In the River Tisza, the longest tributary of the Danube, Limnomysis benedeni Czerniavsky, 1882 had been the only mysid recorded until recently. In 2011, we found a few juvenile specimens of Hemimysis anomala G. O. Sars, 1907 in two daytime samples taken from the Hungarian river section. During the overnight survey in 2012 aimed at revealing the actual distribution of this nocturnally active species, its most upstream occurrence was detected at Szolnok (river km 334). Paramysis lacustris (Czerniavsky, 1882) was also found at every sampling site of the river downstream of Tiszabercel (rkm 568), representing the first record of the species for the fauna of Hungary, and its most upstream self-sustaining population in the basin of the River Danube (1759 rkm from the Danube mouth). P. lacustris is the fourth Ponto-Caspian mysid that has begun to expand its range spontaneously in the Danube catchment after L. benedeni, H. anomala, and Katamysis warpachowskyi G. O. Sars, 1893. Due to its zooplanktivory it can be anticipated to have a considerable effect on the composition and abundance of the zooplankton assemblages and it may also become an important food source for certain fish species, especially in the impounded reaches and in stagnant or slow-flowing backwaters. P. lacustris — similarly to H. anomala — shows a diel vertical migration, moving to shallow waters only by night, which calls for increased attention in order to reveal its possible future range expansions. Although the River Tisza itself is not connected directly to other river basins via canals, it may potentially contribute to the further spread of the species (e.g., via fish stocking).


An absorbent product (1, 1a to 1e) for receiving excrement from a wearer, comprising: a main body portion similar to a film (2) where an absorbent core (22) between a back sheet (23) is placed and a topsheet (21); and a pair of side sheets (3) located on both side portions of said main body portion (2) extending in a longitudinal direction of said main body portion (2), wherein each of said pair of side sheets (3) comprising: a joined portion like a band (33) attached to said main body portion (2), being one side of a fold line (39) of a side sheet (3), said line being of provided over the entire length of said side sheet (3) and an inner edge of said part attached band-like (33) which is said fold line (39); and sidewall portion (34) which is the other side of said fold line (39) folded outwardly at said fold line (39) and further folded inwardly at a position apart from said fold line (39 being ), and a portion of said sidewall portion (34) raised from said main body portion (2), said sidewall portion (34) comprises: two end sidewall portions (341) which are attached in both portions end of said strip-like bonded part (33); a raised portion (342) that is continuous from said two side wall end parts (341) between said two end portions of side wall (341) and upstanding from said fold line (39); and elastic members (32) arranged over almost entire length in said longitudinal direction of said raised portion (342), contracting said raised portion (342) to form gathers, and characterized in that an end portion of sidewall (341) outside said two end portions of side wall (341) comprises: a half-raised portion (3412) being continuous from said standing part (342) and is not bonded to said bonded part (33) nor said main body part (2 ), said elastic members (32) disposed in said half standing part (3412) being, rising said half standing part (3412) from said main body portion (2) by contraction of said lower elastic members (32) that part lifted (342); and a bonded section (3411) provided adjacent the outside of said half standing part (3412) and is bonded on said bonded part (33).


The synthesis,crystal structure,and sorption properties of [Cu2(EBTC)(H2O)2]·8H2O·DMF·DMSO(abbreviated as 1,EBTC=1,1′-ethynebenzene-3,3′,5,5′-tetracarboxylate;DMF=N,N-dimethyl formamide;DMSO= dimethyl sulfoxide) are reported.1 features two kinds of cavities with a diameter of 0.85 nm and 0.85 ×2.15 nm,which are enclosed respectively by six and twelve tetracarboxylate-bridged [Cu2(CO2)4] paddle-wheels and extended by the EBTC linkers into a three-dimensional(3D) supramolecular structure with 1D channels accommodating the solvent molecules.It adopts the(3,4)-c net of fof(sqc 1575) topology,possesses very large solvent accessible pore volume which reaches 72.8% of the unit cell volume.After removal of the solvent molecules,the desolvated 1a exhibits permanent porosity verified by an N2 sorption isotherm with a Langmuir surface area of 2844 m2·g-1 and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller(BET) surface area of 1 852 m2·g-1.It displays significant uptake of gases(H2,CO2,CH4,C2H2) and relatively high adsorption enthalpies.Especially,it is notable that 1a exhibits the highest acetylene storage of 252 cm3·g-1 at 273 K under 1.0×105 Pa with higher adsorption enthalpy(34.5 kJ·mol-1 at the coverage of 1 mmol·g-1) among all porous metal-organic materials reported to date.CCDC: 744108.


Graduate attributes are an orienting statement of education outcomes used to inform curriculum design and the provision of learning experiences at a university (Barrie et al., 2009). As a requirement of Australian government funding of universities in 1992, all Australian Universities are required to make a public statement of graduate attributes. While all Australian universities make such claims in policy and curriculum documentation, the effective integration of these into programs has been somewhat intangible (Taylor et al., 2009), resulting in students not fully engaging with the expectations of degree programs...


The Cuk converter being fourth-order non-linear non-smooth with non-minimum phase dynamical system imposes complexity in the analysis and control system design. In this paper, a state-feedback control strategy along with feed-forward control based model is designed. The resulting close-loop dc-dc converter exhibits good output voltage regulation even in presence of step and high frequency perturbations in input voltage, load and control signal. The analytical results have been verified by means of circuital simulation in Matlab/Simulink.


This research is development of cooperative model of jigsaw type based on media card sort with stages (1) data collection, (2) planning, (3) product development, (4) validation and product trial. The purpose of this research is to develop cooperative learning model of jigsaw type based on card sorting media for learning acquisition on Civic Education. The subjects of the study were students of grade XA SMA Negeri 2 Pontianak amounting to 36 people as a sample. Procedure development using Borg & Gall, with experimental methods. Data collection using instrument (1) expert validation questionnaire, (2) observation, and (3) test result learning. Data were analyzed by quantitative and qualitative analysis. The result of data analysis to learning result before action is known 27.77% result of student learning complete, and 72.21% result of student learning unfinished and after action, known 86.11% result of student learning complete, and 13.88% not complete. This means that an increase in student learning outcomes after the action of cooperative learning type of jigsaw based media card sort on the material Wawasan Nusantara.


The deformation behavior of polyurethane elastomers depends strongly on physical interactions.

In this paper the stress-induced crystallization of the polyester or polyether segments in investigated in several polyurethane elastomer systems having different chemical structure for the soft segments. The correlation between the tensile properties (hysteresis loss, extension set, modulus) and the stress-induced crystallization is discussed.


We investigated the magnetic properties of the antiferromagnetic (AFM) topological insulator MnBi2Te4 with a partial substitution of Mn atoms by non-magnetic elements (AIV = Ge, Pb, Sn). Samples with various element concentrations (10–80%) were studied using SQUID magnetometry. The results demonstrate that, for all substitutes the type of magnetic ordering remains AFM, while the Néel temperature (TN) and spin-flop transition field (HSF) decrease with an increasing AIV = Ge, Pb, Sn concentration. The rate of decrease varies among the elements, being highest for Pb, followed by Sn and Ge. This behavior is attributed to the combined effects of the magnetic dilution and lattice parameter increase on magnetic properties, most prominent in (Mn1−xPbx)Bi2Te4. Besides this, the linear approximation of the experimental data of TN and HSF suggests higher magnetic parameters for pure MnBi2Te4 than observed experimentally, indicating the possibility of their non-monotonic variation at low concentrations and the potential for enhancing magnetic properties through doping MnBi2Te4 with small amounts of nonmagnetic impurities. Notably, the (Mn1−xPbx)Bi2Te4 sample with 10% Pb substitution indeed exhibits increased magnetic parameters, which is also validated by local-probe analyses using ARPES. Our findings shed light on tailoring the magnetic behavior of MnBi2Te4-based materials, offering insights into the potential applications in device technologies.


The article deals with the correspondence book. LV Shakhovsky, who, during the Russian-Turkish war was the representative of the newspaper «Moscow News». Understand the views of the causes and memoirist course of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877–1878. Just drawing historical parallels between Russia and the balkans.


When it comes to statistics, age discrimination is different than other forms of discrimination. In most discrimination cases we can take the protected population and make appropriate adjustments for necessary characteristics like education and compare the results to the other employee groups. With age discrimination this method does not work. It doesn't work because the normal patterns of aging and promotion or wage increase distort the statistical result. Employees typically are promoted more quickly and receive the highest percentage wage increases in early years. However, they generally retain those benefits for life. Employees reach a high point in their careers and then age in those positions while younger employees who have not yet reached their highest level are promoted. These phenomena require special care in evaluating statistics in age discrimination cases.


Americans rightly believe that something fundamental has changed in our patterns of crime, namely the threat of serious crimes committed by youngsters who afterwards show us the blank, unremorseful stare of a feral, presocial being.


Deep Learning as a Service (DLaaS), utilizing the cloud-based deep neural network models to provide customer prediction services, has been widely deployed on mobile cloud computing (MCC). Such services raise privacy concerns since customers need to send private data to untrusted service providers. In this paper, we devote ourselves to building an efficient protocol to classify users' images using the convolutional neural network (CNN) model trained and held by the server, while keeping both parties' data secure. Most previous solutions commonly employ homomorphic encryption schemes based on Ring Learning with Errors (RLWE) hardness or two-party secure computation protocols to achieve it. However, they have limitations on large communication overheads and costs in MCC. To address this issue, we present LeHE4SCNN, a scalable privacy-preserving and communication-efficient framework for CNN-based DLaaS. Firstly, we design a novel low-expansion rate homomorphic encryption scheme with packing and unpacking methods (LeHE). It supports fast homomorphic operations such as vector-matrix multiplication and addition. Then we propose a secure prediction framework for CNN. It employs the LeHE scheme to compute linear layers while exploiting the data shuffling technique to perform non-linear operations. Finally, we implement and evaluate LeHE4SCNN with various CNN models on a real-world dataset. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the LeHE4SCNN framework in terms of response time, usage cost, and communication overhead compared to the state-of-the-art methods in the mobile cloud computing environment.


