Time Out of Joint WAR TIME: AN IDEA, ITS HISTORY, ITS CONSEQUENCES. By Mary L. Dudziak. New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 2012. 221 pages. $24.95.The eminent legal historian Mary L. Dudziak has written a book on the meaning of time in war. The separation of the words as found in the title, War and Time, appears to be deliberate.1 Dudziak's essay proposes to isolate and identify the effects of time as it passes during war-particularly when it is a long and indefinite time-upon a society and ultimately upon a culture. Time in the course of war is, in this telling, both jaws and tail of the dragon. It is both cause and effect, within and upon culture and society.2This plays out in a special way for Americans, however. The American cultural conception of "time" in "war" seeks to confine war to a presumably temporary emergency.3 Policies that would otherwise be legally, politically, socially, and culturally unacceptable-encroachments upon civil rights and liberties, most prominently, but also encroachments upon property rights, and regulatory changes of many kinds from taxation to price controls-become accepted as legitimate, extraordinary measures "for the duration." An uncertain duration, perhaps, but a duration nonetheless assumed in a culturally deep way to be temporary.4 The legitimacy of these war measures is accepted not just because they are claimed to be "necessary" in exceptional circumstances. They are also accepted because-independently-American cultural assumptions about the nature of war define them as not merely necessary exceptions, but as temporally confined.5 War in the American historical imagination is temporary.6Necessity in war, then, is the hard master pressing exceptional measures upon society.7 Time, and the assumed temporary nature of war as a state of exception, however, soothes their acceptance and helps establish their legitimacy by contrasting them with "normal" times.8 Peace is defined as normality; it is defined as "normal" time.9 And yet the rub: the passage of time in war, when it goes on and on (and particularly when it goes on without discernible end or even a way to define an end) tends to harden effects that were supposed to be temporary, confined to the emergency of war, into permanent changes in society and culture.10 Time in war-the passage of time in war-is an independent social cause with its own social and cultural effects. We should therefore not be comforted quite so much as Americans are by the culturally reinforced belief that war, or at any rate, war's effects upon the ordinary life of peacetime, is temporary.In war, Dudziak writes, "regular time" is thought to be "interrupted, and time is out of order." 11 The distinction between time "out of order," established by the social condition of war, and regular time, leads to the category of "wartime," which functions as both a passive historical descriptor and a causal cultural actor.12 If the book's title initially deliberately separates the two categories, this is in order to see that their subsequent combination in the text signals a distinct social category of its own, one that is established by the fact of war and the social perception of time, and which has independent effects upon society. At the large historical level, Dudziak notes, war slices "human experience into eras, creating a before and an after"-for example, antebellum and postbellum Civil War America, or the "postwar" after World War II. 13 Yet beyond merely being a way of descriptively periodizing history-a series of convenient before and after signposts-wartime also functions as an "abstract historical actor, moving and changing society and creating particular conditions of governance."14War Time is a fine and excellent book, an ambitious exercise in the genres of cultural critique and the history of ideas. The genre of cultural criticism is often characterized by the use of cultural materials that range across literature and the arts, high and pop culture, tropes of culture offered and interpreted to reveal some deeper perception of culture and society. …


Cavitaion erosion behavior of cast iron in water and in mixed solution of 50% H2O+50% C2H6O2 with different temperature and distance between two samples have been studied by means of a ultrasonic vibrator. The mass loss of the samples at different time is recorded.The surface structure of the oxidation films on the surface of cast iron was analyzed by X-ray diffraction apparatus. The experimental results show that mass loss of the upper sample is more than that of the lower sample. The maximum of mass loss occurred when the distance between the samples is about 1.0mm. Oxidation films form on the surface of the cast iron in pure water and cannot form on the surface of cast iron in mixed solution. The XRD results show that the oxidation film mainly consists of Fe2O3 phase at 50°C, Fe3O4 phase at 80°C. The mass loss at 50°C is less than that at 80°C. Oxidation film of Fe2O3 phase has some advantages to decelerate the cavitation erosion. Mass loss of the sample of cast iron in mixed solution is less than that in pure water at 80°C. This phenomenon indicates that formation of the oxidation films plays a more important role in cavitation erosion to reduce or increase mass loss of the cast iron samples.


In this study, a new approach based on Lyapunov stability theory (LST) is proposed for channel equalization problem. For the first time, the convergence capability of the proposed algorithm is presented on the channel equalization problem. The proposed approach is compared with normalized least mean square (NLMS) algorithm. Simulation results show that the convergence capability of the proposed algorithm is better than NLMS algorithm. As a result, the proposed approach can effectively be used for the channel equalization problem.


ABSTRACT Clay minerals in the soils of King George Island, South Shetland Islands, West Antarctica, were investigated to evaluate their influence upon the composition of marine sediments derived from them. Paleohydrothermal activity has developed phyllic-argillic alteration zones in restricted areas of the volcanic bedrock. Illite and kaolinite show a highly localized distribution in the soils of the phyllic-argillic zones, whereas chlorite dominates in the soils of unaltered bedrock. The localized distribution indicates that illite and kaolinite are residues from altered bedrock, whereas chlorite originates from unaltered bedrock. Smectite in the soils is rather uniformly distributed with no relationship to the phyllic-argillic zones. It is mostly the alteration product of eolian pumice shards, which are found scattered throughout the soils on a microscopic scale. The eolian provenance of smectite associated with pumice shards is supported by a uniform distribution of smectite, coexistence of fresh and altered pumice shards, and rather short exposure after deglaciation. Smectites likely have been formed in a remote source around volcanic craters and reworked by repeated eruptions. Formation of clay minerals by chemical weathering as suggested in previous studies appears to be insignificant on King George Island, even though the climate is warmer and more humid than in other Antarctic regions. Smectite and kaolinite in seafloor sediments around the South Shetland Islands do not indicate chemical weathering in the source area. Instead, their occurrence suggests that volcanism, igneous intrusion, and related hydrothermal alterations were active in the South Shetland Islands during the Cenozoic.


Article History: Received 14.07.2012 Received in revised form 28.09.2012 Accepted 12.12.2012 Available online 10.04.2013 This article discusses the users' acceptance of two performance management systems, namely Excel Spreadsheet System (ESS) and Key Performance Indicator Monitoring System (KPI-MS). Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is an index used in measuring an individual's, organization's or institution's performance. ESS is a system provide by Malaysia Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) and has been in used since year 2008. KPI-MS was developed later as a tool using PHP 5.2 and MySQL Community Server 5.0 databases with determination to replace ESS which has several shortcomings. The acceptance study of both management systems is in terms of its accuracy, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. This study was done by using a survey questionnaire. The instrument of this study was developed and modified from Davis's Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). A total of 19 participants from two of the campuses of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) participated in this study. This research instrument had been validated by three experts in the related field and scored reliability at Cronbach alpha value of 0.843. A comparison study was done to evaluate the accuracy of KPI-MS while descriptive analysis was conducted to determine the mean scores of KPI-MS and ESS rated by users. The findings showed that KPI-MS computed KPI marks accurately and the users also rated KPI-MS as more useful in monitoring KPI performance of their schools or centres compared to ESS. Besides, the users also indicated KPI-MS is more user-friendly. In conclusion, KPI-MS system is prefered by the users as an effective system. © 2013 IOJES. All rights reserved


This research investigated how the use of hand held datalogging in science affects the teaching and learning of Junior Certificate Science. A total of 44 students took part in this research over a period of four years. One third of these students used handheld datalogging technology to facilitate a constructivist teaching and learning approach to Science Education. The remaining two thirds of students were taught in a traditional manner, without the use of this technology. The students' performances in the Junior Certificate exam in June 2002 were examined and the results of each of the groups compared. All three groups achieved comparable standards This showed that experience of datalogging in an investigative context, although not designed for the type of examination taken, does not harm students' ability to perform well on the Junior Certificate examination Six months later, in December 2002, the students were presented with the same June 2002 Junior Certificate exam to determine if there was a difference in their ability to retain the information learned during the three year Junior Certificate program. On the same day the students were presented with a set of questions designed to test their ability to interpret graphs and apply scientific process skills Students who had used datalogging technology preformed significantly better in both tests. This showed that students taught using an investigative approach with datalogging retained the science learned at Junior Certificate level better, were better at analysing and interpreting graphs and had increased scientific process skills. Furthermore, a higher number of the students from the datalogging group went on to study science at senior cycle, showing that they remained highly motivated and interested in science. To investigate teachers' attitudes to hand-held datalogging technology, a group of 26 teachers were trained on how to use datalogging equipment as part of an investigative approach to Science. They were asked to use the equipment for a year and to then complete a questionnaire to reflect their experiences, good or bad, with this method of teaching. Also, 5 different teachers, each with extensive experience of using handheld datalogging, were interviewed in detail. All were positive in their attitudes to this method of teaching science. It is clear from this research that the use of datalogging in conjunction with an investigative approach to teaching can do much to enhance students' experience of Science at Junior Certificate level.


Objective:  to identify the key competence domains defined in the Galway Consensus Conference Statement present in assistive technologies to promote the health of blind adults.  Methods:  integrative review carried out in the Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature, SCOPUS ,  Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Medical Publications portal. After application of inclusion criteria, the sample consisted of 10 articles. Eight competencies for health promotion were analyzed: Catalyzing change, Leadership, Assessment of needs, Planning, Implementation, Advocacy, and Partnerships.  Results:  the competences Catalyzing change and Partnerships prevailed, present in all articles. No study approached the Leadership and Advocacy.  Conclusion:  the competences Catalyzing change, Assessment of needs, Planning, Implementation, Evaluation and Partnerships were observed in technologies for promoting the health of blind adults.


