empirical studies adopted the market valuation model, we use the profit maximization model as our theoretical underpinning for this study. Hence, the financial performance variables are measured based on the accounting information – the sales, profits and profit margin. While previous empirical studies measured the patenting activity from an invention based on a simple patent count, we measure from within the patent system. Hence the patenting activity variables are measured based on the patent renewal/ application and quality measures. The sample study has also been divided into manufacturing firms and technology fields – human necessities/ performing operations and mechanicals/ electronics. We applied a panel dataset from 1994 to 2008 and the model is estimated using panel least square, fixed effects model, random effects model and generalized method of moments with various types of effects specifications and transformations. The key finding from the hypotheses testing is that there is a significant relationship between patenting activity and financial performance at the Malaysian firm level, but that the impact is rather small and the signs are mixed. This situation may due to the competitive condition that the firms faced, even though patenting is well known for its monopoly power.


On behalf of the Serbian Government, the Ministries of Mining and Energy and of Science and Environment Protection are signatories to a master plan for the promotion of the mining industry in Serbia. This is being achieved with the assistance of the Japanese Government through the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), who engaged a mining company from Tokyo–Mindeco (Mitsui Mineral Development Engineering Co. Ltd) to partner the Serbian ministries, the Mining and Geology Faculty in Belgrade, the Geological Institute of Serbia (Belgrade), the Copper Institute (Bor), and the Military Geographical Institute (Belgrade), as well as private companies dealing in geological exploration, etc. Apart from other things, the master plan contains a newly‐formed GIS application, which registers exploration, exploitation fields and other relevant data. This GIS web application was one the first steps towards the realization of 'e‐Government' in the field of geological exploration and mining activities within the Republic of Serbia.


The association between occupational exposure and stomach cancer was investigated in a multicenter case-referent study conducted in Spain on 354 histologically confirmed cases and 354 hospital referents, matched by age, gender, and residence. An increased risk of gastric cancer was found for coal mining workers [odds ratio (OR) 11.8], but the number of workers was small, and therefore the 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was wide (95% CI 1.36-103). An increased risk was observed for wood and furniture workers (OR 1.76), construction workers (OR 1.68), and glass and ceramic workers (OR 2.18), but none of these risks were statistically significant. According to an occupation-exposure linkage system an increased risk was found for occupations associated with exposure to silica and mineral dust (OR 1.80, 95% CI 0.90-3.59). All of the OR estimates were adjusted for the confounding factors socioprofessional status and dietary habits. The possibility of a causal association between stomach cancer and coal and mineral dust is supported by the results.


This book offers the reader a large amount of information concerning the science of field crop production in Australian agroecosystems. Despite contributions from a number of authors the book is well structured and consistently detailed. The scientific basis of many of the chapters means that the principles discussed are relevant to other parts of the world. The introduction reminds us that efficient crop productivity depends on a holistic and systems approach in which many perspectives and factors are considered and applied correctly. In providing chapters on socio-political and farm management aspects as well as on the 'science' of production the book conveys such an approach. Despite this the reader is left feeling somewhat distanced from the practicalities of the cropping systems (the range of farm sizes, crop mixes and rotations). Such variables are important, particularly for those trying to gain an overall vision of crop production in Australia. Similarly some readers will be left questioning the future of field crop production in a country where farmers have had to adapt to many changes in recent decades and are likely to have to adapt to more in future. What possible scenarios and developmental pathways does the future hold? With the exception of these minor criticisms I feel the book should provide a useful reference to students, advisers and practitioners in Australia and further afield.


Objective The human papillomavirus (HPV) is common and carries a significant burden of disease. This is increasingly apparent in males with the rising incidence of HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer. Unfortunately, vaccination rates remain poor and are lowest in males. It is unclear if pediatricians are aware of the alarming rise of HPV-mediated head and neck cancers and the disproportionate effect on males. Study Design This investigation used a cross-sectional descriptive survey research design. Setting The survey was developed by investigators in the University of Wisconsin Division of Otolaryngology. Subjects and Methods The survey was distributed to 831 members of the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Results A total response rate of 49.6% was achieved. Most supported routine vaccination in both sexes. Females are regarded as being at higher risk of an HPV-related cancer and are more often recommended vaccination. Most providers are unaware of the magnitude of HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer and the greater affliction in males. Conclusions Male vaccination is overwhelmingly supported by Wisconsin pediatricians, yet there is a preponderance toward vaccinating females, who are perceived as having greater risk for HPV-associated disease. This is likely because providers are unaware of the magnitude of HPV-driven oropharyngeal cancer and its predilection for males. A lack of provider awareness, in combination with out-of-date education material for parents, likely contributes to poor vaccination rates in males.


