An enhancement proposal is introduced to speed up the power-up ready time of the dual-core architected Smart phone. Based on the analysis of the Smart phone architecture, the root cause is identified to the IPC packet size between AP and BP. An optimized value is determined eventually rather than bigger or smaller ones. It is able to dramatically enhance the performance of the power up time and make it to be acceptable for the practical product.


The problem of the new energy economy has become a global hot issue. This study examines the causal relationship between the ratio of thermal power in total power generation (RTPG) and economic growth (GDP) in the western and central China by using the heterogeneous mixed panel Granger causality approach that accounts for both slope heterogeneity and cross-sectional dependence. For the overall panel, the empirical findings support the presence of unidirectional causality running from GDP to RTPG (in northwest China), and from RTPG to GDP (in central). At the provincial level, there is causality from GDP to RTPG in NeiMongol and Ningxia, and causality from RTPG to GDP in Shanxi, Anhui, and Jiangxi. As for the cross regions relationships, we find that GDP (in western) Granger-cause RTPG (in central), and RTPG (in southwest) Granger-cause GDP (in central and northwest). Moreover, panel regressions show the negative impact from GDP to RTPG in the northwest, and RTPG to GDP in the central. However, RTPG has a positive influence on GDP in the northwest. Therefore, to improve economic development without compromising the regions' competitiveness in central and western China, we can adjust the power generation structure, and increase investments in the renewable energy supply and energy efficiency.


A previously well 49-year-old woman presented with a few days of flu-like symptoms. She was hypotensive and pyrexial, with a wound on her left thumb due to a 5-day-old dog bite. Laboratory investigations showed leucopenia and thrombocytopenia (Hb 13AE1 g ⁄ dl, platelet count 23 · 10 ⁄ l, white cell count 1AE7 · 10 ⁄ l) and a mild coagulopathy [prothrombin time – 24 s (normal range, NR: 10–13 s), activated partial thromboplastin time – 58 s (NR: 26–36 s), fibrinogen concentration 1AE82 g ⁄ l (NR: 1AE5–4AE5 g ⁄ l)]. She was commenced on antibiotics and intravenous fluids and given fresh-frozen plasma. Shortly after admission her platelet count was 14 · 10 ⁄ l, Hb 8AE9 g ⁄ dl and a blood film showed features of a microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia. No intracellular organisms were seen. Lactate dehydrogenase was elevated at 1053 U ⁄ l. Although the coagulopathy rapidly resolved, she subsequently developed renal failure, requiring haemodialysis, and progressive digital ischaemia, consistent with purpura fulminans (top images and bottom left). Plasma exchange was commenced. A gram-negative bacillus was detected in blood cultures. Over the next 5 d she improved, the thrombotic angiopathy resolved and plasma exchange was discontinued. She was discharged 2 weeks later off dialysis and remains well, but has required plastic surgery to her left hand. The organism was identified as Capnocytophaga canimorsus, a slow-growing commensal found in the mouths of cats and dogs, sensitive to most broad-spectrum antibiotics, except aminoglycosides. Capnocytophaga sepsis has a mortality of approximately 30% and is more common in immunocompromised patients, especially those with a history of splenectomy or alcohol abuse. The bottom right image shows a blood film from a second patient who presented with septic shock and disseminated intravascular coagulation from Capnocytophaga canimorsus. Organisms were readily identifiable. She unfortunately died 4 d after admission. These cases highlight the importance of early antibiotic treatment for even trivial animal bites. The index case also displayed the potential use of plasma exchange in cases of severe sepsis associated with purpura fulminans.


Polarization maintaining highly nonlinear fibers based on elliptical core with high birefringence, precise and wide range dispersion control, and good splice performance are presented. Application results including high-speed wavelength conversion and supercontinuum generation are reported.


Transmission grid has been playing a vital role in power system. If the 500kV newly built substation in future can be built in the form of terminal substation, it will greatly save investment and corridor resources. On the basis of meeting the security and stability of transmission grid, this paper calculates the reliability and grid risk value index, and gives the general calculation process. At the same time, zoning load reduction algorithm based on load importance is used. Combined with SHENZHEN 500kV HG substation, the calculation results of hub substation and terminal substation are compared. The example results show that the proposed algorithm is fast and effective, the required input parameters are easy to obtain, and has high practical value.


Synchronous stability in power systems is of essential importance for system safety and operation. For the phase-locked loop (PLL)-based synchronous stability in power electronic-based power systems, which has recently stimulated interest in researchers in the field of electrical power engineering, but is still controversial, this paper divides the topic into two aspects, including the PLL device stability and the system stability. It is found that the PLL device is always stable and the error between the PLL output angle θpll and the terminal voltage angle θt is always finite. Therefore, the synchronization of power electronic-based power systems should be understood as the output synchronization between the electrical rotation vectors (θt or θpll) from each item of grid-tied equipment, rather than the synchronization of the PLL device itself. In addition, it is found that θpll plays an active role in the system synchronization dynamics not only in electromagnetic timescales but also electromechanical timescales and it could be selected as a dominant observable. In this paper, the concept of synchronous stability is well clarified. These findings are well supported by theoretical analyses and MATLAB/Simulink simulations, and thus could provide insights on the synchronous stability mechanism.


Analyzing on energy and exergy balance for propane deasphalting unit is presented.It is focuses on exergy consume including each operation unit and three segments of energy transfer(i.e.energy transfer,energy utilize,energy recovery).The improvements are pointed for further energy conservation.


The underwater environments are quite different from the terrestrial ones in terms of the communication channel and constrains. In underwater wireless sensor network, the probability of node failure is high because sensor nodes are deployed in more harsh environments than the ground based networks and moved by waves and currents. There are researches considering the communication environments of underwater to improve the data transmission throughput. In this paper, we present a checkpointing scheme of the cluster heads that recoveries from a cluster head failure quickly. Experimental results show that the proposed scheme enhances the reliability of the networks and more efficient in terms of the energy consumption and the recovery latency than without checkpointing.


Ellipsometry is power instrument for testing several properties of thin films. Advantage and attractiveness of these optical studies consist in that they are non-destructive and non-disturbing. High sensitivity to surface state allows us to monitoring properties of films beginning from atomic scale as in-situ and as ex situ. Ellipsometry give us information about film thickness, and film composition, and its surface morphology. From analysis of ellipsometric spectra it is possible get data about zone structure of semiconductor materials, such as energy of critical points, absorption edge location, and crystallinity. Speed of data acquisition is sufficient high to test dynamic of film growth. Ellipsometric measurements are quite simple but its interpretation requires special software. In this paper some possibilities of ellipsometric method are demonstrated in examples film polymorphism.


The project described in this report was undertaken within the Department for Transport's second call for proposals in the Horizons research programme under the theme of Investigating the handling of large transport related datasets. The one year project started on 1 October 2005 with funding for Yunus Saatci as a postgraduate research associate and with Richard Gibbens as the principal investigator. In this report we describe our findings from a project using the combination of historical and real-time MIDAS loop detector data for journey time prediction. Phase one of the project involved a short study of the data formats used by MIDAS to record traffic count data and described a revised data format including explicit indexing. This revised format, based on the familiar ZIP file archiving tool allowed efficient random access to the data necessary for high throughput applications. The project looked at the variability of journey times across days in three day categories: Mondays, midweek days and Fridays. Two estimators using real-time data were considered: a simple-to-implement regression-based method and a more computationally demanding k-nearest neighbour method. Our example scenario of UK data was taken from the M25 London orbital motorway during 2003 and the results compared in terms of the root-mean-square prediction error. It was found that where the variability was greatest (typically during the rush hours periods or periods of flow breakdowns) the regression and nearest neighbour estimators reduced the prediction error substantially compared with a na¨ıve estimator constructed from the historical mean journey time. Only as the lag between the decision time and the journey start time increased to beyond around 2 hours did the potential to improve upon the historical mean estimator diminish. Thus, there is considerable scope for prediction methods combined with access to real-time data to improve the accuracy in journey time estimates. In so doing, they reduce the uncertainty in estimating the generalized cost of travel. The regression-based prediction estimator has a particularly low computational overhead, in contrast to the nearest neighbour estimator, which makes it entirely suitable for an online implementation. Finally, the project demonstrates both the value of preserving historical archives of transport related datasets as well as provision of access to real-time measurements.


In potentially dangerous situations, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) need to be touted as means of a viable method for consistently monitoring the civic and military environments. Typically, meaningful field data is gathered using sensor webs, which are composed of nodes with limited power and wireless connections. Improved energy efficiency is a major concern for WSN protocols due to these factors. The Low Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (LEACH) protocol proposes a method in which sensor nodes are clustered and data is fused prior to being sent to the base station (BS). The SD-LEACH protocol is suggested because certain applications are hampered by WSN drawbacks such as poor battery life, short lifespan, restricted sensor deployment range, and energy consumption. In this paper, we present Secondary Data Transmission LEACH (SD-LEACH), a novel method for enhancing the LEACH protocol for usage on sensor networks. SD-LEACH decreases packet delivery time to increase network lifespan, speeding up data transmission.


This paper not only describe the significance of the stabilization of rice bran,but also describe the methods and research actuality.The principle and their advantages and disadvantages of various stabilization methods were also discussed.