Graduates' employability is a commonly highlighted issue in tertiary education due to today's job market that highly expects the limited vacancies to be filled with competitive and competent graduates. Higher education institutions play a significant role in ensuring and understanding the skills that are needed by the graduates to meet the demand of the professional industry; hence, better job opportunity for the graduates. Work Based Learning (WBL) is one of the platforms for students to gain actual working experience in addition to developing career management competencies to prepare for starting a career. The purpose of this study is to explore the career management competencies that students can master through WBL. This study is a qualitative study that uses analysis of documents and interviews as the primary methods of data collection. Document analysis has been conducted to explore the key elements of competence from the theoretical and literary perspective. Semi-structured interviews were carried out on five selected research experts from various backgrounds and positions in the WBL implementation in polytechnics. Coding and analysis process were conducted based on the recorded transcript of the interview.  The collected data were analysed based on the themes that answered the research questions. This study has identified 20 sub-elements covering three key elements of career management competency in the implementation of WBL, namely learning and work exploration, career development, and personal management. The findings of this study are intended to be used as the basis for an effective application of career education in the WBL implementation.


Most Iraqi cities suffer from a stark negligence in achieving equilibrium between the constructed objects and their effects on local climate, especially in providing green areas. This led to disturbing the natural equilibrium in the urban environmental system, which in turn led to an increase in temperature degrees inside the cities, resulting in the cities to move outside of the temporal comfort boundaries. Therefore, this research studies one of the technologies that reduce this temporal effect that was generated by the shortage of green areas in the city, which is the green roofs technology. The green roofs are important technologies that have effects on the local climate, they provide temporal comfort inside the building and outside of it, therefore, they reduce the effect of heat island especially at locations with hot and dry climate, however, the efficiency of the plants in green roofs differs according to the climatic nature and the location specifics. From here, the research problem was assigned about "The lack of a clear picture about the rule that green roofs play in environmental solutions in buildings", and the object was assigned as "Creating a clear and measurable notion about the rule that green roofs play in the climatic aspects for buildings within the urban level" while the research hypothesis is "The green roofs have a positive rule in improving the environmental performance of buildings".


This work presents an algorithm for identification of fuzzy recurrent models of non-linear dynamic systems. The identification algorithm is based on a general purpose genetic algorithm. The resulting recurrent fuzzy system is encoding into a fuzzy finite state automaton in which the linguistic terms of the fuzzy model are the states and rule base weights are transition possibilities. The identification algorithm is tested against benchmark identification problems found in literature.


Routing and wavelength assignment (RWA) is the problem to select a suitable path and wavelength among the many possible choices for each connection such that no two paths using the same wavelength pass through the same link. In wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) optical networks, there is a need to maximize the number of connections established and to minimize the blocking probability using limited resources. This paper presents efficient RWA strategies, which minimizes the blocking probability. Simulation results show that the performance of the proposed strategies is much better than the existing strategy


On Beauty by Zadie Smith, author of the prize-winning White Teeth, is a funny, powerful and moving story about love and family. Why do we fall in love with the people we do? Why do we visit our mistakes on our children? What makes life truly beautiful? Set in New England mainly and London partly, On Beauty concerns a pair of feuding families - the Belseys and the Kipps - and a clutch of doomed affairs. It puts low morals among high ideals and asks some searching questions about what life does to love. For the Belseys and the Kipps, the confusions - both personal and political - of our uncertain age are about to be brought close to home: right to the heart of family. 'The novel I didn't want to finish, I was enjoying it so much' John Sutherland, Evening Standard 'Thrums with intellectual sass and know-how' Literary Review 'Delightfully entertaining ...filled with humour, generosity and contemporary sparkle' Alex Clark, Daily Telegraph 'My novel of the year ...Delicious' Liz Jones, Evening Standard 'Satirical, wise and sexy' Washington Post 'Heartstopping' The Times Literary Supplement 'A triumph, Smith's comedy shines' Daily Mail 'Ambitious, hugely impressive, beautifully observed' Guardian Zadie Smith was born in north-west London in 1975. Her debut novel, White Teeth, won the Whitbread First Novel Award, the Guardian First Book Award, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction, and the Commonwealth Writers' First Book Prize, and was included in TIME 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005. Her second novel, On Beauty, was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and won the Orange Prize for Fiction. She has written two further novels, The Autograph Man and NW, a collection of essays Changing My Mind, and also edited short story anthology The Book of Other People. Zadie Smith was chosen by Granta as one of its twenty best young British novelists in 2003, and as well as to Granta has contributed writing to the New Yorker and the Guardian. Zadie Smith's new novel, NW, is available from September 2012.


This overview is divided into two main sections. The first sections reviews the literature on the impact of economic globalisation (involving of liberalisation of international trade and investment) on the state of the environment and sustainable development. While the WTO and Bretton Woods institutions believe that this impact can be expected to be favourable, divergent rational views can be found in the economics literature. A review of the relevant literature reveals that the situation is far from being black-and-white – there are grounds for rational doubt not withstanding the use of Environmental Kuznet's curves, which on the surface seem to provide grounds for optimism. The second main section dealt with the attitude and policies pursued by GATT-WTO in relation to the environment and sustainable development. These appear to be based on orthodox neoclassical economic theory which is mostly static in nature. In practice, virtually no allowance is made by the WTO for the environment and for sustainable development. The Rio Declaration, Agenda 21 and the Winnipeg Principles have had little or no impact on its policies. A charitable interpretation of its policies would be that it is pursuing weak conditions for sustainable development. Both changing public opinion and evolving academic thought are raising major challenges to WTO's basic theory and its approaches to environmental protection. Different views expressed at the Seattle Meeting cannot continue to be ignored. New efforts are needed to ensure that WTO plays a more constructive role in the future in coordinating trade, environment and development, and a way forward is suggested.


The article at hand assumes that deprecating utterances of students with regard to history and politics classes could be a sign of a deficit of legitimization. Furthermore the writer hypothesizes that students are willing to deal with historical and political matters if they are able to derive an "active shaping of a sustainable path of life" (see Jung 2001, 17). In this context the importance of history as a historical social science is reflected. If we manage to enlarge the range of primary experiences of present with the secondary experiences of history it will be possible to construct "a tradition of acting". Consequently, changes can be perceived and ascribed to the acting of people in periods. According to this background, a more intensive cooperation between the social reference sciences history and politics seems to be preferable and essential. The cognitive model of constructivism composes the theoretical reference frame of the considerations at hand.


ABSTRACT Previous studies showed performance benefits with correct automation, but performance costs when the automation was incorrect (i.e. provided an incorrect course of action), particularly as degrees of automation increased. Automation researchers have examined individual differences, but have not investigated the relationship between working memory and performance with various degrees of automation that is both correct and incorrect. In the current study, working memory ability interacted with automation reliability and degree of automation. Higher degrees of correct automation helped performance while higher degrees of incorrect automation worsened performance, especially for those with lower working memory. Lower working memory was also associated with more trust in automation. Results illustrate the interaction between degree of automation and individual differences in working memory on performance with automation that is correct and automation that fails.


The hybrid AC/DC microgrid is considered to be more and more popular in power systems as increasing loads. In this study, it is presented that the hybrid AC/DC microgrid is modeled with some renewable energy sources (e.g. solar energy, wind energy) in the residential of the consumer in order to meet the demand. The power generation and consumption are undergoing a major transformation. One of the tendencies is to integrate microgridsinto the distribution network with high penetration ofrenewable energy resources. In this paper, a new distributed coordinated control is proposed for hybrid microgrid, which could apply to both grid-connected mode and islanded mode with hybrid energy resources and variable loads. The proposed system permits coordinated operation of distributed energy resources to concede necessary active power and additional service whenever required. Also, the maximum power point tracking technique is applied to both photovoltaic stations and wind turbines to
extract the maximum power from the hybrid power system during the variation of the environmental conditions. Finally, a simulation model is built with a photovoltaic, wind turbine, hybrid microgrid as the paradigm, which can be applied to different scenarios, such as small-sized commercial and residential buildings. The simulation results have verified the effectiveness and feasibility of the introduced strategy for a hybrid microgrid operating in different modes.


Risk of bias is an inherent quality of primary research and therefore of systematic reviews. This column addresses the Cochrane Collaboration's approach to assessing, risks of bias, the meaning of each, indicators of low, high and uncertain, and ways that risk of bias can be represented in a Cochrane systematic review report. The sources of risk of bias that reviewers evaluate include selection, performance, detection, attrition and reporting bias. Each poses threat to the internal validity of the primary studies and requires the reviewer to judge the level of risk as high, low or unclear. Reviewers need to address how studies of higher risk of bias might impact the pooled effect.