PREDICTIVE MODELLING OF BLACK OYSTERCATCHER (HAEMOTOPUS BACHMANI) BREEDING PAIR OCCURRENCE AND PREY ABUNDANCE IN HAIDA GWAII, BRITISH COLUMBIA Sebastian Dalgarno Advisor: University of Guelph, 2016 Professor Janet Mersey This thesis presents a Species Distribution Model (SDM) for prediction of Black Oystercatcher breeding pair occurrence in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia. Prior to building a SDM, a quantitative wave exposure index was developed and found to be a useful proxy for abundance of key Black Oystercatcher prey items, which were sampled at 50 intertidal stations in Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site. A SDM for breeding pair occurrence was fitted using Boosted Regression Trees. In total, fourteen predictors (including the wave exposure index) were selected a priori through development of a conceptual model. Breeding pair occurrence data were compiled from two available surveys conducted in 2005 and 2010 (545km of shoreline surveyed). All data were aggregated to common model units (vector polyline shoreline 'segments' approximately 100m in length), which approximate breeding territory size. The 'best' model (which included distance to treeline, island area, wave exposure, shoreline type, intertidal area) had excellent predictive ability, assessed by 10-fold cross-validation (AUC=0.89). Predictive ability was reduced on spatially (AUC=0.86) and temporally independent data (AUC=0.84). Distance to treeline and island area had greatest influence on the model. Breeding pairs tended to occur far from the treeline, on small islands, at high wave exposures, at moderate intertidal area, on bedrock or gravel shoreline types, and on islands without rats. However, breeding pairs tended not to occur on very small islands and at very high wave exposures, possibly to avoid nest washout. A model including only ShoreZone environmental data performed relatively poorly and inclusion of data on rat occurrence did not improve model predictive ability. Results may inform local conservation and management efforts (i.e. from predictive maps), and eventual development of a high-resolution (~100m) model for prediction of Black Oystercatcher breeding pairs at a regional scale.


The invention discloses a super-equal-length javelin core stability and strength training and information feedback monitoring device, relates to a javelin training and information feedback monitoring device, and specifically relates to a super-equal-length javelin core stability and strength training and information feedback monitoring deice. The invention aims at solving the problem that a device for core stability and strength training and quantification monitoring by combining with final exertion of a javelin does not exist at present. The super-equal-length javelin core stability and strength training and information feedback monitoring device provided by the invention comprises a lifting component, a dial scale, a rotating shaft, a sliding track, a sliding sleeve, a connecting piece, a javelin, a pressure sensor and a balance training mechanism with an information feedback function, wherein the lifting component is mounted on the balance training mechanism with the information feedback function, the dial scale is mounted at the upper end of the lifting component through the rotating shaft, the sliding track is mounted on the rotating shaft, the sliding track can rotate by taking the rotating shaft as the axis, the sliding sleeve is sheathed on the sliding track, the javelin is connected with the sliding sleeve through the connecting piece, and the pressure sensor is mounted on the javelin. The super-equal-length javelin core stability and strength training and information feedback monitoring device provided by the invention is used for javelin stability and strength training.


Kasia Kubin is a PhD candidate at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, based in the Center for Cultural, Literary and Postcolonial Studies (CCLPS). Her research explores affect in postcolonial texts as an entry point to consider issues of identity, representation, and authorial ethics. She is co-founder and current Executive Board member of the Foundation for Social Diversity, a nongovernment organization based in Poland that deals with issues of migration, equality, and social diversity.


There are many ools to help teachers manage grades, however the visualization tools which these grade books offer are basic or non-existant. eduViz fills this gap by providing comprehensive visualization of scores by user defined categories. Query response is immediate and all logical comparisons are possible. Teachers can easily compare their query to the class or per student average as well as view scores by raw point total or percentage. Additionally, eduViz provides a grade assignment interface which allows teachers to view sorted student scores in a scatter plot. This scatterplot is coupled with a unique partition slider which allows users to move color coordinated bands on the scatterplot to indicate grade ranges. As these grade ranges are set, a histogram is updated to show the number of students assigned to each grade range. These features give teachers new and powerful ways to explore and assign grades so that they can better understand student strengths and weaknesses and make the most of the time they have available.


According to dispersed characteristic of the soil test data,this paper introduces the principles of the datum checking and unusual differentiation.The method is put forth that estimates the soil average characteristics using samples weighted average in the relational distance δrang and delimits the least sample number.It discusses the application of Bayes method in soil test datum analysis by engineering example.


This paper presents a Python package called pycapacity , which provides a set of tools for evaluating task-space physical ability metrics for humans and robots, based on polytopes and ellipsoids. The aim of pycapacity is to provide a set of efficient tools for their evaluation in an easy to use framework that can be easily integrated with standard robotics and biomechanics libraries. The package implements several state of the art algorithms for polytope evaluation that bring many of the polytope metrics to the few milliseconds evaluation time, making it possible to use them in online and interactive applications. The package can be easily interfaced with standard libraries for robotic manipulator rigid body simulation such as robotictoolbox (Corke & Haviland, 2021) or pinocchio (Carpentier et al., 2019), as well as human musculoskeletal model biomechanics software opensim (Delp et al., 2007) and biorbd (Michaud & Begon, 2021). The package can also be used with the Robot Operating System ( ROS ) (Quigley et al., 2009). The package additionally implements a set of visualization tools for polytopes and ellipsoids based on the Python package matplotlib intended for fast prototyping and quick and interactive visualization.


Abstract : This thesis examined the electromagnetic scattering of a dihedral corner reflector for both monostatic and bistatic source-receiver geometries The full polarization characteristics of the electromagnetic scattering was maintained while the dihedral corner reflector was modeled on and off the principal (horizontal reference) plane. The dihedral corner reflector was composed of two perfectly conducting 9 inch square flat plates joined along a common edge so that they formed an interior angle of 90 degrees. The frequencies of interest included 2, 3, and 10 GHz. THe theoretical modeling utilized the Uniform Theory of Diffraction and the Method of Moments (MOM). The analysis was performed on a Cray X-MP supercomputer and a VAX 11/785 minicomputer. The results from the models were compared with each other, and with measurements for validation. The measurements were taken on the principal plane for same sense and cross polarization components. The MOM model compared well with measurement for the monostatic and bistatic same sense polarization components. However, differences were noted for the cross polarization component comparison. The MOM model was then extended to off principal plane geometries, which was not measured. A substantial amount of cross polarization scattering was predicted for off principal plane geometries.


A method for acquiring data involves quantifying the fat content of a fabric (74) using a multi-energy computed tomography (MECT) system (10).


The process of acquiring language in a child occurs when the child is learning a mother tongue (native language). Language acquisition is the process of children getting the ability to capture, produce, and use words for understanding and communication.  In this case, the researcher presents how the child acquires the language. This research discusses the first language acquisition on a three-years child based on phonological, semantic and syntax aspects. This research will conduct with descriptive qualitative research. The objectives of descriptive qualitative study are obtained from the utterances of her boy named is Mu'ammar Syauqi Idris. The researcher also took the data by observation and video recording.  Based on the research, the researcher concluded that Mu'ammar able to communicate appropriately.


This paper constructs all the diptych varieties with $de\le4$ (see [BR1], Main Theorem 3.3). Our construction involves several new classes of Gorenstein almost homogeneous spaces for $\operatorname{GL}(2)\times\mathbb{G}_m^r$, in particular two infinite series arising from the algebra of apolarity.


The current study looked into heavy metal poisoning of the Euphrates river which runs from Al-Kifl to Kufa in Iraq. One of the goals of this research was to determine the pollution levels and the contamination sources. We looked at six heavy metal (Cd, Pb, Zn, Cr, Fe, and Mn) characteristics in sediment, taking samples from six sites along the Euphrates every season from March 2020 to January 2021. To assess pollution levels, three indices were chosen: enrichment factor (EF), geo-accumulation index (I-geo) and contamination factor (CF). According to EF, the Cd and Pb elements recorded considerable enrichment, very high enrichment and extremely high pollution at practically all sites in four seasons, while the remainder of the HMs recorded deficiency to minimal enrichment and moderate enrichment. In all seasons, the geo-accumulation index showed significant contamination with Cr and moderate to low contamination with other metals. Except Cr in spring, which was recorded with moderate contamination, significant contamination and very high contamination, the CF values of all metals in all sites indicated no sediment contamination by these elements.


Distribution Cost Analysis is a technique which examines in detail all the costs incurred in purchasing, selling and delivery of goods to the customer; it involves a study of cost control which is directly applicable to retail and wholesale operations. In particular, by showing the degree of expense that each part of the merchandising activity attracts, it helps to improve the merchandising policy of the wholesaler or retailer.


In this paper, an integrated system health management oriented condition monitoring and maintenance decision-making model is proposed, which uses intelligent mobile agents to achieve real-time monitoring and to realize life cycle maintenance decision-making for multistate systems (MSSs). The model is applied to an aircraft engine system numerical example, the results of which illustrate that the proposed system and model have the ability to provide efficient and accurate engine system maintenance decision-making information and provide detailed health condition information. The feasibility of the proposed system and model is demonstrated and MSS frequent maintenance decisions are recorded and revealed.


Based on the practice and study on the project-based teaching reform in office automation course for logistics in the subjects of Heilongjiang Vocational Education Society Twelfth Five Years Plan,large amounts of factual information were collected by investigation and combining the teaching practice,the teaching design of the project-based teaching in office automation course was put forward and the implementation process was given.


Color demosaicking for CCD cameras is a task of estimating missing data. Based on different hypotheses on the image structures multiple estimates can be made. Choosing the best estimate becomes a statistical decision problem. We propose an optimal classification technique based on Fisher's discriminant to solve this decision problem. The new technique is more robust and obtains superior visual quality of demosaicked images than existing methods.


