Classification in cancer has traditionally relied on feature selection by differential expression as a first step, where genes are selected according to the strength of evidence for a consistent difference in expression level between classes. However, recent work has shown that many genes also differ in the variance of their gene expression between disease states, and in particular between cancers of different types, prognosis, or stages of development. Features selected based on increased variance in cancer or differences in variance between tumours of differing prognosis have been used to successfully predict tumour progression or prognosis within the same cancer type, and to classify cancer subtypes in cases where there is an overall increase in variance in one class over the other. Here, we apply feature selection by differential variance to the more general problem of classification of cancer subtypes. We show that classifiers using features selected by differential variance are able to distinguish between clinically relevant cancer subtypes, that these classifiers perform as well as classifiers based on features selected by differential expression, and that combining the two approaches often gives better classification results than either feature selection method alone.


This study was to investigate performance of position, basic controls and additional control for man-machine interface on a 3-point hitch of a tractor. The developed additional control was one-touchup, backup, turnup, liftarm limited, PTO on/off and an external control. As a result of experiment, maximum steady state error of response system was lower than and this result showed the function operated normally because the dead band of system set was . There was no abnormal situation by switch operation and sensor signal during the performance test. The results of experiment showed the characteristics of the response was sufficient to be used as the position and additional control system for tractors.


Optical resonances of a metallically coated wave-chaotic microcavity are investigated. Mode resonances with a low-contrast quality factor and distinct field patterns are demonstrated. Unlike the resonances in the dielectric chaotic-wave cavity where the refractive escape leads a high optical loss, the resonances in metallically coated cavity hold high quality factors with a low loss induced by metal dissipation. As a potential application, the metallically coated chaotic-wave microcavity could be used for a semiconductor laser source with dense modes lasing and accordingly a low spatial coherent emission.


In the early days of the Theatre du Solei! it was frequently pointed out with some surprise by commentators that Ariane Mnouchkine was extraordinary in being the only notable woman theatre director in France. After twenty-four years the French media have now grown accustomed to the idea of Mnouchkine as a director, even though this acceptance seems in most cases restricted to Mnouchkine personally rather than to the idea of women directors in general — there remain very few prominent female directors in the French theatre. The focus of much media attention has now switched from astonishment at the fact of a female director to a recurrent questioning of what are perceived to be contradictions and paradoxes in Mnouchkine's work and position within the company, implying that her role as director within a collective is a betrayal of her egalitarian principles.


Abstract The recovery pattern and outcome were analysed in 261 consecutive children (age 6–36 months) with persistent diarrhoea who underwent inpatient nutritional rehabilitation with a rice‐lentil (Khitchri) and yoghurt‐based diet. Overall. 217 (83%) recovered successfully, as judged by a reduction in stool output and weight gain for a consecutive 3 d. Failures were more commonly febrile at admission [odds ratio (OR) 2.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1–4.8] and a greater number had culture‐proven sepsis (Fisher's exact test, p < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis identified significantly increased risk of treatment failure with several admission characteristics, including stool frequency > 5 d‐1 (OR 2.9, 95% CI 1.6‐5.2), vomiting (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.1–5.7) and sepsis (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.1–7.5). Survival analysis revealed significantly longer time‐to‐recovery among children with stool frequency > 5 d‐1 at admission (p < 0.001), suspected sepsis necessitating intravenous antibiotics (p < 0.001) or oral candidiasis (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that severity of diarrhoea and coexisting systemic infections are key determinants of the response to nutritional therapy in children with persistent diarrhoea.


Based on the achievements made by national scientific and technological project and the relevant laws and regulatory requirements, as well as the actual safe production needs of the CNG filling stations, the design scheme for the safety monitoring system of CNG filling station is proposed. Firstly, the common dangerous and hazardous factors of CNG filling station are identified, and the accidents happening in CNG filling station in recent years are statistically analyzed. Secondly, the fire and explosion hazards are analyzed with fault tree analysis method. Thirdly, the accident prevention measures are put forward. Finally, the structure and functions for safety monitoring system of CNG filling station are presented. On the basis of the identification, analysis and evaluation of CNG filling station's hazardous factors, the safety-related information needing monitoring in the system is determined. Through the intelligent analysis on the safety information in the operation of CNG filling station, this system can not only achieve the functions of early-warning and interlock control, but can also control and eliminate the risk of accidents and prevent major accidents. In addition, the system can be directly incorporated into the emergency rescue platform to provide detailed and accurate field information for the scientific decision-making of emergency rescue services.


Medical sealant devices for in vivo hemostasis are far from satisfactory in the aged society. A major challenge is effective integration of quick hemorrhage control of the increased anticoagulated patients, high safety, and facile accessibility. Here, a well‐defined ammonolysis‐based Tetra‐PEG hydrogel sealant is developed with rapid gelation speed, strong tissue adhesion, and high mechanical strength. Introduction of cyclized succinyl ester groups into a hydrogel matrix endows the sealant with fast degradable and controllably dissolvable properties. The hydrogel possesses outstanding hemostatic capabilities even under the anticoagulated conditions while displaying excellent biocompatibility and feasibility. These results reveal that the optimized hydrogel may be a facile, effective, and safe sealant for hemorrhage control in vivo.


In this paper we evaluate the expected evolution of the Trattamento di …ne rapporto over the Italian employees'working life careers. We use adiminstrative (INPS) data to disentangle the amount that is expected to be accumulated until retirement, the amount expected not to accrue because of discountinuos working careers and/or paid as an anticipated withdrawal. This is relevant in the light of the recent pension system reforms that encourage the diversion of the TFR to pension funds. I thank Christian Bartolucci, John.V. Duca, Chirstopher Flinn, Stefan Hochguertel, Costas Meghir, Claudio Michelacci, Ra¤aele Miniaci, Giovanna Nicodano, Lia Pacelli, Nicola Pavoni, Roberto Quaranta, Claudia Villosio and Mathis Wagner for helpful discussions and comments. I thank participants to the "Cognetti's Lunch Seminar", to the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) Workshop and to the ESPE 2011 Annual Congress. Financial support from the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MIUR) is gratefully aknowledged. Usual disclaimers apply. yUniversita di Torino and Center for Research of Pensions and Welfare Policies (CeRP)-Collegio Carlo Alberto (CCA); firstname.lastname@example.com; Tel. +39 011 6705048.


Unsteady, viscous, low-speed e ows over a NACA 0012 airfoil oscillated in plungeand/orpitch at various reduced frequency,amplitude, andphaseshift arecomputed. Vortical wakeformations, boundary-layere owsat theleading edge, the formation of leading-edge vortices and their downstream convection are presented in terms of unsteady particletraces.Flowseparationcharacteristicsandthrust-producingwakeproe lesareidentie ed.Computedresults compare well with water tunnel e ow visualization and force data and other computational data. The maximum propulsive efe ciency is obtained for cases where the e ow remains mostly attached over the airfoil oscillated in a combined pitch and plunge.


This article indicates the productivity status in the plastic cluster sector in the city of Bogota, under the terms set by the production function of Cobb-Douglas in order to establish the related points between a specific industrial product and the possible variations presented regarding the use of capital, the labor force, and the appropriation of technology. This document has four parts: the first one contextualizes –as an introduction– the environment where competitiveness operates, by tying that concept to the real sense to be attributed to productivity. This way, we highlight its importance to the companies when looking to generate more benefits. The second and third parts describe the theoretical framework and the methodology used to base the research, respectively, emphasizing on the construction of the Tornqvist-Theil index and the analysis of the production function. Lastly, we established the conclusions after analyzing two quantitative models previously outlined.


Phase angle of PD pulse is an important parameter of PD pattern, and its accuracy determines the effectiveness of PD pattern recognition based on phase-resolved distribution analysis. In this paper, a novel phase angle calculation method for UHF PD detecting systems in segment acquisition mode is proposed. This method use a synchronous circuit to output UHF marker signals with certain frequency characteristics to represent the rising edge of zero-crossing points of power frequency signal. The UHF PD detection system receives both marker signals and PD pulses, and records the occurrence time of all of the UHF pulse signals. Those two types of signals could be separated and marked by calculating their different time-frequency characteristic parameters using fuzzy clustering method. Then the phase angle of PD pulses could be calculated from the time difference between the UHF PD pulses and the neighboring zero-crossing points of power frequency signal. This method realizes the phase angle calculation of UHF PD signals without sampling power frequency signal, which greatly simplifies the structure of the system and reduces its requirements for data processing. The validity of the method is verified by experimental application in Laboratory.


The reasons of emergence of defects in the form of a metal splitting off in a belt apex of wheel couples of locomotives 2ES10 are investigated. Nonmetallic inclusions defined as the main reason of origin of fatigue cracks.


By Douglas J. Pooler, M.S. Washington State University August 2001 Chair: Lloyd V. Smith The present work investigates the effect of temperature on the viscoelastic strain response of a wood-plastic composite. A power law model and a Prony Series model for the viscoelastic strain response were investigated to describe the time dependent behavior of the material at 23C, 45C, and 65C. With application of the time-temperature superposition principle, the Prony Series was found to match more closely with experimental data. While the threshold stress was found to scale with the temperature dependent ultimate strength of the material, the magnitude of damage was found to have a highly non-linear temperature dependence above this threshold stress. The viscoelastic model developed from the creep analysis was applied to determine the cyclic peak strain response during fatigue loading of the wood-plastic composite. Satisfactory comparisons were achieved with the Prony Series below the threshold stress. The model was found be ineffective in describing the damage caused by cyclic loading above the threshold stress, however. The non-linear temperature dependence of damage observed in creep was also found for fatigue loading.


