the world. His writings are in German as well as English. He has written or edited eight books and over 200 papers in over thirty professional and scholarly journals and he is on the editorial board of several journals, including the Journal of Planning Education and Research. His contribution, however, is not simply a matter of quantity. Rather, he has had a major effect on the field in a number of areas, including racial discrimination, housing policy, comparative planning and globalization.


Physically unclonable functions (PUFs) have been widely proposed as hardware primitives for device identification and cryptographic key generation. While strong PUFs provide an exponential number of challenge–response pairs (CRPs) for device authentication, most are vulnerable to machine-learning (ML)-based modeling attacks. Regarding the inherent hard learning problem, adversarial-based PUFs pseudo-randomly switch between several predefined internal states to poison the ML algorithms. However, existing adversarial-based PUFs sacrifice reliability or security against ML attacks. Furthermore, most works only evaluated the ML resistance by empirical experiments, which provides limited evidence for ML resistance. This work explored a novel adversarial-based PUF, Configurable Poisoning PUF (CP PUF), that simultaneously maintains reliability and protects the internal state by a reliability trapdoor. We then connect the proposed CP PUF with the learning parity with noise (LPN) problem to provide a theoretical security guarantee. Experiments show that the reliability of our proposed CP PUF keeps at least 88.9% and outperforms the existing adversarial-based PUFs under different levels of noisy environments. Moreover, the proposed CP PUF achieved a 50.16% accuracy under empirical ML attacks, a near-optimal performance.


Keith Richburg's Out of America: A black man confronts Africa is a very powerful and unique book which raises key questions on both individual and collective identity, particularly on the meaning of being black; is it equivalent to being African? What determines one's Africanness? Richburg seems to argue that being black is not enough to be accepted as an African, as the question of tribalism plays a greater role. Out of America has received many reviews since it was published in 1997. Copies are still being sought worldwide as interested readers hear about it or see its relevance to recent events in Africa. In my own case, I had heard about the book when it was first published in hard cover in 1997 but could neither afford, nor lay my hands on, a copy. But four years later, a colleague heard that paperback copies were available in South Africa and after skipping two breakfasts, a lunch, and dinner, I was able to buy two copies: mine and one for my colleague. Richburg would perhaps say three meals, or even one regular one a day, is a relative luxury in Africa, but in this case it was a question of being pragmatic and using the concept of opportunity costs. Out of America will touch anyone who is interested in humanity across race, creed and religion. But there is no denying that the bare facts put


Introduction Among various proposed sequestration options, injection of CO2 into confined geologic formations-in particular, saline aquifers-is one of the most promising alternatives. In general, CO2 can be stored by hydrodynamic trapping, which traps the CO2 into flow systems for geological periods of time. The most important concern of hydrodynamic trapping is the potential for CO2 leakage through imperfect confinement. In addition, mineral trapping, which involves a series of interactions between the formation mineralogy and CO2enriched formation waters, can convert CO2 to an immobile and harmless carbonate mineral form that can be stored for millions of years. Various carbonates such as calcite, magnesite, dolomite, and siderite can be formed in the brine aquifer by mineral trapping. Conversion of CO2 to stable carbonate minerals is expected to be slow. A computer simulation of the mineral trapping process (kinetic water-rock reaction model) was conducted under reservoir conditions by the Alberta Research Council, Canada. These authors calculated times for precipitation of the various carbonates are on the order of hundreds of years. The extended long time required for mineral trapping is the major drawback of this process. Several researchers have conducted mineral trapping studies. Sass et al., 3 studied CO2 and brine reactions over rocks for 7 days at a pressure of 800 psi and 110 °C. They found increased levels of calcium, magnesium, and carbonate in solution, which they interpreted as the dissolution of dolomite. They interpreted decreased brine concentration of calcium and sulfate as evidence for anhydrite precipitation. However, no extensive studies of the interaction between CO2 and brine have been reported. The objective of this paper is to examine the feasibility of conducting mineral trapping of carbon dioxide with brine solution reactions in an autoclave reactor.