Take Over is an action carried out by users of banking services to move payments or installments that are considered more profitable by users of banking services, where in this case the Customer, the transfer made in the form of transfer of services, payments and installments that customers consider more profitable for them Use. The transfer of payment itself involves two different banking institutions where installments or financing that run from one bank to another are transferred according to the provisions of each banking institution involved in it. The results of this study indicate that there are several differences in take-over systems implemented by Bank Negara Indonesia Syariah and Bank Rakyat Indonesia, including the contract agreement system that exists in these two banking institutions, where Bank Negara Indonesia Syariah uses a system with a sharia contract, namely the contract is a profit sharing contract, which they apply is a Murabahah contract and guidelines for the rules and procedures carried out at Take Over are the foundation of the DSN-MUI Fatwa and all provisions contained in the land, then at the Bank Rakyat Indonesia the contract used is in accordance with the provisions of the party banking itself the interest rate applied to the Contract is a Flat (fixed and Floating) interest rate or a fixed interest rate with the provisions of the installment table in accordance with the provisions of the Bank Rakyat Indonesia.


Background/Objectives: Time series is a significant type of data, widely used in diverse application such as financial, medical, and weather analyses, which in-turn contain personal privacy to a great extent. Methods/Statistical Analysis: The perquisite to protect privacy of time series data is to bolster the data holder to get involved in the above applications without any privacy threats. The k-anonymization approach of time series data has picked up consideration over late years, a key requirement of such an approach is to guarantee anonymization of time series data while minimizing the information loss caused from that approach. Findings: In this article, we implemented a novel methodology called CATs (Clustered k-Anonymization of Time Series Data) that applies the idea of clustering on time series data and ensure anonymization by gaining minimized information loss within venerable utility. The fundamental perception here is that the time series data tuples that are alike, ought to be a part of one cluster, and de-identification of these tuples is furnished. We thus formulate and proposed this approach as CATs, implemented through mishmash of WEKA and ARX anonymization tool. We have executed the solution on two benchmark time series data set available in UCR, Our experimental result strives that CATs confirms to have minimal information loss ranging from 18% to 24% reduction rate when compared with existing TSA (Time Series Anonymization) approaches. Applications/Improvements: As result of our experimentation, we express that our approach can play a remarkable role in the field of financial management, Online Medical process monitoring and management etc.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the significance of tristetraprolin (TTP) gene expression in synovial tissues of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

METHODS
Gene expression was examined in synovial tissue and peripheral blood lymphocytes of a patient with RA by differential display-polymerase chain reaction (PCR). One of the identified genes, TTP, was selected for further analysis. cDNA was prepared from synovial tissues of 22 patients with RA and 22 with osteoarthritis (OA). Expression of TTP and tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) genes was measured by TaqMan real-time semiquantification PCR. In RA samples, expression of TTP mRNA was compared with TNF-a mRNA, C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and steroid and/or disease modifying antirheumatic drug use.

RESULTS
Expression of TTP gene was significantly higher in synovial tissues of RA patients than in OA. There was no apparent relationship between expression of TTP and TNF-a genes. TTP gene expression had a tendency to be inversely correlated with serum CRP, measured immediately before surgery. In addition, CRP was higher in patients with a low TTP/TNF-a gene expression ratio (p = 0.0071, Spearman rank correlation).

CONCLUSION
A low TTP/TNF-a gene expression ratio could indicate failure of RA patients to produce adequate amounts of TTP in response to increased TNF-a production. Inappropriate TTP production may be one factor that contributes to higher RA disease activity.


User interaction with web applications has changed considerably over the last decade. Technological advances allow users to be more than mere information consumers. Users now produce most of the information on the World Wide Web. Most of the interaction and information management with web applications is carried out on the client side, in the local browser. However, there is not always connectivity with the web platform. Several factors prevent users from connecting with remote servers: rural areas, natural disasters or situations without coverage. These situations, among others, motivated the creation and use of offline or disconnected web applications. The present work takes an in-depth look at the problems of using existent web applications in offline scenarios. To that end, the offline proxy is introduced. Then, a test is conducted to perform a preliminary evaluation of how user interaction changes with offline web interfaces. The final objective is to understand and to improve user interaction in offline scenarios with web applications.