Cadmium (Cd) is among the heavy metals causing environmental pollution and can cause temporary or permanent oxidative stress in the cells. Antioxidative enzyme mechanisms may be inadequate in the response of living organisms to oxidative stress caused by these toxic substances. In this study, in order to prevent Cd induced oxidative stress, the possible protective effects of (TA), cacao oil (CO) and St. John's Wort oil (JWO) on lipid erythrocytes and antioxidant enzymes were investigated. We prepared packed erythrocytes from the blood samples of 7 healthy volunteers. Experiment groups consisting of control, Cd, TA, CO, JWO and their combinations (Cd+TA, Cd+CO ve Cd+JWO) were arranged. In all groups, malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were measured. Comparisons between groups of normally distributed variable were evaluated by One-Way variance analysis (ANOVA). Comparisons between groups of not normally distributed variable wereevaluated by Kruskal-Wallis test. After Cd administration SOD activity was increased in TA (3507± 68.2 u/gHb), CO (3518 ±170.0 u/gHb) and JWO (3469±249.5 u/ gHb) groups compared to Cd group. After Cd administration MDA levels were decreased in CO (52,1±24,3 nmol/gHb) and JWO (54,1±23,7 nmol/gHb) groups compared to Cd group. However, it did not change in the TA (61,5±50,0 nmol/gHb) group. After Cd administration CAT activity was increased in TA (228,2±31,3 u/gHb), CO (281,6±295,3 u/gHb) and JWO (267,8±69,4 u/gHb) groups compared to Cd group (196,2±223,0 u/gHb). These results indicate that HF and SCI may reduce Cd-induced oxidative stress, but TA is not very effective in terms of MDA levels. These data obtained in terms of other studies may be guiding.


IDS PAPER CONSIDERS the problem of public school under-achievement. It
. employs a qualitative critical case study method of analysis informed by a critical
theoretical framework The paper focuses on data from the Victorian Auditor-General's Report (VAGR): Literacy and Numeracy Achievement (2009). A significant component and aim of this paper is to illustrate and explain in some detail, broader social, economic and political interactions that work to influence public school outcomes in terms of student achievement. The paper is in three sections. The first discusses the theoretical standpoint of the paper. The epistemological foundations of the argument within the paper are made in this section reflecting a critical Constructionist theoretical perspective. This part of the paper refers to the interpretative nature of research inquiry and includes a short explication of critical theory and its relevance to matters of educational interest. It also includes a short discussion on the case study approach illustrating its usefulness to the question and problem under consideration. Section two focuses on the problem of student under-achievement and examines the specific case of numeracy within an Australian context, the State of Victoria. The specific case of
numeracy' is worth particular consideration. The argument in this section refers to the correlation
between socio-economic status (SES) and individual learning outcomes. In general
terms, low SES correlates to lower academic achievement. The VAGR suggests that students from low SES backgrounds significantly underperform in numeracy when compared against
their higher SES counterparts. This is a surprising finding in some respects, taking into consideration recent attempts at intervention, including efforts to alter classroom instruction.


The Minerals Act 50 of 1991 set a precedent in South Africa for mining and environmental legislation as it considered all factors pertaining to mining, specifically with respect to mine rehabilitation and closure. The Minerals Act No. 50 of 1991 was replaced by the Mineral and Petroleum Resource Development Act (MPRDA) No. 28 of 2002, which included far more stringent conditions related to mine closure. In addition, as of 2010, mining became a listed activity and the environmental provisions of the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) 107 of 1998 now also apply to mine closure certification resulting in mines having to comply with stipulations of this act too before qualifying for closure. No mine closure certificate has ever been issued under either the Minerals Act of 1991 or the Mineral and Petroleum Resource Development Act of 2002. The authorities are reluctant to accept responsibility for granting closure, without being persuaded beyond doubt that all risks (environmental, social, health and safety) have been adequately and sustainably dealt with. In this paper, the authors use a case study and interview approach to critically examine the mine closure procedure of the De Beers Oaks Diamond Mine, Limpopo, as it is anticipated that this mine will be the first in South Africa to acquire a full mine closure certificate, as it has stringently followed all relevant legislation and policy directives, and openly communicated with relevant departments at all levels of government. The objectives of the paper are to stipulate the legal requirements for mine closure certification in South Africa and to critically analyse the mine closure procedures that were followed in the closure plan for the Oaks Diamond Mine. Specific challenges and actions taken to implement the closure plan are highlighted. Results indicate that the most effective way of acquiring a mine closure certificate is to integrate legislation with procedures throughout the life cycle of a mine.


The standards for ECT recommended by an APA task force report and those embodied in federal court orders and state statutes and regulations are compared. The authors conclude that there is serious boundary and role confusion owing to progressive intrusion of state authority into areas traditionally held to lie in the domain of medical judgment and clinical care. In spite of comprehensive safeguards promulgated by the psychiatric community, overregulation by legislatures and courts is commonplace, interposing law between physicians and patients and resulting in delays or denials of service while failing to resolve critical legal issues involving competence and consent.


This paper reports the judged desirability and judged frequency of endorsement for the 240 Basic Personality Inventory items. The endorsement proportions in normal adult, psychiatric, and high school samples are also reported. Comparisons between the Basic Personality Inventory, California Psychological Inventory, and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory indicate that although the first inventory has a greater dispersion of desirability scale values (proportionately more undesirable items), it has less extreme endorsement proportions than either of the other two. The Basic Personality Inventory shows sharp contrast between the endorsement proportions of normal and psychiatric samples. These results are interpreted in terms of the method of construction of the inventory.


Inherited disorders of the inflammasome pathway causes dysregulated inflammasome activation, which presents with inflammation and other clinical features linked to the defective protein. Eight mutations have been previously described in the NLRP1 inflammasome protein, causing different inflammatory skin disorders. Two of these mutations are associated with "autoinflammation with arthritis and dyskeratosis (AIADK)," a novel Mendelian auto-inflammatory disorder, in the 2017 International Union of Immunological Societies phenotypic classification for primary immunodeficiencies. We report a 22-year-old female, with recurrent generalized urticaria, periodic fever and pain abdomen, inflammatory polyarthritis, cutaneous lesions over the extremities, and persistently elevated inflammatory markers. On next-generation sequencing, a heterozygous missense mutation in exon 4 of the NLRP1 gene (chr17:G.5461839C>T) was detected, which results in the amino acid substitution of glutamine for arginine at codon 726 (c.2177G>A; p.Arg726Gln). A probable diagnosis of AIADK, possibly caused by this mutation was proposed, and patient responded well to colchicine.


This paper examines Fisher's example of the Mile problem as well as his example of a bivariate normal model which he uses to illustrate the method of making inference on an unknown parameter from the maximum likelihood estimator conditional on an ancillary statistic. It is seen that the result obtained by Fisher can be easily achieved by fraser's structural method which depends neither on the conception of ancillarity nor on the maximum likelihood estimator. The same conclusion is reached on obtaining conditional confidence intervals for the parameters of location models.


For electrically large problems, the numerical dispersion inherent in the classical Yee finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) algorithm can introduce significant errors. Over the past ten years there have been several FDTD schemes published with the goal of reducing dispersion errors. In this paper, a comparison of the 2-D dispersion error of several of these low-dispersion schemes is made. The accuracy of each FDTD scheme is compared via direct evaluation of the dispersion relation governing the algorithm. In addition, numerical experiments were performed to verify the derived dispersion relations. The algorithms compared include Krumpholz and Katehi's MRTD scheme (1996), Hadi and Piket-May's M24 scheme (1997), Cole's Non-Standard scheme (1997), Forgy's isotropic scheme (1998), Nehrbass, Jetvic and Lee's (NJL) reduced dispersion scheme (1998), and Turkel's Ty(2,4) implicit scheme (1998). The dispersion characteristics are typically derived by assuming a time harmonic plane-wave solution in an isotropic, homogeneous, linear and lossless medium.


The paper briefly describes the idea of cohousing communities built and managed by their owners and residents. The Author introduces special features of cohousing, which distinguish it from other forms of housing, i.e. non-profit construction and management by owners-users, creation of the sense of a community and strong social ties. It has been emphasized that the concept of cohousing incorporates realization of sustainable and ecological houses as well as sustainable communities, and is part of contemporary economic and social trends of limiting consumption – degrowth. The paper includes an analysis of conditions facilitating more extensive realization of housing in this formula in Poland as well as barriers, especially legal and mental ones – lack of social capital required to create close and cooperating cohousing communities.


ABSTRACT Diethyldithiocarbamate (DETC) and pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) were highly active against tubercle bacilli, with MICs of 8 μg/ml and 0.13 μg/ml, respectively. DETC and PDTC were active against old cultures, enhanced pyrazinamide or pyrazinamide/rifampin activity, and had serum inhibitory titers of 1:2 and 1:4, respectively, in mice given 100 mg/kg orally.


holds for infinitely many n, where the mi are any permutations of the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4. We consider here the problem of counting those n such that σ(2n + 1) ≥ σ(2n). When 2n+1 is prime the left side is 2n+2 whereas the right side is at least 2n+1+n+2 = 3n+3. This shows that the inequality is false infinitely often. Empirically, it appears to be false very frequently. Let B be the set of natural numbers n such that σ(2n + 1) ≥ σ(2n) and let B(x) be the number of those n in B with n ≤ x. From Table 1 one may be tempted to conjecture that B(x)/x ∼ 0.0546 . . . . Laub [9] posed the question of estimating the size of B(x)/x. Mattics [11] answered this, and records a remark of Hildebrand that limx→∞B(x)/x exists. We will call this limit


The purpose of this evaluation is to assess the performance of UNFPA in its support to adolescents and youth during the period 2008-2015. The evaluation aims to facilitate learning, capture good practices and generate knowledge from UNFPA experience across a range of programmatic interventions in support of adolescents and youth.
This is a thematic global evaluation and includes all countries in which UNFPA provided support to adolescents and youth between 2008 and 2015, and addresses the country, regional and global levels. The evaluation results will be used to inform the development of the new UNFPA strategic plan and implementation of adolescents and youth interventions within the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.