Consequently with a help of echography it is available not only to determine a little and young girls uterus and ovary disposition, but it is enough to obtain exactly their size to trace through follicle mature and determine uterus echo developing time. Received dates about internal genitalis of healthy little and young girls by sonography, became a basis of different pathology diagnosis, their development during sexual maturity.


Background: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is associated with morbidity and mortality rates comparable to HF with reduced EF (HFrEF). Whereas several risk models for HFrEF m...


The utility model discloses a welding gun clamping device capable of replacing a clamping head. The welding gun clamping device comprises a base and the clamping head detachably connected to the base. The clamping head is divided into an upper clamping head body and a lower clamping head body. The two opposite faces of the upper clamping head body and the lower clamping head body are provided with clamping faces for clamping a welding gun. The base is in an L shape. The horizontal part of the base is provided with a mounting plate. The vertical part of the base is provided with a connection plate. The mounting plate is connected with the lower clamping head. The connection plate is connected with a flange. According to the welding gun clamping device, a traditional mode that workers hold the welding gun to conduct welding is changed into a mode that the welding gun is fixed by the clamping device to conduct welding, labor intensity is lowered, and working efficiency is improved.


This paper focuses on how constitutionality control is carried out in Panama and how conventionality control should be exercised, in the light of the provisions of the Constitution. First, there is a brief explanation of the evolution of the body of constitutional law in Panama, since this was the first tool used for a sort of conventionality control with regard to very few treaty-based rules. There follows a review of the impact of the constitutional reform of 2004 on the protection of human rights and therefore on conventionality control. Finally, the paper provides an outline of Panama's constitutionality control and how conventionality control should be carried out in this framework.


Yellow Stem Borers and leaffolders are two groups of lepidopteron pests that cause severe damage to rice in many areas of the world. In this study effort for development of inbuilt resistance was done through transgenesis breeding of Bt gene (mCry1Ac) expressing in Swarna and MTU1010 rice background were assessed on basis of amount of Cry protein production and insect bioassay. Selected mCry1Ac transgenic lines of Swarna and MTU1010, having Cry protein ranged from 0.580 to 0.981 μg/g and 0.596 to 0.924 μg/g respectively, leaf fresh weight were evaluated for resistance against manual infestation of freshly hatched neonate larvae of YSB and LF collected from stem borer infested area in central India. 16 out of 22 Bt-lines for YSB and 15 out of 22 Bt-lines for LF were identified showing 90–100% mortality of larvae, within 4-days of infestation in cut-stem assays.


OBJECTIVE : To evaluate the degree of temporal lobe atrophy (TLA) in elderly patients with new-onset epilepsy.
BACKGROUND : Among elderly patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy, no etiology can be identified in 30 to 50[percnt] of cases, despite adequate investigation. Degenerative diseases, notably Alzheimer's disease (AD), increase the risk of epilepsy, and are often underdiagnosed in routine clinical practice.
DESIGN/METHODS : We retrospectively reviewed neuroimaging for presence of TLA, a biomarker for AD, on MRI (46[percnt]) or CT (93[percnt]) for 112 patients with epilepsy of unknown etiology. The subjects were part of a consecutive cohort of 322 patients >65 year-old with new-onset epilepsy evaluated at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke (CHUS) between january 2001 and october 2010. TLA was assessed visually on axial images and graded on a 0-3 scale estimating sulcal widening and temporal horn ventricular enlargement. Measurement of the temporal horn radial width (THRW) was also acquired as a quantitative estimate of TLA. Comparison was made with a healthy elderly control group (n=31), non-epileptic AD patients (n=10) and demented epileptic individuals of the same cohort (n=26).
RESULTS : Thirty-eight percent of elderly with new-onset epilepsy of unknown cause had significant temporal atrophy, using the dichotomised 0-3 scale (0-1 vs 2-3) or THRW. This was significantly more than the healthy control group (0[percnt]) after adjustment for age and sex (p=0.000). As expected, individuals of the same cohort with epilepsy attributed to dementia had higher prevalence of significant TLA using both THRW and the visual scale (70.4[percnt], p=0.026 and 76.9[percnt] p=0.021) as did patients with established AD (70[percnt] p=0.040 and 60[percnt] p=0.077).
CONCLUSIONS : A considerable proportion of elderly with new-onset epilepsy of unknown cause exhibit temporal lobe atrophy on their brain imaging, which suggests that a degenerative disease such as AD could be underrecognized as a possible etiology. Disclosure: Dr. Lapointe has nothing to disclose. Dr. Bocti has nothing to disclose. Dr. Deacon has nothing to disclose. Dr. Royer-Perron has nothing to disclose. Dr. Cunnane has nothing to disclose.