The molecular design method of thermally activated delayed fluorescent emitters for blue-shifted emission was developed by modifying a phenyl linker using a methoxy substituent. One methoxy or two methoxy groups were introduced into the phenyl linker connecting a diphenyltriazine acceptor and a dimethylacridine donor to manage the emission spectrum. Substitution of one methoxy group shifted the emission color to a short wavelength while preserving the external quantum efficiency of the pristine material without the methoxy substituent. A high external quantum efficiency of over 20% was obtained while blue-shifting the emission wavelength by 12 nm. However, the substitution of two methoxy groups decreased the quantum efficiency of the devices although the emission color was shifted to a short wavelength.


Introduction VENOUS thrombectomy, employed by Leriche over 35 years ago,2was performed infrequently in this country until Mahorner emphasized its value in 1957.5DeWeese,1Haler,4and others have more recently reported their experience with this procedure. We have reviewed our experience with this procedure during the past 6½ years to emphasize certain factors in management which have not been sufficiently stressed or which may vary from the practice in other clinics. Material Iliofemoral thrombectomy was carried out in 48 patients; one reoperation was performed after two months, making a total of 49 procedures. Twenty-seven operations were done on the left side; there were no simultaneous bilateral procedures. Thirty-one patients were male, reflecting the contribution of a predominantly male Veterans Administration Hospital service. Their age averaged 54 years in contrast to the female of 43 years. The entire group averaged 50 years with extremes of 10 months


At a seminar at the University of Bergen, Norway, in September 2018, scholars from Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden presented and discussed various forms of source criticism and comparison with examples from the Arctic and Sub-Arctic regions of Eurasia and North America. A selection of the papers read at the seminar are published in this volume. Each of the chapters in the first part compares local phenomena from two or more cultural contexts: a Swedish, a Karelian, an Estonian and an Irish place name that include words for hostage (Stefan Olsson), Old Icelandic and Sami ancestor mountains (Eldar Heide), and Finno-Karelian bear incantations and Ob-Ugrian bear songs (Vesa Matteo Piludu). The second part gives examples of different forms of source criticism in the analysis of indigenous Sami religion. The functions of a newly found ritual drum is discussed in relation to contemporary written sources (Dikka Storm & Trude Fonneland), the court proceedings from a witchcraft trial in 1692 is discussed with the help of Gérard Genette's category 'voice' (Liv Helene Willumsen), and a content analysis of an introduction to indigenous Sami religion shows that the editor added text of his own to the original manuscript (Konsta Kaikkonen). In the third part, the area is widened to other parts of the Arctic. Here, a selection of theoretical perspectives is used to illuminate local empirical material. They give examples of how Native North American bear rituals and sweat bath traditions can be analysed with the help of an ecology of religion model and ritual theories, respectively (Riku Hämäläinen), of how Soviet researchers used the concepts of 'spirits' and 'gods' when they analysed the world view of the Nganasan (Olle Sundström), and of how representatives of academia have been instrumental in the 'finding, claiming, and authorizing' of Sakha religions (Liudmila Nikanorova). Although the papers only deal with a few of the peoples living in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic regions, the examples of source critical and comparative problems they discuss are of great general relevance.


DNA-dependent protein kinase regulates end processing for homologous recombination. The repair of DNA double-strand breaks occurs through nonhomologous end joining or homologous recombination in vertebrate cells—a choice that is thought to be decided by a competition between DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) and the Mre11/Rad50/Nbs1 (MRN) complex but is not well understood. Using ensemble biochemistry and single-molecule approaches, here, we show that the MRN complex is dependent on DNA-PK and phosphorylated CtIP to perform efficient processing and resection of DNA ends in physiological conditions, thus eliminating the competition model. Endonucleolytic removal of DNA-PK–bound DNA ends is also observed at double-strand break sites in human cells. The involvement of DNA-PK in MRN-mediated end processing promotes an efficient and sequential transition from nonhomologous end joining to homologous recombination by facilitating DNA-PK removal.