The mean square amplitudes of atomic fluctua- tions for a polypeptide (decaglycine) c-helix evaluated from mo- lecular dynamics simulations at seven temperatures between 5 and 300 K are compared with analytic harmonic results and with ex- perimental values. Above 100 K the harmonic approximation sig- nificantly underestimates the amplitudes of the displacements. Analysis of the time dependence of the fluctuations shows that low- frequency modes ( 10 ps). Quantum corrections to the amplitude of the fluctuations are found to be small above 50 K. The mean square amplitudes obtained from the molecular dynamics simulations are compared with the values derived from x-ray temperature (Debye-Waller) factors for metmyoglobin (80, 250, and 300 K) and ferrocyto-


X-ray diffraction was used to study the influence of ultra-fine dispersions of CeO 2 on the texture development and epitaxial relationships in oxide films, formed at high temperatures. The substrate orientation exerted the essential effect on microstructure and growth rate of oxide films on both pure as well as coated nickel. NiO grown on (100)Ni was polycrystalline with grains randomly oriented. Applying of CeO 2 resulted in a marked decrease of the oxide growth rate without significant changes in the texture. The NiO formed on pure (111)Ni exhibited strong (111) texture. During initial stages of oxidation the presence of CeO 2 caused the nucleation of randomly oriented oxide. However, the oxide developed during further exposure had the same character as that grown on pure (111)Ni face. X-ray measurements are compared with analysis conducted by TEM and electron microdiffraction. The role of chemically active element in inhibition of diffusion processes during the growth of oxides on both crystal faces is discussed.


By introducing the pollution of Le'an River and its reasons,it points out that Le'an River is polluted by Dexing Copper Mine and some other factoris and mines along the Zhishui River.It also puts forward some measures about controlling Le'an River from the point of ecology,including the upriver ecological project and the downstream ecological project and the watercourse ecological project.


Normal mammary lobules, precancerous primary hyperplastic alveolar nodules, nodule outgrowths under various transplanted conditions, and mammary tumors produced by these outgrowths were examined for their chromosome constitutions. These tissues were mostly diploid, with no detectable structural aberrations. Occasionally, aneuploid modal chromosome numbers were observed in some nodule outgrowths and tumors derived from them. No correlation with regard to the aneuploid chromosome pattern between the outgrowths and their tumors could be found. This preliminary investigation suggests that the aneuploidy in precancerous outgrowths and their tumors are two independent events, and the host can permit the growth of non-neoplastic nodule outgrowths having a modal number of chromosomes other than diploid. Further significance of these findings has been discussed.


This guide will you help identify and locate a wide variety of resources for your Urban & Regional Planning research projects. This page has useful links to data sources


The scope of the paper is the definition and discussion of the polynomial generalizations of the Fibonacci numbers called here δ-Fibonacci numbers. Many special identities and interesting relations for these new numbers are presented. Also, different connections between δ-Fibonacci numbers and Fibonacci and Lucas numbers are proven in this paper.


A study on the transport and infrastructure in northern Mozambique was recently undertaken and is soon to be published by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA). Simon Foulds speaks to Dr des Soren Scholvin about the study. Here is an extract from SAIIA's Occasional Paper that is due to be published.


As a representative of the legal culture of China,judicial review of death penalty has played a positive role in the protection of human rights of the defendant.However,because of the tradition and culture it depends on devoid of the idea of human rights protection,the system of judicial review of death penalty is unable to play a greater role in real practice.If we want to thoroughly solve the problem,we should study its essential characteristics from the cultural soil that gave birth to it and interpret numeral legislative disadvantages that have caused the deprivation of human rights protection of various defendants,and then find the solutions compatible with our cultural environment-a diversified system of judicial review of death penalty.


Background: Previously, we demonstrated mortality disparities for minorities with Acute Leukemia (AL) despite favorable demographic and genetic prognostic factors. We also showed that differences in treatment by race/ethnicity explained a large component of this disparity. However, due to the limitations of the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) stand-alone database, we could not explore the association between AL mortality and socioeconomic status (SES) factors. The purpose of the current study is to determine how SES impacts racial/ethnic differences in AL mortality using an expanded SEER-SES linked dataset. Because SES may influence the receipt of high quality care, we hypothesize that SES factors will explain some proportion of AL mortality disparities. Methods: Patients with acute lymphocytic (ALL) and acute myeloid (AML) leukemia were identified in SEER and linked to the National Longitudinal Mortality Study (NLMS). The NLMS contains patient-level SES factors collected by in-person and telephone interview surveys for a random sample in the United States Census Bureau Current Population Surveys (CPS) from the years 1979 to 2011. The SEER-NLMS linkage includes detailed cancer information (date of diagnosis, type of cancer, cause of death) and detailed SES factors (marital status, education, income, home ownership, occupation, insurance status) as well as individual demographic factors (age, gender, race/ethnicity). Cox proportional hazard models were built to estimate the hazard of mortality by race/ethnicity after consideration of individual, clinical, and SES factors. Results: A total of 621 patients were diagnosed with ALL and AML during the study period. Thirty-six records were excluded due to missing data leaving 124 (21%) patients with ALL and 461 (79%) with AML in the analysis. ALL: The majority of patients were non-Hispanic white (NHW) (n=73; 59%), followed by Hispanic (n=22; 18%), Asian Pacific Islander (API) (n=8; 6%), non-Hispanic black (NHB) (n=8; 6%) and unspecified/other race (n=13; 10%). Hispanic patients had a 3-fold increase in the hazard of death (HR 3.21; 95% CI (2.00-5.17)) when compared to NHW patients. Education and income decreased the hazard of death for Hispanic compared to NHW patients (HR 2.33 95% CI (1.21-4.48)). Insurance status further reduced this disparity (HR 2.02 95% CI (1.01-4.04)). Further adjustment for occupation and household ownership completely neutralized these disparities (HR 1.14; 95% CI (0.52-2.41)). AML: The sample included 67% NHW (n=311) patients; 7% Hispanic (n =31), 5% NHB (n=22), 6% API (n=29) and 15% patients with unspecified/other race (n=68). Similar to ALL, there was a significant association between Hispanic ethnicity and increase hazard of mortality (HR 1.50; 95% CI (1.06-2.11)). There was a marked decreased hazard of mortality associated with API (HR 0.64 95% CI (0.44-0.91)) compared with NHW patients. The results in models adjusted for select SES factors demonstrated a persistent, unchanged mortality disparity for Hispanic patients. Conclusions: SES factors explain some proportion of disparities in acute leukemia mortality, with the most impact in ALL; however, SES factors do not have as strong of an association in AML. Future interventions should be attentive to the underlying and specific factors that can reduce disparities in these diseases. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


The reaction of racemic α-alanine, in the presence of active charcoal, on a reaction mixture of the [Co(CO3)3]3− complex with L-aspartate led to the stereoselective formation of the [Co(L-asp)n(ala)3−n]n− (n=0—3) complexes. By means of ion-exchange chromatography and a recrystallization procedure, three stereoisomers of the bis(L-aspartato)alaninato complex have been obtained; mer1-Λ-[Co(L-aspH)2(L-ala)]·H2O, mer2-Λ-[Co(L-aspH)2(L-ala)]·2H2O, and fac-Δ[Co(L-aspH)2(D-ala)]·4H2O (where the mer1 and mer2 isomers have different geometries). These isomers have been characterized by comparing their CD and PMR spectra with those of the corresponding isomers obtained using L- or D-alanine in place of racemic alanine. The fac/mer ratio has been estimated to be ca. 64/36. The Δ/Λ AIA ratio in the fac isomer has been estimated to be ca. 95/5, while the Δ/Λ ratio in both the mer1 and mer2 isomers has been estimated as ca. 25/75.


The UNESCO International Day of Light, 16 May, serves to highlight the critical and diverse roles that light plays in our daily lives. Light has specific meaning to each local community, and finding that which has the greatest impact can be challenging. In the proper context, local festivals serve as a fertile ground for light appreciation, bringing together diverse local groups. We provide the devices for exploration of colorimetry, imaging, and color matching demonstrations at an otherwise social local festival. Methods of assembly and planning for the multi-day display are outlined.


[Objective] The aim was to explore control techniques of Southern blight disease of Clematis L..[Method] Based on introducing the occurrence symptoms and regularity of Southern blight disease of Clematis L.,several control techniques of Southern blight disease of Clematis L.were summarized.[Result] The control techniques of Southern blight disease of Clematis L.mainly concluded the treatment control of sick plants,agricultural measures control and chemical control.[Conclusion] The research provides reference for the effective control of Southern blight disease of Clematis L..


In PNAS, Woda et al. (1) present the results of a multidimensional investigation of the impacts of several hydraulically fractured shale gas wells on an aquifer and a hydrologically connected stream in a particular area in central Pennsylvania. The stream, Sugar Run, has been impacted by migration of methane into it. Sugar Run has inflow of groundwater from aquifers overlying the Marcellus Shale, which is relatively close to the land surface in the study area (e.g., one shale gas well of primary focus in the study is reported to intersect the Marcellus Shale at a depth of 997 m).

Stream samples and groundwater samples were collected upstream and downstream from a location in Sugar Run where intermittent bubbling and groundwater seepage have been observed for at least 4 y since intensive shale gas development began in the study area in 2008. Samples were analyzed for dissolved methane; Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, SO42−, Cl−, and other inorganic solutes; carbon and strontium isotopes; and noble gases. The authors also obtained and analyzed regional groundwater-quality data and water-quality data for Sugar Run before shale gas development.