The potential of community fundraising in the villages through microfinance is actually very large, the through of institution of informal and semi-formal microfinance that is managed by the community itself, such as: credit unions, womens microfinance groups, grameen banks and "arisan" or "jula-jula" (the local tradition of micrifinance). The influence of microfinance so far is still limited to help the community in overcoming the risk of relative vulnerability level and small business activity in the scale is still very limited. Claims on the success of the microfinance program as a model of village development and helping the poor from the poorest are not proven. The position of microfinance has not been able to speak much; its influence is still very small in the rural development proces t in the village. Management of the microfinance institutions is still limited to small groups that are separate and have not been able to be assembled into a larger and stronger group at the village level with a wide range. Keywords— microfinance, rural development process, empowerment.


The role of education is a medium of diplomacy between nations in achieving the educational goals of a country. Discussion on institutions becomes the development of study and practice of diplomacy. Along with the emergence of new issues such as human rights diplomacy, economic diplomacy, public diplomacy and preventive diplomacy aimed at enriching the scientific nature of diplomacy. So in this will deepen a concept of diplomacy in the field of education, especially in every Islamic educational institution, will be analyzed using the method of literature research, data collection, with primary and primary sources and analysis of content content data. Can be illustrated that in this study states that the most appropriate thing in the theory of education with diplomacy is the theory, Diamond and McDonald with 9 channels, which focus on the fifth lane in the field of peace through diplomacy, not only that but also in understanding the field of education soft power diplomacy, and hard power diplomacy


The intention of this essay is to illustrate and describe how to overcome various difficulties that may arise when translating terminology, in this case within the field of music, and which strateg ...


Abstract In this paper, congruences and (order, prime and compatible) filters are introduced in Sheffer stroke basic algebras. They are interrelated with each other. Also some relationships between filters and congruences by focusing on their properties in these structures are given. In addition to these, a basic algebra is constructed by the help of compatible filter and 𝒜/ Θ (F). Moreover, a representation theorem for Sheffer stroke basic algebra by using prime filters and 𝒜/ Θ (F) is stated and proved.


Using Reef Check Programme butterflyfishes of Abu Hashish fringing reefs were recorded during 2003 and 2013. The results showed that the numbers of species declined from nine to seven. Chi square test revealed that the number of butterflyfishes significantly decreased (p<0.00001). This reduction was attributed to continuous construction and anthropogenic actives Keywords: Butterflyfishes, Abu Hashish, Port Sudan


In this paper, we describe a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) approach to realtime emotion detection. We utilize data from the Extended Cohn-Kanade dataset, Japanese Female Facial Expression data set, and our own custom images in order to train this model, and apply preprocessing steps to improve performance. We re-train a LeNet and AlexNet implementation, both of which perform with above 97% accuracy. Qualitative analysis of real-time images shows that the above models perform reasonably well at classifying facial expressions, but not as well as the quantitative results would indicate.