Descriptive transversal study aiming at identifying the knowledge, attitude, and practices related to ionizing radiation exposure to fertile age women in Romania. The CAPI questionnaire results reveals rather good knowledge on radiation exposure effects despite the limited understanding of what, when and why should be avoided. Conclusions support that it is necessary that the appropriate information to be accessible and easily understandable in order to support informed decision related to pregnancy and radiation exposures.


When a flying aircraft receives an order of attacking a target at a required time,time must be taken into account.Then the 4D flight path is needed.Based on the characteristic of A* algorithm,the meaning of evaluation function of A* algorithm is expressed a function related to time.Comparing the difference between the required arriving time and the forecasted arriving time,the path node which will be spread firstly can be selected.Additionally,using the distance-regulation and speed-control,the time error could be diminish.This 4D real-time path planning algorithm is realized in a case,the result shows that the aircraft can arrive the destination at the required time.


A device for controlling the valve timing for internal combustion engines, which changes the opening and closing times of a valve in an internal combustion engine and operatively connected between a synchronously with the internal combustion engine rotating rotary member (3) and a valve actuating camshaft (1) is arranged, comprising: a housing (4) which is rotationally fixed to either the rotary member (3) or to the camshaft (1) and the fluid pressure chambers (19, 20), a fluid control mechanism (66) which supplies and to the fluid pressure chambers (19, 20) hydraulic fluid from the fluid pressure chambers (19, 20) discharges hydraulic fluid, a vane rotor (15) which is arranged in the housing (4) and an axial bore (27) having one end through which a pin can be received, and pressure-chamber-side fluid passages (25, 26) which open into the axial bore (27) , and has either the rotary member (3), if this is not the case (4) is rotationally fixed to, or with the camshaft (1), provided these do not with ...


A new technique, random single-input change (RSIC) test generation, generates low-power test patterns that provide a high level of defect coverage during low-power BIST of digital circuits. The authors propose a parallel BIST implementation of the RSIC generator and analyze its area-overhead impact.


any degeneration of the race in physique is always accompanied by corresponding weakening of mental powers, it follows that racial decay finally entails social dissolution. Yet though racial decay causes social disintegration the converse is by no means true. With social decadence there is often no sign of race deterioration. Eighteenth century France, for instance, experienced a period of social decay. Yet the French race was then, perhaps, more strong, healthful, and capable than ever before. The mechanical framework of a social system based on institutions and


The wide tunability and the dynamic properties of the SG-DBR have been simulated using a numerical time-domain dynamic model. The experimental results of the SG-DBR tuning map and mode stable characteristic have been investigated.


Under multipath fading channels, maximum likelihood detection of multiple-input multiple-output filter-bank multicarrier-quadrature amplitude modulation (MIMO FBMC-QAM) system suffers from the performance degradation due to the residual interference. To solve this problem, we propose a precoding-aided MIMO FBMC-QAM system for the per-tone maximum likelihood detection. By adopting the precoder as the null space of effective channels, the proposed system can eliminate the residual interference. Simulation results show that the proposed system can overcome the error flooring phenomenon without interference cancellation.


The use of appropriate techniques to optimize water availability in substrates is essential for the formation of quality seedlings. Therefore, the objective was to evaluate the influence of substrate physical conditioning through the use of hydrogel. The treatments consisted of the control treatment (without the addition of hydrogel) and three doses of hydrogel (2, 4 and 6 g L-1 of substrate) added to components carbonized rice husk, average regular sand and Sphagnum peat isolated, and in a mixture composed of 50% of carbonized rice husk and 50% of peat (volumetric proportions). A completely randomized design was used, and the substrates were subjected to physical characterization at 0, 10, 50 and 100 hPa, using tension funnels, determining total porosity, aeration space, available water, remaining water and water holding capacity. The results showed that the use of this conditioner up to 4 g L, generally, increased total porosity and decreased air space. There was an increase in available water and remaining water, especially for substrates with low water holding capacity (carbonized rice husk and sand). Thus, the use of hydrogel makes it possible to increase the period between irrigations, resulting in significant improvements in the production system.


In defectcontainingsiliconminority chargecarrierlifetimescanbeimprovedby getteringandpassi vation techniquesin orderto reachsufficientsolarcell efficiencies.Consequently , suchprocessingstepsshouldbeinvestigated. This haspartly beendonein this study, wherethe impactof PandAl-getteringandtheir combinationwith a remote hydrogenplasmapassi vation on Edge-definedFilm-fed Growth (EFG) silicon ribbonswasexamined. But in contrast to previousstudiesof othergroupsthemappingmicrowave detectedphotoconductance decaytechniquewasappliedfor themeasuringof lifetimes. As a consequencenot just integral lifetime valuesbut spatiallyresolved lifetime mappings havebeenobtained.This turnedout to beessential for adetailedinvestigationof processingstepsappliedto EFGsilicon material,asit wasfoundthatregionsof comparablestartinglifetimescanreactverydifferentlyonthevariousprocessing steps. Therefore,the resultsof integral measurements dependstrongly on the natureof regions incorporatedin the specificsample.Moreover, it wasfoundthattheimpactof thedifferentprocessingstepson thevariouswaferareasalso dependsstronglyon their startingquality. In goodregionsbulk lifetimesof about280μm have beenreached.


Objective. The prevention of mental health disorders and the promotion of mental health are valuable tools for reducing the incidence and prevalence of mental health disorders. These tools can be used by family physicians, early, since the perinatal period. The objective of the research was to identify the barriers perceived by family doctors in communicating preventive measures for mental health disorders, through medical education, to the young patient in the preconception period and the pregnant patient. Method and results. The research was conducted on the basis of a self-administered, anonymized questionnaire. The target group was represented by 153 family doctors from Romania. The answers to the questions aiming to identify the possibility for the family doctors to do medical education for the prevention of mental health disorders of the future conception product, in the young woman, in the preconception period as well as in the pregnant woman were analyzed. The results showed that 32.89% of respondents express their willingness to do medical education to prevent mental health disorders of the future product of conception in women in preconception and 41.45% in pregnant women. The ranking of the reasons chosen for the lack of availability to communicate preventive measures during the consultation, in the patient in the preconception period, puts on the first place the lack of necessary work tools (45.10%), and on the second place, the lack of knowledge of communication techniques for such situations (22.55%), and on the third, the fact that patients do not come to the doctor with such questions (17.65%). In pregnant women, the perceived barriers are: lack of necessary work tools (47.19%), lack of knowledge of communication techniques for such situations (22.47%), and the fact that patients do not come with such questions to the family doctor (14.67%). Conclusions. Family physicians express their willingness to communicate preventive measures and to promote mental health through early applied medical education, since the perinatal period. The research reveals that the lack of knowledge of communication techniques, the lack of adapted work tools and the fact that patients do not come with such questions to the family doctor are the main barriers perceived by family doctors.


This paper proposes an improved fuzzy energy management strategy based on particle swarm optimal algorithm for electric vehicle with dual-battery storage system. The proposed method adds optimization criterions on the basis of fuzzy rules to maximize the charge-discharge efficiency and achieve optimal power allocation. Simulation results based on Matlab / Simulink illustrated that the improved fuzzy energy management could increase the charge-discharge efficiency and mileage, effectively reduce power output of the main-battery in the case of the low remaining capacity, and extend the lifetime of the main battery to a certain extent.


Key-words: catch-per-unit effort, length-frequency distribution, Procambarus clarkii, sampling method, trapping The ecological importance of the red-swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) in the functioning of freshwater aquatic ecosystems is becoming more evident. It is important to know the limitations of sampling methods targeting this species, because accurate determination of population characteristics is required for predicting the ecological success of P. clarkii and its potential impacts on invaded ecosystems. In the current study, we addressed the question of trap efficiency by comparing population structure provided by eight trap devices (varying in number and position of entrances, mesh size, trap size and construction materials) in three habitats (a pond, a reed bed and a grassland) in a French marsh in spring 2010. Based on a large collection of P. clarkii (n = 2091, 272 and 213 respectively in the pond, reed bed and grassland habitats), we found that semicylindrical traps made from 5.5 mm mesh galvanized steel wire (SCG) were the most efficient in terms of catch probability (96.7‐100% compared to 15.7‐82.8% depending on trap types and habitats) and catchper-unit effort (CPUE: 15.3, 6.0 and 5.1 crayfish·trap −1 ·24 h −1 compared to 0.2−4.4, 2.9 and 1.7 crayfish·trap −1 ·24 h −1 by the other types of fishing gear in the pond, reed bed and grassland respectively). The SCG trap was also the most effective for sampling all size classes, especially small individuals (carapace length 30 mm). Sex ratio was balanced in all cases. SCG could be considered as appropriate trapping gear to likely give more realistic information about P. clarkii population characteristics than many other trap types. Further investigation is needed to assess the catching effort required for ultimately proposing a standardised sampling method in a large range of habitats.


The crystal structure of giant macrocycle 1 was found to have a mesoporous structure. The lipophilic pores of 1 uniformly formed in an ordered array, and contributed to the selective adsorption of 1-BuOH among the isomers of butanol.