Abstract. We measured peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) and other reactive species such as O3, NO2, CO, and SO2 with aerosols including mass, organic carbon (OC), and elemental carbon (EC) in PM2. 5 and K+ in PM1. 0 at Gosan Climate Observatory in Korea (33.17° N, 126.10° E) during 19 October–6 November 2010. PAN was determined through fast gas chromatography with luminol chemiluminescence detection at 425 nm every 2 min. The PAN mixing ratios ranged from 0.1 (detection limit) to 2.4 ppbv with a mean of 0.6 ppbv. For all measurements, PAN was unusually better correlated with PM2. 5 (Pearson correlation coefficient, γ =  0.79) than with O3 (γ =  0.67). In particular, the O3 level was highly elevated with SO2 at midnight, along with a typical midday peak when air was transported rapidly from the Beijing areas. The PAN enhancement was most noticeable during the occurrence of haze under stagnant conditions. In Chinese outflows slowly transported over the Yellow Sea, PAN gradually increased up to 2.4 ppbv at night, in excellent correlation with a concentration increase in PM2. 5 OC and EC, PM2. 5 mass, and PM1. 0 K+. The high K+ concentration and OC ∕ EC ratio indicated that the air mass was impacted by biomass combustion. This study highlights PAN decoupling with O3 in Chinese outflows and suggests PAN as a useful indicator for diagnosing continental outflows and assessing their perturbation of regional air quality in northeast Asia.


Thirty-two children with hearing impairment (HI) using cochlear implants (CI) and/or hearing aids (HA), and sixteen with normal hearing (NH) participated in a computer-assisted intervention study that focused on perceiving and memorizing phonemic sounds. The first purpose was to study cognitive abilities in NH and HI children, how they related to phonological processing skills (PhPS) pre intervention and to phonological growth post intervention. The second purpose was to analyze children's performance at different fine-grained levels of phonological processing, i.e. how they manipulated, stored and produced phonological entities of different size with or without semantic content. This was put in relation to children's type of auditory stimulation (electrical; bilateral CI, bimodal: CI + HA and acoustical; bilateral HA). Results showed significant correlations between complex working memory and PhPS in children with HI but not in children with NH. This suggests different cognitive strategies in the children when dealing with phonological processing tasks. Poor phoneme discrimination was the strongest predictor of phonological growth in the children with HI as a function of training. Thus, the computer-assisted program was beneficial for HI children with weak initial phoneme discrimination skills. Children with CI showed reduced performance at fine-grained levels of receptive phonological processing but not on expressive phonological lexical tasks.


Background Early aggressive treatment in RA equates to better long term outcomes, however targeting aggressive therapies including biologics to patients with the worse prognosis is critical to deliver acceptable risk/benefit ratios and health economic improvements. Such an approach requires prognostic biomarkers, whether the well recognised heterogeneity in synovial pathobiology in early RA translates to specific disease outcomes is currently unknown. Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate whether in a treatment naïve early inflammatory arthritis cohort, baseline synovial pathotype significantly associates with disease outcome at 12 months. Methods 166 consecutive DMARD naïve patients recruited as part of PEAC at Barts Health NHS Trust with synovial tissue suitable for analysis were included. At baseline patients were classified as RA (2010 ACR/EULAR criteria) or undifferentiated (UA). All patients underwent a baseline synovial biopsy of a clinically active joint along with collection of demographic data. Patients were subsequently treated with DMARD +/- steroid therapy with aim for low disease activity (DAS <3.3). At 6 month follow up patients were escalated to biologic therapy if fulfilling UK NICE guidelines. At 12 months patients were classified as: (i) no treatment, (ii) DMARDs, and (iii) Biologic +/- DMARDs. Sequentially cut sections of baseline synovial biopsies underwent immunohistochemical staining and semi-quantitative scoring (0–4) to determine the degree of CD20+Bcells, CD3+T cells, CD68+ lining (l) and sublining (sl) macrophage and CD138+ plasma cell infiltration. Sections were categorised into 3 pathotypes, (i) Fibroid: (CD68 SL<2 and or CD3, CD20, CD138<1), (ii) Myeloid: (CD68SL>2, CD20<1 and or CD3>1) and (iii) Lymphoid: (grade 2–3 CD20+ aggregates, CD20>2). Results 79% were classified as RA and 21% as UA. Mean disease duration was 9.27 months. 92% (153/166) patients had follow-up at 12months. 29% (44/153) of patients were classified as fibroid, 34% (52/166) as myeloid and 37% (57/166) as lymphoid. At baseline patients with a lymphoid pathotype had a significantly higher CRP and DAS28 and were significantly more likely to be sero positive for for RF and ACPA (p<0.05), suggesting that a lymphoid pathotype is associated with higher levels of disease activity. At 12 months follow up a significantly higher proportion of patients classified as lymphoid vs myeloid or fibroid (58% vs 21% vs 21%) required biologic therapy. N=153 Fibroid (44) Myeloid (52) Lymphoid (57) p-value No treatment (14) n (%) 6 (42%) 6 (42%) 2 (14%) <0.05* DMARD (101) n (%) 30 (29%) 38 (37%) 33 (32%) Biologic +/− DMARD (38) n (%) 8 (21%) 8 (21%) 22 (58%) Conclusions Results demonstrate that in an early inflammatory arthritis cohort a lymphoid pathotype significantly associates with higher disease activity at baseline, sero positivity for RF and ACPA and a requirement for more aggressive therapy at 12 month. This supports a direct role for synovial lymphoid structures in disease pathogenesis and suggests a role as a prognostic biomarker facilitating early stratification of aggressive therapeutic intervention. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Compared with non-Hispanic whites, Mexican Americans have a higher prevalence of diabetes, greater adiposity, and an unfavorable body fat distribution. The prevalence of hypertension, however, is similar or lower in Mexican Americans than in non-Hispanic whites. There is little information on the level of blood pressure control in Mexican Americans. We compared the mean blood pressure levels of Mexican American and non-Hispanic white hypertensive subjects in the San Antonio Heart Study, a populationbased study of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Hypertension was defined as one or more of a systolic blood pressure >160 mm Hg, a diastolic blood pressure >95 mm Hg, and current use of antihypertensive medications. Three hundred and fifty-eight Mexican Americans and 241 non-Hispanic whites met these criteria. Poor hypertension control was defined as a systolic blood pressure >160, a diastolic blood pressure >95 mm Hg, or both. After adjustment for age, gender, obesity, body fat distribution, and level of educational attainment, Mexican American hypertensive subjects were in significantly poorer control than non-Hispanic white hypertensive subjects. The reasons for their poorer control are unknown, but our findings emphasize the importance of hypertension in this ethnic group. (Hypertension 1993;21:83-88)


The climate research community aims to better charac- terize climate forcings such as aerosols, reactive gases, and greenhouse gases, and to better understand the responses of the climate system to these forcings. Such investigations rely in part on monitoring, studying, and understanding essential climate variables such as temperature, water va- por, clouds, radiation, and perturbations of aerosols and reactive gases. According to Dufresne and Bony (2008), the parameters that play a predominant role in radiative feedbacks of the climate system are atmospheric humidity, adiabatic thermal gradients, clouds, and surface albedo. Interactions between humidity, clouds, aerosols, and radi- ation make climate predictions more complex.
The climate research community has long recognized the link between climate prediction uncertainty and at- mospheric process complexity. For more than 20 years, it has demonstrated the necessity to perform collocated long-term observations of thermodynamic parameters (temperature, humidity, wind) and atmospheric con- stituents (gases, aerosols, clouds) distributed along the entire atmospheric column (surface to stratosphere) and associated radiative components.


Multilingual text-video retrieval methods have improved significantly in recent years, but the performance for languages other than English still lags. We propose a Cross-Lingual Cross-Modal Knowledge Distillation method to improve multilingual text-video retrieval. Inspired by the fact that English text-video retrieval outperforms other languages, we train a student model using input text in different languages to match the cross-modal predictions from teacher models using input text in English. We propose a cross entropy based objective which forces the distribution over the student's text-video similarity scores to be similar to those of the teacher models. We introduce a new multilingual video dataset, Multi-YouCook2, by translating the English captions in the YouCook2 video dataset to 8 other languages. Our method improves multilingual text-video retrieval performance on Multi-YouCook2 and several other datasets such as Multi-MSRVTT and VATEX. We also conducted an analysis on the effectiveness of different multilingual text models as teachers.


This document is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree:
Masters of Architecture (Professional)
University of the Witwatersrand,
Johannesburg,
South Africa,
2014


The variability of claim costs represents an important risk component, which should be taken into account while implementing the internal models for solvency evaluation of an insurance undertaking. This component can generate differences between future payments for claims and the provisions set aside for the same claims (run-off error). If the liability concerning the claims reserve is evaluated using synthetic methods, then the run-off error depends on the statistical method adopted; when it is not possible to study analytically the properties of the estimators, methods based on stochastic simulation are particularly effective. This work focuses on measuring the run-off error with reference to claims reserves evaluation methods applied to simulated run-off matrices for the claims settlement development. The results from the numerical implementations provide the authors with useful insights for a rational selection of the statistical-actuarial method for the claims reserve evaluation on an integrated risk management framework. The setting of the analysis is similar to that adopted in other studies (Stanard, 1986; Pentikainen and Rantala, 1992; Buhlmann et al., 1980), however, it differs for estimation and simulation methods considered and for the statistics elaborated in the comparison.


The analysis of host-pathogen interactions bears the potential to discover novel pathogenicity mechanisms and to obtain novel insights into basic mechanisms of cell biology. Here, we obtained unprecedented insight into both. We discovered that the HscA protein on the conidial surface of the clinically important human-pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus acts as an effector protein. It inhibits phagosome maturation and reprograms phagosomes for expulsion of conidia. HscA anchors the human p11 protein to phagosomes. p11 is a decisive factor for targeting phagosomes either to the degradative or secretory pathway. The relevance of our findings is indicated by the identification of an SNP in the non-coding region of the human p11 gene that affects its translation and is associated with heightened susceptibility to invasive pulmonary aspergillosis.