* Tinker Belles and Evil Queens: The Walt Disney Company from Inside Out. Sean Griffin. New York: New York University Press, 2000. 292 pp. $18.95 pbk. In the last seventy-plus years, the cartoons, movies, television shows, radio programs, and theme parks created by The Walt Disney Company have collectively been marketed and probably construed by most consumers as solid "family values." Sean Griffin interprets the Disney Company's "family values" image as part of a white, middle-class, patriarchal, heterosexual mentality that suffuses Disney product-from the earliest cartoons of the 1930s; to the television shows of the 1950s; to the motion pictures of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Yet even from its earliest days, Griffin argues, it has been possible for homosexual viewers to read what he categorizes as lesbian, gay, and "queer" themes into Disney characters and plots, deriving enjoyment and a sense of pleasure in alternative identity-maintenance from these subaltern readings. As Griffin puts it: "Disney's animated shorts, feature films, documentaries and television series promoted a specific version of gender, sexuality and the body-'naturalizing' the heterosexual patriarchal family structure and replacing sex with romance. Yet ... not every viewer at all times accepted and endorsed Disney's representations of the conventional norms . . . (opening) the possibility that gay and lesbian subjects watched and enjoyed Disney product from a completely different standpoint than was usually discussed in popular journals and newspaper reviews." Griffin's central goal in this frequently insightful but conceptually disparate book is to document how gay, lesbian, and nonheterosexual (queer) readings of largely heterosexually-themed Disney products have been possible over the years. Griffin also shows how these alternative readings have changed over time, as Disney productions have themselves matured and become more welcoming of gay and lesbian content. Griffin demonstrates Disney's growing interest in snagging a lucrative gay and lesbian market, as well as a genuine sense of acceptance of the creative contributions of its own lesbian and gay employees, and how these resulted in more diverse (if "repressed") depictions of gay and lesbian characters and themes. But Disney productions reflecting more openly homosexual themes were still largely entrenched in an overall heterosexual master theme, meaning any lesbian or gay subtext still had to be problematically "poached." Griffin, who teaches film and television courses at Florida Atlantic University, employs close readings of the themes, subtexts, and characters; political-economic, historical, and critical-cultural analysis; a range of documentary and scholarly evidence; and personal interviews to make his case, while dropping in the standard social-constructionist qualifier that his own textual interpretation is ultimately neither more nor less valid than other readings. Each of the five chapters works to show how the studio produced contrasting discourses of hetero-and-homosexuality, both before and after Walt Disney's death. The book progresses in a way that demonstrates how Disney product could be "read" for alternative sexual messages, and finally how political-economic transformations within the company worked to benefit homosexual employees and to construct more nuanced notions of homosexual content-but always against a heterosexual master theme. As critical history and qualitative textual analysis, the book offers much of value in understanding Disney-the man and the company-as more than just a mom-and-- apple pie corporation, although the often-- sluggish historical background takes up nearly the first fifty pages, unnecessarily delaying the larger, more compelling theme of the book. …


Let R and S be rings and RωS a semidualizing bimodule. We prove that there exists a Morita equivalence between the class of ∞-ω-cotorsionfree modules and a subclass of the class of ω-adstatic modules. Also we establish the relation between the relative homological dimensions of a module M and the corresponding standard homological dimensions of Hom(ω,M). By investigating the properties of the Bass injective dimension of modules (resp. complexes), we get some equivalent characterizations of semi-tilting modules (resp. Gorenstein artin algebras). Finally we obtain a dual version of the Auslander-Bridger's approximation theorem. As a consequence, we get some equivalent characterizations of Auslander n-Gorenstein artin algebras.


Abstract : The report summarizes progress made during the quarter from 1 May 1974 to 31 July 1974 on the VELA Network Evaluation and Automatic Processing Research program. The six tasks of the program are: Evaluation of the Very Long Period Experiment (VLPE) stations; Investigation of the detection and discrimination characteristics of a seismic network using VLPE, NORSAR, and ALPA data; Investigation of signal detection techniques; Investigation of signal estimation techniques; Investigation of discrimination techniques using first- zone data; and, Simulation of a seismic survellance system consisting of a network of seismic stations.