As an important spatial carrier of Hong Kong's economic development, construction land provides a critical site for Hong Kong's economic and social activities. The development of construction land directly affects the sustainable development of the city. Therefore, analysing the spatial and temporal evolution and driving mechanism of construction land in Hong Kong is of great significance in promoting sustainable urban development. This study aimed to evaluate the evolutionary characteristics and driving mechanism of construction land of Hong Kong in the period 1972–2020. Here, we extract construction land data from 1972 based on the historical map of Hong Kong. Then, we apply ArcGIS Pro and Fragstats software to calculate the rate of land expansion, land intensity, change in the centre of gravity, and landscape pattern index of construction land in Hong Kong from 1972–2020. Analysis shows the following: (1) The expansion of construction land in Hong Kong generally showed the characteristics of "rapid at first and then slowing down", with 2010 as the peak of the 1970–2020 timeframe. (2) The sources of construction land transfer mainly came from cultivated land, sea areas, and forest land, which were mainly distributed in the New Territories. (3) The centre of gravity of construction land in Hong Kong showed the spatial characteristics of "slowly shifting to the northwest" during the study period, indicating that Hong Kong's polycentric urban structure has been continuously strengthened. (4) The Spiltting index showed a tortuous upward trend, and the index of Mean Euclidean nearest neighbour distance showed a steady downward trend, which indicated that the landscape connectivity of city construction land steadily increased while the degree of fragmentation gradually increased. (5) The driving factors behind the expansion of Hong Kong construction land comes from population, economic, and traffic factors; the support factors come from location and policy factors; the elasticity factors mainly come from reclamation projects; the resistance factors mainly come from the restrictions of environmental protection departments, NGOs, and relevant laws on land reclamation.


A vehicle carpet fixing hook is provided to prevent carpet positioned on an automobile floor panel from moving by folding a rubbing wing in the automobile floor panel and the carpet. A vehicle carpet fixing hook comprises: a head(200) exposed to the surface of a carpet(20); a supporting board(300) which is located on an automobile floor panel and prevents slipping; and a rubbing wing(400) connected to the head and the supporting board. The rubbing wing is positioned between the carpet and the automobile floor panel. In case the head is pressurized, the rubbing wing is folded in outside and the lower part of the head is contacted with the upper part of the supporting board.


The paper introduces a new differential-geometric system which originates from the theory of $m$-Hessian operators. The core of this system is a new notion of invariant differentiation on surfaces. This novelty gives rise to the following absolute geometric invariants: invariant derivatives of the surface position vector, an invariant connection on a surface via subsurface, curvature matrices of a hypersurface and its normal sections, $p$-curvatures and $m$-convexity of a hypersurface, etc. Our system also produces a new interpretation of the classic geometric invariants and offers new tools to solve geometric problems. In order to expose an application of renovated geometry we deduce an a priori $C^1$-estimate for solutions to the Dirichlet problem for $m$-Hessian equations.


Transport phloem in veins, petioles, stems, and roots makes up the major part of the phloem stretch. Nevertheless, the transport trajectory has gained a much less distinct profile than the phloem zones involved in loading and unloading in sources and sinks. Yet, the tasks of transport phloem may be diverse and have a strong impact on whole-plant physiology. Given that transport phloem in mediumsized herbs (50 cm) encompasses at least 99% of the axial phloem stretch, its importance as a distribution and signal relay center may exceed an intuitive estimate by far. This subspecial issue highlights some of the functional peculiarities of transport phloem.


Negotiations between clients and auditors over audit adjustments are common, particularly when relevant accounting standards are ambiguous or absent (Gibbins, Salterio, and Webb 2001; Gibbins, McCracken, and Salterio 2007). The strategies that auditors and clients use in these negotiations influence negotiation outcomes, financial statement quality, and auditor–client relationships. Extant studies largely examine the effects of these strategies from the perspective of one party (either auditor or client), use general theories that are not party-specific, and are silent on the effects of these strategies from the perspective of the other party. However, there are reasons to believe that the effectiveness of these strategies varies depending on who is using them. In this study, we introduce the concept of norm-violation (Gibbs 1981; Brauer and Chekroun 2005) and posit that the effectiveness of negotiation strategies is affected by whether negotiating parties' use of these strategies violates these norms. Unlike the general negotiation settings examined in the psychology literature, auditor–client negotiations occur in a professional setting between two knowledgeable parties, where the negotiations are constrained by regulatory and professional standards. As a result, a distinctive feature is that there are differences in the norms regarding negotiation approaches generally used by auditors versus clients. Our central thesis is that using negotiation strategies that deviate from norms attracts negative reactions from the counterparty and, in turn, inferior outcomes compared to when norm-consistent strategies are used. Furthermore, the effectiveness of particular negotiation strategies depends on the party who uses them. Another distinctive feature of auditor–client negotiations is that there are differences in terms of whether there is strategic inflation of opening proposed audit adjustments in anticipation of bargaining down by the other party. Research indicates that while clients do so (Bame-Aldred and Kida 2007), auditors do not, with their opening proposed adjustments being close to what they think is most appropriate (Ng and Tan 2003). This suggests that auditors would not offer large concessions at the start, given that careful


The paper analyzes the statistical and temporal seasonal and decadal variability of the atmospheric pressure field in the Arctic region of Russia. Schemes for the frequency analysis of probability transitions for intervals. These characteristics were analyzed and their geophysical interpretation was carried out. In particular, the known cycles of solar activity in 11 and 22 years were revealed. Numerical calculations were performed on the Lomonosov-2 supercomputer of the Lomonosov Moscow State University.


Additional degrees of freedom in a design of miniature microwave devices can be provided by a combination of right‐handed and left‐handed transmission lines, which differ in dispersion characteristics. We present some examples of such devices: planar resonator and filter with suppressed spurious response, miniaturized balun, and broadband digital phase shifters. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 48: 2632–2638, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.21985


In recent years there has been an extraordinary increase of incidence related to GI system. As per Modern interpretation the symptoms of Amlapitta are found in certain pathophysiological conditions of GI such as hyperacidity which occur in Acid peptic diseases (APD). Too much acidity results in early degenerative diseases, early aging, and premature death. Modern medicine is not having proper medication for gastric dyspepsia. Ayurveda has a lot to offer in this regard. Study is conducted to evaluate efficacy of 'Guduchyadi yoga' in the management of Amlapitta basing on this concept. The present paper intends to highlight the utility of drug in reducing sign-symptoms and recurrence of the disease. Details of the study will be discussed in full paper.


Fractal analysis has been shown to be useful in image processing to characterise the shape and the grey-scale complexity in different applications spanning from electronic to medical engineering (e.g. [1]). Fractal analysis consists of several methods to assign a dimension and other fractal characteristics to a dataset describing geometric objects. Limited studies have been conducted on the application of fractal analysis to the classification of the shape characteristics of soil grains. The main objective of the work described in this paper is to obtain, from the results of systematic fractal analysis of artificial simple shapes, the characterization of the particle morphology at different scales. The long term objective of the research is to link the microscopic features of granular media with the mechanical behaviour observed in the laboratory and in situ .


Influence of electrical joint compound on electrical contact overheating energy consumption is studied in this paper. The high current test were made under different current(400A、600A、800A and 1000A). Aluminum-aluminum connections are selected to conduct contact resistance test and temperature rise test. The results show that contact resistance is reduced about 50%, and the temperature of electrical connection decreased 20°C. The results show that there is remarkable effect after applying the compound. Electrical joint compound can reduce overheating defects and increase the reliability of electrical connection. Introduction Overheating of electrical contact is a very common phenomenon during the service of transmission and transformation equipment. It occurs at the connection joints of network [1-3] and super high voltage equipment and super current lines [4]. The overheating defects are always a serious problem in electric network. The overheating of electrical contact not only increases wastage, but also causes a transformation accident. With the increase of running load, the overheating defects of electrical contact become more frequency and serious. Many researchers studied the formation of the overheating defects, electrical contact materials, corrosion mode, equipment degradation, incorrect operation, service environmental, et al [5-7]. Moreover, some researchers proposed the prevention methods to reduce overheating, which are useful in the safety of network [8]. However, they only focused on practical phenomenon and lacking the analysis of mechanisms. In this paper we investigated the application of electrical joint compound, which demonstrated to be one of the most effective materials to solve overheating problem. Experimental materials and methods Wire clip is chosen according to the standard requirement and the size is 100 mm×60mm. Fig. 1 shows the sketch of tested samples. Punch two holes in the top of aluminum wire clip and fix every two board together with bolt. According to the samples were painted with electrical joint compound or without, the samples are classified into two categories: A: Polish the contact surface and clean with alcohol, then put them together and tighten up with nut. B: Polish the contact surface and clean with alcohol, evenly paint the surface with 0.2mm-thick electrical joint compound; put the surface together and tighten up with nut. 2nd International Workshop on Materials Engineering and Computer Sciences (IWMECS 2015) © 2015. The authors Published by Atlantis Press 128 Fig. 1 Sketch of tested samples. The experimental electric current is set at 400A, 600A, 800A, 1000A, respectively. Two holes in the top of aluminum wire clip were used to fix two boards together with bolt. The contact resistance is measured using digital micro-ohmmeter, and the schematic of measure method is showed in Fig. 2. Fig.2 Schematic of high current test Experimental results and discussion The temperature rise rate of electrical contact can directly indicate the heat loss and electric energy loss. This experiment found the relationship between temperature of electrical contact and working time, as shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4. The highest temperatures of electrical contact with and without electrical compound are shown in the Fig. 5. It can be seen from the Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, the temperature increase with the time, while the higer the current is, the higer the temperature rise rate is. For example, for the samples of A, the temperature of electrical contact rise slowly during 20 minutes from 21.0°C to 22.8°Cunder the condition of 400A, while the temperature rises rapidly during 20 minutes from 21.0°C to 64.9°C under the condition of 1000A. With further extension of time, the temperature of A and B samples arrive at 40.2°C and 230.5°C by the end of the test. After test, the color of localized pitting area becomes dark. However, there is no significant change in contact surface of sample. For the samples B, it can be seen that the temperature is about 44°C under the condition of 400A, which is similar to that of samples A. As for the 1000A, the temperature is 210 °C, which i than that containing electrical joint compound, as shown in Fig.5. It means electrical joint


The pilot scale study was carried out basing on the previous laboratory works of chemimechani-cal pulping studies on Populus davidiana,Alkaline sodium sulphite stock was used for chemical pretreat-ment with chemical charge as NaOH/Na_2SO_3:3.7%/13.2%on od wood base. The CMP pulps were yield-ed in a range of 87%~89.6%,At a given freeness level of 250 mL Csf,the hand sheets strengths were 58N. m/g in tensile,3.2 kPa·m ̄2/g in burst and 6.8mN·m ̄2/g in tear, the optical properties were mediateto good as 44.3%in brightness and 90.5%in opacity.The technical economical analysis was made,Popu-lus davidiana is a good resources of pulpwood for high yield pulping, before or after single or multi-stageof peroxide bleaching,the pulps can be used as furnishes of high strength packaging,writing,printing andLWC grades.