Analysis of the water-quality data with consideration of regional characteristics and surface and groundwater characteristics before shale gas development led Woda et al. (1) to conclude from multiple lines of evidence that Sugar Run and the aquifer(s) that provide inflow to the stream have been contaminated by "new methane" mobilized by the shale gas development. They propose a water-quality indicator of the presence of recent methane contamination, namely, high sulfate (>6 mg/L) and iron (>0.3 mg/L) in waters with high methane concentrations. The protocol developed by the authors for use of aqueous geochemical conditions to identify impacts associated with new methane will be useful in the Marcellus region and, perhaps, in …

[↵][1]1Email: dzombak{at}cmu.edu.

 [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1


The centroid of an interval type-2 fuzzy set (IT2 FS) provides a measure of the uncertainty of such a FS. Its calculation is very widely used in interval type-2 fuzzy logic systems. In this paper, we present properties about the centroid of an IT2 FS. We also illustrate many of the general results for a T2 fuzzy granule (FG) in order to develop some understanding about the uncertainty of the FG in terms of its vertical and horizontal dimensions. At present, the T2 FG is the only IT2 FS for which fit is possible to obtain closed-form formulas for the centroid, and those formulas are in this paper


Review(s) of: 80 Great Poems from Chaucer to Now, by Geoff Page, UNSW Press, 2006, $34.95. Review(s) of: Studying Poetry, by Barry Spurr, Palgrave Macmillan, 2006, $50.


A combined processing scheme is used to develop polyurethane (PU) coatings with a nanoclay in three different weight percentages (1, 3 and 5 wt %). TEM of polymer-nanoclay suspensions shows exfoliation, intercalation and even agglomeration of clay layers. XrD studies also indicate expansion in gallery spacing of nanoclay layers in PU coatings. Improvement in scratch and mar resistance occurs, although the gloss values are reduced to some extent. Coating properties show improvement with addition of less than 3wt% clays.


Abstract The practice of virginity testing in southern Africa has caused a conflict between advocates of culture and proponents of universal human rights. Recently, the 'virginity bursaries', also known as the 'maiden bursaries', caused an outcry from proponents of universal human rights, who declared the criterion (virginity testing) used for bursaries unlawful, discriminatory and unconstitutional. On the other side of the debate, cultural relativists defended the virginity bursaries by outlining moral and pedagogical justifications for virginity testing. The arguments by both sides highlight that it is not easy to resolve the discursive and ideological questions around virginity testing. As a result, drawing from Pierre Bourdieu's theory of contested fields and 'habitus', the aim of this philosophical article is to explore the discourses that surround virginity testing – the cornerstone of the virginity bursaries – as a means of illustrating the conflicting positions within gender studies about traditional/cultural practices. Our aim is neither to provide an empirical account of the experience of virginity testing, nor to resolve the debate, but to explore some of the possible approaches to virginity testing and the major philosophical conflicts between human rights and traditionalist approaches.


We look for a mechanism that removes without numerical fine tuning the strong constraint imposed by the flavor changing neutral current interaction of leptoquark exchange. If n x n degenerate leptoquarks couple universally to n generations of quarks and leptons in the weak basis, not only can the neutral current interactions be flavor diagonal, but also the charge current interaction takes exactly the same form as W exchange at low energies. Atomic parity violation still imposes tight constraints. Electroweak doublets with some left-right symmetry have the best chance to be the lightest leptoquarks.


In the current work, we examined the possible changes in potential suitable habitats of Taxus wallichiana var. mairei (Taxaceae) under the influence of human activity and climate change using ensemble modeling techniques. T. wallichiana var. mairei is an endangered subtropical coniferous evergreen tree and is often used in medical applications. It is mainly distributed in southern China and has experienced several degenerations due to human activity in recent decades. Its growth is also very sensitive to climate change. The area of its highly suitable habitat under current climate conditions was approximately 2.31 × 106 km2, as estimated by our ensemble models, accounting for 81.85% of its total suitable habitat. The ensemble model results showed that the mean diurnal range (bio2) was the most critical environment variable affecting the performance of the ensemble models. Human activity had an overall negative influence on the suitable habitats of T. wallichiana var. mairei under current climate conditions. Under the influence of future climate change, the ensemble model predicted that the highly suitable habitat would convert to low- to medium-suitability or be lost, with the predicted loss of highly suitable habitat at the end of this century ranging from 30.40% to 96.55%. The predicted changes were more intense with increases in the severity of global warming. In addition, the ensemble model also predicted a shift in the distribution of total suitable habitats toward higher elevations. The results of this study should provide information for conservation purposes.


Historically psychiatric mental health community-based clinical experiences for nursing students were primarily with client populations in traditional settings. Experiences in mental health promotion, while incorporated into most mental health nursing courses, have been limited.The authors describe undergraduate clinical experiences in mental health promotion and prevention of psychiatric problems with elementary school children.The programmatic framework, project overview for clinical experiences, specific examples of projects, outcomes, and evaluation are presented.


Since 1987 the MWRA has used in situ caged mussels (Mytilus edulis) to assess organic contaminant (PAHs, PCBs, organochlorine pesticides) bioaccumulation resulting from the primary treatment discharge of its Deer Island POTW. Results indicate a substantial reduction in many contaminants, most notably the Low Molecular Weight (petrogenic) PAHs which are clearly associated with the Deer Island discharge. NOAA `Mussel Watch` and other fish tissue contaminant data are used to support the observation of these decreases. Effluent water quality data and concurrent mussel body burden data from dirty and clean control sites are used to interpret the trends and elucidate the contamination sources. During the same time frame histopathological analyses of winter flounder collected in proximity to the Deer Island discharge have shown a marked reduction in liver lesions and other contaminant related diseases. More recently (since 1992) slight elevations in chlordane, dieldrin, and total DDTs have been noted in mussel, flounder, and lobster tissue collected from Boston Harbor and Massachusetts Bay. The authors discuss the possibility that remobilization of contaminants from the sediments may be a source of this apparent increase.


The Zionist women's movement in Palestine developed within the socialist Zionist movement as a reaction to the disappointment of a small group of women with the limited role they were assigned in the emerging society. From its beginnings in 1911, the movement aimed to expand the boundaries of the Jewish woman's role in Palestine and to secure her full and equal participation in the process of Jewish national reconstruction. Members of the movement were nationalists and idealists who had come as pioneers from eastern Europe during the years 1904-14, and they were joined by women who arrived in Palestine after World War I, from 1919 through 1923. These periods, known in the history of Zionism as the second and third waves of immigration (aliya), are considered the formative periods of Israeli society. During the second wave the dominant values of the society were formulated and the rudiments of


Void fraction measurements for adiabatic, two-phase vertical upward, water-air flow in a 9.53 mm ID tube were obtained using a helical wound capacitance sensor. Comparisons were made between 1-g and μ-g void fraction values by matching the flow rates obtained at μ-g conditions. A Probability Density Function was used to analyze the void fraction signals. It was found that a wider fluctuation in void fraction values occurred for slug flow at 1-g as compared to μ-g. For higher flow rates such as with annular flow, inertia forces become dominant. For these flows it was found that the void fraction fluctuations were similar at 1-g and μ-g conditions.


Abstract In this paper, a discriminant analysis, as useful tool to predict potential demand in Serbian motels, is presented. Through the presented literature review, it was determined that there is not a large number of surveys dealing with the needs and demand of transit tourists. Despite that, transit tourism is one of the priority forms of tourism for the Republic of Serbia in accordance with the established Tourism Development Strategy for the Republic of Serbia for the current period. Questionnaire survey as the main method for data collection is used. According to the results, 14 dimensions of potential guests' expectations are extracted. The results of discriminant function analysis (DFA) present the impact of potential motel guests' expectations on the main reason for travelling, while the results of canonical varieties analysis (CVA) present the impact of potential motel guests' expectations on preferred services in Serbian motels.


The time is now opportune for a better appreciation of the work of lighting engineers and architects in view of the importance of recent lighting developments. The paper deals with the essential characteristics of, and differences between, architecture before and since the advent of modern artificial light sources. A warning is given against attempting to attain by means of artificial lighting the effects produced by sunlight, and the paper considers the uses of various methods of illumination. Consideration is also given to the question of lighting and decoration and the proper use of lighting fittings in order to give pleasing effects. The paper concludes with some views on future possibilities, and stresses the need for co-operation between the architect and the lighting engineer.


According to the detergency of mill scale and impurities on the surface of pure copper welded element,the basic acids can be confirmed. Several kinds of surfactant were selected to match the basic acids and the ingredient and dosage would be confirmed through comparing the degreasing effect. Also for anticorrosive performance,the inactivation of welded element after cleaning can be determined. The result showed that phosphoric acid,hydrofluoric acid,fluoroboric acid and citric acid were used as basic acids,which can meet the cleaning requirement with the polyether NPE- 108. Using benzotriazole and sodium silicate,the color retention can keep excellent.


Robotic swarms display emergent behaviors that are robust to failure of individual robots, although they can not necessarily accomplish complex tasks with these behaviors. The research objective is to make use of their robust behaviors to accomplish complex tasks in many types of environments. For now, it is difficult to affect swarm "goals", and therefore difficult them to direct to perform complex tasks. The extant literature on Human Swarm Interaction (HSI) focuses on demonstrating the usefulness of human operator inputs for swarms to accomplish complex tasks. The human typically gets visual feedback of the state of the swarm and influences the robots through a computer interface. This paper presents a user study investigating the effectiveness of haptic feedback in improving HSI. We use methods developed in studies using haptics in multi-robot systems (where the communication and structure is very rigid) and potential field algorithms developed for fully-autonomous swarms to determine the benefits of haptic feedback from the semi-autonomous control algorithm. In some environments, haptic feedback proved beneficial whereas in other environments haptic feedback did not improve performance over visual feedback alone. However, presence of haptic feedback did not degrade the performance under any of the experimental conditions. This supports our working hypothesis that haptic feedback is potentially useful in HSI.