Michèle Lamont is Professor of Sociology and of African and African American Studies and the Robert I Goldman Professor of European Studies at Harvard University. She currently serves as the President-Elect of the American Sociological Association. She is also the Director of the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University and the Co-Director of the Successful Societies Program of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. A cultural sociologist, Lamont is co-author of Getting Respect: Responding to Stigma and Discrimination in the United States, Brazil, and Israel (Princeton University Press). She is also the author of a dozen award-winning books and edited volumes, which include studies of group boundaries, class, and ethnoracial dynamics in the United States and France, cultures of excellence in higher education, social resilience and neo-liberalism, and comparative cultural repertoires and the evaluation of qualitative social science research.


The European Parliament (EP) has evolved into a powerful legislative actor over the past 40 years. In order to exercise its hard won legislative competencies in an efficient and effective manner the EP has developed an extensive and influential committee system. The Treaty of Lisbon (ToL) recognised its equal status as co-legislator with the Council of the EU and introduced the Ordinary Legislative Procedure (OLP) as the default EU legislative procedure. Despite the fact that after the introduction of the OLP all EP committees formally operate under the same legal procedure, disparities remain in the levels of influence that each committee commands. This state of affairs demonstrates that if we are to understand what drives committee influence we need to explore the informal sources of influence that committees draw on in addition to the formal rules.
This project addresses the lack of understanding of how the committees establish legislative influence by identifying and testing the different resources which committees may be utilising to establish their influence. The thesis puts forward four hypotheses concerning the factors that can account for how committees establish influence. These are developed and tested within three case studies. The case studies comprise the highly influential committees on, firstly, the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee, secondly, the Budget Committee and, thirdly, the International Trade Committee.
The research project adopts a qualitative approach to complement and create a different perspective from the quantitative studies which dominate the field. It draws on extensive primary material from thirty semi-structured interviews held with MEPs, advisers, EP staff and party officials active in the 7th legislative term (2009-2014). A number of the current conventions concerning the way in which expertise, partisan dynamics, and policy outputs affect how committees establish legislative influence are challenged and new insights regarding their relative importance are offered. Overall, these original findings, contained within this dissertation, have highly significant implications, not only with regard to the committee system of the EP but, also, for the wider field of legislative politics.


The Bible is full of narratives about sexual encounters, and modern-day readers have shown a widespread interest in what, exactly, it says about the subject. Scholars have turned their attention to the rigorous examination of biblical texts from historical, theological, and ethical perspectives. Still, many clergy and lay people continue to look upon these words (even the most cryptic, confusing, and bizarre ones) as authoritative literal statements. In addition, these misinterpreted texts are constantly used to 'legislate morality' and to promote 'family values' - selectively and misleadingly twisting what is written. As it stands, the gulf between the scholarly understandings of these texts and their popular appropriation today is a large one. Before the Bible can be applied to contemporary issues, it is vitally important that we take a careful look at what the Bible itself says-- placing it in the contexts of the social worlds in which it was written. To know what the Bible really means, we must first actually determine what it meant when it was written, and apply this to the lives we lead, here and now. This is the mission of GOD AND SEX.


The normal microflora of child's oral mounth is a safe system in which take the first place streptococcus and lactobacillus by frequency of meeting. Purpose of this research is to reveal the risk of caries development in children at the age of from 3 to 5 with using quantitative method of lactobacillus's definition in saliva after the application of fluoride preparations of deciduons teeth.


Context. VV 655, a dwarf irregular galaxy with HI tidal debris, is a companion to the lenticular luminous infrared galaxy (LIRG) NGC 4418. NGC 4418 stands out among nearby LIRGs due to its dense central concentration of molecular gas and the dusty, bi-polar structures along its minor axis suggestive of a wind driven by a central starburst and possible nuclear activity.
Aims. We seek to understand the consequences of the ongoing minor interaction between VV 655 and NGC 4418 for the evolution of the LIRG. Specifically, we consider the origin of the gas supply responsible for the unusual nuclear properties of NGC 4418.
Methods. We investigate the structural, kinematic, and chemical properties of VV 655 and NGC 4418 by analyzing archival imaging data and optical spectroscopic observations from the SDSS-III and new spectra from SALT-RSS. We characterize their gas-phase metal abundances and spatially resolved, ionized gas kinematics to better understand whether gas transfer between VV 655 and NGC 4418 resulted in the highly obscured nucleus of the LIRG.
Results. The gas-phase metallicity in NGC 4418 significantly exceeds that in VV 655. No kinematic disturbances in the ionized gas are observed along the minor axis of NGC 4418, but we see evidence for ionized gas outflows from VV 655 that may increase the cross-section for gas stripping in grazing collisions. A faint, asymmetric outer arm is detected in NGC 4418 of the type normally associated with galaxy-galaxy interactions.
Conclusions. The simplest model suggests that the minor interaction between VV 655 and NGC 4418 produced the unusual nuclear properties of the LIRG via tidal torquing of the interstellar medium of NGC 4418 rather than through a significant gas transfer event. In addition to inducing a central concentration of gas in NGC 4418, this interaction also produced an enhanced star formation rate and an outer tidal arm in the LIRG. The VV 655-NGC 4418 system offers an example of the potential for minor collisions to alter the evolutionary pathways of giant galaxies.


The bending tool design of a cold roll-formed blank has been discussed in this paper. The cold roll-formed blanks give a up and down bending line instead of a conventional straight line, The problems of wrinkling and edge irregularity occured frequently in such bending operation. A die design and blank pre-cutting methods are proposed in this paper to eliminate the edge irregularity. The radii of die and punch, punch profile, the gap of tools are considered as the design factors. The CAE method is adopted to obtain the measurements of the design of experiments (DOE). A fourth-order Bezier curve is proposed to desing the pre-cutting curve systemtically and automaticaly. The Golden section method is adopted to improve the pre-cutting curve design. The edge iregularity of a cold roll-formed balnk can be minimised by the proposed method. The wrinkling defects can be decreased but are not able to fuly elimiated.


The presented examples demonstrate that 1,3-oxazol-5(4H)-ones are attractive intermediates not only for intermolecular but also for intramolecular reactions with nucleophiles. With a series of examples, the potential of these reactions was exemplified. The reactions of 1,3-oxazol-5(4H)-ones, as starting materials or as intermediates, bearing the nucleophilic group in ω-postion of the substituent at C(2), belong to real ring enlargement reactions as all atoms of the oxazolone ring are included in the new ring. They proceed under acid catalysis, e.g. under the conditions of the 'direct amide cyclization'. Together with the 'azirine/oxazolone method' for the introduction of α,α-disubstituted α-amino acids into peptides, these reactions are ideally suited for the synthesis of cyclodepsipeptides and cyclopeptides, especially of sterically congested ones, which contain α-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib) or other α,α-disubstituted glycines. On the other hand, 4,4-disubstituted 1,3-oxazol-5(4H)-ones with the substituent containing the nucleophilic group located at C(4), undergo acid-catalyzed ring transformations leading to lactones or lactams with an acylamino group in α-position.


A new DNA virus (Parvoviridae: Densovirinae, Densovirus) was isolated and purified from descendants of field-collected German cockroaches, Blattella germanica. Viral DNA and cockroach tissues infected with B. germanica densovirus (BgDNV) were examined by electron microscopy. Virus particles, about 20 nm in diameter, were observed both in the nucleus and in the cytoplasm of infected cells. Virus DNA proved to be a linear molecule of about 1.2 microm in length. BgDNV isolated from infected cockroaches infected successfully and could be maintained in BGE-2, a B. germanica cell line. The complete BgDNV genome was sequenced and analysed. Five open reading frames (ORFs) were detected in the 5335 nt sequence: two ORFS that were on one DNA strand encoded structural capsid proteins (69.7 and 24.8 kDa) and three ORFs that were on the other strand encoded non-structural proteins (60.2, 30.3 and 25.9 kDa). Three putative promoters and polyadenylation signals were identified. Structural analysis of the inverted terminal repeats revealed the presence of extended palindromes. The genome structure of BgDNV was compared with that of other members of the family Parvoviridae; the predicted amino acid sequences were aligned and subjected to phylogenetic analyses.


This paper proposes a new design method for a class of two-channel perfect reconstruction (PR) filter banks (FBs) called multi-plet FBs with very sharp cutoff using frequency- response masking (FRM) technique. The multi-plet FBs are PR FBs and their frequency characteristics are controlled by a single subfilter. By recognizing the close relationship between the subfilter and the FRM-based halfband filter, very sharp cutoff PR multi-plet FBs can be realized with reduced implementation complexity. The design procedure is very general and it can be applied to both linear-phase and low-delay PR FBs. Design examples are given to demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed method.


Uptake and loss kinetics of Zn, Ag, Cd, 134Cs, and 241Am by the echinoid Paracentrotus lividus contaminated through either water or food were determined in controlled laboratory radiotracer experiments using low contaminant concentrations. The echinoid efficiently accumulated most of the elements from water. The only exception was 134Cs (concentration factor at steady state = 2.7). With respect to relative metal bioavailability, concentrations in the different body compartments of P. lividus were generally ranked in the order: digestive wall > gonads ≤ body wall > Aristotle's lantern > coelomic fluid. However, for 241Am, body wall uptake was as efficient as that of the digestive wall. The loss kinetics for Zn, Ag and 134Cs were described by a 2-component model whereas loss of Cd and 241Am was linear during the time course of the experiment. Loss of the different elements was relatively slow, except for 134Cs, whose long-lived loss component was characterized by a biological half-life of 6 d. Loss of the different elements ingested with food was described by a single-component model for Cd, 134Cs, and 241Am and by a 2-component model for Zn and Ag. Parameters of the kinetics indicate that all (for Cd, 134Cs, and 241Am) or most (for Zn and Ag) of the ingested amount of element is readily lost from the organism with the faeces. However, estimation of the assimilated fraction of elements ingested by the echinoids suggests that food could contribute significantly t the iota body burden of Ag in P. lividus.