It is by means of a set of surveys that were carried out by the members of the Domus seedbed of the EAN university, to other students from the different careers in the institution, that is intended to demonstrate the importance of the political perception in a country like Colombia, allowing the reader to understand how the political position of a population can have a direct impact on the functioning of its economy, taking into account that there is a quite important difference between the general results of the Colombian economy with respect to the distribution of wealth in the country, due to the high levels of inequality observed. In this way, there are important aspects that can be identified in front of conceptions that people have regarding the political functioning in the country and the confidence that is generated by the current Government.


Liquid helium droplets of initial mean cluster size, 〈N〉, ranging from 600 to 8000 atoms are doped with argon using the pick-up technique. The doped clusters are ionized by electron impact, and the resulting fragment ions are monitored as a function of argon pressure in the pick-up volume. Analysis of the pressure dependent ion signals is used to determine (1) the probability for charge transfer from He+ to the Ar atoms within the droplet, and (2) the probability for fragmentation of the Ark subclusters upon ionization. The measured charge transfer probability from He+ to Ar ranges from 0.05±0.02 for clusters of mean original size 〈N〉=8000 to 0.26±0.05 for 〈N〉=600. Charge transfer to the Ark constituent results in the following qualitative trends; a single Ar atom yields HenAr+ ions; Ar2 mainly yields Ar2+, and Ar3 mainly fragments to yield Ar2+. Simulations of the results are performed to extract information on how the charge transfer and fragmentation processes within the ionized droplet dependent on th...


AbstractFinite-element limit analysis is used to identify the critical internal skirt spacing for the undrained failure of shallow skirted foundations under conditions of plane strain based on the criterion that the confined soil plug should ideally displace as a rigid block, such that optimal bearing capacity is realized. General loading (vertical, horizontal, and moment) is considered for foundations with skirt embedments ranging from 5 to 50% of the foundation breadth in soil having either uniform strength or strength proportional to depth. The results explicitly identify the number of internal skirts required to ensure soil plug rigidity under arbitrary combinations of horizontal and moment loading expressed as a function of the normalized skirt embedment and the maximum expected level of vertical loading as a fraction of the ultimate vertical bearing capacity. It is shown that fewer internal skirts are required with increasing normalized foundation embedment, but more internal skirts are required wit...


Background—A national eye care programme was launched in Nepal in the early 1980s. The impact of this programme on blindness and cataract surgery prevalence was evaluated in two geographic zones. Methods—People aged 45 years and older were sampled using a stratified cluster design. Within randomly selected clusters, door to door enumeration was followed by visual acuity measurement and eye examinations at conveniently located sites. The full survey was preceded by a pilot study where operational methods were refined and quality assurance measures carried out. Results—Of the 5112 enumerated individuals 90% were examined. Blindness, defined as presenting visual acuity less than 6/60 in both eyes, was found in 5.3% (95% CI 3.6, 6.8) of individuals examined, with cataract being the principal cause in at least one eye in 78% of cases. Considering both cataract operated and unoperated cataract blind cases, surgical coverage was approximately 42%. Conclusion—The findings suggest that blindness prevalence may have decreased slightly from that estimated in a 1981 national survey, both overall and cataract related. Similarly, cataract surgical coverage may have increased somewhat. None of these changes, however, are at statistically significant levels. Accordingly, the blindness problem remains challengingly high. (Br J Ophthalmol 1998;82:600–605) Results of the 1981 Nepal National Blindness Survey showed that 0.84% of the Nepalese population was bilaterally blind (<3/60); in those aged 45 years and older the percentage was 3.77%. It was estimated that 80% of this blindness is either curable or preventable. The major cause of blindness was cataract: 83% in those >45 years (65.4% in all ages). The 1981 survey led to the establishment of a national eye care programme for the control and prevention of blindness in Nepal. The programme was launched with a two pronged strategy: (1) development of training programmes for eye care professionals to staV hospitals and eye care centres, (2) establishment of primary, secondary, and tertiary eye care centres in areas where services were most in need. For both of these activities, the national eye care programme obtained substantial support from international non-governmental organisations. Nepal Netra Jyoti Sangh (NNJS), a local non-governmental organisation, was established to take responsibility for developing eye care services in Nepal, including the coordination of services provided by the diVerent organisations operating in the various parts of the country. By the end of 1994, an estimated 140 000 surgeries (primarily cataract) had been performed in Nepal; however, a significant portion were in patients from neighbouring India. The current evaluation was motivated by an interest in assessing the impact of the NNJS coordinated blindness prevention eVorts over the past 15 years. The evaluation was carried out in 1995 in two of the 14 zones of the country— namely, Lumbini in the western region and Bheri in the mid-western region. These two zones were singled out for evaluation because of the record of accomplishment of two local hospitals in addressing the objectives of the national programme. Eye care services in the Lumbini zone started in 1985 with the active participation and support of the SEVA foundation in establishing the Rana-Ambika Eye Hospital, while services in Bheri zone started in 1983 with the eVorts and support of the Swiss Red Cross Society in establishing the Fateh-Bal Hospital in Nepalgunj. The objectives of the evaluation were threefold: (1) estimate the current prevalence of blindness (and that due to cataract) in Lumbini and Bheri zones; (2) assess the impact of Lumbini and Bheri eye care programmes by comparing cataract blindness prevalence with that from the 1981 Nepal survey; (3) assess the impact of cataract surgery on visual functioning and quality of life as perceived by the patient. This paper addresses study methods and results dealing with blindness prevalence, the first two objectives. Cataract surgery outcomes are addressed in a companion paper.


Streetscape visual complexity can be measured in various ways including subjective and objective methods. In this paper an attempt was undertaken to compare the subjective judgments of streetscape visual complexity with the fractal dimension calculations of the streetscapes. The commercial streetscapes around Kita Urawa Station at Saitama Prefecture, Japan were selected for the study. The perspective views of the streetscapes were displayed to a group of subjects and their judgments on the streetscape visual complexity was measured using a Likert scale. Grayscale perspective images of the same streetscapes were used for the fractal dimension calculations. Both subjective and objective experiment results demonstrated a good correlation depicting the use of fractal dimensions for streetscape visual complexity analysis is a prolific task.


The Heart of Borneo (HoB) declaration is a conservation agreement initiated by WWF and signed by three countries, i.e., Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia in Bali, Indonesia on 12th February 2007 to protect more than 23 million hectares of forested region on Borneo Island. These forested areas could be well protected when conservation management plan is in place. One of the crucial activities to facilitate the planning and formulation of conservation plan is to conduct scientific expeditions that include botanical exploration. The primary objective of the expedition is to identify the key conservation targets within the forest reserves. For the past five years, several expeditions have been conducted by the Sabah Forestry Department under the auspices of the HoB project to explore various forest reserves with conservation issues within the Heart of Borneo area. This paper will present the findings which include plant richness, endemism and plant conservation status in each forest reserves that has been explored.


This paper is motivated by the policy of the Financial Services Authority, in which Shariah Banking is able to compete and perform the intermediation function equally and felt by the people of Indonesia. The policy of the Financial Services Authority has a synergy between sharia banking and the Community in the form of easily accessible financing. This paper aims to determine the impact and strategy of development policy of Financing and financial inclusiveness in increasing the financing of Bank Syariah in Indonesia. The method used is qualitative approach, descriptive type. The result of this paper is the policy of development of financing and financial inclusions have a significant impact for the improvement of financing. The strategies for the policy to produce maximum financing; first the need for support from the government as regulatory publishers, universities, state enterprises to support the financing climate; secondly, the shift of regulatory thinking from the achievement of the quantity of funds alone, but also must be based on the number of people who can be served. Third Improvement of Sharia Banking Human Resources with the training policy, providing sufficient incentives and minimum standards for recruitment of sharia banking managers. Thirdly, sharia banking always considers Third Party Funds Management, Fourth; consider the profit-sharing rate used in the financing contract. Fifth, Sharia Banks have the opportunity to cooperate (chanelling) with Non-Governmental Groups that have been free from poverty, and maximize financing for the allocation of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises.


Abstract Primary macronodular hyperplasia (PMAH) is a rare cause of endogenous Cushing's syndrome characterized by functioning adrenal macronodules and variable cortisol secretion. ARMC5 is the most frequent gene responsible for PMAH. Genetic mutations including inactivating germline mutations in armadillo repeat-containing 5 (ARMC5) gene have been identified. The occurrence of several other non adrenal tumors (meningioma, breast, colon, thyroid and parathyroid) has also been associated with PBMAH, suggesting a possible role of ARMC5 for the development of other neoplasias. The best treatment to this condition is not established. Clinical case: 64-year-old man, referred due to bilateral adrenal incidentalomas on a CT scan with characteristics of adenoma/hyperplasia. He had type-2 diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia for about 4 years. He was being treated with 4 different anti-hypertensive medications, gliclazide and simvastatin. Physical examination revealed thin and dry skin, obesity with centripetal fat distribution, multiple ecchymosis and facial erythrosis. He had a son and a daughter. No known familial relevant diseases. His laboratory workup revealed ACTH-independent hypercortisolism: failure to suppress on the overnight dexametasone suppression test - cortisol 27.6ug/dL- and on the low-dose dexamethasone test- cortisol 24ug/dL- associated to morning ACTH <1ng/L. He underwent stimulation tests with tetracosactide, LHRH, TRH, vasopressin, metoclopramide, glucagon anddeambulation test, which were overall negative. It was decided to proceed to bilateral adrenalectomy. Due to surgical complications, only right adenalectomy was performed. Histology revealed adrenal nodular hyperplasia. Molecular study in DNA extracted from peripheral blood leucocyte and in the adrenal gland revealed the presence in heterozygosity of the pathogenic mutation c.1379T>C in the ARMC5 gene. The patient underwent a cerebral CT scan which showed a meningioma in the posterior left temporal convexity. Genetic testing was also performed on the daughter and son of the patient, which revealed the same mutation. They were also tested for hypercortisolism and underwent adrenal and cerebral CT scan, which showed no abnormality. The adrenal CT scan of the daughter showed enlargement of the left adrenal gland, with aspects suggestive of nodular hyperplasia. Her blood tests revealed no sign of hypercortisolism - overnight dexametasone test- cortisol 1.0 ug/dL, morning ACTH 19.1 ng/L. The patient is currently with cortisol hypersecretion controlled. Conclusion: All patients with PMAH should be tested for ARMC5 mutations and if they are found, family screening is mandatory in this autosomal dominant disorder. Unilateral adrenalectomy could control the cortisol hypersecretion, however some of these patients can have subclinical Cushing Syndrome.