In this paper we present an efficient database and search engine for digitalized text publications. The system has been initially developed for the most important and largest dictionary for the german language - the Jacob and Wilhelm Grimms Deutsche Worterbuch (german dictionary) but can be used for any other system that suffices some standards. Meanwhile, the online version of the Deutsche Worterbuch is one of the most popular german web pages with several ten thousand requests a day, so it needs a very efficient database and search engine. To provide such efficiency, a special script language and data structure has been developed. In the main phases of this project, such as during the production process, i.e. the preparation of the data, as well as during the corresponding search engine Tcl/Tk plays an important role. Additionally we use the tools CoST (Copenhagener SGML Tool) and the Metakit library during the production process.


Note on Names, Money, Terminology, and Transliterations Map 1 Map 2 Map 3 Introduction PART I. BEFORE THE TRIBUNAL Four Arrests Chapter 1. Defending the Faith: Medieval Inquisitors and the Prosecution of Jews and Converts Chapter 2. From Resistance to Surrender: Jewish Responses to Inquisitorial Prosecution Four Condemnations PART II. AT THE FONT OF NEW LIFE Alatzar and Abadia, Baptized Chapter 3. Between Doubt and Desire: Jewish Conversion, Converts, and Christian Society Chapter 4. Homeward Bound: The Fates of Jewish Converts Two Converts, Repentant PART III. BY THE FIRE The Intervention Chapter 5. Apostasy as Scourge: Jews and the Repudiation of Apostates Chapter 6. Recruiting Repentance: The Re-Judaization of Apostates The Road to the Stake Conclusion List of Abbreviations Notes Glossary Bibliography Index Acknowledgments


Some new methods of constructing the adjointly equivalent graphs are found,thus some new methods of constructing the chromatically equivalent graphs are given as well.


This chapter surveys some of the formal approaches that have been proposed for comparing sets of objects on the basis of their diversity. The …rst part of the chapter discusses a few general principles for making these comparisons. The second part reviews the methods used by biologists to evaluate biodiversity. The third part examines the approaches that view the diversity of a set as resulting from the agregation of the pairwise dissimilarity of its elements. Within these approaches, a distinction is made between those that use a cardinal information on dissimilarity and those based only on a qualitative, or ordinal, notion of dissimilarity. Finally, the chapter also discusses the approach, essentially developped by Nehring and Puppe, that bases


The scaled boundary finite element method is a novel semi‐analytical technique, whose versatility, accuracy and efficiency are not only equal to, but potentially better than the finite element method and the boundary element method for certain problems. This paper investigates the possibility of using higher‐order polynomial functions for the shape functions. Two techniques for generating the higher‐order shape functions are investigated. In the first, the spectral element approach is used with Lagrange interpolation functions. In the second, hierarchical polynomial shape functions are employed to add new degrees of freedom into the domain without changing the existing ones, as in the p‐version of the finite element method. To check the accuracy of the proposed procedures, a plane strain problem for which an exact solution is available is employed. A more complex example involving three scaled boundary subdomains is also addressed. The rates of convergence of these examples under p‐refinement are compared with the corresponding rates of convergence achieved when uniform h‐refinement is used, allowing direct comparison of the computational cost of the two approaches. The results show that it is advantageous to use higher‐order elements, and that higher rates of convergence can be obtained using p‐refinement instead of h‐refinement. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


In the fruit-vegetable wet shattering, how do the turn number and the amount of eddy of flow' character parameters in blade shattering equipments affect the shattering effect, how do average shearing rates and the collision number of particle and stator-rotor in stator-rotor homogenizer affect the shattering effect. And how does the key structure of high shearing equipment affect the shattering effect. This paper discusses above these questions, and compares the shattering effect of these equipments.


This article reviews the emerging trend of interdisciplinary research aiming at exploring the effects of sociocultural influences on human brain functioning. Recent coconstructive views of brain development and functioning and empirical evidence of developmental plasticity at different levels are reviewed. Empirical findings that are indicative of reciprocal influences of environmental inputs, expertise, and cognitive training are highlighted. Links between age differences in neuromodulation and associative memory plasticity are illustrated as an example of cross-level interactions from molecular mechanisms to behavior. The quest to understand how individual brains get personalized through life-span development that takes place in the macro sociocultural experiential context is still at an embryonic stage. Nevertheless, studies reviewed here indicate that new conceptual and empirical opportunities for this endeavor are emerging.


Scurvy results from a deficiency of vitamin C, a nutrient otherwise known as ascorbic acid. Today, scurvy is rare yet emerges in select patients. The patient reported herein developed scurvy secondary to deliberate avoidance of vitamin C-rich foods. Classic cutaneous manifestations of scurvy include follicular hyperkeratosis and perifollicular hemorrhage encompassing coiled "corkscrew" hairs and hairs bent into "swan-neck" deformities. Ecchymoses, purpura, and petechiae are also characteristically prominent. Classic oral abnormalities include erythematous, swollen gingivae that hemorrhage from subtle microtrauma. Subungual linear splinter hemorrhages may also manifest as a sign of the disease. To establish the diagnosis requirements include characteristic physical exam findings, evidence of inadequate dietary intake, and rapid reversal of symptoms upon supplementation. Although unnecessary for diagnosis, histological findings demonstrate perifollicular inflammation and hemorrhage, fibrosis, and hyperkeratosis, amongst dilated hair follicles and keratin plugging. Although citrus fruit allergies have been historically documented, ascorbic acid has not been previously reported as an allergen. Although lacking absolute certainty, this report suggests a presumed case of ascorbic acid allergy based on patient history and favorable response to ascorbic acid desensitization therapy. Oral liquid inpatient An anaphylaxis kit was at the epinephrine intramuscular injection pens. An albuterol inhaler was also available at bedside. The patient received two puffs of albuterol prior to desensitization, but was not premedicated with antihistamines nor further puffs of albuterol. Liquid cetirizine was additionally present at the bedside as a cautionary measure.


Highlights

 Stereo machine vision and deep learning techniques were investigated for infield equine kinematic gait analysis.

 The proposed pipeline tracks equine body landmarks in 3D space and estimates stride length and stance duration.

 The system can serve as a cost-effective, rapid, and easy-to-use tool for equine locomotion research.

 Abstract. Equine kinematic gait analysis (EKGA) currently requires a complicated, expensive, and labor-intensive procedure for equine locomotion research. An automated stereo video processing pipeline was developed and evaluated for measuring equine biomechanical parameters. Using stereo videos of 40 different walking horses, a DeepLabCut (DLC) model was trained to detect body landmarks in individual frames. With an autoregressive integrated moving average filter, the landmark detection had a root mean square error of 5.14 pixels and a mean absolute error of 4.87 pixels. As a case study, methods were developed to extract stride length (SL) and stance duration (SD). Individual hoof gait phase detection was achieved using a fine-tuned Faster R-CNN model and a mode filter, yielding precision and recall values of 0.83 and 0.95, respectively. The semi-global block matching (SGBM) algorithm was used to estimate depth maps, and the accuracy was assessed by comparing head length estimation with infield measurements. A Bland-Altman analysis for DLC-detected head length in combination with SGBM-based 3D reconstruction yielded a bias of -0.014 m with upper and lower limits of agreement (LoAs) of 0.03 m and -0.061 m, respectively. Furthermore, Bland-Altman analyses on SD and SL when compared to image-level manual measurements showed biases of -0.02 sec and -0.042 m, respectively. The corresponding LoAs were (0.01907 sec, -0.24 sec) for SD and (0.04 m, -0.12 m) for SL. The proposed method showed promising potential in performing EKGA in an automated, cost-effective, and rapid manner under field conditions. Keywords: 3D Reconstruction, Animal Pose Estimation, Deep Learning, Equine Kinematic Gait Analysis, Stereo Matching.


This work presents an experimental and mathematical research of ceramics materials. The three-dimensional mathematical modeling assumes to be constant thermo-physical properties and convective boundary conditions at the surface of the solids. The governing equations are discretized using finite-volume method and fully implicit formulation. The experimental tests were done using two clay materials in the production of red ceramics and white ceramic (ball clay). It was used different dimensions and initial moisture content of the material and temperature and relative humidity of air-drying. Numerical and experimental results of the drying kinetics of the samples are shown and analyzed. The diffusion and convective mass transfer coefficients were obtained by comparison between predicted and experimental data using the least square error technique, and good agreement was obtained.


Control of the redox potential of an Upper Freeport run-of-mine coal slurry during wet grinding and subsequent beneficiation gave better sulfur removal, with no decrease in coal recovery, than either potential control during grinding or beneficiation alone. Sodium dithionite, a reducing agent used to depress the sulfur, also gave substantially better results than pH control alone, irrespective of whether the physical beneficiation was by oil agglomeration, foam flotation, or microbubble batch flotation. Three-phase contact angle measurements and pulp potential measurements suggest that slow electrochemical reactions at the particle surfaces may be responsible for the improved results obtained when the reductant is added at the grinding stage.


Nottingham on Film, written, produced and edited by filmmaker Andy McKay pieces together rarely seen and newly restored films of the city of Nottingham from 1920 to 1980, arranging these hidden gems into ten themes so the viewer can choose how to make their exploration of twentieth century Nottingham.
Known as "The Queen of the Midlands", Nottingham is an ancient city with a rich cultural and industrial history. The twentieth century saw rapid change for Nottingham, in the market square - the largest in England outside the capital and scene of many civic celebrations, in industry and transport, as well as in everyday life - and the new medium of film was there to record this change.
Among the rarely seen films, all preserved by MACE, are scenes of enjoyment at the Goose Fair, coronation celebrations, life on the shop floor in knitwear, lace, bicycle and tobacco manufacture, trade on the River Trent and a wealth of news reports from ITV's regional news magazine programme, ATV Today. These include the opening of Nottingham Playhouse and building work of the 'new' Victoria Centre in 1964.