Abstract Many natural and synthetic products have been used for the consolidation of paint layers, but none have been thoroughly tested for this application. This is apparent for most of the synthetic and semi-synthetic adhesives for conservation, many of which are pure polymer resins and dispersions adapted from other industries. They were not specifically formulated with the appropriate properties for conservation, nor do they take advantage of some of the more recent developments in adhesive technology. BEVA® 371 is unique among adhesives used for consolidation treatments, as it is a multi-component mixture and was designed specifically for the conservation field using the best technology available at the time. However, the main focus of the research was its application as a lining adhesive. Thus, optical properties and stability, specifically color stability, were not thoroughly evaluated even though some lining applications that were first recommended could have benefited from this type of investigation. This paper will discuss the development of BEVA® 371, the chemistry, and roles of each component, and address a practical concern about the tack behavior of its replacement formulation, BEVA® 371b.


The aim of this contribution is to explore the role of employment status and work conditions on the subjective wellbeing of the adult Czech population. We employ a multidimensional indicator for subjective wellbeing measured by life satisfaction, happiness and work-family time balance. For operating with employment and work conditions measurements, we use the following indicators: type of contract, self-employment, degree of supervision, working time, over-qualification, past unemployment and desired job characteristics. The paper makes use of the first Czech panel data collected on a large sample of households at the end of 2015 (approximately 5000 households). We will analyse data at the individual level from the first wave of study. The sample is limited to employed people aged between 15 and 64 years. The dataset includes large information on social and cultural capital indicators together with different employment and quality of job indicators. In the light of the spillover theoretical perspective, we expect that certain job characteristics and employment status influence all dimensions of wellbeing. As adult population in postmodern societies spend more time in the labour market, we can assume that the type and characteristics of work can have an impact on the individual wellbeing. To prevent spurious relationship between the explanatory variables and wellbeing indicators, we will check for the following socio-demographic characteristics of respondents: age, gender, total number of children under the age of 11, marital status, education, perceived health status, gender roles and type of residence.


The industry of product conception mainly involves decision makers from the fields of marketing, design and engineering. In this study, the perception of the information through this process that influences the decision makers was analyzed through a survey riding on a Kansei approach. This approach emphasizes the influence of the professionals' personality and characteristics. The subjects' average perception of the concepts was retrieved through positioning them into a map without considering their individual influence. On a second phase, it was showed that the lack of issues, such as personality or individual characteristics, limited the possibilities of the map. The analysis began with the definition of the fields marketing, design, engineering, and Kansei, and a brainstorming for obtaining the keywords related to the three fields interaction. The resulting keywords were redefined and distributed on a pilot-map with an x-axis divided into user/product, and a y-axis divided into tangible/intangible. For validating the pilot-map the same survey was applied to professionals involved in marketing, design and engineering and the results were projected originally into an average map without considering personal data. On account of the limited information retrieved on this map, a group of wider maps was generated considering personality and characteristics. Integrating the Kansei approach by considering personality of the subjects, improved the possibilities of the model and gave rise to a source of flexible patterns of information that improved the understanding of the industrial environment relationships. In the future, the final mapping system may be used as an observation tool for magnifying the different possible intersections and patterns between the professionals involved in the fields of marketing, design and engineering and as a platform for further analysis of industrial interaction.


I analyze the marketing strategy of an incumbent monopolist facing a threat of entry. Product quality is unknown to consumers, and the monopolist's cost is unknown to the potential entrant. The incumbent uses both price and advertising to signal cost and quality. The monopolist faces a dilemma because signaling a high quality attracts customers but requires a high price, whereas signaling low cost prevents entry but requires a low price. I characterize the unique (stable) separating equilibrium and show that dissipative advertising may be used, while it is never used if either quality or cost is known. Some equilibria may involve pooling on cost. A welfare analysis indicates that potential entry may improve welfare and that the effect of unknown quality is not always negative when it interferes with entry deterrence. Copyright (c) 1998 Massachusetts Institute of Technology.