An efficient high order perfectly matched layer (HO-PML) for locally one-dimensional finite-difference time-domain (LOD-FDTD) scheme is proposed. Based on the bilinear transform (BT) method and auxiliary differential equations (ADE) method, HO-PML truncated boundary is introduced into the LOD-FDTD algorithm. One numerical example is given to verify that HO-PML for LOD-FDTD method can maintain the same stability and shows better absorbing performance than the original complex-frequency shifted (CFS) PML.


his month, I would like to talk about the appeal of IEEE Communications Magazine to industry, and then I want to make an appeal. The magazine's readership has about the same demography as ComSoc in general. It serves two large constituencies, the academic community and industry professionals. As a preeminent publication, Communications Magazine serves a clear function for academicians. It is a convenient source of leading edge articles on major areas in communications, and it is a highly regarded venue for publishing academic articles. At the same time, the magazine seeks to serve its industry readers. Frankly, this is not easy because although all of us share a common need for information about up-to-date technologies, we do not need the same information. Professionals in industry could be working on quite different things, so a magazine article on a certain topic could interest some industry readers who are working in that area but not interest others. For that reason, magazine articles are written in an accessible style without assuming a high level of expertise, but even so, it continues to be a challenge to find the best mix of topics and level of presentation for our diverse industry audience.


Objective To investigate the effects of nicardipine,urapidil,and esmolol on baroreflex sensitivity(BRS)in patients with essential hypertension(EH)during induction of general anesthesia.Methods EH patients were divided into four groups,who were given nicardipine 0.5 μg/kg(group N,15 cases),urapidil 0.5 mg/kg(group U,16 cases),esmolol 0.25 mg/kg(group E,16 cases)or normal saline(group C,15 cases)at 2 min before induction.The induction of general anesthesia was performed with the same drugs.Sodium nitroprusside 50-100 μg was administered to make systolic pressure(SBP)decreased by 15-25 mm Hg at different time points of before induction,before incubation,at 5,10,15,20 and 30 min after intubation.The RR intervel on ECG was recorded and BRS was calculated during hypotensive period.Results BRS was reduced in groups of N,U and C after intubation compared with that before(P0.05 or P0.01),which was lower in group N than that in group C,but was higher in group E than that in group C at all time points(P0.05).Conclusion The induction of general anesthesia may reduce BRS in EH patients,which is aggravated by preinjection of nicardipine.Urapidil has no effect on BRS,but esmolol may increase BRS during induction of general anesthesia.


A red upconverted emission is reported for yttria codoped with Eu3+ and Yb3+ upon excitation by a 970 nm laser diode. The concentration dependence and temperature dependence down to 10 K of the upconverted emission have been investigated. Two alternative models are presented to simulate the emission intensity−temperature dependence.


The continental crust was formed through the continental nucleus, platform, Pangea, continental splitting, continental accretion, intercontinental collision and orogeny in its progress. The crust was split into continental crust and oceanic crust by inhomogeneous differentiation. Continental margins that have different tectonic features were formed by continental splitting, oceanic crust subduction or intercontinental collision. Five marginal tectonic belts, thirteen secondary tectonic regions and fifty-three space-time distribution structures were decided according to the distribution of three intercontinental collision belts. The probabilities for discovering ore deposits in tectonic regions were calculated based on existing deposits. Continental margins were divided into divergence type, convergence type, collision type and transform type, and their metallogenetic serial specialization was summarized. It's very important for metallogeny to occur where advantaged metallogenetic multiple factors were coupled. Their coupling mechanism and space-time distribution in continental margin are key to outlining advantaged metallogenetic area.


Integrating Interactive Response System (IRS) with a classroom computer is an inexpensive and promising means to overcoming or alleviating obstacles of in-class teacher-student and peer interactions. Unfortunately, such potential applications are often neglected. Accordingly, this study identifies IRS's features, investigates the merits and limitations of applying existing IRSs to instruction and learning, and further interprets how IRS's existing features can be elaborated and generates more useful features for instructional application based on three finished research: 1. developing a more powe rful IRS, called EduClick II, to support various types of classroom activities and interactions, 2. expanding IRS to a network-supported environment to facilitate teachers' developing and sharing of pre-authored IRS-based materials , students' review of the materials and their in-class response on the IRS after class, and parents' understanding of their child's performance in using IRS, and 3. expanding IRS to other advanced devices, which could possess IRS's existing features.


The invention discloses an aryl alkyl alcohol-polypropylene oxide-polyoxyethylene block copolymer, which has a structure in a general formula I. The preparation method comprises the following steps: alkylating alkenyl carboxylate and aromatic hydrocarbon to obtain aryl alkyl carboxylic acid; esterifying aryl alkyl carboxylic acid and methanol to obtain aryl alkyl carboxylic methyl ether; alkylating alkyl carboxylic methyl ether and aromatic hydrocarbon to obtain aryl alkyl carboxylic methyl ether; carrying out hydrogenation reduction on the aryl alkyl carboxylic methyl ether to form aryl alkyl alcohol; carrying out ring-opening reaction on the aryl alkyl alcohol and epoxypropane to obtain aryl alkyl alcohol polyoxypropylene ether; and carrying out ethoxylation reaction on the aryl alkyl alcohol polyoxypropylene ether and ethylene oxide to obtain the aryl alkyl alcohol-polypropylene oxide-polyoxyethylene block copolymer. The aryl alkyl alcohol-polypropylene oxide-polyoxyethylene block copolymer can be applied to the fields such as residual oil emulsification, thickened oil viscosity reduction, heavy oil pour point depression, nano emulsion preparation, tertiary oil recovery, daily-use chemical industry and the like.


We conjecture that adaptive systems are characterized by a self- referential loop in which combinatorial objects encode functions that act back on these objects. A model for this loop is presented. It uses a simple and powerful recursive language to map character strings into algorithms that symbolically manipulate strings. The interaction between algorithms, i.e. functions, can be defined in a natural way within the language. The behavior of a fixed size ensemble of functions acting on each other is studied under various conditions. The function gas,'' or Turing gas,'' evolves cooperative interaction patterns of considerable intricacy. Such patterns are observed to adapt under the influence of perturbations consisting in the addition of new random functions to the system. Completely different organizational architectures emerge depending on the availability of self-replicators.


Several studies have demonstrated the presence of surveillance bias in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety Indicator #12 (PSI12), Postoperative Venous Thromboembolism (VTE), in which hospitals with higher rates of VTE-related diagnostic imaging also have disproportionately higher PSI12 rates.1 Surveillance bias in PSI12 raises a subsequent question that has received less attention: how accurate is PSI12 in (a) identifying truly poor-quality hospitals ("true positives" for poor VTE outcomes) versus those that only appear to be poor-quality hospitals due to high VTE-imaging rates ("false positives"); and (b) identifying truly high-quality hospitals with low VTE rates ("true negatives") versus those that only appear to be high-quality hospitals because of inappropriately low VTE imaging rates ("false negatives"). Because incentives are tied to PSI12, it is important to understand the PSI12's potential for hospital misclassification with respect to quality.

In the absence of a universal screening protocol, VTE-imaging rates are generally below 100%. Imaging is not performed at random, but targeted at patients who are symptomatic or at greater risk for VTE such that patients are prioritized for imaging based on observable signs and symptoms of VTE and factors. This implies that there are diminishing returns to VTE-imaging. Because of this targeting/prioritization, imaging will reveal clinically-significant VTE until imaging rates exceed the true incidence of clinically-significant VTE. At that point, additional imaging will detect non-clinically-significant clots2 for which treatment may not have a favorable cost-effectiveness profile. Because the PSI12 numerator counts all diagnosed VTE events as identified on the basis of International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD-9-CM) codes,3 higher VTE-imaging rates can inflate the numerator because ICD-9-CM codes do not differentiate between clinically-significant and subclinical VTE. If subclinical VTE could be reliably distinguished from clinically-significant VTE, subclinical events could be excluded from the numerator to eliminate this source of surveillance bias.

There is, however, another problem with PSI12—one which lurks in the denominator: "all surgical discharges age 18 and older defined by specific DRGs or MS-DRGs and an ICD-9-CM code for an operating room procedure."3 For any rate measure, all observations in the denominator should be at risk for experiencing the numerator event. In PSI2, the numerator counts patients diagnosed with VTE, but VTE diagnosis depends on imaging. Although all surgical patients are at risk for postoperative VTE, not all patients are at equal risk for imaging due to practice variations, differences in organizational/institutional characteristics (e.g. technological capacity and radiology staffing) and/or heterogeneity in hospital culture. The PSI12 denominator represents the actual population at risk of VTE diagnosis only under 100% screening.

To illustrate how this denominator problem along with the inability to differentiate and exclude subclinical VTE from clinically-significant events in the numerator can jointly lead to inaccurate conclusions about hospital quality, consider two hypothetical hospitals, Hospital-X and Hospital-Z. The x-axes in Figure 1 show the number of patients in Hospital-X and Hospital-Z that are in the PSI12 denominator. The primary y- axis shows the true, underlying incidence of VTE in each hospital. In practice, this true rate is unobservable, but for the purposes of this hypothetical illustration, we assume it is known. Dark-shaded regions depict the proportion of each hospital's denominator that develops clinically-significant VTE, while light-shaded regions depict the proportion developing subclinical VTE. Hospital-X has better VTE-related quality of care: its underlying clinically-significant VTE incidence is 20%. Hospital-Z has poorer quality-of-care: its clinically-significant VTE incidence is 40%. Both hospitals have a 30% incidence of subclinical VTE.