Pacific salmon are normally thought to be distributed throughout the Subarctic Pacific, an area where they form the dominant fish fauna. We use a series of generalized additive models to show that salmon exhibit a sharp step-function response to temperature in the oceanic eastern north Pacific in spring. The critical temperature defining the southern boundary varied by species: 10.4 °C for pink and chum salmon, 9.4 °C for coho salmon, and 8.9 °C for sockeye salmon. These thermal limits occur well to the north of the southern boundary of the Transition Zone, at widely separated geographic positions within the Subarctic Domain, and at temperatures much lower than the lethal upper limit for each species. The sharp decline in abundance with temperature, and the remarkably low temperatures at which the response occurs, suggests that thermal barriers form an effective limit to the offshore distribution of salmon in spring, and can limit the distribution of Pacific salmon to a relatively small area of the Subarc...


Historians with their "flickering lamp stumbling along the trail of the past" toward the European disaster of 1940 must pass through the thicket of the Russo-Finnish Winter War. Notoriously, the Finns fought almost alone. But the tangential Allied involvement had consequences for France and for the Franco-British alliance. In the course of three and a half months, this remote little war so focused and stressed French domestic, foreign and defence policies as to bring the government to the point of collapse. Overall, the intense political and military conflicts arising from a tangle of Allied promises to Finland and strategic commitments between themselves were harbingers of the subsequent general crisis of spring 1940. The story of Franco-British attempts to assist the Finns subsequent to the Soviet attack of November 30, 1939, and the moribund League of Nations' unwonted activity in expelling the aggressor, has been told


Dapsone hypersensitivity syndrome is a well established entity which has been reported in literature since the 1950's. A unique case of dapsone syndrome which had a very prolonged course of eight months is reported with no similar precedence in literature. With the wide use of dapsone in many medical conditions, clinicians should be aware that dapsone can cause a prolonged clinical syndrome of dapsone hypersensitivity which might mimic other sinister conditions.


Purpose – Introduces readers to the background and ways that the Internet is used and is developing with wider applications. Access issues are also discussed as well as legal implications.Design/methodology/approach – Introduces social science theory and applications.Findings – That no definitive approach is clear about the future applications for the Internet and that it is still a maturing technology.Research limitations/implications – More research is required in all areas to see what the next decade of development will suggest.Practical Implications – Tests the ubiquity of the Internet and suggests that many new applications are still to be pioneered.Value – Forces reader to consider what has contributed to the success of the Internet, and now that it is in its adolescence, what the future may be.


An attempt has been made to examine distribution and dispersion in rainfall variability in Madhya Pradesh by applying Gamma distribution probability model, The spatial and regional distribution of shape and scale parameters of the Gamma distribution have been examined, Periods of water surpluses and deficiencies have been identified by comparing the probability rainfall with the water requirement. Regression equations have been developed to find probabilitistic rainfall from the mean rainfall. Agronomic practices have been evaluated for efficient utilization of water resources for crop planning.


The use of nonaqueous emulsions to synthesize particles by ROMP is described. The applied emulsions - consisting of two immiscible, organic, aprotic solvents - are versatile reaction systems for the preparation of polymer particles from moisture sensitive monomers and catalysts. Whereas up to now only polycondensations or polyadditions have been utilized in nonaqueous emulsions, catalytic polymerizations are now presented. Four different functionalized norbornene derivatives were applied for ROMP by a second-generation Grubbs catalyst to form polymer nanoparticles. Furthermore, core/shell and surface functionalized nanoparticles applicable to "click" reactions were prepared to demonstrate the use of different polymerization procedures in one pot.