Providing students with hands-on experience designing experiments, conducting research, analyzing results, and presenting their findings should be an important component of science classes. However, students rarely have the opportunity to conduct independent research. Frequently laboratories have structured exercises where the instructor provides the research question and the experimental procedures. These structured laboratories provide students with only part of the scientific research process. I have found that many students do not have a thorough unders tanding of the sc ient i f ic research process because they have never experienced the entire scientific process for themselves. As an alternative to the traditional ''cook-book'' laboratories, a number of authors have discussed inquiry-based learning approaches where students are expected to pose their own research questions and devise their own experiments to answer those questions (e.g. Grant & Vatnick 1998; McGraw 1999; Ahern-Rindell 1998). However, authors have noted that biology departments seem to lag behind these reform efforts (Grant & Vatnick 1998; Sunberg & Armstrong 1993). I have found that one challenge in performing inquirybased investigations is that students often lack the experience and confidence necessary for open-ended inquiry-based investigations. I teach an Animal Behavior class that provides students with an opportunity to gain experience designing and conducting their own independent research projects. A large portion of the course is devoted to independent research projects designed and con-


The effect of age on second language acquisition represents one of the most recurrently investigated and debated issues in the scope of Second Language Acquisition. There is a broad agreement among scholars that age plays a major role in second language acquisition, yet there is great controversy concerning the degree of such particular role. The widespread idea is that as we age, our ability to manage language successfully declines. It expresses the fact that before the offset of puberty age, it is believed that language acquisition is manipulated through our implicit learning mechanisms, in contrast, in postpubertal language acquisition; we must deliberately employ our explicit learning mechanisms to learn a language. This paper attempted to exhibit the mechanism of language acquisition after the critical period. At first, different views regarding the existence of critical period was discussed. In the subsequent sections certain features of adult language acquisition that are distinguishable from early starters were raised for debate. These characteristics include the knowledge of first language, the cognitive system style and self-regulatory learning, and finally some certain mechanisms that adult learners pursue in the course of learning the second language were argued. In doing so, the paper hoped to clarify some ambiguous dimensions of language acquisition after the age of puberty.


Cronobacter spp. is of particular concern to the FAO/WHO because it has been found in infant food (infant rice/formula milk) and has been linked to severe diseases such as necrotising enterocolitis, septicaemia and meningitis. In this study, 147 samples of whole rice grains and rice products (purchased locally) were investigated for the presence of Cronobacter spp. using selective media, PCR, Multilocus-Sequence Typing (MLST) and phenotyping. Members of the Cronobacter spp. were isolated from 4.76% of the samples and known sequence type genera were confirmed by MLST. Cronobacter spp. isolates' phenotypes were identified and linked to environmental persistence such as tolerance to selected antimicrobials, low pH and high salt.


Triculinae can act as intermediate host of many species of Schistosoma and Paragonimus.The molecular systematic study on Triculinae is in furthering progress.The issue on origin and evolution of Asian Schistosoma is still unresolved,and S.sinensium may offer some new evidences.This article reviewed the progress on phylogenetics of Triculinae in four aspects of morphology,population genetics,molecular biology and biogeography.It also analyzed the prospect of researches on Asian Schistosoma,mainly on S.sinensium.

Key words:
Triculinae; Schistosoma; Phylogenetics


Objective To approach and analyze the feature,regularity and postoperative complications of senile patients received ERCP.Methods Clinical preoperative manifestations,diagnosis,previous medical illness and postoperative complications of 215 senile patients received ERCP were studied.Results Performing ERCP was often because of senile patient's clinical manifestations such as abdominal pain(64.7%),jaundice(34.4%),fever(33.0%),vomiting(24.7%),etc.;and the diagnosed diseases as choledocholith(56.7%),cholestatic jaundice(14.0%),cholecystolithiasis(13.0%),cancer of bile duct in porta hepatic(9.3%) etc.Previous medical illness history included cholecystectmy(36.2%),hypertension(33.5%),DM(Ⅱ)(17.2%),cerebrovascular infarction(10.7%),etc.;as well postoperative complications of ERCP included hyperamylasemia(42.8%),neutrophilosis(27.9%),abdominal pain(4.2%),chilly and fever(3.7%),in turn.Conclusion Cholelithiasis and post-cholecystectmy are the main causes to lead senile patients to receive ERCP,meanwhile the incidences of postoperative complication increase with aging.


Mangrove ecosystems provide various useful types of products and services to support the life needs of coastal communities. In the management of sustainable mangrove ecosystems, it is necessary to integrate activities in the ecological, economic, and social dimensions as it is known in the concept of sustainable development. This study aims to measure the sustainability status of mangrove ecosystem management in Tarumajaya District, Bekasi Regency. Data analysis is applying RAPFISH with the multidimensional scaling (MDS) method. The results show that the sustainability status of mangrove ecosystem management in Tarumajaya District, Bekasi Regency, obtains a multidimensional index value of 45.79% with less sustainable status, index value; and the sustainability status in each dimension, is 21.72% for the ecological dimension (unsustainable), 49.15% for economic dimension (less sustainable), 40.68 % for social dimension (less sustainable), and 63.68% for institutional dimension (quite sustainable). The influencing factors for the sustainability of mangrove ecosystem management consist of 16 indicators from the 4 dimensions tested. The results of statistical parameter validation and the results of the Monte Carlo test show that all of the dimension indicators analyzed in the management of sustainability of mangrove ecosystems have a significant role in explaining the diversity of mangrove ecosystems dimensional index value and have a high level of confidence.


The editors of PersPectives in Biology and Medicine are very pleased to pre sent in this special issue the texts of the papers presented at a recent symposium at the Jacques Loeb Center for the History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences at BenGurion University of the Negev in Beer Sheeva, Israel. This issue is the second in a series that we have published devoted to yearly meetings at the Loeb Center. The first focused on a Symposium on Synthetic Life: Scientific, Historical, and Eth ical Perspectives and appeared in the Autumn 2012 (volume 56, number 4) issue of this journal. The topic remains particularly timely in view of the extensive interest in this field in recent years. These new papers were presented at a meeting on May 20–21, 2013, at Ben Gurion University of the Negev. I cite below the intellectual framework of this meeting:


The benefits of undergraduate research continue to receive academic attention and it is becoming an engaged learning practice present on many college campuses today.  As research participation grows, an opportunity exists to showcase the work being accomplished and to use this public presentation to foster a culture of undergraduate research on campus, lobby for additional funding, and increase student and faculty participation.  We describe the innovation and evolution of a student conference in business, sharing lessons learned and measureable results for the ten years this conference has been in place.


Examines the impact of corporate disposal on the staff of TSB Bank Northern Ireland plc (TSBNI). Specifically, focuses on the major areas of concern for employees of TSBNI together with an assessment of how successful TSBNI management have been in allaying staff fears. Also looks at the effectiveness of various communication media. Suggests that a differential approach should be adopted by management in relation to the dissemination of information in the period immediately following the announcement of disposal. Bases this idea on the findings that disposal generates different concerns for differing groups of employees. Furthermore, presents evidence indicating that different grades of employees benefit from different communication strategies.


Abstract In evaluating the merits and shortcomings of virtue ethics I focus on some central differences between virtue ethics and rival theories such as deontology and utilitarianism. Virtue ethics does not prescribe strict rules of conduct. Instead, the virtue ethical approach can be understood as an invitation to search for standards, as opposed to strict rules, that ought to guide the conduct of our individual lives. This requires a particular method. The importance of this approach in present times will become clear when we investigate the relation between virtue ethics and postmodernity. In our postmodem age moral concepts are no longer perceived as deriving their meaning from larger frameworks. Instead, their meanings are perceived as being derived from the contingencies that define our particular existences. Thus ongoing grassroots moral engagement is required, and virtue ethics is the appropriate moral framework for doing this. This results in a broadening of rationality insofar as the full richness of our situated lives are factored into our accounts of rationality. At the same time virtue ethics prevents relativism, mainly because it does justice to the social embeddedness of human activities. In order to illustrate the virtue ethical approach I will discuss two key concepts in our moral vocabulary: responsibility and integrity. We will see how these basic concepts can be properly understood only if one takes into consideration the contingencies, inherent paradoxes and tensions in human life.