Abstract A patient with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who developed shrinking lung syndrome during the course of her disease is described. Postmortem findings of diffuse diaphragmatic fibrosis support the hypothesis of an extrapulmonary restrictive etiology in this unusual condition.


Background As governments across Europe have issued non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) such as social distancing and school closing, the mobility patterns in these countries have changed. Most states have implemented similar NPIs at similar time points. However, it is likely different countries and populations respond differently to the NPIs and that these differences cause mobility patterns and thereby the epidemic development to change. Methods We build a Bayesian model that estimates the number of deaths on a given day dependent on changes in the basic reproductive number, R0, due to differences in mobility patterns. We utilise mobility data from Google mobility reports using five different categories: retail and recreation, grocery and pharmacy, transit stations, workplace and residential. The importance of each mobility category for predicting changes in R0 is estimated through the model. Findings The changes in mobility have a considerable overlap with the introduction of governmental NPIs, highlighting the importance of government action for population behavioural change. The shift in mobility in all categories shows high correlations with the death rates 1 month later. Reduction of movement within the grocery and pharmacy sector is estimated to account for most of the decrease in R0. Interpretation Our model predicts 3-week epidemic forecasts, using real-time observations of changes in mobility patterns, which can provide governments with direct feedback on the effects of their NPIs. The model predicts the changes in a majority of the countries accurately but overestimates the impact of NPIs in Sweden and Denmark and underestimates them in France and Belgium. We also note that the exponential nature of all epidemiological models based on the basic reproductive number, R0 cause small errors to have extensive effects on the predicted outcome.


Background Pulmonary function testing (PFT) is a key investigation in the evaluation of individuals with respiratory symptoms; however, the safety of routine and specialised PFT testing has not been reported in a large data set. Using patient safety incident (PSI) records, we aimed to assess risk of PFT and to characterise these events and any associated risk factors. Methods In this single-centre audit, demographics and PSI data were collected and categorised for PFT performed between 1996 and 2016 and subdivided into cardiopulmonary or non-cardiopulmonary events. The severity of each PSI was rated using the NHS National Patient Safety Agency and any hospital admission reported. Results There were 119 PSIs reported from 186 000 PFT; that is, 0.6 PSIs per 1000 tests. Cardiopulmonary PSIs were 3.3 times more likely to occur than non-cardiopulmonary (95% CI 2.17 to 5.12). Syncope was the most frequently occurring cardiopulmonary PSI. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing was associated with 2 PSIs per 1000 tests. PSIs necessitating hospital admission and/or emergency department attendance occurred approximately once every 10 000 tests and there was no PFT-associated mortality. Conclusion Routine and specialised PFT is safe for patients, in the context of established screening preparticipation guidelines. In the event of a PSI, these are likely to be low risk of harm. Our findings highlight the most common PSIs encountered during PFT to facilitate risk reduction.


A precise, highly sensitive, selective and robust liquid chromatography-mass tandem spectrometry method was developed and validated for simultaneous quantification of Ticagrelor and Deshydroxyethoxy ticagrelor in human plasma by liquid-liquid extraction. Ticagrelor d-7 and Deshydroxyethoxy ticagrelor d-7 was used as an Internal standard. The reconstituted samples were analyzed on Eclipse XDB-C8 5μm 4.6*150mm column by using Acetonitrile and 0.1% Formic acid as the mobile phase in binary mode at the flow rate of 1.0 ml/min with a chromatographic run time of 3.0 min. The calibration curve developed was linear (r 2 ≥ 0.99) in the concentration range of 2.5 to 1000 ng/mL for Ticagrelor and 1.0 to 300 ng/mL for Deshydroxyethoxy ticagrelor. All the analytes were found to be stable in various stability studies. The mean recovery for Ticagrelor, Deshydroxyethoxy Ticagrelor, Ticagrelor d-7 and Deshydroxyethoxy Ticagrelor d-7 were found to be 99.7%, 96.6%, 105.9% and 101.1% respectively. The limit of detection of the method was 0.5 ng/mL for Ticagrelor and 0.2 ng/mL for Deshydroxyethoxy ticagrelor. The developed and validated assay method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study in human volunteers.


This paper presents a new Phase Measuring Deflectometry (PMD) method to measure specular object having discontinuous surfaces. A mathematical model is established to directly relate absolute phase and depth, instead of phase and gradient. Based on the model, a hardware measuring system has been set up, which consists of a beam splitter to change the optical path, and two LCD screens to display the same sinusoidal fringe patterns. By using model-based and machine vision method, system calibration is accomplished to provide the required parameters and conditions. The verification tests are given to evaluate the effectiveness of the developed system. The 3D shape of an artificial step having multiple specular surfaces and a concave mirror has been measured. Initial experimental results show that the proposed measurement method can obtain 3D shape of specular objects with discontinuous surface effectively.


BACKGROUND
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treatment in the elderly is challenging in part because of increased risk of infections. The aim of our study was to determine the absolute and relative risk of infections among the elderly IBD patient population and to identify factors affecting the risk of infections in the overall IBD patient population.

METHODS
A retrospective study of patients with IBD initiating corticosteroids, immunomodulators (IM), or biologic therapy (January 2010-December 2014) was conducted using the Truven Market Scan database. IM and biologic exposure were assessed in a time-dependent manner. ICD-9 codes identified infection during follow-up. A Cox proportional hazards model was fitted to gauge the association between age, other covariates, and infection risk.

RESULTS
We identified 63,759 patients with IBD. We found 2664 infections (incidence rate [IR] = 16.95/100 person-years) among 8788 elderly patients with IBD and 10,515 (IR = 10.49/100 person-years) among the nonelderly group. Pneumonia (39.8%), sepsis (13.2%), and candidiasis (12.9%) were the most common infections in the elderly. Factors associated with a higher risk of infection included being elderly (HR: 1.27, P < 0.0001), anti-TNF therapy (HR: 1.64, P < 0.0001), IM therapy (HR: 1.32, P < 0.0001), and polypharmacy (HR: 1.32, P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS
Advanced age, anti-TNF (biologic) therapy, and IM therapy were associated with an increased risk of infection. Pneumonia was the most common infection among the elderly IBD population. Physicians should be mindful of these risks when prescribing medications for elderly patients with IBD, and ensure their patients are adequately vaccinated.


Monoclonal antibodies against fibronectin were used to locate the gelatin-binding and cell-attachment regions of plasma fibronectin at an ultrastructural level. A total of 23 hybridomas were generated using mice immunized with either intact fibronectin or a 40 000 Mr gelatin-binding fibronectin fragment. One of these antibodies (D9b) strongly inhibited the interaction of radio-labelled fibronectin with gelatin. Another antibody (IB10) inhibited the attachment of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells to a fibronectin substratum by 99%. Both of these antibodies were purified by affinity chromatography on columns of fibronectin-Sepharose and were then incubated with soluble fibronectin to form antigen-antibody complexes. The complexes were separated from free antibody on a column of Sephadex G-200 and were prepared for electron-microscopic examination by spraying on mica discs and rotary shadowing with platinum. As determined by this method, the fibronectin molecules measured 124 +/- 1.7 nm in length. Monoclonal antibody IB10 was visualized as a globular projection 40 +/- 1.4 nm from one end of the fibronectin filament. Monoclonal antibody D9b, on the other hand, was visualized as a globular projection at or near one or both ends of the molecule. These data provide the first morphological localization of the gelatin-binding and cell-attachment regions of fibronectin and indicate that further studies using monoclonal antibodies directed toward other epitopes should shed light not only on function but also on the tertiary and quaternary structure of the fibronectin molecule.


Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder present in almost all countries. According to WHO, T2DM is the World's fifth leading cause of death. Treatment for T2DM depends on the incretin hormone (GLP-1 & GIP). GLP-1 plays a vital role in the body's metabolism, such as insulin secretion but DPP-IV enzyme inactivates these incretin hormones. Therefore, it becomes important to identify DPP-IV inhibitors that act as prospective antidiabetic agents. Synthetic inhibitors like vildagliptin, sitagliptin, and saxagliptin are available in the market but they have some undesirable side effects. There are several natural plants as well as products that provide safe and effective medication against diabetes by DPP-IV enzyme inhibitory mechanism. This review summarizes recent advancement of DPP-IV inhibitors from medicinal plants and isolated phytoconstituents including alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, phenol, and stilbenoids which are responsible for the DPP-IV inhibition.


This paper examines the role of the OECD in international tax coordination, addressing particularly the drastic increase in the number of bilateral tax treaties signed by non-OECD member countries in the 1990s. The paper's argument is based on a detailed study of the OECD's activities with regard to tax treaties and non-OECD member countries in the 1990s. The analysis is conducted through a political science theoretical framework according to which the framing of a policy idea and diffusion mechanisms are central in explaining the adoption of a policy in diverse national settings. The paper demonstrates that the OECD created the necessary conditions for the spread of bilateral tax treaties. The organization strategically promoted tax treaties to non-OECD member countries through various means such as conferences, workshops, seminars, training, and in-country assistance. Furthermore, the organization created and maintained a synergy among a policy (tax treaty), the market economy paradigm and problems of double taxation, uncertainty and lack of information. Also, the organization confined the discussions on tax treaties to technical considerations.