The phosphatidylcholine transfer protein (PC-TP) has been studied for over 30 years now.
Despite extensive research concerning the biochemical, biophysical and structural properties of PC-TP, the function of this protein is still elusive. We have studied in vitro the folding and the mechanism of PC extraction from membranes. In vivo, we have assessed previously postulated and novel physiological functions of PC-TP by localization studies in various cell lines and by examining lipid metabolism in cells overexpressing PC-TP and Pc-tp null mice. PC proved to be indispensable for the folding of PC-TP as shown by refolding from inclusion bodies. By incubation of PC-TP with microsomes it was confirmed that PC-TP has the highest affinity for PC species with a C16:0 on the sn-1 and a polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) on the sn-2 position. Using electrospray time-of-flight mass spectrometry we established that these complexes are less stable than the PC-TP/C18:0/PUFA-PC complexes. We propose that enhanced take-up and release rates eventually accelerate the transfer of especially C16:0/PUFA-PC.
PC-TP is evenly distributed throughout the cytoplasm of foetal bovine heart endothelial cells, human umbilical vein endothelial cells, HepG2 cells and NIH3T3 mouse fibroblasts. As measured by fluorescence recovery after bleaching, PC-TP was found to be highly mobile throughout the cell. After the addition of peroxisome proliferators, PC-TP relocated to mitochondria in endothelial cells within 5 min. This process is probably mediated by phosphorylation of Ser110 present in the sole putative PKC phosphorylation site of PC-TP. Pc-tp null mice were generated to study the a number of previously proposed functions for the PC-TP, such as a role in bile formation, lung surfactant production and the facilitation of enzymatic reactions involving PC synthesis or breakdown. Remarkably, these mice were normal and had no defect in any of the postulated PC-TP functions analyzed. However, the body weight of the Pc-tp (-/-) mice was 15% higher than that of Pc-tp (+/+) mice after six months on a regular diet. By challenging these mice with diets containing clofibrate and phytol for a period of three weeks, we established a clear connection between PC-TP and these peroxisomal proliferators. PC-TP levels increased up to 7.0-fold in Pc-tp (+/+) mice, leading to a reduction of total triglyceride and phospholipid levels in blood plasma. These effects were absent in the Pc-tp (-/-) mice. It is clear that the physiological function of PC-TP is related to the effects of peroxisome proliferators on lipid metabolism in the body. Since PC-TP relocates to mitochondria, it is inevitable to focus our attention to this organelle. We think that the main target of PC-TP is the â-oxidation of fatty acids. At an influx of an excess of fatty acids, PC-TP relocates to mitochondria and stimulates the â-oxidation. At the same time, PC-TP is upregulated via its PPAR-alpha responsive element. The next time an excess of fatty acids is presented to the cell, the cell can cope more effectively with these lipids.


The ubiquity of smartphones together with their ever-growing computing, networking, and sensing powers have been changing the landscape of people's daily life. Among others, activity recoginition, which takes the raw sensor reading as inputs and predicts a user's motion activity, has become an active research area in recent years. It is the core building block in many high-impact applications, ranging from health and fitness monitoring, personal biometric signature, urban computing, assistive technology, and elder-care, to indoor localization and navigation, etc. This paper presents a comprehensive survey of the recent advances in activity recognition with smartphones' sensors. We start with the basic concepts such as sensors, activity types, etc. We review the core data mining techniques behind the main stream activity recognition algorithms, analyze their major challenges, and introduce a variety of real applications enabled by activity recognition.


Since the introduction of the first ALPHA microprocessor in 1992, Digital has maintained leadership in absolute CPU performance. During the past year, Digital's StrongARM processor has also achieved a leadership position as the fastest CPU capable of operating from a single AA battery cell. Some of the key techniques used to achieve this performance are described in this invited paper.


Matua bromegrass hay (Bromus willdenowii Kunth) is a high quality forage, but its value for mares during gestation and lactation is not well known. Intake, rate of passage, performance, and reproduction by gestating and lactating Quarter Horse mares fed the hay was investigated. In this experiment, 12, 2- to 12-yr-old gravid mares (mean BW = 553 kg, SD = 36) were fed Matua hay (CP = 11.5%) or alfalfa hay (Medicago sativa L.) (CP = 15.4%) for variable days prepartum (mean 59.9 d; SD = 23.5) and for 70 d postpartum. Matua and alfalfa hay were fed as the roughage portion of the diet with a grain supplement. Mares, blocked by age, expected date of foaling, and BW, were assigned randomly within blocks to treatments (six mares per treatment). Forage type did not affect intake, gestation length, birth weight, number of foals, foal weight gain, day of first postpartum ovulation, cycles per conception, or pregnancy rate at 70 d. On d 1, milk from mares fed alfalfa hay contained less (P < 0.03) CP than milk from mares fed Matua hay. Milk CP decreased (P < 0.01) in all mares over time. In a separate experiment, voluntary intake and rate of passage of Matua (CP = 15.5%), alfalfa (CP = 24.9%), and Timothy (Phleum pratense L.) (CP = 4.1%) hays were determined in nine 2-yr-old pregnant mares (mean BW = 447 kg; SD = 21). Diets were 100% forage. Timothy hay did not meet CP requirements for mares. Voluntary intake of alfalfa hay was higher (P < 0.01) than Matua hay. Intake of Timothy hay was lower (P < 0.01) than the mean of alfalfa and Matua hay. Rate of passage offorage was measured by passage of Cr-mordanted fiber. Passage rate and retention time did not differ between Matua and alfalfa hay; however, the retention times of Matua and alfalfa hays were shorter (P < 0.01) than for Timothy hay. Our results indicate that Matua hay is a forage that can be used safely for mares during gestation and early lactation and for their young foals.