Abstract Thirty-four known species and subspecies of the genus Antocha Osten Sacken, 1860 have been recorded from China, of which four occur in Tibet. Herein, two new Antocha species, A. (Antocha) curvativasp. nov. and A. (A.) tibetanasp. nov., are described and illustrated from Tibet. The new species are distinguished from congeners mainly by their male genitalia. Antocha (A.) spiralis Alexander, 1932 and A. (A.) setigera Alexander, 1933, which are newly recorded in Tibet, are redescribed and illustrated. A key to Antocha species in the Qinghai-Tibet region of China is also presented.


The electronic conduction mechanism through the electrochemically formed passive film on an iron polycrystalline surface was studied by in situ electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (EC-STM) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). In situ STM imaging conditions of the iron oxide layer in the different electrochemical potential regions [Fe(II) and Fe(III) oxide] were determined and successfully compared to their semiconducting properties evaluated by EIS. As a result, a quantitative explanation for the highly stable STM images of a thick iron oxide formed at high anodic potentials can be obtained. This experimental data allows us to present a quantitative energy diagram of the iron‖passive film‖electrolyte interface as well as to give first estimates of some electronic parameters of the passive film on iron. These results suggests that the so-called passivity of iron electrodes may arise from the buildup of an energy barrier at the oxide‖electrolyte interface.


Islamic inheritance laws or pharaids have played an important role in human sciences, especially the distribution of principled wealth to justice and responsibility. In addition, pharaids also have an important role in advancing the economy. This writing aims to analyze pharaids based on the Qur'an and hadith and their impact on the economy. This type of research is qualitative with the library research method. The results of the study show that the pharaids systematically ensured the redistribution of wealth by distributing wealth to each generation with predetermined parts, thus the Faraid had protected the rights of the heirs. Pharaid also supports the participation of women in economic activities, while allowing polygamy to support women's role and even bring a multiplier effect to the economy. Finally, with the existence of pharaids, the wealth produced by the deceased is again allocated to the factors of production through the economic cycle by each generation of heirs.


On 23 August 1999, the Productivity Commission reported to the Australian Government on international telecommunications market regulation. The report focused on the reform of international telecommunications markets, in particular on the payment arrangements between providers of international telecommunications services.


Abstract A short review of impregation methods for porous materials is given, together with a brief evaluation of their effectiveness. The focus of the review is on impregnation under low pressure. Detarls of vacuum treatment in a plastic bag are described, and practical experiences with this method for consolidation of stone sculptures with epoxy resin solutions are summarized.


ABSTRACT: Papillon‐Lefevre syndrome in six‐Saudi children in the same family is described. The parents were unaffected, and parental consanguinity was present. Palmoplantar keratosis started at the age of 11/2 years. The loss of deciduous teeth was a consequence of juvenile periodontitis. All essential features of the syndrome were present in the series.


In family Cuscutaceae the Cuscuta genus comprises holo-parasitic plants that have cosmopolitan distribution. The genus includes three subgenera: Cuscuta , Monogyna and Grammica ; the last one is widely distributed in the American continent. In this work, flower morphology, meiotic studies and pollen viability of 4 natural populations of Cuscuta parodiana subgenus Grammica are presented. The flower morphology allow us to differentiate 4 morpho- types through corolla and gynoecium traits. Three entities analyzed were tetraploids (n = 30), and one was of them diploid (n = 15). Trivalent and tetravalent chromosomal configurations, chromatin bridges, chromosomes outside of metaphasic plate, cytomixis and extranuclear spherical bodies were observed during meiosis


European Islam is facing the challenge of developing a role for Islam outside the dar al Islam, the classic Islamic territories. Muslims must localize themselves with respect to their country of immigration, their country of origin, and global Islam. This complex task leads to the development of several competing positions. Referring to the example of Turkish Sunnites in Europe, the article discusses this development over two generations. The exilic Islam of the first generation is characterized by a defensive attitude toward Europe and a general orientation toward the home country. The diasporic Islam which is currently developing among Muslims of the second generation, is oriented toward Europe. Reflecting the logical positions which can be adopted in the struggle for recognition (i.e. struggle for equality and antidiscrimination; struggle for the right for difference; quest for authenticity) three tendencies are developing: (1) an individualized I Islam de culture (2) a community-oriented orthodox wing; (3) an antihegemonic-ultraorthodox wing. Each wing provides different answers to the problem of relating religious values to the civil culture of the respective country of immigration. In the same process the strong ties to the homecountry are losened and replaced by an orientation toward the global umma. These positions have not yet found an organizational form. Instead, they are articulated within the communities established by the first generation, leading to the development of subgroups and facilitating new coalitions.


The flow of liquid driven by the capillary force under the influence of small and steady lateral accelerations is studied. Knowledge of this phenomenon is important for fluid handling in surface tension propellant tanks. The geometry under investigation consists of two parallel plates of equal width. Theoretical calculations for the liquid rise and the plate width wetted by the liquid as a function of the lateral acceleration are compared with data from drop tower experiments. It is found that capillary driven liquid flow is possible up to Bo = 2.0, for Bo > 2.0 breakage of the liquid column occurs and liquid is pushed out of the vane.


The Fukushima nuclear disaster on March 11, 2011, has been reported to the IAEA and has been dealt with professionally. On the other hand, airborne monitoring was conducted in September 2011 for wide-area air dose rate surveys. As a result, Kashiwa City in Chiba Prefecture, which is about $200 \mathrm{km}$ away, was designated as an"intensive contamination survey area."Localized radioactive contaminations (hotspots) were often found and reported by residents there. The present study is a report of 2011 and 2012 dose rate measurements and 12 years of fixed-point monitoring at hotspots in Kashiwa City. A typical hotspot was a gutter and similar place where a large amount of rainwater was concentrated. The intensity distribution and time dependence of the dose rate at hotspots were measured. The dose rate over 12 years by fixed-point measurements agreed well with the sum of the radioactive decay characteristics of $^{131}\mathrm{I}$, $^{134}\mathrm{C_s}$, and $^{137}\mathrm{C_s}$. Decontamination in the living environment was conducted by sharing information between residents and the local government. It was effective to reduce the dose rate significantly by removing the sediment in the gutter and similar place. It is important to find hotspots in the living environments and decontaminate them intensively to reduce the risk of radiation injury to young children.


This paper intends to investigate the effect of two vented water trees w1 and w2 growing simultaneously from both conductor and insulation screens of medium voltage cable in the presence or not of space charge, on the electric field distribution. +12 kV DC voltage has been applied. Such simulation has been implemented under Comsol Multiphysics® environment using the finite element method. Particular interest is assigned to the effect of the polarity, density and layers thickness of the space charge as well as to the behavior of this charge initially accumulated at water trees tips. Note that for the polarity influence, the four polarities configurations related to the space charge accumulated at w1 and w2 have been considered. As results, the electric field enhancement at the semiconductor layers especially close to the water tree defect is strongly dependent not only upon the relative permittivity distribution inside water trees, but also on the amount, density and layers thickness of the space charge. In the absence of space charge, we show that, with regard to the inhomogeneous (linear and parabolic) distribution of the permittivity, the homogeneous one causes much more local enhancement of electric field at the trees tips. Moreover, the electric field distribution depends on the geometrical parameters (length and width) and shape of trees; the spherical form engenders a higher electric field than elliptical one. In addition, the association of the space charge could lead to the initiation of the electric trees even at lower voltages. Furthermore, the initiation of electrical trees from the physical interfaces is more probable in the case of opposite polarities especially for negative-positive configuration. Such electrical trees start not only from the tip but also from the water tree root (interface of treed region, un-treed one and semiconductor) which is particularly more vulnerable than inside.


Background: Apolipoprotein E has been one of the most thoroughly studied genetic polymorphisms, particularly for its effects on lipid profiles and coronary heart disease risk. This study investigated the relationship between the apolipoprotein E polymorphism and essential hypertension in a Korean population. Methods: The subjects (n


Summary.  Working life expectancy is the future time that a person is expected to spend in employment. The paper is concerned with its estimation jointly with the expected times spent in the related states of 'on disability pension' and 'other alive'. The method, which is novel in this field, first estimates year‐ and age‐dependent probabilities of being in the states of interest by large sample multivariate logistic regression. Estimates of probabilities, and subsequently expectancies, are given for the case of Finnish women and men aged 16–64 years for selected years in the period 1980–2001, together with projections for 2006. Since 1996 the decline in the employment of males has largely been due to the increasing popularity of early retirement. It was not due to an increase in disability. There has been no such decline for women, and the working life expectancy for males has been predicted to decline to or to fall below the initially lower figure for females by 2006. Considering that the Finnish population is aging rapidly, these trends could entail serious social and economic consequences for society in the coming years because of a looming shortage in the labour force that could undermine the sustainability of a welfare state.