In previous studies, collagen XI mRNA has been detected in colon cancer, but its location in human colon tissue has not been determined. The heterotrimeric collagen XI consists of three alpha chains. While it is known that collagen XI plays a regulatory role in collagen fibril formation, its function in the colon is unknown. The characterization of normal human colon tissue will allow a better understanding of the variance of collagen XI in abnormal tissues. Grossly normal and malignant human colon tissue was obtained from pathology archives. Immunohistochemical staining with a 58K Golgi marker and alpha1(XI) and alpha2(XI) antisera was used to specifically locate their presence in normal colon tissue. A comparative bright field microscopic analysis showed the presence of collagen XI in human colon. The juxtanuclear, dot-like collagen XI staining in the Golgi apparatus of goblet cells in normal tissue paralleled the staining of the 58K Golgi marker. Ultra light microscopy verified these results. Staining was also confirmed in malignant colon tissue. This study is the first to show that collagen XI is present in the Golgi apparatus of normal human colon goblet cells and localizes collagen XI in both normal and malignant tissue. Although the function of collagen XI in the colon is unknown, our immunohistochemical characterization provides the foundation for future immunohistopathology studies of the colon.


Wildland road removal is a common practice across the U.S. and in some parts of Canada. The main types of road removal include ripping, stream crossing restoration, and full recontour. Road removal creates a short-term disturbance that may temporarily increase sediment loss. However, research and long-term monitoring have shown that road removal both reduces erosion rates and the risk of road-induced landslides. Research is needed to determine whether road removal is effective at restoring ecosystem processes and wildlife habitat. We propose several research questions and the types of studies needed to further road removal efforts. With greater understanding of the impacts of road removal, land managers can more effectively prioritize which roads to leave open and which roads to consider for future road removal projects.


Over the past few years, the electric power utility industries around the world have experienced a strong drive towards deregulation. Based on the experience of deregulation of the communication, natural gas and airline industries, the deregulation of electric utilities is necessary for high efficiency and energy saving. In developed countries, after decades of government regulation and protection, the traditional vertical integrated electric utilities have been criticized as ineffectively monopoly sectors. Customers have to pay expenses to utilities due to low efficiency operation and improper policy. However, deregulation may bring fair pricing and open access to all users. Regardless of market structure, it is important to know the contribution of particular generator to particular load and line flow. Due to nonlinear nature of power flow, it is difficult to determine transmission usage in the network accurately. Thus, models and tracing algorithms will become very heuristic in order to allocate the power flow and loss in transmission networks. This paper discussed a method for tracing the power flow and loss in the deregulated transmission system. Based on converged load flow, basic circuit theories including superposition theory, equivalent impedance and equivalent current injection are applied in developing this method. Then, the voltages, currents, power flows and losses contributed by every generator in the system could be traced. An IEEE-14 bus test system has been used and the results found to be effective in testing this method. Result comparisons of previous method is also been discussed.


Intercooling was evaluated as a process option in CO2 absorption by piperazine (PZ) promoted potassium carbonate. The system performance with 4.5 m K+/4.5 m PZ was simulated by a model in Aspen Plus® RateSep™. The absorber was evaluated for use with a double matrix stripper by optimizing the position of the semilean feed and intercooling stages to maximize CO2 removal. Additionally, a simple absorber system was modeled to observe the effect of intercooling on systems with variable CO2 lean loading. Intercooling increases CO2 removal by as much as 10% with the double matrix configuration. With a simple absorber, the effectiveness of intercooling depends on solvent rate. Near a critical liquid/gas ratio (L/G) there is a large improvement with intercooling. This is related to the position of the temperature bulge. An approximation is proposed to estimate the critical L/G where intercooling may maximize removal. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2010


Aim: Post systems are crucial for the treatment of endodontically treated teeth with excessive crown destruction. Currently, increase in esthetic demands has increased the use of tooth-colored post systems. The aim of this study was to evaluate compression-shear strength after the application of different resin cements and different surface treatments to zirconia post-cores produced by the CAD-CAM milling technique. Methodology: One hundred twenty crown parts of maxillary central incisors were cut using a 2-mm enamel–cement joint using a water-cooled diamond bur in an air turbine handpiece at 300,000 rpm. Root canals with the same diameter were prepared using Gates-Glidden drills and Snowpost system drills. According to the enlarged canal, zirconia posts were prepared by the CAD-CAM copy-milling technique, and the zirconia post surfaces were roughened by different techniques (hydrofluoric acid, Al2O3 partial abrasion, CoJet silica coating). The roughened posts were cemented to the tooth canal using three resin cements: 10Methacryloyloxydecyl dihydrogen phosphate (MDP)-containing cement, Bis-GMA-based resin, and resin-based adhesive. As the control group, the zirconia post surfaces with no application were fixed using three resin cements. The specimens were set down into 2525x25 mm fabricated blocks with acrylic resin materials. Compression-shear strength tests of the prepared samples were conducted on the Instron Testing Machine by using appropriate equipment. Results: In summary, the combination of roughening techniques such as Al2O3 partial etching and CoJet silica coating using cement-containing MDP rendered the highest compression-shear strength. Conclusion: This in vitro study proposes the cementation of zirconia post-cores etched by Cojet silica coating and Al2O3 particles using MDPcontaining resin cement.


A robust adaptive Sugeno based fuzzy sliding mode controller equipped with a supervisory controller is considered for the control of nonlinear systems which significantly reduce computation via reducing the size of fuzzy rule base. Besides, all the system parameters such as control and state signals can be confined to a predefined bounded region by use of proposed control method. Also the proposed method does not need any information of the controlled plant. Tracking and regulation simulations on an inverted pendulum system highlights that the proposed method is superior than the classical Sugeno based fuzzy controllers for the control of ill-defined nonlinear systems.


Abstract Perhaps the biggest star in the history of French popular cinema, Fernandel remains inseparable from his comic roles. This article will examine the "serious" films made by the star in the 1950s, placing them in context: one can be surprised why the actor was acting at the time in another genre. The article analyzes these films in the light of the discussions on the popularity of Fernandel from the letters sent by ordinary moviegoers to the editor of the magazine Le Film complet, debates that are about both the comic/dramatic dichotomy and differences in gendered and generational reading. We try to explain why the (young) female readers of the magazine welcomed the dramatic roles of an actor they disliked in comic performances, while the men (young and old) enjoy both types of movies, for other reasons than those expressed by the female fans of the star.


By the age of five years, a child ought to have mastered the corresponding expertise of bilateral integration, utilizing both sides of the body simultaneously, called "crossing the midline". This means that when a child who has difficulty crossing the midline is confronted with actions that require the midline to be crossed, the child is unable to perform the action in the correct manner. When the midline is crossed spontaneously, paths in the brain are developed. This skill is essential for the advancement of various motor and cognitive skills. Children who have trouble crossing the body's midline, frequently experience difficulties with mundane, day to day activities. Understanding the challenges children who suffer from crossing the midline face, this paper focuses on the creation of an interactive game and particularly the development of an input device that could be used by children. It is postulated that the playing of an interactive game forms the required pathways to conduct movements that once did not seem comfortable or possible for the child. During development of the interactive game the guidance of occupational therapists was sought. What is unique about this project is the successful design of an affordable device, that can accurately simulate and guide the movement of the child in the process of treating their difficulty of crossing the midline. The project further provides scope for other gross and fine motor difficulties children have to be treated.


Epidermoid cyst often arises in the fl oor of oral cavity; however, it is relatively rare to arise subcutaneously in the mental region. We reported characteristics of clinical and imaging fi ndings of epidermoid cysts under the skin of the mental region. The patient was a 53-year-old male. He complained of a subcutaneous mass without pain in the left mental region. A palpable soft and movable thumb-sized mass without pain was observed at the fi rst examination. Ultrasound examination revealed a well-demarcated mass with heterogenous hyper-echoic internal echo and posterior echo enhancement. On power Doppler sonography, a small amount of blood supply was found around the periphery of the mass. Plain CT scan revealed a globular soft-tissue mass with peripheral high and central low CT values area. The mass was removed under local anesthesia using intraoral approach. A histopathologic diagnosis was epidermoid cyst. Recurrence is not observed 2 years after surgery. There were only 3 reports of epidermoid cysts in the mental region, including our case in Japan, clinically characteristics of age ranging 20 to 66 years of age and the mean age of 46 years, with 2 males and 1 female. The size was from 20 mm to 12 mm in diameter and from the tip of a thumb up to the tip of a small fi nger. Ultrasound images of the inside of epidermoid cysts that we experienced this time showed enhancement of relatively uniform hyperechoic image and posterior echo, which was characteristically slightly diff erent from fi ndings of epidermoid cysts generally reported.


Boundary value problems on large periodic networks arise in many applications such as soil mechanics in geophysics or the analysis of photonic crystals in nanotechnology. As a model example, singularly perturbed elliptic differential equations of second order are addressed. Typically, the length of periodicity is very small compared to the size of the covered region. The overall complexity of the networks raises serious problems on the computational side. The high density of the graph, the huge number of edges and vertices and highly oscillating coefficients necessitate solution schemes, where even a numerical approximation is no longer feasible. Realizing that such a system depends on two spatial scales - global scale (full domain) and local scale (microstructure) - a two-scale asymptotic analysis for network differential equations is applied. The limit process leads to a homogenized model on the full domain. The homogenized coefficients cover the micro-oscillations and the topology of the periodic network and characterize the effective behaviour. The approximate model's quality is guaranteed by error estimates. Furthermore, singularly perturbed microscopic models with a decreasing diffusion part and transport-dominant problems are discussed. The effectiveness of the two-scale limit analysis is demonstrated by numerical examples of diffusion-advection-reaction problems on large periodic grids.