Two approaches to the development of a true automated multiparameter analyzer for cells, AMAC, are discussed. The AMAC IV uses a water immersion lens mounted downstream from a Coulter Orifice for optical measurements. Although this type of device has a very high numerical aperture (0.70) and optimum light scattering characteristics, it is very difficult to minimize the distance between the objective and the orifice, and increasing this distance results in trajectory irregularities of the cells, with the possibility of exchange of sequence of cells between the orifice and the optical sensing zone. The other, the AMAC III, which is the optimal solution to this problem, performs the optical and electronic measurements simultaneously. This transducer is a small square orifice fabricated out of quartz, with sensing electrodes located at both ends. This combined electro-optical transducer has been used for fluorescence, electronic cell volume and opacity (AC amplitude divided by DC amplitude) measurements. Diffraction effects due to the orifice appear minimal and should not interfere with the scattering produced by the cells. Previous studies with a round but otherwise electronically similar orifice have indicated that it was possible to determine the shift in phase produced by the presence of a particle in the orifice. The capacity to measure all of these parameters simultaneously will greatly enhance the reliability of flow cell analysis.


The Emerging Politics of (Re) making Cairo's Old Quarters examines postcolonial planning practices that aimed to modernise Cairo's urban spaces. The author examines the expanding field of postcolonial urbanism by linking the state's political ideologies and systems of governance with methods of spatial representations that aimed to transform the urban realm in Cairo. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, the study draws on planning, history and politics to develop a distinctive account of postcolonial planning in Cairo following Egypt's 1952 revolution. The book widely connects the ideological role of a different type of politicised urbanism practised during the days of Nasser, Sadat and Mubarak and the overarching policies, institutions and attitudes involved in the visions for (re) building a new nation in Egypt. By examining the notion of remaking urban spaces, the study interprets the ambitions and powers of state policies for improving the spatial qualities of Cairo's old districts since the early 20th century. These acts are situated in their spatial, political and historical contexts of Cairo's heterogeneous old quarters and urban spaces particularly the remaking of one of the city's older quarts named Bulaq Abul Ela established during the Ottoman rule in the thirteenth century. It therefore writes, in a chronological sequence, a narrative through time and space connecting various layers of historical and contemporary political phases for remaking Bulaq. The endeavor is to explain this process from a spatial perspective in terms of the implications and consequences not only on places, but also on the people's everyday practices. By deeply investigating the problems and consequences; the strengths and weaknesses; and the state's reliability to achieve the remaking objectives, the book reveals evidence that shifting forms of governance had anchored planning practices into a narrow path of creativity and responsive planning.


In maritime archaeological studies, anchors made of stone, wood, or metal have played a significant role in shipping, not only acted as a proxy during the period of their use but also suggesting maritime connections with other countries. Anchors of different types have discovered all over the world which used in the vessels engaged in carrying cargo, passengers as well as warships. Iron anchors were introduced in India by the European rulers, and later on, were manufactured in different parts of India. Like the stone anchors, different types of iron anchors have been recorded during onshore explorations as well as underwater sites with and without shipwreck remain along the Indian coast. In recent past, coastal explorations along Tamil Nadu coast brought to light two iron anchors at Tuticorin harbour while other two anchors displayed at the Government Museum, Egmore, Chennai. Both the iron anchors of Tuticorin harbour belong to Trotman type. In contrast, the iron anchors of the Government Museum, Egmore, belong to Old plan Long shanked Anchor (Admiralty Long Shanked) and Admiralty pattern anchor. This paper details a comprehensive study of these iron anchors and a comparative survey of the iron anchors of Tamil Nadu as well as India.