Aarthi Ramlaul and Martin Vosper Eds., Patient Centred Care in Medical Imaging and Radiotherapy (London: Churchill Livingstone, 2013), ISBN: 978-07020-4613-1


As industrial systems continue to grow in terms of scale and complexity, having an effective as well as proactive failure management approach helps mitigate the impact of server failure. While supervised methods fail to perform well in real-world servers due to label noise in log data as well as their failure to detect unseen failures, unsupervised techniques are often too naive to differentiate between complex log structures. We propose a NLP based semi-supervised solution that learns the complex understanding of healthy and failure log patterns using an ensemble of deep learning based density and sequential solutions. Our hypothesis is that server logs follow a language of their own, which we attempt to decipher through Server-Language Processing. Experimental evaluations on real world log data show that our proposed solution outperforms other existing log-based anomaly detection methods for real world application. The solution was implemented for 3000 servers for 6 months of log data, and was able to pick up server failures upto 2 weeks in advance without raising an excess of false alarms.


A primary goal in land management is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the country?s rangelands and shrublands for future generations. This type of sustainable management is to assure the availability and appropriate use of scientific information for decisionmaking. Some of most challenging scientific problems of shrubland ecosystem management are nonnative invasive species, probable effects of global climate change, detrimental effects due to land use change, restoration of degraded environments, and maintaining the quality and quantity of water.


Abstract An examination of the fracture surfaces of ductile metal specimens broken in high stress fatigue has revealed the occurrence of fracture ripples similar in appearance to those resulting from low stresses, but considerably larger. By sectioning specimens strained to various stages of the fatigue stress cycle, it has been shown that crack propagation and fracture ripple formation are the consequences of the successive rounding and sharpening of the crack tip during each stress cycle. The hypothesis that high stress fatigue is different in character from low stress fatigue and results from a 'delayed static fracture' is not in accord with the present observations.


It's a major strategic task disposed on the 17th National Congress of the CPC to promote marxism's popularization in contemporary China.It's the necessary measure to integrate the Marxist theories into life by taking different ways in the process of education promotion according to the different characteristics of leading cadres,workers and farmers,intellectuals,teenagers and young children and other emerging social stratums.


Given that (a) the development of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has been cha- racterized by its enormous spread of disciplines and applications, (b) any social fact is developed in conjunction with a specifi c territorial or spatial environment and (c) referring to traditional interdis- ciplinary featuring applied anthropology, this paper presents a case for its potential as a tool applied anthropology. To achieve this, are offered examples of their use in different phases (design and fi rst approaches to the fi eld of study, analysis and presentation of research results) of research projects developed in the Canaries.


Objective:To measurement of jaw bone 2000 years ago and accumulate data for the study of physical anthropology of the Chinese people.Method:we measured the jaw bone about 2000 years ago by omnipotent angle ruler and digital vernial caliper. The specimen included 20 maxillae and 86 mandibulae,whose age ranged from 15 to 45. Data obtained were analyzed by SAS 9.0. Result:The maxillo-alveolar breadth、palatal length、height of the mandibular body I、thickness of the mandibular body I、height of mental forame、mandibular angle and length of the mandibular body of the people about 2000 years ago. were all smaller than those in Neolithic era,the mandible matched exactly on left and right sides,in addition to height of the mandibular body,the other data of the adolescent and postadolescencent mandible did not change with age.Conclusion:The present findings can be provided some references for the evolution of jaw bone.


In this paper we describe the process for arrhythmia diagnosis which has been implemented in a real-time monitoring system for physiological signals (SUTIL), developed for patients interned in Coronary Care Units. We used two different solutions: beat-bybeat analysis for fuzzy diagnosis of those arrhythmias which are clearly identified with beat sequences or patterns, and ECG frequency domain confirmation of segments suspected of containing lethal arrhythmias, the detection of which is not viable from a beat-by-beat analysis.


DESIGN WITH SHARING IN MIND: AN EXPLORATION OF SHARED SPACE AND ITS APPLICATION TO DOWNTOWN YONGE STREET IN TORONTO Richard Valenzona Advisor: University of Guelph, 2013 Cecelia Paine Conventional street design has given drivers priority over the street. This has resulted in overall declination of the public realm. This study explored the topic of shared space, defined as an approach in which the street is designed in a way that pedestrians, drivers and other street users have equal entitlement and priority throughout the entire space. The research draws upon the literature on shared space; and case studies comprised of secondary source descriptions, key-informant interviews and on-site observation. Ensuing findings suggested that vehicles were more willing to share the streetscape with pedestrians when vehicular speeds were reduced and there was integration between sidewalk and roadway. These findings led to development of a set of principles that informed recommendations for the conceptual redesign of Toronto's Downtown Yonge Street as a shared space.


The employment of instructional technology in teaching and learning has becoming a crucial requirement among teachers and educators especially in the 21st century education. Moreover, the current global emergence situation of COVID-19 pandemic has been forcing educators towards using various online platforms and technologies In Malaysia, universities have scrambled to move the program to an electronic platform to tackle the proliferation of COVID-19 under the national Movement Control Order (MCO). Malaysia's 20 public universities including Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia was to encourage or mandate online learning for various major languages including Arabic. During this difficult period, Arabic lecturers might need more training to allow them to have an in-depth understanding of how technology can improve learning and motivate their students to learn. The researchers employed responsive semi-structured interviews, which allowed the respondents to share about their teaching practices and how technology motivated them to be more creative in their teaching practices during MCO. The result indicates that online learning can be a solution for the Arabic language educators and practitioners to share their knowledge by using e-Learning or other platforms as education needs to be conducted during MCO. One of the online learning benefits is lecturers become motivated and students become active when they learn using online learning as they are the ones who take responsibility for their learning.


Resena de European Americana: A Chonological Guide to works Printed in Europe relating to the Americas. 1493-1776, Volume I:1493-1600; Volume II:1601-1650 , Edited by John Alden and Dennis C. Landis; Volume V: 1701-1725; Volume V1:1726-1750 ; Dennis Channing Landis, Editor; Leslie Tobias, Mark N. Brown, Susan L. Newberry, Contributing Editors, New York and New Canaan, The John Carter Brown Library, Readex Books, 1980-1988.


: The present disclosure envisages a method and a system for providing a customized service to user. The method comprises the step of receiving a request of each of a plurality of users from a user terminal, wherein the request corresponds to at least an instruction generated by the user or a reminder pertaining to said instruction of the user. The method further comprises the step of analyzing the request to identify a type of customized service in the instruction, wherein the type of customized service corresponds to updating a pre-stored set of data. The method also comprises the step of generating a suggestive report depicting an actionable intelligence based on said analysis, wherein the suggestive report comprises an output pertaining to the customized service. Further, the present disclosure relates to the field of personalized devices. More specifically, the invention belongs to the field of trainable personalized devices which involve customization of instructions according to different requirements of an individual.


Abstract A series of Poly(amide-imide)/montmorillonite nanocomposites containing N-pyromellitimido-L-phenyl alanine moiety in the main chain were synthesized by a convenient solution intercalation technique. Poly(amide-imide) (PAI) 5 as a source of polymer matrix was synthesized by the direct polycondensation reaction of N-pyromellitimido-L-phenyl alanine 3 with 4,4'-diamino diphenyl ether 4 in the presence of triphenyl phosphite (TPP), CaCl2, pyridine and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP). The resulting nanocomposite films were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results showed that organo-modified clay was dispersed homogeneously in PAI matrix. TGA indicated an enhancement of thermal stability of new nanocomposites compared with the pure polymer.


One goal of theoretical chemistry and materials science is to predict the physical and chemical properties of matter using computer simulations of electronic structure, dynamics and kinetics theories. For large systems (e.g., 10 2 -10 5 atoms with 10 3 -10 6 electrons) at numerous geometries, ab initio electronic structure methods are prohibitively expensive. A pragmatic solution involves approximating the electronic structure with sufficient accuracy and computational efficiency to allow the results to be evaluated directly during dynamic simulations. The tight binding molecular dynamics method is a well known example. Another is effective medium (EM) theory which has been developed over the past decade to treat large metallic systems. EM methods have been successful for close packed metals, especially monometallics. They are less applicable to metals with open structures, oxides and mixed metals due to the inability to treat weakly directional bonding and charge transfer. One problem is that these methods are generally not variational or self-consistent but instead require specification of the electron density as input. (We use variational to mean that the energy can be extremized with respect to a set of parameters while self-consistent means that the electron density is determined by the energy variation.).


As a modern metropolis, Shanghai has a registered population of 18.8 million in 2011, and the permanent population has been more than 20 million. As a result, Shanghai produces more than 6.3 millio ...


Are you stuck for ideas on how to make your Father's Day special yet inexpensive? Well, south Norfolk has the answer.


Thank you for downloading a comparison of eskimo and palaeolithic art. Maybe you have knowledge that, people have look hundreds times for their favorite books like this a comparison of eskimo and palaeolithic art, but end up in harmful downloads. Rather than enjoying a good book with a cup of tea in the afternoon, instead they are facing with some infectious bugs inside their desktop computer. a comparison of eskimo and palaeolithic art is available in our book collection an online access to it is set as public so you can get it instantly. Our books collection saves in multiple locations, allowing you to get the most less latency time to download any of our books like this one. Kindly say, the a comparison of eskimo and palaeolithic art is universally compatible with any devices to read.


Summary: Two cases of severe rhesus isoimmunization with spontaneous improvement in severity of erythroblastosis with advancing parity are presented. The infant of one of these patients had a cord haemoglobin value of 4.6 g per 100 ml and required abdominal paracentesis, 9 exchange transfusions, and survived 3 cardiorespiratory arrests to develop into a normal child. In a subsequent pregnancy this patient was delivered of an infant whose cord blood was Coombs positive and had a cord haemoglobin value of 15.0 g per 100 ml; the infant survived without an exchange transfusion.