Figure 1

Hypothetical Illustration of Hospital Misclassification Due to Surveillance Bias in PSI12

The secondary y-axis shows the number of patients that receive VTE-imaging. At 10% surveillance (Line A), both hospitals have identical PSI12 rates of 10%, although Hospital-X has higher quality than Hospital-Z. In Hospital-X, 50% of clinically-significant VTE went undetected, compared to 75% in Hospital-Z. Based on PSI12, both hospitals not only appear the same, but they appear to have better VTE outcomes than they actually do.

At 20% surveillance (Line 2), both hospitals have PSI12 rates of 20%. This captures all clinically-significant VTE in Hospital-X, but 50% of clinically-significant VTE remain undetected in Hospital-Z.

At 40% surveillance (Line 3), both hospitals have PSI12 rates of 40%. However, in Hospital-X, this is comprised of 20 clinically-significant VTE plus an additional 20 subclinical VTE. In Hospital-Z all 40 cases were clinically-significant.

At 100% screening (Line 4), the observed PSI12 rates of Hospital X and Z are 50% and 70%, respectively. The relative ordering is accurate (Hospital-X has lower rates of VTE than Hospital-Z), although VTE rates are inflated due to inclusion of both clinically-significant and subclinical VTE.

By means of stylized construction, Figure 1 reveals that, holding underlying clinical quality constant, PSI12 may not reflect true clinical quality due to variation in VTE imaging rates. Furthermore, holding surveillance rates constant, PSI12 rates can still fail to reflect true levels of clinical quality due to unobserved heterogeneity in underlying VTE incidence across hospitals.

The analysis of surveillance bias in PSI12 is not simply an empirical or theoretical exercise in measurement science. The potential for PSI12 to misclassify hospitals with respect to quality of care can lead to unintended consequences on multiple levels. Consumers may unwittingly choose "the wrong" hospital based on ostensibly low PSI12 rates if those rates are low because of inadequate surveillance. By the same token, consumers may reject higher quality hospitals because of ostensibly higher PSI12 rates that are high because of more intense surveillance. Payers may misdirect financial rewards towards "false negative" hospitals (worse outcomes than reflected in PSI12) away from "false positive" (better outcomes than reflected in PSI12). Finally, inefficiency in hospital resource allocation may ensue if hospital quality improvement (QI) leaders/teams use PSI12 to guide investment in QI activities.

Developing an empirical approach to quantify the magnitude of misclassification in PSI12 due to surveillance bias hinges on the existence of a gold standard for measuring true underlying VTE incidence that is independent of VTE surveillance imaging. To our knowledge, no such gold standard exists. Nevertheless, PSI12 can be improved if administrative codes are developed and implemented that enable reliable identification and exclusion of subclinical VTE from the measure numerator. Regardless, stakeholders should consider the limitations of this measure when using PSI12 as a basis for evaluating hospital quality.


Solar greenhouse vegetable fields have been found to be hotspots of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in China, mainly due to excessive manure application and irrigation. Pulses of N2O emissions have been commonly reported by field monitoring works conducted in greenhouse fields, though their significance regarding total N2O emissions and the driving mechanism behind them remain poorly understood. N2O fluxes were monitored in situ using a static opaque chamber method in a typical greenhouse vegetable field. Then, laboratory incubations were conducted under different soil moisture and manure application gradients to monitor nitrous oxide emissions and related soil properties, using a robotized incubation system. Field monitoring showed that the occurrence of clear N2O emission bursts closely followed fertilization and irrigation events, accounting for 76.7% of the annual N2O efflux. The soil N2O flux increased exponentially with the water-filled pore space (WFPS), causing extremely high N2O emissions when the WFPS was higher than 60%. During the lab incubation, emission bursts led to N2O peaks within 40 h, synchronously changing with the transit soil NO2−. An integrated analysis of the variations in the gas emission and soil properties indicated that the denitrification of transit NO2− accumulation was the major explanation for N2O emission bursts in the greenhouse filed. Nitrous oxide emission bursts constituted the major portion of the N2O emissions in the Chinese greenhouse soils. Nitrite (NO2−) denitrification triggered by fertilization and irrigation was responsible for these N2O emission pulses. Our results clarified the significance and biogeochemical mechanisms of N2O burst emissions; this knowledge could help us to devise and enact sounder N2O mitigation measures, which would be conducive to sustainable development in vegetable greenhouse fields.


In this report, we present a real-time hybrid tracking system for augmented reality applications in urban environments. In our framework, the augmented model aligns itself on the building planar surfaces by using several vision based tracking information, such as corner points, vanishing points and homography between images. In addition to the vision based alignment, the method uses the inner sensor data of the mobile phone as a feedback. We estimate the search space of the feature locations for the next frames using the history of previous states with the help of gyroscope and accelerometer data and as well as the vision tracking information. We combine these data by using a probabilistic approach defined by Dempster-Shafer. The different stages of the approach are demonstrated on various examples of building images.


This paper addresses issues pertaining to the accession of Cyprus to the Eurozone and the reunification of the economy of this island-state. Within this framework the performance of the economy of Cyprus, both in the government-controlled areas and in the occupied northern part, are examined. We also examine the conditions for successful participation in the Eurozone following the introduction of the euro in January 2008, and evaluate the progress toward real convergence. Particular attention is given to the German experience of reunification, with a view to drawing relevant and useful lessons for Cyprus, as well as to issues of political economy pertaining to accession to the Eurozone and the challenge of reunification. The last section summarizes the main points, makes policy recommendations and suggestions for further research.


A programmable Very Long Instruction Word (VLIW) Video Signal Processor (VSP) Chip is currently under development. The design of this chip provides some unique VLSI tradeoffs. The architecture requires flexible, high-bandwidth interconnect at fast cycle times. The design targets 32-64 operations per cycle at clock rates in excess of 500 MHz. A high-performance crossbar interconnect has been designed in a .25 /spl mu/m process. Novel optimizations and design choices are presented that are unique to single-chip-processor crossbars. Area and speed tradeoffs are then examined for a variety of design parameters in order to guide architectural decisions for the VLIW VSP.


Democratic and economic ideals have driven many initiatives in the post-Soviet transition. A review of gender equity as measured by higher education participation reveals divergent trends in the region. Initial expectations that democratization through policy and participation would be associated with increased or continuing gender equity in the region have come to fruition in some but not all countries. An economic incentive of achieving high rates of enrollment in higher education institutions is increased employability of the potential work force to serve a growing economy. Two concurrent economic goals of the transition economies of Central and Southeastern Europe, Baltics, Western Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Central Asia have been to increase the standard of living (Newell & Reilly 1999) and transform toward market economies (Svejnar 2002), however work force needs and preferences have diversified in the new economies. Employment opportunities have broadened during the transition, however some young people are vulnerable to new insecurities and inequalities. There is evidence that young women, in particular, are being left out of the job market (UNICEF TransMONEE 2007a). Higher education participation reflects these changing contextual influences. This article highlights tw o divergent trends related to gender dynamics in higher education. The first trend reveals the increase in the number of female students in higher education in most countries of the region, especially in the countries of Southeastern/Central Europe and the Baltics. The second trend, however, documents major setbacks in terms of gender equality in some countries of Central Asia, where female enrollment in higher education has been decreasing throughout the transition period. A careful examination of these two trends, based on previous investigation and recent data review, reveals interesting gender dynamics during the post-socialist transition period and suggests that more research into the causes and consequences of gender inequalities in higher education is needed.


The USDA's June WASDE report of world supply and consumption projections contained a number of changes from the May report for corn and soybeans. The bulk of the changes related to world production estimates in the 2016-17 crop year. The estimates and forecasts from the report confirm a continuing trend of increasing soybean stocks and decreasing corn stocks over the next marketing year. These numbers will likely take a back seat to the developing crop prospects over the short run. The release of the Grain Stocks and Acreage reports on June 30 will provide major implications for the remaining marketing year and new crop prices moving forward.


In this work, photocatalytic degradation of Reactive Red 4 (RR4) using immobilized P25 and kronos were performed under fluorescent light sources. The photocatalysis activity for both catalysts was investigated under fluorescent lamp source which consist UV and Visible light. The effect of various parameters such as initial concentration, initial pH and strenght of immobilized plate were studied. The result showed that 90% of RR4 dye was degrade in 1 hr using immobilized/kronos/DSAT at 100 mg L -1 of RR4 dye while 81% degradation was achieved by immobilized/P25/DSAT at the same condition. The lowest pH showed the higher photocatalytic activity. Hence, the effect of dye concentration and pH on the photocatalysis study can be related with the behavior of environmental pollution. The low strength showed by immobilized/P25/DSAT where it remain 37 % as compared with strength of immobilized/kronos/DSAT (52 wt.%). For the future work, the polymer binder like Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), Polyethylene glycol (PEG), and others polymers can be apply in immobilized study to overcome the strength problem.


The authors discuss the recent results on equation of state for partonic matter created at RHIC. Issues of partonic collectivity for multi-strange hadrons and J/{psi} from Au + Au collisions at {radical}s{sub NN} = 200 GeV are the focus of this paper.


The paper analyzes the two opposite methodological approaches of explanation and understanding in psychology.It accounts for the oppositions in the three phases of psychological development: positivist experiential description of structural psychology and intuitive description of Gestalt's phenomenology,deductive explanation of behavioristic psychology and symbolic understanding of psychoanalysis,and model-based explanation of cognitive psychology and empathic and teleological comprehension of humanism.The author claims that the conflicts are rooted in the nature of mind and cultural traditions of science and humanity,therefore proposing that the alternative to the study of psychology be finding a balance in methodology.