The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of broken marriage on academic performance of primary school pupils and the role of teachers and community members in minimizing those effects. The study employed qualitative and quantitative research approach. The sample includes pupils from the selected primary schools in Ilala Municipality, head teachers, and community members. The research instruments used to collect information were interviews, observations, and documentary reviews. The study findings showed that broken marriages contribute a lot to student's poor academic performance, psychological problems academic performance and delinquent behavior among students. Community members were aware that broken marriages have effects on children's academic performance and that broken marriages contribute much to negative perception. The researcher recommends that parents should be responsible to their children by helping to make their marriages work in order to ensure the good welfare of their children. The community members, including teachers, neighbors and all who love children should make it their responsibility regardless being their biological parents or otherwise. Schools at all levels should have strong guidance and counseling unit to help all the children in need of special attention. The Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MoEVT), Universities and religious organizations should work together and develop training programme on Love.


Imagine your childhood neighborhood. Retrace the steps that you would take each day to play outside, visit friends, or simply explore. Perhaps there are many experiences that you dwell on, such as the place where you crashed your bike, the smell of cookies at your neighbor's house, or the distance you ran when you raced your friends around the block. If you were to write a short story, in order to provide enough depth you would likely need to focus on just one aspect of your childhood experience in that neighborhood. Wilson (1996) remarks that an environment as rich as this has varying dimensions such as constancy and change, simplicity and complexity; you knew your way around in the neighborhood, but there was always more to find. The same is true for case studies in educational research. Case studies are a qualitative research method that focus on one unit of study (Merriam, 1998). This chapter seeks to clearly define case studies, explore their weaknesses and strengths, and discuss when and for what research questions they are most appropriate to use as an educational research method.


Will the Japanese business system, based on favorable industrial policies, the keiretsu, and lifetime employment, survive the current recession? While simultaneous competition and cooperation among companies have fostered growth and a system without 'losers,' fundamental changes may require an upsurge in risk-taking Japanese entrepreneurs."
Critics may argue that the Japanese business system fosters collusion while restricting competition. Tezuka argues that the system is instead fueled by competition. He studies the Japanese type of competition, Japan's industrial policy, keiretsu, and its employment system.

Tezuka suggests that there are no monopolies in Japan as there are in the United States; for example, while IBM long maintained a dominant position in mainframe computers, in Japan, there were three companies vying with IBM Japan. Also, leading Japanese firms have had lower profits compared with those in the United States and Britain. What has prevented a falling out of weaker firms, according to Tezuka, are three elements of the Japanese system:

Government policies, particularly those of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), have sustained strong economic competition. They have helped the country to avoid unemployment but have given as much support to losing industries as to winners.
The keiretsu, both horizontal and vertical, work as competitive mechanisms to sort out weak companies or encourage them to move into high-growth industries.
Lifetime employment functions as a substitute for government welfare programs. But employees cannot easily change employers and may wait years for promotions in a stressful system of fierce competition evaluated on group rather than individual performance.
Tezuka sees major problems with the three elements. The severe competition among companies has led to overinvestment in production capacity. The competition has held down operating profits, accelerated the speed of product development, and shortened product life. It has also raised the entry barriers for non-Japanese firms. Tezuka predicts that the system in its current form will have three effects: (1) companies will be forced to profit from operations rather than relying on continuous asset inflation due to economic growth; (2) companies will reduce costs by cutting employment; and (3) generational conflicts will increase as young people receive few rewards for their productivity.

The Japanese government, says the author, must help strong companies become stronger and eliminate weak companies. It must develop more flexible white- and blue-collar labor markets. And it must encourage risk-taking entrepreneurs, in a society traditionally adapted to competition without losers, to start new businesses.


In this paper we study the assignment of packets to M parallel heterogeneous servers with no buffers. The controller does not have knowledge on the state of the servers and bases all decisions on the number of time slots ago that packets have been sent to the different servers. The objective of the controller is to minimize the expected average cost. We consider a general stationary arrival process, with no independence assumptions. We show that the problem can be transformed into a Markov Decision Process (MDP). We further show under quite general conditions on cost functions that only a finite number of states have to be considered in this MDP, which then implies the optimality of periodic policies. For the case of two servers we obtain a more detailed structure of the cost and optimal policies. In particular we show that the average cost function is multimodular, and we obtain expressions for the cost for MMPP and MAP processes. Finally we present an application to optimal robot scheduling for Web search engines.