Background. Leptospirosis is a bacterial zoonosis caused by pathogenic species of the genus Leptospira that affects mainly reproductive performance in sheep. Objective. To identify the seroprevalence of Leptospira spp., associated serogroups, and possible risk factors in the state of Veracruz, Mexico. Methodology. Blood samples were collected from 405 sheep in 55 farms located in 13 municipalities distributed along three ovine-producing regions in the state. Serological diagnosis was made by Microscopic Agglutination Technique (MAT). The prevalence and its confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using Vassarstats software, the Odds Ratio (OR) values were estimated with WinEpiscope. Results. An overall seroprevalence of 53.83% (95%CI:48.84-58.75), per municipality of 100% (95%CI :71.66-100) and per flock of 92.73% (95%CI: 81.58-97.65) were noted. The highest prevalence by region was 58.82% (95%CI:%:50.57-66.62) for Los Tuxtlas (p= 0.218) and per municipality 86.36% (95%CI:71.95-94.33) for Ángel R. Cabada. The predominant serogroup was Hardjo (45.93%; 95%CI:41.02-50.92). By age, the highest values were 55.93% (95%CI:48.29-63.31) in the group of 19-36 months. The main recognized risk factors were region and municipality. Los Tuxtlas Region (OR =1.92; 95%CI:1.08-3.43) and the municipalities of Ángel R. Cabada (OR=15.5; 95%CI:5.1-47.2), Ayahualulco (OR=10.1; 95%CI :3.6-28.7), and Coatzintla (OR=6.1; 95%CI: 30.3 – 95.0). Implications. This study explores the presence of antibodies against Leptospira spp. in sheep, its associated serogroups and risk factors in the state of Veracruz, Mexico. This is this first report on the presence and relevance of this infection in sheep of this region. The role of sheep as a maintenance host for Leptospira spp. in endemic areas is stressed. Conclusions. The study concludes that Leptospira spp. in sheep has an overall seroprevalence of 53.83% in the state of Veracruz, Mexico and several serogroups present.


This paper took its starting point with the results of a project in the 4th Framework Programme of the European Union. This project was called WALCYNG - Walking and Cycling instead of short car trips. The aim of this project was to develop ideas on what could help to reduce short car trips in Europe and to replace them by other modes of transport, especially the non-motorised ones .Two conclusions derived from this project had a strong influence on the development of the book that will be presented here: 15 to 20 % of all car trips in Europe are shorter than 1 km, corresponding to a 10 to 15 minutes walking distance; A road user-oriented approach is needed in order to understand what makes people stick to the car in spite of strong arguments and good opportunities to change, and what keeps them from walking, especially. Technical innovations to encourage and facilitate walking are considered from the viewpoints of pedestrians and habitual car users in the light of the conflict of interests between the two groups. One important barrier to walking that road users in several European countries mentioned in the frame of WALCYNG was the perception that as a pedestrian one feels like a second class road user, or even a second class citizen. The book that is presented here deals with this perception. It consists of three main parts that have been elaborated in the frame of a series of seminars at the Sociological Institute of the University of Vienna: A theoretical preparation of the subject, based on expert heuristics (students and lecturer together) and a state of the art. The view of experts and politicians, containing a portion of introspection, when answering psychological questions such as "do pedestrians have a reason to feel like second class citizens?" Road side interviews with pedestrians and car drivers. Arising from the study are seven recommendations for making the roads more pedestrian friendly. These include such issues as cleanliness, the introduction of facilities to make walking more attractive and priorities of pedestrians with respect to cars and cyclists. For the covering abstract see ITRD E136182.


Introduction: The Internet is widely used to obtain information about surgery and anesthesia. It has been the subject of research that education is an essential factor in people's access to information. We aimed to investigate the effect of age and education on the use of Internet among pregnant patients. Methods: The questionnaire, which was prepared within the scope of the study, was performed in pregnant patients who were scheduled for elective cesarean operation. The questionnaire was performed before the anesthesia application in the operation room. Age, education level, preoperative anxiety levels of the patients, and the sources of anesthesia and surgical information were categorized according to the related studies.Results:There were 98 patients completed the survey for this study. Of those who completed the survey. We divided the groups as a different ages and education levels. According to the correlation test, education level was significant differences for anesthesia knowledge by using social media (p=0.018, r=0.239). And there were no significant differences in surgery knowledge by using social media (p=0.836, r=0.021) Being under 30 ages was significant differences in anesthesia knowledge by using social media (p=0.004, r=0.292). And there were significant differences in surgery knowledge by using social media (p=0.009, r=0.264): Conclusions:We hope that our colleagues will be an element that will emphasize the need to change the methods of informing patients according to our findings.


Personality factors play an important role when a person is faced with a situation that involves moral judgment of right or wrong. A person with dark personality characteristics (dark triad) is very likely to exhibit unethical behavior. Ethical behavior is an important issue for the accountant profession because published financial statements must be accountable to the public, especially for investors and creditors as parties who bear great risks in making their investment and credit decisions. Although many studies have examined the factors causing the unethical behavior of accountants, studies investigating the impact of accountants' dark personalities on ethical decision-making are still scarce. This study aims to examine the effect of two types of dark personalities, namely narcissism and psychopathy, on accountant decision making involving various business ethical situations. The study employed a quantitative approach with primary data obtained from questionnaires. Narcissism is measured through Narcisstic Personality Inventory, psychopathy is measured through Levenson Self-Report Psychopaty Scale, and attitude toward unethical practices used an instrument use d by Bailey (2019). The population was management accountants, public accountants, and public sector accountants with a sample of 103 respondents. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to test the research hypotheses using SPSS software version 26. The results showed that accountants with dominant narcissistic and psychopathic personalities tend to make unethical decisions.


An important factor in ensuring the competitiveness of the national economy and ensuring economic growth is the development of human capital. After all, without highly qualified and intellectually educated professionals it is difficult to imagine the emergence of new knowledge, goods or services. During the structuring of human capital, it was found that the most common approach is to distinguish between basic and specific human capital, which have radically different ways of formation and use. Thus, the state and the family, which are interested in high-quality general education and health care, take an active part in the formation of basic human capital. In turn, the specific human capital is formed on the basis of accumulation of professional knowledge, abilities and skills therefore the most concerned persons, in this case, act directly the person, carrier of human capital, and employer. After all, specific human capital is the basis for increasing productivity and increasing profits, so it becomes appropriate for use within the organization where it is obtained. We believe that the structure of human capital should be divided into three components: basic (responsible for human health and its physiological capabilities), professional (related to educational training) and cultural. But the elements we propose must develop within both basic and specific human capital. Among the factors that have the greatest influence in the process of human capital formation are innate individual characteristics, educational level of parents, social status of the family, cultural and ideological factors. Other factors are proposed to be grouped into such groups as demographic, institutional, integration, economic, ecological, production. In the conditions of innovative development in the course of formation of human capital it is necessary to pay significant attention to a professional component. Because such characteristics give the chance to develop in the person abilities which help to generate new innovative knowledge and to improve innovative skills.


Abstract : After several rages of war, ongoing and consistent state violence against the Palestinian mainstream and way of life, the diasporas of Palestinian refugees, across the Arab world and especially into the Hasemite Kingdom of Jordan have become an issue of grave concern. The Palestinian refugee issue is a derivative of the expulsion of millions of Palestinians after the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, and after the 1967 Six-Day War, (which resulted in Israel occupying the West Bank and Gaza Strip). As long as their land is still illegally occupied territory, the Palestinian refugee issue will be of great concern. Most of the new wave of refugees would likely try to settle into Jordan, since over 1.5 million Palestinians already settled there. After narrowing the scope to Jordan, one can see the economic and political impact that a new wave of Palestinian refugees would have on Jordan's national security. After going through various effects on national security, ranging from exhausting of resources (supply not enough to meet demand) to increased levels of frustration of refugees in Jordan that could lead to civil chaos and uprisings, a resolution can be developed from two options. These options are assessed on lasting solution, capability of implementing, and the political cost for Jordan's image as a moderate state. First, and highly preferred, is the political option, in which Jordan poses as the maintainer of regional stability, playing a key role in diplomacy and adherence to UN Resolutions. The second option, and last resort, would be a purely military option, which would entail the military closure of Jordanian borders to a new wave of refugees. Military leaders would be briefing the political leaders of potential effects and consequences of a military option, as well as the increased readiness of the Jordanian Army to prevent any elements that could provoke an internal crisis.