Changes in the political and economic management in the former socialist countries have greatly influenced the differentiation of official conceptions concerning their spatial development. These facts also influence the spatial choice behaviour of population and the consequent creation of new spatial structures. Rural population in the 20th century had to face the challenge of developing industrialisation, which have also directly impacted agricultural production and forestry. The industrialisation process was the cause of increased urbanising processes in Slovakia in the later half of the 20th century. The selective exodus of (predominantly) young people from rural areas caused their depopulation with the parallel reduction of their developmental potential. Rural areas acquire the more-or-less generally accepted status of problematic areas. The political and economic changes in Czechoslovakia (and also in other former socialist countries), which triggered the transformation of the whole society at the beginning of the 1990s, represented an incentive for a more distinct spatial differentiation of the rural areas. Rural municipalities and rural areas compete with each other on regional, national or European levels. Every (?) rural spatial unit tries to occupy the place among winners in competition for people and capital. The aim of the article is to present a basic idea of the term "successful rural area" which is a kind of final picture of the influence of selected endogenous and exogenous factors on its socio-economic development. One of the possible alternative paths to (economic) success in rural area will be demonstrated by showing the example of how the concept of tourist cluster has been applied in the region of Liptov endeavouring for a more efficient use of (not only) the natural potential existing in its territory.


Dall's porpoises from the Sea of Japan population taken by a dolphin fishery vessel were examined. Estimated body lengths at sexual maturity were similar to those for the truei-type population off the Pacific coast of Japan but larger than those for the offshore dalli-type in the North Pacific. The Sea of Japan population is known to migrate to the Pacific coast of Japan through Tsugaru Strait and to the Sea of Okhotsk through Soya Strait in summer. From the difference of catch composition, individuals of different reproductive status in this population are considered to have different patterns of summer migration. Most of the individuals which migrate into the Pacific Ocean through Tsugaru Strait are sexually immature, while those migrating into the Sea of Okhotsk are mature. The Sea of Okhotsk is thought to be a breeding area for this population. The calving season is estimated to be May through June, which is earlier than that of the truei-type off the Pacific coast of northern Japan. This may be an adaptation to lower water temperatures in the Sea of Japan during winter.


The author derives an infinite series representation of the spherical error probability integral (SEPI). The SEPI characterizes missile miss distance distributions resulting from Monte Carlo simulations. The SEPI is used when these distributions occupy a three-dimensional region of space. Truncation of this series provides a computationally efficient tool for approximating the SEPI. A series convergence analysis is presented that provides an upper bound on the approximation accuracy. The accuracy bound may be used to determine a sufficient number of terms needed for approximation to any desired accuracy. Presentation of numerical results provides empirical confirmation of the validity of the series expression. Calculation of the truncated series and numerical integration of the SEPI generate the numerical results. It is shows that the SEPI converges to the circular error probability integral as the standard deviation of a given component approaches zero. Approximation error bounds, as a function of sigma, are derived. >


This article explains what is a Point, a Positive Space and a negative Anti-Space for their equilibrium, how points exist and their correlation also in Spaces . Any two points A,B on Spaces consist the first dimensional Unit AB, which has infinite bounded Spaces, Anti-Spaces and Sub-Spaces on unit AB . It is proved that when points A, B exist in a constant distance ds = AB, which is then a Restrained System of this Unit, then equilibrium under equal and opposite Impulses Pa, Pb on points A, B . This means that any distance AB of the Space is a DIPOLE or [ FMD = AB - Pa, Pb ], which is the first material unit . The unique case where at the points of Space and Anti-Space exist null Impulses, then is the Primary Neutral Space and it is obvious that the infinite Dipole ds = 0 → AB → ∞ move in this P.N.S . The position of points on Space /Space, Anti-Space/ Anti-Space Space / Anti-Space, Anti-Space / Space, creates (+) matter (-) antimatter (±) Neutral matter which moves in this Space with finite velocity and in case of the bounded Neutral Space AB, which may have zero Inertia, moves with infinite velocity . Since Neutral Space is the interval between Impulse ( which Impulse is the Principle of movement ) and Spaces ( which Spaces are the medium of movement ), therefore, Motion can alternatively occur itself as that of a Dipole = matter ( which is particle ) and as that of Impulses Pa, Pb ( which is a wave ) in the Neutral matter and Neutral Anti-matter . [ The one thing, say the light, is then as Particle and as Wave Structure ] Following the principle is then explained that, Monads, can reproduce themselves through their bounded Communicator ( we may refer this as the DNA of the Monad ) . Following Euclidean logic for Spaces, and since one may use them as the first dimensional Unit ds = 0 → AB → ∞ in Geometry, Algebra, etc either as Dipole ds = AB, [ FMD = AB - Pa, Pb ] and since also Primary Neutral Space is proved to be Homogenous and Isotropic, then also in Mechanics and Physics and in all laws of Universe .


Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is a very important part of the Internet of Things. The antenna used in RFID system reader is one of its most important equipment, has become a research hotspot. Compared to far-field applications, RFID antennas typically use high-gain circularly polarized antennas or antenna arrays to increase their read distance. Near-field RFID reader antenna requires strong magnetic field, wide band and low gain characteristics, while the resulting magnetic field should be evenly distributed to avoid leakage read phenomenon. The main contents of this chapter are as follows. The RFID reader near field antenna based on the principle of magnetic field coupling has developed rapidly in recent years. In this paper, a double-layer open-circuit antenna are proposed. The near-field antennas have wideband and strong magnetic field characteristics, and are compact and simple to process. The open-loop antenna of the doublelayer terminal is located at the lower level and the upper layer is the radiation ring. The antenna size is smaller, and the feeder part and the radiation part of the isolation, a good deal to avoid interference between each other.


One of the greatest challenges that designers and artists face when deploying interactive media displays in the urban space resides on finding the right level of audience participation. In many cases this includes the challenge of designing for sustained interaction over an 'ideal' time period. It has been acknowledged that questions concerning the meaning and purpose of public displays are expected to be addressed thoughtfully with respect to the surrounding environment, its architecture, social conventions, and the values and habits of its inhabitants and visitors. Consideration must be given to the role played by both the social context and cultural values shared by the community, since those may influence proxemic aspects [7] of the interaction and in consequence impact the designed collective experience. This paper analyses the effect of contextual constraints such as prominence and length of the exhibition on two interactive light installations. Both installations adopted media displays as a tacit element to sustain awareness of the collective experience promoted by the public space interventions. Following a nested action research approach we studied the installations in the field, which led us to formulate interaction goals and content strategies for designing the collective participation in interactive artworks. More specifically we link the identified parameters to the two extreme categories of performative and ubiquitous interaction and discuss their value for designing interactive, public media.


Abstract : Interstitial impurities adversely affect the mechanical properties and processability of Mo and W. In this connection, high-temperature vacuum degassing of these metals is of major interest; precise knowledge of the composition and quantity of the gaseous impurities liberated from the specimens at high temperatures is a prerequisite for the proper selection of the degassing regime. All previous studies in this field have, however, been based on apparatus with vacuum systems producing a vacuum not deeper than 10 (to the minus 5th power) torr and contaminating the specimens with the carbon present in the oil vapors of the vapor-oil diffusion pumps employed. The current study, by contrast, is based on the use of the most up-to-date vacuum equipment, oil-less means of evacuation, and the electron-beam method of heating the specimens. (Author)


1. The accumulation of visual purple in the retina after bleaching by light has been studied in the intact eye of the frog. The data show that duration and intensity of light adaptation, which influence the course of human dark adaptation as measured in terms of visual threshold, have a similar influence on the course of visual purple regeneration. 2. At 25°C. frogs which have been light adapted to 1700 millilamberts and then placed in the dark, show an increase in visual purple concentration which begins immediately and continues for 70 minutes until a maximum concentration is attained. The increase, although beginning at once, is slow at first, then proceeds rapidly, and finally slows up towards the end. Frogs which have been adapted to 9500 millilamberts show essentially the same phenomenon except that the initial slow period is strongly delayed so that almost no visual purple is formed in the first 10 minutes. 3. At 15°C. the initial delay in visual purple regeneration occurs following light adaptation to both 1700 and 9500 millilamberts. The delay is about 10 minutes and is slightly longer following the higher light adaptation. 4. The entire course of visual purple accumulation in the dark takes longer at the lower temperature than at the higher. The temperature coefficient for 10°C. is about 1.8. 5. In contrast to the behavior of the isolated retina which has small amounts of vitamin A and large amounts of retinene immediately after exposure to light, the intact eye has large amounts of vitamin A and little retinene after exposure to light for 10 minutes. In the intact eye during dark adaptation, the amount of vitamin A decreases markedly while retinene decreases only slightly in amount. If retinene is formed in the intact eye, the change from retinene to vitamin A must therefore occur rapidly in contrast to the slow change in the isolated retina. 6. The course of visual purple regeneration may be described by the equation for a first order autocatalyzed reaction. This supposes that the regeneration of visual purple is catalyzed by visual purple itself and accounts for the sigmoid shape of the data.