Calorimetry is used as a nondestructive assay technique for determining the power output of heat-producing nuclear materials. Calorimetric assay of plutonium-bearing and tritium items routinely obtains the highest precision and accuracy of all nondestructive assay (NDA) techniques, and the power calibration can be traceable to National Institute of Standards and Technology through certified electrical standards. Because the heat-measurement result is completely independent of material and matrix type, it can be reliably used on any material form or item matrix. The calorimetry measurement is combined with isotopic composition information to determine the correct plutonium content of an item. When an item is unsuitable for neutron or gamma-ray NDA, calorimetric assay is used. Currently, the largest calorimeter capable of measuring plutonium-bearing or tritium items is 36 cm in diameter and 61 cm long. Fabrication of a high-sensitivity large volume calorimeter (LVC) capable of measuring tritium and plutonium-bearing items in 208-1 (55-gal) shipping or storage containers has provided a reliable NDA method to measure many difficult to measure forms of plutonium and tritium more accurately. This large calo rimeter can also be used to make secondary working standards from process material for the calibration of faster NDA assay techniques. The footprint of themore » calorimeter is 104 cm wide by 157 cm deep and 196 cm high in the closed position. The space for a standard electronics rack is also necessary for the operation of the calo rimeter. The maximum item size that can be measured in the LVC is 62 cm in diameter and 100 cm long. The extensive use of heat-flow calorimeters for safeguards-related measurements at DOE facilities makes it important to extend the capability of calorimetric assay of plutonium and tritium items to larger container sizes. Measurement times, precision, measurement threshold, and position sensitivity of the instrument will be discussed.« less


In this article we described common problems encountered by various researchers when synthe-sizing recognition systems based on laser range profile, developed for non-cooperative vehicle recognition. Proven approaches to tackling the problems are also considered. The contemporary level of the technology and guidelines for developing the recognition systems are discussed. Based on the research results combined, it is concluded that such systems are not only feasible, but also in demand.


Acknowledgements. Introduction: Psychology and 'Human Nature'. The Ultimate Biological Motive: The Evolutionary Perspective. Mental Conflict: Biolgical Drives and Social Reality. An Inner World: Cognitive Psychology. The Individual Consciousness - Anxiously Free in a Meaningless World. Social Being: Interacting and Presenting Oneself as a Person. 'Human Nature' as an Outmoded Cultural Presupposition. Conclusion. Glossary. Bibliography. Index.


Exhibition Catalogue Essay

'Archive, Testimony, and Trace: Uriel Orlow's Housed Memory' in Uriel Orlow: Deposits, Berlin-Zurich, The Green Box and Kunst Editionen, 2006.


In this paper we focus on text analysis issues and describe the linguistic problems we have encountered in working with an ideal two-column proof as the pedagogical foundation for the tutoring system. We discuss how the student's explanation is challenging to assess relative to an ideal two-column proof since in the explanation (1) parts of the proof can be skipped and may not necessarily reflect a gap in the student's knowledge and (2) parts of the proof can be merged. We hypothesize that skipping and merging are due to efficiency of expression and begin to examine the implications for assessing the depth of a student's understanding of the domain. Finally we outline the solutions we have attempted and are considering for these issues.


This study investigates how Portuguese radio journalists evaluate the changes that have occurred in the profession since the Internet has been integrated in newsrooms. The main purpose is to understand how these professional perceive the influence of the Internet on journalism practices, roles and ethics. In order to achieve this purpose, it was carried out a survey of 30 journalists working at the four main Portuguese radio stations newsrooms. Results confirm that Internet is considered a positive influence on journalism. The global network allows an enhancement of journalists' communicative and practical performance, but is perceived has having a limited impact on traditional journalists' roles in a democratic society .


Lehmann describes himself as 'part sociologist, part anthropologist, dedicated to ethnography and comparison.' He started fieldwork in Chile, focusing on land reform and the challenges of development during Allende's times, and by the 1980s, increasingly shifted to work on religious movements—Catholic and Evangelical, mainly in Brazil, and then Jewish, particularly in Brazil, Israel, the UK and the US. He is the author of several books, including: Democracy and Development in Latin America: Economics, Politics and Religion in the Post-war Period (Polity, 1990), Struggle for the Spirit: Religious Transformation and Popular Culture in Brazil and Latin America (Polity, 1996), and with Batia Siebzehner, Remaking Israeli Judaism: The Challenge of Shas (Hurst, 2006), in addition to numerous articles on these and related subjects. His Cambridge website hosts a fascinating summary of his impressive bioacademic journey and contributions to the study of Latin America up to 2006, narrated in his peculiarly vivacious, reflexive, and at times ironic way.


Mature peripheral T/Natural killer (NK)-cell neoplasms represent 10–15% of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) in adults. T/NK-NHL have a worst prognosis compared with B-cell lymphomas. Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) is an attractive option for these patients. On behalf of the SFGM-TC group, we conducted a retrospective analysis and included seventy-seven T/NK-cell lymphoma patients. Diagnosis were: ALCL (n=27), Peripheral T-cell Lymphoma Not-Otherwise Specified (PTCL-NOS) (n=27), Angioimmunoblastic T-cell Lymphoma (AITL) (n= 11), Hepatosplenic g/d lymphoma (HSL) (n=3), T-cell granular lymphocytic leukemia (T-GLL) (n=1), nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma (nasal-NK/L) (n=3) case or non-nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma (non nasal-NK/L) (n=2), enteropathy-Type T-cell (n=1) and HTLV-1 lymphoma (n=2). Fifty-seven patients received myeloablative conditioning regimen prior allo-SCT. Donors were HLA-matched in 70 cases and related in 60 cases. Patients status at the time of allo-SCT was CR in 31 cases, PR in 26 cases and SD/PD in other cases. Five-year toxicity-related mortality (TRM) rate was 34%. Major cause of death was infection. Five-year OS and EFS rates were 57% and 53.3%, respectively. In a multivariate analysis, chemoresistance disease (SD, refractory or progressing disease at the time of allo-SCT and aGVHD grade III/IV were the only adverse prognostic factors for OS ( p= 0.027 and p=0.033 , respectively). Disease status at transplantation influenced EFS ( p= 0.0032 ) and a HLA-mismatched donor increased TRM ( p= 0.0386 ). A plateau was reached after one and a half year after allo-SCT. Only 5 out of 59 patients in CR after allo-SCT experienced a relapse. The 5-year OS rate for chemo-resistant patients was also encouraging. These patients were not curable with conventional approaches and near of one third have taken advantage of allo-SCT. Furthermore, two patients received DLI at relapse and they both reached a second durable CR. Taken together, this suggests that there is a graft versus T-/NK-lymphoma effect which may play a role in the curative potential of allo-SCT. we conclude that randomized clinical trials comparing allo-SCT versus conventional chemotherapy upfront for PTCL, aggressive AITL or histopathological subtypes (HSL, HTLV-1 lymphomas) have to be encouraged.


Photorefractive ZnTe and CdTe crystals doped with vanadium and/or manganese were grown and characterized in the wavelength range of 0.63 micrometers to 1.52 micrometers . The highest gain was observed in ZnTe:Mn:V (1.5 cm-1 at 0.63 micrometers ). Through the use of both dopants the effective trap density was increased over an order of magnitude to 4.8 X 1015 cm-3. The wavelength sensitivity range of cadmium telluride photorefractives was extended to less than 0.6 micrometers in CD0.55Mn0.45Te:V.


[ISSN: 2045-7057] www.ijmse.org 1 Abstract— This paper develops the application of the Dual Reciprocity Boundary Element Method (DR-BEM) to pose the problem of the Helmholtz equation in acoustics problems. Because one of the main problems in the analysis of acoustic vibrations in internal cavities is to determine the natural frequencies of the acoustic system and its associated vibration modes, in this paper we develop the formulation by the boundary element method (BEM) and two-dimensional geometries modal analysis to compare the results with the finite element method (FEM) modal analysis based on the DR-BEM which is selfdeveloped method provides a good approximation compared with the results obtained by the FEM. The proposed procedure has been programmed using the MATLAB ® program. We have obtained the natural frequencies for a two-dimensional domain, comparing the results obtained using DR-BEM with the Finite Element Method.


The present study presents the econometric study of wind farm construction in Heraklion, Crete. The first chapter will analyze the definition of wind energy as well as the disadvantages and advantages of the use of this renewable energy, the characteristics of the wind, the factors affecting the wind speed and the general picture of wind energy in Greece.The second chapter describes the presence of wind energy in Crete. The third chapter describes the wind farms more extensively and presents the advantages and disadvantages of their operation. In the fourth chapter is mentioned the technical study of the project and the last chapter describes the economic study of the park.
At the end are presented the conclusions and the used bibliography.


The inaccuracy of self‐report height (Ht) and weight (Wt) in survey research is frequently cited as a limitation. This study examined associations between 1686 college students' self‐report, via online survey, and Ht and Wt measured in duplicate by trained staff using standard procedures. Participants were 77% White, 62% female, 18‐24 yr of age [mean 19.1±1.1], and enrolled at 8 universities. BMI was calculated for self‐report and measured Ht and Wt and categorized as normal (18.5 to 24.9) and overweight (蠅25). Concordance of self‐report vs. measured BMI classification groups using chi‐square revealed 93% were accurate, 4% self‐reported normal when actually overweight, and 2.7% self‐reported overweight when actually normal. Similar findings were found when stratified by gender, except females were significantly (p = 0.009) more accurate than males (95% vs. 91%). Pearson correlations revealed significant (p < 0.01) associations between self‐report and measured Ht and Wt (r = 0.97 for BMI; r = 0.98 for Ht; r = 0.99 for Wt). Findings provide support for the utility of self‐report Ht and Wt over other costly and cumbersome observed measurements of college students.