The Loved One - An Irreverant, Invective, Dark Film Comedy Dark or black film comedy thrived in the late sixties and early seventies. At its best it was a genre that could produce a satirical comment on our society-at its worst it could create sophomoric burlesques on the fads and manners of the time which sometimes wallowed in humor of questionable taste. Among the stronger irreverent and invective creations that seemed to achieve a depth that makes it possible to classify them as satires were such works as Dr. Stangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), The Loved One (1965), The Wrong Box (1966), Cassanove 70 (1965), M*A*S*H (1970), Little Big Man (1970), and Harold and Maude (1972). More on the level of the lightweight lampoon were What's New Pussy Cat? (1965), Candy (1968), Lord Love a Duck (1968), and Blazing Saddles (1974). It is necessary to indicate that these latter films may be entertaining (some of them are even well-done), but they lack the penetration to make them quality social satires. An examination of one of these works, both the novel and film, wUl show some of the values of this type of satire. The Loved One, while it is a film with some pronounced defects, proves to be one of the most typical dark comedy creations of the sixties. A detailed exploration of the basic story development in both media reveals the dark humor that was popular in that period. Some of the spirit of adapter Terry Southern's iconoclastic humor gives the comedy a more American flavor, but the writer, with the assistance of Christopher Isherwood, does retain good moments of British wit from the original source, Evelyn Waugh's 1948 novella, The Loved One. Director Tony Richardson's hand, while it is not as steady as it was with Tom Jones (1963), sets the tone of this satire on the funeral business, HoUywood, America's taste for the gaudy and superficial, the Miss Lonelyhearts (advice to the reader) type of journalism, and expatriate British actors trying to maintain a Victorian dignity in a land they consider primitive. These and many more satirical thrusts combine to make up Waugh's delightfully invective work. The creators of the movie version stray most from the original intent of the novel when they attempt to provide the basic story with a stronger climax. Southern and Isherwood depict the Reverend Harry Glenworthy as entrepreneur and owner of the elaborate cemetery called Whispering Glades-a parody of the well-known Forest Lawn establishment that seems to be a self-lampooning world in real life. The reverend sees more money in senior citizen condominiums than in the funeral business. He has discovered that people are living longer and that his enterprise will not receive the financial growth it needs. So he wishes to convert the property to real estate. Glenworthy (played by Jonathan Winters) states in the film: "Got to be a way to get those stiffs off my property!" A plan is developed to achieve a heavenly touch that would be the opposite of interment-rocket the corpses into orbit. Film critic Bosley Crowther sees this portion of the film as going "into an orbit of witless inanity."! If the concluding sequence goes this far astray or produces the inanity Crowther stated, how could the work be considered a major achievement in the black comedy film of the sixties? It is the case of enough strong parts to equal a solid whole. Some other added elements work-even though a purist, one who believes nothing should be added or altered by the adaptation, might not agree. Some humorous sexual intrigues between the leading young couple, Amiee Thanatogenos (played by Anjanette Comer) and Dennis Barlow (enacted by Robert Morse), receive extended treatment, but there is enough suggestion in the original work to make this type of addition valid. Waugh's indication that AmieVs mind is out of joint continues to be supported throughout the novella and is reinforced by Dennis's comic understatement after she commits suicide. …


Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron , a Gram-negative anaerobic rod and a member of the Bacteroides fragilis group (BFG) causes many systemic and local infections in humans, most of which are endogenous and suppurative. The microorganism produces two high-molecular weight, carbohydrate-containing cell-surface antigens, both of which have been implicated as virulence factors for this organism; these consist of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and capsular polysaccharide (CPS). Adhesion molecules ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and E-selectin can be stimulated to be expressed on the surface of endothelial cells (ECs) by a variety of mediators of inflammation. The aim of this study was to assess the ability of polysaccharide (PS) and lipid (lipid A) components of three B. thetaiotaomicron LPS preparations to induce adhesion molecule expression on the surface of human vascular endothelial cells. The HMEC-1 cell line has been employed along with ELISA assays to examine the relative activity of B. thetaiotaomicron LPS. ELISA was performed using monoclonal mouse anti-human ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and E-selectin antibodies. The lipid A moieties of the three LPS revealed the ability to stimulate ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and E-selectin on endothelial cells. Their relative activities were similar and stronger than the biological activity of the lipid A-depleted polysaccharide (PS) components of LPS that were, nevertheless, significantly above background levels. In contrast, the PS moiety of LPS extracted from a reference strain B. thetaiotaomicron NCTC 10582 was totally unable to induce the expression of any adhesion molecule under investigation. The lipid A of B. thetaiotaomicron LPS is, therefore, and probably not unexpectedly, involved in the stimulation of adhesion molecules that are expressed on HMEC-1 to a greater extent than the PS moiety. Importantly, however, the PS components of the two LPS preparations tested manifest a weak but, nevertheless, significant activity in this process. It is possible that the PS moiety may modify the immunobiological effects of the complete LPS molecule.


Certain experiments involving irradiation of samples in nuclear reactors, specially those for studies in biology, chemistry, physics and materials science where alteration of properties are to be induced by fast neutrons, require the knowledge of the neutron spectrum, particularly in order to calculate the doses absorbed by the samples on the basis of averaged kerma factors. Aiming at a general characterization of the fast neutron spectrum at the irradiation facilities of the Portuguese Research Reactor - a 1 MW pool type reactor, with fuel elements of MTR shape -, in a way which does not depend on the core configuration and on the irradiation conditions, the following simplified calculation was carried out: 1) the face of the reactor core has been considered as being a uniform plane source of fission neutrons, and 2) using the MCNP-4A code, the spectrum of fast neutrons has been calculated at several distances along the central axis normal to the source, considering various combinations of diffusing media of various thickness.


The main purpose of the implementation of the Information Technology (IT) in a company is to improve the effectiveness of the process, time efficiency and competitive advantage of the company. Use of E-Ticketing is one form of support from companies that can play an important role in improving the competitive advantage in terms of customer loyalty. These results indicate that the quality of information from the E-Ticketing system has no effect on customer satisfaction. The relationship between the variable information quality with satisfaction of -0.087. Quality of E-Ticketing system influence on customer satisfaction with the value of 0.965. The quality of information and the quality of the E-Ticketing system has no effect on customer loyalty with each value of 0.030 and 0.198. While the effect of customer satisfaction on customer loyalty with value of 1.074.


MINING AND METALLURGY I N NEGRO AFRICA. By WALTER CLINE. Menasha, Wisconsin, U.S. A . George Banta Publishzng Company, 1937. pp. 155, 16 illustrations, 4 maps. $2.00. Among the innumerable books which have been written upon African exploration there are to be found many accounts of the technical processes employed by the skilled craftsmen of that vast continent. The author of this book has endeavoured to assemble within its covers all accessible data upon mining and metallurgy. His task therefore was mainly a bibliographical one, but he brought to it a keen sense of ordered discrimination and technical curiosity. He has built up a useful source-book for those who wish to make more detailed studies, and, in particular, he has collected valuable material for comparison with those primitive processes of mining and metal-working in other lands, which are of such perennial interest to archaeologists. As its title suggests, the countries of Egypt and of the Mediterranean coast lie beyond the geographical limits of the book. In passing, it is interesting to note how little the high technical and artistic culture of the Egyptian court spread to Nubia or the other countries to the south and west. It would seem that a series of military raids, with some semi-permanent occupation, to enforce a tribute of gold, slaves, and other plunder, rather than the peaceful penetration of mutual trade, represented Egypt's sole interests in these lands. Much of Egypt's early gold came down the Upper Nile and from the land of Punt, now generally identified with the Somali coast. But it was from West Africa, the Western Sudan and the Sahara that the great bulk of medieval trade in gold proceeded : Arab, Italian and Portuguese traders were concerned in this. Much of the gold was from alluvial washings, but some shallow mining seems to have been practised. The natives valued gold principally as a means of foreign trade : copper, brass, iron, and woven fabrics were sought in exchange. In the Middle Ages there was great gold mining activity in the Transvaal and Southern Rhodesia, and a smaller amount in Central and East Africa. Silver was little known or worked. The earliest datable iron ornaments and implements from Africa are a few predynastic ornaments and tools from Egypt, made from meteoric iron ; and, much later, the wrought iron head-rest and tools from the tomb of Tutankhamen. Nothing so early as this has been found in Negro Africa, but iron remains


The energy shortage in the United States will be of many years duration. In the past, commercial buildings have not been designed to minimize the consumption of electricity and fuels. Because of the energy shortage and the resulting rise in costs of energy, it is imperative that conservation measures be implemented. Little information is available on how energy is consumed in buildings. Computer models which analyze the total energy balance of a building provide valuable guidance in planning conservation strategies. Obstacles to innovations and improvement in construction technology are examined. Some general methods are described for reducing energy consumption in the existing stock of commercial buildings. Areas where improvements can be made in future designs are identified.


In this work, the cooling slope method is employed to produce the A356 feedstock in semisolid processing. This paper discusses the effect of temperature on the final microstructure of A356 aluminum alloy in this method. These temperatures are casting temperature, mold temperature, and cooling slope plate temperature. The dendritic primary phase in the conventionally cast A356 alloy is transformed into a non-dendritic one in ingots cast over a cooling plate at casting temperature of 600 ℃, 615 ℃, 625 ℃, 650 ℃, and 680 ℃, and at condition of using a cooling system or without it. After pouring, the melt which becomes semisolid at the end of the plate is consequently poured into cylindrical steel mold at temperatures of 25 ℃, 200 ℃, and 400 ℃. The cooling slope is adjusted at the angle of 50° with respect to the horizontal plane and 500 mm length. It is found that the pouring, plate, and mold temperatures affect the size and morphology of α-Al phase. The effects of these are 22% decrease on average grain diameter and 8.5% increase on the shape factor at the weakest case. The results illustrated that by modifying the temperature the hardness of the specimens is increased. The results indicated that the highest uniformity with the grain size of ∼88 µm and maximum shape factor of 0.68 are related to pouring and mold temperature of 625 ℃ and 200 ℃, respectively using water cooling system.


A look at four different approaches to cost containment that the W. K. Kellogg Foundation is funding, as well as a discussion of the board's role in developing and monitoring cost-conscious practices.