Abstract In sub-Saharan Africa, while antiretroviral therapy (ART) becomes widely available, access to biological measurements to monitor patients under ART remains scarce, making the management of ART difficult. We described the management of switching to second-line ART where HIV care is provided mainly in secondary health-care structures, in the region of Segou, Mali. Of 865 patients, followed under ART for a median time of 15 months, 40 switched to second-line ART (3.3 switches/100 person years). Reason for switching was failure in 18 patients (after 21 months in median) and severe intolerance in 13 (after three months in median). Switching to second-line ART occurred earlier when motivated by intolerance than by failure. The low rate of switch compares well with other studies, but was low compared to the expected rate of failure, and may indicate that physicians are reluctant to switch ART when treatment options are limited.


The distribution of newly absorbed copper among serum proteins obtained from the portal circulation of rats was examined by conventional and high-performance gel filtration chromatography, affinity chromatography, and Western blotting. Within 10-30 min after being administered by gavage or directly into the intestine, 67Cu and 64Cu, respectively, were recovered in the albumin fraction. By 8 h after administration of the radionuclides, virtually all of the radioactivity was found with ceruloplasmin. Affigel blue fractionation and subsequent Superose-6 chromatography further demonstrated that all of the copper in the albumin-containing fractions was in fact bound to this protein rather than high molecular weight moieties. Vascular perfusion of the isolated rat intestine, where 64Cu was infused into the lumen, showed that newly absorbed 64Cu in the vascular perfusate collected from the cannulated portal vein was associated with albumin. Uptake of radioactivity by isolated rat liver parenchymal cells from medium containing rat serum with 67Cu bound to albumin was demonstrated. In vitro binding of 64Cu to serum proteins that were transferred to nitrocellulose by Western blotting techniques showed that albumin is essentially the only protein that binds appreciable amounts of copper. The data suggest that albumin is the plasma protein that is responsible for the initial transport of copper after absorption.


Detection and segmentation of faces from an image is a crucial problem that has gained importance, face detection and segmentation play the main role in the face recognition systems. There are many difficulties should be solved to make the face detection and segmentation algorithm successful. The face skin has special colors range as well as special textures that can be detected by using texture recognition algorithms which recognized skin from the background. In this paper we introduced a new method for face detection and segmentation based on face color, we uses the YCbCr color space as a method to segment image to many regions. Gray level co-occurrence matrix used to extract the important features represent the skin, and then Tamura texture used to remove all the non skin blobs which is recognized as skin by GLCM. The proposed algorithm tested with many images and it was successfully recognize the images with faces from images without faces. The proposed algorithm has high efficient in detected faces and segmented faces from the background. The accuracy of this algorithm more than 99% in detection faces and also segment its. The proposed algorithm forms a prerequisite for any practical verification system using face as the main attribute.


The papers in this book were presented at the technical session, Advances in Analysis of Structural Masonry, at the ASCE Structures Congress '86 held in New Orleans, LA, on September 15-18, 1986. The papers focus on the advanced analysis techniques that can and have been employed to predict the behavior of structural masonry, and represent the current state-of-the-art. Some of the papers are concerned with the load-deflection behavior of masonry veneer and steel stud wall systems, corner cracking in brick masonry veneer, techniques for numerical modeling of two-story concrete block buildings for resistance to lateral forces, and development of a nonlinear dynamic constitutive model for masonry. Other topics include loss of pre-stress in post-tensioned hollow masonry walls, prediction of ultimate failure loads and estimation of normal and shear stresses in collar joints of composite walls due to creep and temperature, and development of failure-criterion for blockwork masonry subjected to off-axis bending.


This thesis describes the results of an investigation
of the arc end glow discharges occurring between the contacts
when an alternating current is interrupted by an oil circuit
breaker; and a comparison with similar phenomena in the
vacuum circuit breaker is made. This investigation was made
by taking cathode-ray oscillograms of the variation of
voltage across the contacts, and the current through the
discharge, with time, and the variation of the voltage across
the contacts with the current through the discharge. Circuit
voltages of 15,000 and 2300 were used, and currents up to
45 amperes were interrupted. The discharges across the separating contacts of an
oil circuit breaker are discussed in detail, and an analysis
of the variations near the zero of the current wave is made.
This investigation shows that for a brief period, of the
order of 300 microseconds, at the end of each half cycle of
the current wave the current between the contacts is of a very
small magnitude, and may be considered essentially zero. During
this interval the voltage completes a part of an oscillation,
the frequency of which is apparently determined by the constants
of the connected circuit, and rises in the reverse direction
until a certain maximum is reached. After this value is reached
current again flows end the usual glow and arc phenomena are
observed.