Background: obtaining a systemic and integrated evaluative judgment, that assesses the joint results in the cognitive sphere and the expertise, distinguishes the evaluation as a component of teaching-learning process in the formation of Dentistry professionals. Objective: to assess the promotion results in the final practical examination of the subject Comprehensive Dentistry VII. Methods: an observational descriptive cross-sectional study, with qualitative approach, was conducted at the Faculty of Dentistry of the Medical University in Villa Clara during the academic year 2012-2013 with a sample of 46 fourth-year Dentistry students. Theoretical PDF created with pdfFactory Pro trial version www.pdffactory.com EDUMECENTRO 2014;6(Suppl. 1):21-34 ISSN 2077-2874 RNPS 2234


Objective To study the categories of common Culex species in Urumchi city,the use of morphological and molecular characteristics of the mosquito for rapid species identification. Methods The samples collected from the city of Urumqi,the artificial breeding of adult mosquitoes and larvae,morphological identification and determination of test mosquito's mtDNA-COI and rDNA-ITS2 gene sequences for identification of molecular biology analysis. Results Conduct morphological identification for adult mosquitoes and larvae,to determine the microscopic characteristics of Culex pipiens complex group. Test mosquito mtDNA-COI and rDNA-ITS2 PCR amplification products were sequenced to obtain the sequence BLAST homology comparison,combined with the morphological identification of other factors identified as Culex pipiens. Conclusions Application of morphological and molecular characterization of mosquito species is simple,fast. Urumqi identified a common mosquito species Culex pipiens,introduced the mosquito species identification of molecular biology methods.


Source Citation Topol EJ, Moliterno DJ, Herrmann HC, et al., for the TARGET Investigators. Comparison of two platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors, tirofiban and abciximab, for the prevention o...


Electric utility response to certain amendments of the Clean Air Act has resulted in the production of several types of alkaline coal combustion byproducts. Alkaline combustion byproducts are gaining increasing usage for acid mine drainage mitigation as research leads to a better understanding of their beneficial applications. Since January of 1997, Mettiki Coal Corporation has been injecting alkaline flue gas desulfurization material from Virginia Power's Mt. Storm Unit #3 wet limestone scrubber into abandoned portions of the active Mettiki mine. This paper provides an overview of the key design, transportation, regulatory , and environmental issues faced in the project. Additional


In this paper, we implement Mobile AP system, which has Multihoming function providing vertical handover between WiBro and HSDPA networks. We monitor packet drop in networks during binding updates(BU) and acknowledgement(BA) and analyze handover latency. We propose methodology to reduce handover latency and describe the further development direction of Mobile AP system.


To test whether a low serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D level explains the greater prevalence of depression among people with Type 2 diabetes.


This page has set up a mechanics model and a optimized mathematics model of the working process for the YH-300A Pipe Hammer Using compound model method. Regarding the impaction energy as object number, we can make an optimizing design to the structure. This page also makes a calculation of impaction energy and impaction frequency of the original structure. After the optimize calculation, comparing to the original design the impaction energy has improve at least 19% and the impaction frequency has improve a little. At the same time, we make the finite element calculation to the piston of the YH-300A Pipe Hammer. After the finite element calculation, both the original design and the optimized design have proved the biggest stress located in the vent. And the stress on the impaction side is great. So we should use the finite element method to collate the intension of the body as we use the shock wave method to collate the intention. It can improve the shortage of the using of shock wave method in the intention calculation.


Abstract The Taiwanese government's promotion of domestic travel has generated high demand for leisure farming, resulting in the increasing establishment of leisure farms and an intensification of competition. A key concern for farm operators is how to operate and develop farms according to the principles of sustainability. Through a literature review, in-depth interviews and a modified Delphi technique, this study developed an evaluation framework for the sustainable operation of leisure farms. From the study results, we derived 39 indicators encompassing the five dimensions, namely social sustainability, economic sustainability, environmental sustainability, resource sustainability and management sustainability. The implications of these findings for managing leisure farms and future research directions are discussed.


Cook et al. argue that mirror neurons originate from associative learning processes, without evolutionary influence from social-cognitive mechanisms. We disagree with this claim and present arguments based upon cross-species comparisons, EEG findings, and developmental neuroscience that the evolution of mirror neurons is most likely driven simultaneously and interactively by evolutionarily adaptive psychological mechanisms and lower-level biological mechanisms that support them.


In the multistage fracturing strings of horizontal bare hole wells,the self-locking sleeve by throwing the ball used for controlling multistage switch.It related to the quality of reforming the horizontal well by throwing the ball to open the multistage string,so the ball seat impact was analyze and erosion was of great significance.The paper studied how the pressure,sand flow,ball seat taper influenced ball seat erosion,and the best structure design ball seat data was given.


Detection architectures are proposed for high-sensitivity, label-free detection of biomolecules using field-effect devices. In these architectures, the drain current of a field-effect transistor is modulated by the attachment of biomolecules to the transistor and is then converted from an analog signal to a digital signal by means of an oscillator. The time between successive pulses is representative of the magnitude of the drain current of the transistor, and hybridization events can thus be identified. An advantage of such a design is that it can be incorporated into large arrays without concerns of signal degradation, as well as can enable higher sensitivities to be achieved compared to the currently used optical based detection methods.


The tenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) called upon countries to implement the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–20, including the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, and invited parties to review their national biodiversity strategies and action plans accordingly. National biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs) are a key instrument for translating the CBD into national action and for integrating biodiversity across sectors. The CBD calls for parties to 'integrate, as far as possible and as appropriate, the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity into relevant sectoral or cross-sectoral plans, programmes and policies' (Article 6(b)). Mainstreaming biodiversity will be critical to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals.


The power Bonferroni mean (PBM) is a combined networking system that can benefit both the power average (PA) operator, which might attenuate the effects of irrational data provided by the prejudiced decision-makers (DMs), and the BM operator, which may incorporate the interconnections between any two attributes. In this paper, we defined the aggregation operators (AOs), such as the power average (PA) operator and the power Bonferroni mean (PBM) operator, based on the Aczel-Alsina (AA) operational rules under the environment of the q-Rung Orthopair fuzzy set (q-ROFS), and provided their specific characteristics for the solution of numerical problems. We extend the power Bonferroni mean (PBM) operator under the framework of q-ROFVs to establish the q-Rung Orthopair Fuzzy Aczel-Alsina power Bonferroni mean (q-ROFAAPBM) operator and the q-Rung Orthopair Fuzzy Aczel-Alsina weighted power Bonferroni mean (q-ROFAAWPBM) operator and discuss a few of the most useful properties of these AOs. After that, the q-ROFAAWPBM operator is used to solve the multi-attribute decision-making steps for q-ROFVs. The disease is diagnosed with the MADM method, which shows its usefulness and effectiveness. Finally, the comparison of our developed approach has been demonstrated to be superior and more effective than the existing literature, and we can conclude the result.


SIR—Abdelhafiz has comprehensively reviewed different aspects of heart failure (HF) management in older people [1]. I would like to point out that palliative care is an important and increasingly recognised part of HF management, especially in patients over the age of 75 [2, 3]. Heart failure shares many features with the conditions managed by palliative care teams: inexorably progressive debilitation, deteriorating quality of life and distressing symptoms, especially at the end of life. The incidence and prevalence of HF increase dramatically over the age of 75—up to 43.5% and 190 cases per 1000 respectively [4]. The mortality is 50% after one year in severe cases [2]. Although many available treatment modalities slow the progression, HF is a relentlessly progressive disease. Treatments such as ACE inhibitors only slightly improve the survival in the long term as is evident from the 10-year review of the CONSENSUS trial [5]. HF patients suffer from many non-cardiac symptoms including anorexia, constipation, nausea, vomiting, and tiredness that are not controlled by the conventional HF treatment. Only a few studies in the UK have investigated the symptoms in terminal HF [6, 7]. Many of these symptoms were found not to be attended to or documented. Poor communication was identified as a common problem. The SUPPORT study from the United States confirmed the same findings [8]. It found Letters to the Editor


Introduction: Penile agenesis (PA) and diphallus (DP) are extremely rare genital anomaly in children. Numerous associated anomalies have been described with these malformations. These patients need several investigations and finally surgical intervention. Material & Methods: In a retrospective study, 14 patients who were treated for phallus malformation in Mofid Children's Hospital from January 2004 to December 2013 were studied. Detailed history was taken and para clinical examinations were performed in each patient and diagnosis was confirmed by laboratory tests, abdominal ultrasonography, voiding cystourethrography (VCUG), and karyotype study. Data regarding age, sex, clinical findings, associated anomalies and treatment were collected. Results: From 14 patients, eight cases had PA (aged 2 to 4320days), and six had DP (aged 2 to 5040 days).Karyotype in all PA's patients was 46XY. Five of DP cases had completed, and one had bifid phallus type. All patients were treated surgically after complete investigations, and followed within period of study. Conclusion: All patients with phallus anomalies need extensive evaluations and surgical intervention. No surgical intervention should take place without counseling the parents.


According to the analysis of the existing problems of graduate education of mechanical engineering in local college, the necessity is explained for the team construction of adjunct graduate tutor. Based on the joint base of Shandong Province for graduate education which is established by the University of Jinan (UJN) and the Jinan Foundry& Metal forming Machinery Research Institute Co., Ltd. (JFMMRI), practice is carried out to establish a team of adjunct graduated tutor and to explore the education mode of graduate student under the co-operation of Industry-Academia- Research (IAR).


The current study was carried out to identify the relationship between depression and subjective well-being of prisoners in District Jail Gujrat, Pakistan. The study also focused on assessing the various levels of depression and subjective well-being by relating them with the demographic variables of the participants. To select the participants, simple random sampling technique was used in the current study, the scales used to assess the level of depression in the prisoners included the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) designed by Beck et al. (1996) and the General Health Questionnaire designed by Goldberg and Williams (1988). The adapted version in Urdu of both the questionnaires were distributed among the prisoners. The hypothesis of the study was that depression has a negative relationship with the subjective well-being of the male prisoners. Also, the results will highlight different levels of depression and subjective well-being when they are compared with the demographic variables of the participants. The results indicated that a negative relationship exists between depression and subjective well-being of the male prisoners.