Although preschool testing has received considerable attention recently, the validities of some preschool tests have often been questioned. In this study the predictive validity of scores on the Metropolitan Readiness Tests and on the Aptitude Test for School Beginners was compared for a random sample of 120 children in Grade 1. The former scores had sufficient predictive validity and an advantage over the latter test; however, the predictive validity of the Aptitude Test for School Beginners can be regarded as satisfactory from a psychometric and educational point of view.


Approximations of constant phase elements (CPE) or Warburg impedance are frequently made by equivalent electrical circuits. However, these approximating circuits generally do not take into account the boundary conditions involved by making such approximations. In this paper, we assess various models or possible topologies and classify them according to their asymptotic limits. We show that circuit topologies having the same number and the same types of elements has the same impedance (thus the same frequency behaviour). Having identical factorized impedance proves the equivalence between several proposed models (serial Foster, parallel Foster, serial Cauer and parallel Cauer). We conclude that the choice of a model for parameter identification needs to take into account the specific boundary conditions.


The widespread adoption of gender quotas in politics is one of the major contemporary electoral reforms. Our starting point for this special section is the fact that although the study of gender quotas is a growing area in politics and gender research, the use of electoral gender quotas in the Central East European region is still under-studied. This issue remains despite the fact that most countries in the region have adopted some type of gender quotas, either by law or as party quotas adopted by individual parties. Three waves of gender quota regulations can be identified. The first wave consists of the use of different types of gender or rather women's quotas in a considerable number of socialist/communist countries and in Pakistan since 1956, Bangladesh since 1972 (with some interruptions in both of these countries) and Egypt from 1979 to 1984. In none of these countries were the quota provisions popular among the citizens. In the Nordic countries, party quotas were adopted starting in the 1970s and 90s. The second wave of gender quotas started with Argentina's adoption in 1991 of a quota law that became a model for the whole Latin American continent and spread all over the world, especially after the UN World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995. Today, we are witnessing the third wave of quota laws, most of which are revisions of the original laws. More than 30 countries have revised their original quota laws in order to boost the impact of the quota provisions. There has been a growing focus on the effectiveness (and lack thereof) of the first quota provisions. All over Europe we are also seeing a move from voluntary party quotas, primarily adopted by green and left parties, including social-democratic parties, to legislated quotas that are binding for all political parties and coupled with sanctions for noncompliance. In some instances the first quota laws or party quota regulations were just meant to be symbolic without much effect, yet in many cases there was a lack of understanding of how different quota systems work in various electoral systems, and many quota provisions were badly formulated. Women's organizations, which had advocated for gender quotas in order to change women's historical underrepresentation, have often been disappointed with the first results, hoping that for instance a 30-percent candidate quota would result in about 30 percent women among those elected to parliament or to local councils, but this has rarely been the case.


This paper analyses how small and medium size(SMEs) professional service firms(PSFs), face the human resource management(HRM) issues. These issues will, however, be of paramount importance for service firms as they rely solely on "human capital" as their only source of production. The intention is to focus on the issues of a human resources(HR) nature and to consider how these act as growth barriers. In this study, thirteen human resource managers were interviewed. Results show that some western HR practices are in evidence, and the HR issues become the growth barriers for PSFs. To resolve these issues, this paper puts forward measures.


Through the college English teaching satisfaction survey of private colleges, this paper uses comprehensive fuzzy evaluation method and calculation model to analyze the factors affecting student satisfaction and put forward suggestions in improving English teaching satisfaction in private colleges.


The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between statistics anxiety and attitudes toward statistics. Participants were 204 (78.9% females) undergraduates in the James Cook University Psychology (97.1%) or Business (2.9%) programs at the Singapore (71.1%) or Australia (28.9%) campuses. Bivariate correlations between the two constructs ranged from -0.26 to -0.45, suggesting that attitudes toward statistics is a related, but distinct construct from statistics anxiety. Canonical correlation analysis revealed that Attitudes toward Course was negatively correlated with all three factors of statistics anxiety. Practical implications include implementing interventions to improve students' attitudes before they embark on statistics courses.


Exploiting Carbon Nanotubes Individual defect-free carbon nanotubes can have exceptional mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties, which has led to speculation on a wide range of potential applications. However, challenges in growing large quantities of pure nanotubes, and for some applications tubes of only one type, have limited their widespread use. De Volder et al. (p. 535) review the efforts that have been made to scale up carbon nanotube production and discuss a number of applications where enhanced materials have made use of carbon nanotubes. Worldwide commercial interest in carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is reflected in a production capacity that presently exceeds several thousand tons per year. Currently, bulk CNT powders are incorporated in diverse commercial products ranging from rechargeable batteries, automotive parts, and sporting goods to boat hulls and water filters. Advances in CNT synthesis, purification, and chemical modification are enabling integration of CNTs in thin-film electronics and large-area coatings. Although not yet providing compelling mechanical strength or electrical or thermal conductivities for many applications, CNT yarns and sheets already have promising performance for applications including supercapacitors, actuators, and lightweight electromagnetic shields.


ABSTRACT In planning any scheme of instruction in educational institutions the thought that first arises must be; What is an Education? Many have been the definitions of this word but in the writer's opinion, a development of the mind is the chief object of an education. If the student can be taught to think quickly, to see clearly, to see broadly, to see details, have a keen perception and judge wisely, he has a good education. Execution of the things the mind develops is of second importance but last of all comes the information given in educational Instruction. I consider it more important to develop the mind in every way and make this permanent rather than cram the student with information that may be out of date in a few years and which you know he will largely forget between his freshman and senior years. If the student is rightly taught . . .


Based on image processing technology, a realizing scheme is given for automatic detecting device for geometric size of small component. It introduces the detail of equipment control process, detection principle and implements approaches. Based on adopting CCD digital image processing technology, acquire the work piece' size and surface image in real-time, and measure the geometric size of small component in computer by using special method. Based on adopting PLC, realize controlling of the transmission, location, detection and clamping of the small component according to the time sequence. The work piece testing and result analyzing show that the device can realize real-time continuous detect automatically and increase the detecting efficiency. Its resolution rate reaches up to 4 μm.


A 2,435-g male infant is born at 38 weeks gestational age to a 22-year-old G2P1001 woman who is blood group O+ and negative for group B Streptococcus. Labor had been induced for intrauterine growth restriction. Rupture of membranes with clear fluid occurred 3 hours before delivery, and the baby is delivered by emergency cesarean section for fetal bradycardia. Apgar scores are 8 at 1 minute and 8 at 5 minutes. The baby is suctioned by bulb and nasogastric tube. At 8 minutes of age, the baby's lungs sound wet, with a pulse oximetry reading of 68%, and 40% blow-by oxygen is started. By 15 minutes of age, he is breathing room air with a pulse oximetry reading of 98%.

Physical examination in the newborn nursery yields normal results, with a Ballard score of 39 weeks, weight between the 10th and 25th percentiles, length at the 75th percentile, and head circumference at the 25th percentile. He has one low temperature of 35.4°C initially, but the capillary blood glucose measurements are 59 mg/dL (3.3 mmol/L) or more. He does well on formula feedings, with a weight loss of 15 g at 12 hours and 40 g at 36 hours.

At 45 hours of age, after an uneventful hospital stay, the baby develops tachypnea and moderate intercostal and subcostal retractions. His pulse oximetry reading is 85% to 89%. He is placed on oxygen by nasal cannula, and an evaluation is undertaken that reveals the source of his respiratory distress.

A 23-day-old male infant presents to the clinic because of persistent crying. Yesterday, he was seen in the emergency department, where colic was diagnosed. Today, his mother appears overwhelmed, stating that the baby cries throughout the day and night. She is concerned that the infant has abdominal pain or pain in his left …


Objective\ To assess the therapeutic efficacy of sulbactam cefoperazone(Sulperazon) in nosocomial pneumonia.\ Methods\ 63 patients were randomly divided into two groups. Treated Group (n =32) was given sulperazon 2 g,iv,drip,q8 h to q12 h; Control Group ( n =31), cefotaxime 2 g,iv,drip,q8 h to q12 h.The course was 7 to 14 days for both groups. Results\ The response rate was 87.5% for Treated Group, and 83.9% for Control Group. The bacterial eradication rate was 86.7% for Treated Group, and 84.6% for Control Group. The difference was not significant between the two groups ( χ 2=0.152,0.184, P 0.05).The rate of clinical isolates sensitive to sulperazon was 89.3%, which was much higher than that of cefotaxime (69.6%) and cefoperazone( 66.1%), the difference being significant ( χ 2=5.83,5.42,P 0.05). \ Conclusion\ Sulperazon is effective and safe in the treatment of nosocomial pneumonia.


There has recently been a rapid and significant advance in the structural and dynamical modeling of the condensed phases of water (Rice, Whalley, and others). To an appreciable extent this advance has depended on the availability of relatively complete vibrational data for the internal modes of ice (H/sub 2/O and D/sub 2/O) as well as for the isotopically decoupled frequencies of D/sub 2/O, HOD, and H/sub 2/O isolated in ice matrices. Of these data the positions of nu/sub 1/ and nu/sub 2/ for H/sub 2/O isolated in D/sub 2/O ice have been assigned with the least confidence. In this work the FT IR data required for the assignment of nu/sub 1/ and nu/sub 2/ of isolated H/sub 2/O have been reevaluated at 90 K in a different spectroscopic laboratory and, also, at a lower temperature (15 K). The reduced temperature and the use of slightly higher dilution ratios have permitted a somewhat clearer observation of the isolated molecule spectrum, but basically the tentative values for nu/sub 1/ and nu/sub 2/ have been affirmed. The suggested values for nu/sub 1/, nu/sub 2/, and nu/sub 3/ are 3215, 1740, and 3262 cm/sup -1/ at 15 K and 3225, 1735, and 3270 cm/supmore » -1/ at 90 K.« less


OBJECTIVES--To assess the relationship between haematocrit and risk of major ischaemic heart disease events. DESIGN--Prospective study of a cohort of men followed up for 9.5 years. SETTING--General practices in 24 towns in England, Wales, and Scotland (British Regional Heart Study). SUBJECTS--Altogether 7735 men aged 40-59 years at screening, who were selected at random from one general practice in each of 24 towns, were studied. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Fatal and nonfatal ischaemic heart disease events. RESULTS--Risk of major ischaemic heart disease events was significantly increased at haematocrit levels of > or = 46.0%. Men with raised haematocrit (> or = 46.0%) showed a 30% increase in relative risk (RR) of major ischaemic heart disease events (RR = 1.32; 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.10,1.57, p < 0.01) compared with those with values below 46.0%, even after adjustment for age, social class, smoking, body mass index, physical activity, blood cholesterol, lung function (FEV1), and pre-existing evidence of ischaemic heart disease. Further adjustment for systolic blood pressure reduced the risk slightly (RR = 1.27; 95% CI 1.06,1.51, p = 0.02) but it remained significant. The relationship was seen in men with and without pre-existing evidence of ischaemic heart disease. The study suggests that an increased haematocrit level plays a part in the development of major ischaemic heart disease events.