Lung cancer has been the largest cause of cancer deaths worldwide with an overall 5-year survival rate of only 15%. Its symptoms can be found exclusively in advanced stages where the chances for patients to survive are very low, thus making the mortality rate the highest among all other types of cancer. The present work deals with the attempt to design computer-aided detection or diagnosis (CAD) systems for early detection of lung cancer based on the analysis of sputum color images. The aim is to reduce the false negative rate and to increase the true positive rate as much as possible. The early detection of lung cancer from sputum images is a challenging problem, due to both the structure of the cancer cells and the stained method which are employed in the formulation of the sputum cells. We present here a framework for the extraction and segmentation of sputum cells in sputum images using, respectively, a threshold classifier, a Bayesian classification and mean shift segmentation. Our methods are validated and compared with other competitive techniques via a series of experimentation conducted with a data set of 100 images. The extraction and segmentation results will be used as a base for a CAD system for early detection of lung cancer which will improve the chances of survival for the patient.


Technological advancement is a major driver of the economic growth and has raised living standards enormously (though unevenly) across the globe. Digital technologies radically transform the structure of organisations and employment models, including teaching and learning. Youth and people who lack high-level technological and interpersonal skills are becoming vulnerable due to digital automated jobs. There is a need for targeted and strategic skills, and STEM that is responding to the changing technological world. The digital revolution and an increasing demand for designing and manufacturing are driving the growth of the creative sector, which extends from arts to science and technology and involves cultural creativity and innovation. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students should be equipped with designing and making skills for the twenty-first-century jobs. There is growing polarisation of labour market opportunities between high- and low-skill jobs, unemployment and underemployment especially among young people. Globally, almost 75 million youth are officially unemployed. This chapter present the driving forces for new jobs and skills for the future. The chapter also outlines the contribution of STEM knowledge and skills for digital literacy from basics to an advance level. The implication of digital literacy for the fourth industrial revolution is highlighted. The empirical part of this chapter presents results based on the investigation done on the vocational educational and training practices at three TVET colleges in one province in South Africa. The study focused on vocational pedagogic and didactic practices, workshop material and equipment for practical training, work-integrated learning and integration of theory and practice in vocational subjects. This investigation is a case study to gauge the extent of readiness of some TVET colleges for the fourth industrial revolution. The methodology of collecting data was questionnaires, interviews and observation. The participants of the study were students and lecturers. On the basis of these data, the paper determines the extent of readiness of TVET as well as CET colleges in the country. The paper recommends measures to position the TVET and CET colleges for the fourth industrial revolution.


The TIR is an infrared thermal imager onboard the Hayabusa2 spacecraft, which will perform thermography of C-type asteroid 162173 Ryugu through in situ observations during the rendezvous phase in 2018 and 2019. The Hayabusa2 spacecraft carried out an Earth swing-by on December 3, 2015, and the TIR observed the Earth and the Moon for its performance checks. The detector of the TIR is an uncooled microbolometer array (320A, NEC Inc.), and the optical system has a germanium triplet lens. The observation wavelength is an integrated wavelength range of 8 to 12 micrometers. The field of view is 16 x 12 degrees, and the number of image pixels is 328 x 248 (Okada et al., 2016). The performance of the TIR was evaluated in the pre-launch test, and the conversion table from the detected radiation intensity to a brightness temperature was constructed for every pixel. The focal length was evaluated by using a large aperture collimator, as well as the image distortion and the ratio of pixel aperture. Otherwise, the performance check is necessary after launch because the observed temperature depends on surrounding changes, such as radiation and heat flow from the spacecraft and the TIR itself in space. The detector alignment correction and the observed temperature evaluation were performed by the Earth and the Moon observations in the Earth swing-by phase. The alignment was corrected to determine the Earth center position within a sub-pixel accuracy for the observed image pixel by fitting to the observed limb positions using the ellipse function for the flatness shape (6356.75 km / 6378.14 km) calculated by SPICE kernels (NAIF/NASA). The observed temperature evaluation was performed to compare the Earth sea data regarded as a blackbody with observed data with the Earth observation satellites, such as MODIS onboard Aqua and Terra. In this study, the results of the calibrations by the Earth and the Moon observations for the performance checks of the TIR are introduced.


Local electron mean energy (LEME) has a direct effect on the rates of collisional ionization of molecules and atoms by electrons. Electron-impact ionization plays an important role and is the main process for the production of charged particles in a primary streamer discharge. Detailed research on the LEME profile in a primary streamer discharge is extremely important for a comprehensive understanding of the local physical mechanism of a streamer. In this study, the LEME profile of the primary streamer discharge in oxygen-nitrogen mixtures with a pin-plate gap of 0.5 cm under an impulse voltage is investigated using a fluid model. The fluid model includes the electron mean energy density equation, as well as continuity equations for electrons and ions and Poisson's electric field equation. The study finds that, except in the initial stage of the primary streamer, the LEME in the primary streamer tip tends to increase as the oxygen-nitrogen mole ratio increases and the pressure decreases. When the primary streamer bridges the gap, the LEME in the primary streamer channel is smaller than the first ionization energies of oxygen and nitrogen. The LEME in the primary streamer channel then decreases as the oxygen-nitrogen mole ratio increases and the pressure increases. The LEME in the primary streamer tip is primarily dependent on the reduced electric field with mole ratios of oxygen-nitrogen given in the oxygen-nitrogen mixtures.


The purpose of this study is to analyze the factors that influence the ability of families to detect early high risk of pregnancy. The study design used observational analytic cross-sectional study approaches. The sample size consisted of 120 families of pregnant women working in the Primary Health Care working area in the city of Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia. The independent variables are personal factors, resources, the influence of cognition, interpersonal influence, basic values, and commitment. The dependent variable is family ability. Data were collected using a questionnaire that was tested for validity and reliability. Logistic regression is used to analyze the results. Complementary education (p = 0.001), level of knowledge (0.002), self-esteem (p = 0.047), self-motivation (p = 0.022), and previous behavior (p = 0.010) affect personal factors. Family connection (p = 0,001), community resources (p = 0,003), and competing role demand (0,008) influence the resources factor. Benefits (p = 0,000), obstacles (p = 0.026), and self-efficacy (p = 0,000) affect the influence of cognition. Family support (p = 0,000) and midwife support (p = 0.024) influence interpersonal factors. Responsibility (p = 0.047), attention (p = 0,000) and care (p = 0.046) affect the basic values. Affective (p = 0.011), Continuance (p = 0.001), and Normative (p = 0.012) affect the commitment factor. Introduction (p = 0.000), decision (p = 0.008), care (p = 0.001) and utilization (p = 0.001). The connection of family connection and interpersonal factors, including family support and midwife support, is very important to improve the ability of families in early detection of high risk pregnancies.


This study tries to unravel the problems of street children related to character building, especially in the aspects of personal and social skills. So we need a model of character education that is considered suitable to be implemented in street children. This study uses a qualitative approach with library research methods. The results of this study conclude that, Among the character education models that can be implemented on street children are problem-based learning models, emphasizing more on the application of problem solving methods or problem solving which by John Dewey consists of six learning steps as follows: 1) formulating problems; 2) analyze the problem; 3) formulate hypotheses; 4) collect data; 5) hypothesis testing; and 6) formulate problem solving recommendations.


The rapid increase of learning resources makes it difficult to search, manage and reuse. Using metadata is an efficacious way to solve this problem. With consistent descriptions of the characteristics of learning resources, searching becomes more specific and accurate, management becomes more simple and uniform, and sharing becomes more efficient and in-depth. The Learning Object Metadata Schema developed by IEEE P1484.12 is one of the most promising metadata approaches for describing learning resources, on which we developed a learning resource metadata management system (LRMMS). The system provides a platform for users to register, browse, search and evaluate learning resources. It is a decentralized framework with several metadata servers to provide services. The system supports distributed queries and the evaluation loop of learning resources. Users can search resources from different points of view, especially educational needs. We also made the interface as user-friendly as possible.


In electric drive applications that are based on high-speed induction motors (IMs) with an extended speed range, stator winding pole-changing is a possible technique to avoid oversizing the driving motor. The electronic pole changing employed in multiphase IMs has gained recent interest because it avoids physical winding reconfiguration. The effective number of poles of the air gap flux distribution can be electronically altered by simply changing the applied current sequence to a multiphase stator. The main problem associated with this technique is the significant increase in machine magnetising current with the increase in effective pole number when conventional multiphase distributed windings are employed. This study proposes a new fractional-slot concentrated winding layout with a special stator connection suitable for pole-amplitude modulated IMs that offers a 2:1 pole ratio while maintaining equal magnetising current for both winding pole pairs. Moreover, constant power operation can be achieved for a speed range of over 4 pu. The main concept is discussed and verified through simulations and experimentally. The machine mathematical model and the required vector space decomposition-based controller are also presented.


We have measured the thermoelectric power of several germanium single crystals with different isotopic compositions: natural, 96.3%, and 99.99% enriched 7 0 Ge. N- and p-type Ge samples with the net concentration of electrically active impurities <2 × 10 1 3 cm 3 were studied. Our experimental data show a decrease of thermopower with an increase in isotopic mass disorder. This isotope effect is evident at temperatures below approximately 70 K where a phonon-drag part of the thermopower dominates. At high temperatures, in the diffusion regime, the thermopower does not correlate with the isotopic composition within experimental error. The observed isotope effect can be explained with a special phonon-drag contribution induced by a momentum transfer from thermal phonons to low-energy phonons in the enriched samples.