We consider the simple linear regressive model, whose error processes are decrescent. The minimum L p (p ≥ 1) norm estimator of the unknown parameter for this model is investigated and the consistency and asymptotic distribution are also obtained.


The problem of obtaining a gauge independent beta function for Newton's constant is addressed. By a specific parameterisation of metric fluctuations a gauge independent functional integral is constructed for the semiclassical theory around an arbitrary Einstein space. The effective action then has the property that only physical polarisations of the graviton contribute, while all other modes cancel with the functional measure. We are then able to compute a gauge independent beta function for Newton's constant in d-dimensions to one-loop order. No Landau pole is present provided Ng < 18, where Ng = d(d− 3)~2 is the number of polarisations of the graviton. While adding a large number of matter fields can change this picture, the absence of a pole persists for the particle content of the standard model in four spacetime dimensions.


A scaling law is demonstrated in the conductivity of gated two-dimensional (2D) materials with tunable concentrations of ionized impurity scatterers. Experimental data is shown to collapse onto a single 2D conductivity scaling (2DCS) curve when the mobility is scaled by r, the relative impurity-induced scattering, and the gate voltage is shifted by Vs , a consequence of impurity-induced doping. This 2DCS analysis is demonstrated first in an encapsulated 2D black phosphorus multilayer at T=100K with charge trap densities programmed by a gate bias upon cooldown, and next in a Bi2Se3 2D monolayer at room temperature exposed to varying concentrations of gas adsorbates. The observed scaling can be explained using a conductivity model with screened ionized impurity scatterers. The slope of the r vs.  Vs plot defines a disorder-charge specific scattering rate Γq=dr/dVs equivalent to a scattering strength per unit impurity charge density: Γq>0 indicates a preponderance of positively charged impurities with Γq<0 for negatively charged. This 2DCS analysis is expected to be applicable in arbitrary 2D materials systems with tunable impurity density, which will advance 2D materials characterization and improve performance of 2D sensors and transistors.


The author presents an emotional analysis of the colonization situation of the first half of the XIXth century and shows the connection between interethnic contacts of the colonization period with the development of so-called "German question" in the Russian Empire. Special attention is paid to the processes of interaction between Slavic (the Ukrainean, Russian) and German-speaking (the Mennonites, the colonist) colonization groups. Under conditions of colonization, inter-ethnic autostereotypes were formed. These ideas about the "others" were kept and saved in the field of collective unconscious and social memory, but under conditions of a conformist (strictly regulated) society, the autostereotypes were neutral and and did not show aggression. . The mobilization of the Russian nation was carried out according to the antagonistic scenario, which caused the formation of the "German question" as one of the theoretical nationalist concepts in the Empire. The ideologists of nationalism used autostereotypes to form anti-German sentiments. The resentment of masses was formed on the basis of negative experience of contacts. The resentment is a a sense of hostility, when the logic recedes, and the chaos of emotions prevails. It was used by supporters of nationalism to rally society around the titular ethnic group, to form emotional communities and to solve problems of eliminating competition with the most stable and successful ethnic groups, including Russian Germans. In the subsequent period, resentment was a psychological motivator of the lower classes group aggressive behavior in the inter-ethnic conflicts.


Abstract The notion that the Torah represents a supervening »rule of law« that circumscribes the political and legal authority of the king stems from a particular Deuteronomistic scribal circle that worked long after the Davidic monarchy had ended. Using Zedekiah's edict (Jer 34:8–22) as a case study, this paper examines how Deuteronomistic redactors recast the final normative legal act of an independent Judahite king as his pious application of Pentateuchal law.


Objective To systematically evaluate the therapeutic effect of hirudoid in treatment of chemical phlebitis.Methods The correlated literatures about the therapeutic effect of hirudoid in treatment of chemical phlebitis were identified from Chinese Hospital Knowledge Database(CHKD),Medline and Cochrane Library from January,2000 to November,2009.Review Manager 4.2 software was used for Meta analysisResults A total of 617 cases were enrolled in 10 studies.There was no statistical heterogeneity in the comparison of effectiveness,OR=5.54,95% CI [3.10,9.89],Z=5.79(P0.05).There was statistical heterogeneity in the comparison of cure time,WMD=-23.92,95% CI [-56.31,(8.48)],Z=1.45(P0.05).Conclusion In treatment of chemical phlebitis,hirudoid is more effective than other medication,but there is no difference in cure time.


Transcorneal ultrasonographic scanning of 74 eyes of 37 healthy dogs of 11 different breeds of either sex was performed without any sedation, anaesthesia or analgesia. Qualitative echo-biometric findings of the eyes were described and measurements of the ocular structures were obtained. In present study transcorneal intraocular echo-biometric study of four parameters were performed i.e. aqueous chamber depth (ACD), lens thickness (LT), vitreous chamber depth (VCD) and axial globe length (AGL) by 5-14 MHz linear transducer at 4 cm scanning depth with suitable gain (55%). Statistically non-significant (P ≥ 0.05 and P ≥ 0.01) differences were observed in all parameters when compared left and right eyes of male as well as female dogs within and among skull conformation groups (dolichocephalic, mesocephalic and brachycephalic). There were no significant differences in all four parameters of dolichocephalic skull group. For mesocephalic and brachycephalic skull groups statistically significant differences were present in all four parameters among age groups. When all four parameters were compared among skull conformation groups statistically significant (P ≤ 0.05) differences were observed in lens thickness, vitreous chamber depth and axial globe length was statistically non-significant (P ≥ 0.05 and P ≥ 0.01). The present study provides an inside echo-morphometric view of the inner ocular structures in healthy eyes of dogs of different skull conformations. बी मोड अल्ट्रासाउंड द्वारा श्वानों की अन्तः नते्र सरंचनाओं का मापन स्नातकोतर शोधग्रन्थ पशु शल्ट्य चचककत्सा एवं चवककरण चवभाग, पशु चचककत्सा एवं पशु चवज्ञान महाचवध्यालय, राजस्थान पशु चचककत्सा और पशु चवज्ञान चवश्वचवध्यालय, बीकानेर334001 (राजस्थान) अग्रषेक: नरेन्र कुमार कुमावत मखु्य उपदषे्टा: डॉ. एस. के. झीरवाल


Playing-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs) are highly prevalent among concert pianists due to the unique sociological and historical predispositions of the instrument. Although current literature explores PRMD risk factors in isolation, few studies have explored the complex interdependencies that exist between the procedural and postural practices of pianists. This study aims to reframe this discussion by holistically exploring how common educational principles in phalangeal curvature, wrist flexion range of motion, and technical exercises interact to precipitate in PRMDs. The practices of the Lhevinne and Taubman schools were comparatively evaluated through kinematic studies to discern potential biomechanical stresses, and the findings were compared with current empirical evidence to ascertain links to PRMDs. The findings from this review indicate pedagogical susceptibility patterns may be more nuanced than the claims of stakeholders. However, studies suggest that practitioners of the Lhevinne school should incorporate phalangeal postures with active flexion to reduce susceptibility to tendinitis, osteoarthritis, and carpal tunnel syndrome. Practitioners of the Taubman school should further apply low-intensity technical exercises for warm-ups to increase muscle flexibility and facilitate temperature-related benefits to performance. However, high-intensity exercises at the Lhevinne school such as consecutive intervals and flexibility studies are contrary to current biomechanical observations.


Fabrication of nanostructured materials by using natural substances as templates or scaffolds is a frontier research field in nanoscience and technology.We recently developed an "artificial fossilization process" to prepare novel functional nanomaterials by precise replication of natural substances with various guest matrices.This review describes the application of this process in the syntheses of different functional nanomaterials such as metal oxides and nanotube/nanoparticle hybrids.


: This study focuses on generating and manipulating squeezed states with two external oscillators coupled by an InP HEMT transistor operating at cryogenic temperatures. First, the small-signal nonlinear model of the transistor at high frequency at 5 K is analyzed using quantum theory, and the related Lagrangian is theoretically derived. Subsequently, the total quantum Hamiltonian of the system is derived using Legendre transformation. The Hamiltonian of the system includes linear and nonlinear terms, by which the effects on the time evolution of the states are studied. The main result shows that the squeezed state can be generated owing to the nonlinearity of the transistor, and more importantly, it can be manipulated by some specific terms introduced in the nonlinear Hamiltonian. In fact, the nonlinearity of the transistors induces some effects such as capacitance, inductance, and second-order transconductance, by which the properties of the external oscillators are changed. These changes may lead to squeezing or manipulation of the parameters related to squeezing in the oscillators. In addition, it is theoretically derived that the circuit can generate two-mode squeezing. Finally, second-order correlation (photon counting statistics) is studied as a complementary task, and the results demonstrate that the designed circuit exhibits antibunching, where the quadrature operator shows squeezing behavior.


Several years ago, in the face of irreversible global problems and the devolution of leadership, I began to challenge every leader I met with these questions: Who do you choose to be for this time? Are you willing to use whatever power and influence you have to create islands of sanity that evoke and rely on our best human qualities to create, relate, and persevere? Will you consciously and bravely choose to reclaim leadership as a noble profession, one that creates possibility and humaneness in the midst of increasing fear and turmoil?


This should be a worn-out subject. It is the eighty-third paper on some aspect of the tonsil problem to be presented before the American Laryngological Association in its 69 meetings. However, there is evidence that a problem concerning the tonsil still exists. In the five years 1942 to 1946 inclusive, there has been an average of over one hundred papers per year concerning tonsils listed in the Quarterly Cumulative Index, and this in spite of the war years when medical literature was less voluminous than in ordinary times. In addition, lay publications have aired and emphasized the negative side of the problem. The Woman's Home Companion, in July, 1947, publicized the tonsil business under the title "Unnecessary Operations." A few months later the Reader's Digest summarized this article for wider lay consumption. The following is quoted from that summary:


Stimulation of the sympathetic nerves to the heart in anesthetized dogs produced tachycardia and changes in left ventricular performance, including alterations in both pressures and dimensions. Sti...