In the field of gastrointestinal disease, productivity costs are highly relevant because work loss is substantial in dyspeptic patients. Productivity costs are normally calculated by multiplying days absent valued by gross earnings. This, however, might lead to an overestimation.


Hybrid density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been carried out for the lithium adsorbed on a fluorinated graphene surface (F-graphene, C96F24) to elucidate the effect of fluorination of amorphous carbon on the diffusion mechanism of lithium ion. Also, direct molecular orbital–molecular dynamics (MO–MD) calculation [H. Tachikawa and A. Shimizu: J. Phys. Chem. B 109 (2005) 13255] was applied to diffusion processes of the Li+ ion on F-graphene. The B3LYP/LANL2MB calculation showed that the Li+ ion is most stabilized around central position of F-graphene, and the energy was gradually instabilized for the edge region. The direct MO–MD calculations showed that the Li+ ion diffuses on the bulk surface region of F-graphite at 300 K. The nature of the interaction between Li+ and F-graphene was discussed on the basis of theoretical results.


A novel inorganic complex (shell)@metal oxide (core) was demonstrated by simple and highly efficient synthesis of Fe3O4 nanoparticles (Fe3O4NPs) coated by [Fe(sac)2(H2O)4] .2H2O complex through one-pot reaction of prepared Fe3O4 nanoparticles and [Fe(sac)2(H2O)4].2H2O. The Fe3O4 NPs structure was characterized by infrared spectroscopy (IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive X-rays (EDX) while the resulted [Fe(sac)4(H2O)2]@Fe3O4NPs was characterized using IR spectroscopy and XRD. The magnetic feature, which is one of physical properties of Fe3O4NPs and the newly synthesized core-shell [Fe(sac)2(H2O)4]@Fe3O4NPs were examined in order to study how the Fe in its complex effects on the magnetic properties of magnetite nanoparticles.


This paper considers the problem of outsourcing the multiplication of two private and sparse matrices to untrusted workers. Secret sharing schemes can be used to tolerate stragglers and guarantee information-theoretic privacy of the matrices. However, traditional secret sharing schemes destroy all sparsity in the offloaded computational tasks. Since exploiting the sparse nature of matrices was shown to speed up the multiplication process, preserving the sparsity of the input matrices in the computational tasks sent to the workers is desirable. It was recently shown that sparsity can be guaranteed at the expense of a weaker privacy guarantee. Sparse secret sharing schemes with only two output shares were constructed. In this work, we construct sparse secret sharing schemes that generalize Shamir's secret sharing schemes for a fixed threshold t = 2 and an arbitrarily large number of shares. We design our schemes to provide the strongest privacy guarantee given a desired sparsity of the shares under some mild assumptions. We show that increasing the number of shares, i.e., increasing straggler tolerance, incurs a degradation of the privacy guarantee. However, this degradation is negligible when the number of shares is comparably small to the cardinality of the input alphabet.


Digital game-based learning (DGBL) interventions can be superior to traditional instruction methods for learning, but previous meta-analyses covered a huge period and included a variety of different target groups, limiting the results' transfer on specific target groups. Therefore, the aim of this meta-analysis is a theory-based examination of DGBL interventions' effects on different learning outcomes (cognitive, metacognitive, affective-motivational) in the school context, using studies published between 2015 and 2020 and meta-analytic techniques (including moderator analyses) to examine the effectiveness of DGBL interventions compared to traditional instruction methods. Results from random-effects models revealed a significant medium effect for overall learning (g = .54) and cognitive learning outcomes (g = .67). Also found were a small effect for affective-motivational learning outcomes (g = .32) and no significant effect for metacognitive learning outcomes. Additionally, there was no evidence of publication bias. Further meta-regression models did not reveal evidence of moderating personal, environmental, or confounding factors. The findings partially support the positive impact of DGBL interventions in school, and the study addresses its practical implications.


The article is an analytical review of Sweden's Arctic policy since the adoption of the country's first Arctic strategy in 2011 until nowadays. The priorities of Sweden's 2011 Arctic Strategy in the areas of environmental protection, economic cooperation and human life in the Arctic are analyzed. Sweden's chairmanship programs at the Arctic Council for 2011–2013 and at the Barents Euro-Arctic Council for 2017–2019 are assessed for compliance with the national Arctic strategy priorities. The participation of Sweden in projects under the auspices of the Arctic Council in the 2010s and at present is presented. The content of the updated Sweden's Arctic strategy of 2020 is analyzed. The updated strategy is compared with the strategy of 2011; the reasons for the enlargement of the thematic coverage of Sweden's Arctic strategy of 2020 (additional priorities are international cooperation in the Arctic, security and stability in the region, and scientific cooperation) are explained. The reasons for Sweden's emphasis on security issues in the Arctic are explained. It is concluded that Sweden's Arctic policy from 2011 to the present is consistent and adaptable due to the changing climatic, economic, political and military situation in the Arctic region. The desire of Sweden to cooperate with the Nordic countries and NATO in the field of military cooperation in the Arctic is marked as a new tendency in Sweden's Arctic policy. The new role of the European Union, Canada and Germany in the implementation of Swedish Arctic policy at the present stage is traced. Sweden's Arctic strategy is also estimated in correspondence to the provisions of the Arctic Council Strategic Plan for 2021–2030.


OBJECTIVE
To set up the fingerprint spectrum of Ephedra sinica from Gansu province and its extract for controlling the quality.

METHODS
HPLC with UV detector was used to analyze the patterns of Ephedra sinica from Gansu province.

RESULTS
The fingerprint spectrum of Ephedra sinica from Gansu province was set up. Furthermore, the fingerprint spectrum showed an excellent correlation, and all the parameters of the main co-peaks met the requirements for State Drug Administration's technical regulations on the herb.

CONCLUSION
The studies are useful for the quality control of Ephedra sinica from Gansu province.


Since lack of trust has remained one of the barriers to online shopping, this study is intended to explore the factors that affect the perceptions of trust for students' intent to participate in online shopping. We used non-probability procedure to select respondents since we do not know how many students have access to the internet and are engaged in online shopping. Pearson correlation, multiple regression were used to test the hypotheses. The regression analysis in this study clearly supported trust and integrity, which had significance influence towards consumer participation. The study also found the trust variable had the highest correlation with the dependent variable followed by integrity.The study provided a useful insight on the significant role of trust in students' online shopping. The study implies that trust is a key factor that indicates the effect of the Internet vendor trust on students' online shopping behaviour. Recommendations for future research are suggested.


Strained Si is implemented into the standard CMOS process to enhance carrier transport properties since the 90 nm technology node. However, due to the non-uniform stress distribution in the channel, the enhancement of carrier mobility and threshold voltage strongly depend on layout parameters, such as channel length (L) and source/drain diffusion length (Lsd). In this work, a compact model that physically captures these behaviors is developed for circuit simulation with strained CMOS technology.


Summary form only given. Current, voltage and time (frequency) are the base parameters describing an electronic system. In the 1700's, Benjamin Franklin was one of the first experimenting with current tests, followed by many others shaping the current domain. In 1963 Frank Wanlass (Fairchild Semiconductor) planted the first seeds of using current testing as part of a structural approach to validate integrated circuits when publishing the concept of complementary-MOS (CMOS) logic circuitry. It occurred to him that a CMOS circuit would use very little power and that in standby; it would draw practically nothing - just the leakage current. It was therefore a fact that CMOS circuits with increased standby power consumption were defective. In 1981 Mark W. Levi demonstrated the concept of IDDQ testing (validating circuits by measuring and observing their quiescent supply current) in his ITC'1981 paper "CMOS is most Testable". This paper kicked off a lot of research on IDDQ fault modeling, IDDQ defect detection capabilities, IDDQ and reliability, IDDQ efficiency. Much of that research happened in the late eighties - early nineties by "Chuck and Jerry", exploring the benefits, followed by studies done by HP, IBM, TI, Philips, Alcatel, Ford Micro, ... Since then IDDQ testing became synonym to current testing. Extensive research revealed the IDDQ capabilities. Despite its demonstrated defect detection capabilities and screening efficiency, it was not an easy way for IDDQ to make it to the production test floor. The initial lack of commercial available ATPG tools and suitable measurement solutions were the hurdles to take. Then in 1996 a paper on " IDDQ test: sensitivity analysis of scaling" was published at ITC by Tom Williams at al. The purpose of this paper was to issue a warning that more complex IDDQ test schemes might be needed in future to deal with increased device complexity and increased background leakage, however it was interpreted as predicting the end of current testing (single threshold IDDQ more in particular) at least for high performance ICs. Next to current testing being a synonym for IDDQ testing, there is a wide variety of test processes out there where current measurements make up an important part of the test. The panel will revisit the ITC'96 prediction, make up a status and address questions such as: Is IDDQ testing (and its derivative such as delta IDDQ, current ratios, etc.) still applied these days and if so for which types of ICs and for what purposes (only leakage current measurements, test and diagnosis of bridging defects, etc.)?. IDDQ testing (and its derivative) is the dominant form of current testing. What about the others?. Does the actual use of current testing require/motivate/justify research on that topic?. Are the obstacles which led to the removal of current testing from test suites really impossible to overcome? What are these obstacles? Have we tried everything?. What other forms of current testing/current measurements are being deployed in industry today, what are the trends?. If current testing is not dead (yet), how long will it live?.


In the contemporary picture there is conjoint consensus amongst all the policy makers from across the sphere that devoid of ICT and digital inclusion; the growth of an individual is stalled. Specially in developing economy like India, where poverty eradication and employment generation are foremost objectives; digital inclusion is a must. Considering factors like lack of infrastructure, primary education and availability affordable technologies and others, the strategic intervention and collaborative efforts by government and non-government organizations is indispensable. Present study provides an analysis of secondary data in order to investigate the current status of digital inclusion and digital divide of Indian population. Further it also illustrates the strategies to eradicate the digital divide and cites example from successful digital inclusion campaigns from other parts of world.


Background: Hypoglycemia is the most common metabolic problem occurring in newborns which is associated with poor neurologic outcome. The present study was conducted to determine the incidence, risk factors and immediate outcome of hypoglycemia in neonates.
Methods: The present study was conducted on 3776 babies born with risk factors for hypoglycemia in NICU. Screening for blood glucose level of study subjects were done at 2, 4, 6,12,24,48,78 hours of life, twice daily and whenever symptomatic by using glucometer. Babies were followed up till discharge. Incidence, risk factors and immediate outcome of hypoglycemia were assessed. Appropriate tests were applied.
Results: Incidence of hypoglycemia was 9.93% among high-risk neonates and overall incidence was 5.20%. 54.13% were males. 45% were preterm, 78.7% neonates were LBW. 53.07% were born to primiparous mother, 20.5% to diabetic mothers and 28.5% to hypertensive mothers. 16.8% had perinatal asphyxia, 14.66% new-born had underlying RDS. 48.5% were symptomatic, most common being lethargy 52.75% followed by jitteriness 43.41%, convulsion in 63 (34.62%). Preterm and LBW were significantly associated with mortality. Most common underlying comorbidities associated with deaths were sepsis (59.10%), RDS (45.46%), perinatal asphyxia (13.64%) and meconium aspiration syndrome (4.55%).
Conclusions: Neonates with one or more risk factors for hypoglycemia should be screened irrespective of symptoms within 72 hours of life. Focused counselling on early initiation of breast feeding will reduce the incidence of hypoglycemia and its complications.


Continuous advancements in technology provide an opportunity for higher educational institutions to enhance the electronic learning experiences of students. Following a review of literature, this research explored student perceptions on the possible uses of virtual reality in their universities, as a way of easing their access to learning material. The research was conducted with the aim of answering the question of how virtual reality can be used to enhance learning, for higher learning institutions. Using a mixed-method research method, online surveys were distributed to registered university students in South Africa, using a simple random sampling strategy, to obtain a diverse and non-biased data set. The quantitative and qualitative responses were analyzed separately, before being triangulated, and used to inform the discussion and conclusion. Ultimately, the research found that although there are various benefits associated with the introduction of Virtual Reality in South African Higher Education Institutions the diverse population of participating students, and the varying differences in their socioeconomic statuses, would result in the inequitable distribution and usage of its resultant advantages.


This qualitative study analyzes students' mathematical communication while solving minimum competency assessment-type questions concerning their levels of math anxiety. The study involved 27 students in class VII B at Junior high school, with six junior high school students as subjects. Data were gathered through math anxiety questionnaires, tests with minimum competency assessment question types, and student presentation assessment sheets. The completed questionnaire was used to select subjects for the tests and presentations. The test sheet contains questions on the AKM type of flat material and three description questions. The data were analyzed through reduction, presentation, and conclusion stages. Findings indicate that students' math anxiety levels were high, medium, and low, with moderate anxiety being the most common. While no students showed low mathematical communication skills, three students were found to have average skills, and three students demonstrated high mathematical communication abilities.


Antibodies and compositions which are capable of neutralizing the biological function of Oncostatin M, such as osteoarthritis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, useful in treating diseases and disorders associated with Oncostatin M is there.


The aim of this research is to detect misconceptions in the concept of physics at high school level by using astronomy questions as a testing instrument. Misconception is defined as a thought or an idea that is different from what has been agreed by experts who are reliable in the field, and it is believed to interfere with the acquisition of new understanding and integration of new knowledge or skills. While lack of concept or knowledge can be corrected with the next instruction and learning, students who have misconceptions have to "unlearn" their misconception before learning a correct one. Therefore, the ability to differentiate between these two things becomes crucial. CRI is one of the methods that can identify efficiently, between misconceptions and lack of knowledge that occur in the students. This research used quantitative- descriptive method with ex-post-facto research approach. An instrument used for the test is astronomy questions that require an understanding of physics concepts to solve the problem. By using astronomy questions, it is expected to raise a better understanding such that a concept can be viewed from various fields of science. Based on test results, misconceptions are found on several topics of physics. This test also revealed that student's ability to analyse a problem is still quite low.


Control Loop Feedback Mechanism for Generic Array Logic Chip Multiprocessor is presented. The approach is based on control-loop feedback mechanism to maximize the efficiency on exploiting available resources such as CPU time, operating frequency, etc. Each Processing Element (PE) in the architecture is equipped with a frequency scaling module responsible for tuning the frequency of processors at run-time according to the application requirements. We show that generic array logic Chip Multiprocessors with large inter-processor First In First Outputs (First In First Outs) buffers can inherently hide much of the Generic Array Logic performance penalty while executing applications that have been mapped with few communication loops. In fact, the penalty can be driven to zero with sufficiently large First In First Outs and the removal of multiple-loop communication links. We present an example mesh-connected Generic Array Logic chip multiprocessor and show it has a less than 1% performance (throughput) reduction on average compared to the corresponding synchronous system for many DSP workloads. Furthermore, adaptive clock and voltage scaling for each processor provides an approximately 40% power savings without any performance reduction.


In this paper, a hybrid framework of compressed and encrypted video signal transmission over wireless channel has been designed and implemented. Chaos theory property has been combined with artificial neural network to construct a cipher algorithm called a Chaotic Neural Network (CNN). This algorithm has been embedded and integrated inside MPEG-2 video codec standard to transform the plaintext (compressed video data) into an unintelligible form. The resultant compressed and encrypted bitstream has been transmitted from source to destination by using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) modulation technique. The effect of wireless channel condition has been investigated for both AWGN and Rayleigh fading channel. A video signal sample of size 176 × 144 (QCIF standard format) with rate of 30 frame per second has been used for test and simulate the overall system model framework performance. MATLAB software package has been used for system model framework implementation. The proposed framework is flexible and has ability to control output video quality, bit rate, and group of picture (GOP) number and their arrangement. Subjective and objective measurements have been used for overall system model performance evaluation. Results indicate high sensitivity behavior for both key and plaintext modification with high entropy result value.


The purpose of this study was to assess the existing talent management practices of selected multinational companies in the Kingdom of Bahrain as basis for talent management program. It determined the extent of use of talent management tools such as, talent strategy and planning, sourcing and recruiting, performance management, learning and development, succession planning, leadership development, and compensation.  Mean was used for descriptive analysis, while one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was utilized to establish if significant difference existed between the extent of use of talent management tools among the selected multinational companies classified as small, medium, and large. The study disclosed that the extent of use of talent strategy and planning, sourcing and recruiting, performance management was to a Very Great Extent , whereas in  learning and development, succession planning, leadership development, and compensation was to a Great Extent . Of the three groups of multinational companies, it is the large group which used succession planning, leadership development, and compensation to a Moderate Extent only. The overall mean for the three groups of multinational companies in the implementation of the seven elements of the integrated talent management was to a Great Extent . However, there was a significant difference noted in the extent of use of talent management tools in the aspect of talent strategy and planning and compensation between small and large multinational companies. Keywords : talent strategy and planning, sourcing and recruiting, performance management, learning and development, succession planning, leadership development, and compensation


We developed and explored the Expanding Technical Connections (ETC) kit, a novel, safe, and easy to use set of circuitry connections that empower users to have creative freedom to integrate embedded technology into artifacts. The ETC kit builds off of Maker technology innovations through three connection extensions – Conductive Fabric and Snaps; Magnets and Wires; and Stackable Magnets. The kit addresses the common tradeoffs in Maker technology between novice usability and physical constraints on creativity. Our ETC kit enhanced LilyPad Arduino was compared to an unmodified LilyPad Arduino during a user study with 8 participants. We found that the three ETC kit extensions were quicker and safer to use than the unmodified LilyPad Arduino. In addition, participants learned about creating proper circuits. This ETC kit study can help the CHI community better understand how to build connections and lower barriers for people using embedded systems. ACM Classification


The potential psychological pain of nasty surprises on mobile phone bills is a great motivator to switch tariffs, according to research by Christos Genakos and colleagues. Their study notes that navigating through thousands of tariff plans for mobile phones to find the best one is not easy in today's telecoms market - and having an 'expert friend' calculate the contract with the biggest savings definitely helps. But the findings suggest that regulators cannot rely on price comparison sites to discipline the market since savings are not necessarily the first thing even well informed consumers are looking for. Rather, it is their desire to avoid psychological losses.


ones will permit the academic research field to better serve the needs of the practitioners as well as enrich the theoretical field. The efforts of the past in this endeavor must be rejuvenated by new ones. More profound and encom passing analyses are needed of the Canadian system to permit its par ticipants and students better to understand and appreciate its distinctive characteristics, innovations and trends.