This research aims to know the correlation between mastery of productive training subjek and the score of industry practice with student's skill competency result, the correlation between industry practice with student's skill competency result, the correlation between mastery productive training subjek with skill competency result of XII class student's of light vehicle engineering SMK Negeri 1 Gantiwarno 2014/2015. This research is an ex-post facto study. The subject was class XII student of light vehicle engineering SMK Negeri 1Gantiwarno Klaten 2014/2015 consisting 65 student. This research was population research from 65 respondent. Data collection technike of this research was documentation. Partial correlation analysis was taken to know the correlation of independent variable with dependent variable, while to know the correlation both of independent variables together to dependent variable was using multiple correlation analysis. Before analysing data, there was prerequisite test such as normality test, linierity test and multikolinearity test. The result of this research showed that there is a positive and significant correlation between mastery productive training subject with student's skill competency result. It is proved by the score of correlation is 0,410. There is a positive and significant correlation between the score of industry pratice with student's skill competency result. It is proved by the score of correlation is 0,199. There is a positive and significant correlation between mastery productive training subject and the score industry practice with student's skill competency result. It is proved by the score of correlation is 0,424.


Colony‐stimulating factor‐1 (CSF‐1) is synthesized as a secreted or membrane‐bound molecule. We investigated whether osteoblastic cells produce these forms of CSF‐1. Glutaraldehyde‐fixed cell layers supported proliferation of the macrophage cell line BAC1.2F5, suggesting the presence of membrane‐ or/and matrix‐associated CSF‐1. Furthermore, CSF‐1 activity could be either extracted from the matrix or released from the cell membrane. A neutralizing antiserum against CSF‐1 inhibited these activities. After labeling the cellular proteins with [35S] met/cys or [35S] SO2−4, CSF‐1 was immunoprecipitated and analyzed by SDS‐PAGE. Under nonreducing conditions, bands with MW more than 200, 200, 100, and 50 kd were detected. These bands shifted to lower MW under reducing conditions. Treatment with chondroitin lyase ABC decreased the MW of the 200 kd monomer, proving the proteoglycan structure. Much smaller quantities of CSF‐1 were found in the matrix extract than in the conditioned medium. Transforming growth factor β (TGF‐β) increased both the synthesis of CSF‐1 and its accumulation in the matrix. CSF‐1 released with trypsin from the membrane fraction yielded on SDS‐PAGE a band with MW of 60 and 30 kd under nonreducing and reducing conditions, respectively. Transcripts encoding both the secreted and the membrane‐associated forms of the cytokine were detected in osteoblasts by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. These data indicate that osteoblastic cells produce the secreted forms, either remaining in the culture supernatant, or being associated to the matrix, and the membrane associated form of CSF‐1. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Background: Abemaciclib plus nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitors (AI) demonstrated efficacy with a tolerable safety profile as initial treatment for postmenopausal women with HR+, HER2− advanced breast cancer in the MONARCH 3 trial. In the intent-to-treat (ITT) population, the updated progression-free survival (PFS) with 12 months of additional follow-up was 28.2 versus 14.8 months (HR [95% CI]: 0.525 [0.415, 0.665]; p Methods: In MONARCH 3, a randomized, double-blind, phase III trial, 493 postmenopausal women with HR+, HER2− advanced breast cancer and no prior systemic therapy in the advanced setting, received an AI (anastrozole or letrozole) plus abemaciclib or placebo. From the October 31, 2018 cutoff, secondary endpoints including objective response rate ([ORR], complete response [CR] + partial response [PR]), time to response (TTR), and duration of response ([DoR], time from a confirmed CR or PR until disease progression or death) were assessed in the ITT population and exploratory subgroups previously reported as significantly prognostic. Waterfall plots will be used to illustrate the magnitude of change in tumor size for each subgroup (to be presented). Results: In patients with measurable disease, the ORR was 62.5% (95% CI: 56.7, 68.2) in the abemaciclib plus AI arm and 44.7% (95% CI: 36.2, 53.2) in the placebo plus AI arm (p≤.001). Additional follow-up confirmed that all prognostic subgroups received benefit from the addition of abemaciclib to AI, consistent with the ITT population, as evidenced by change in ORR, with the largest effects observed in subgroups of patients with liver metastases, progesterone receptor-negative tumors, high grade tumors, or treatment-free interval of Conclusions: Extended follow-up in the MONARCH 3 trial further confirmed that the addition of abemaciclib to AI is associated with durable tumor responses, including those in patients with clinically poor prognostic characteristics. References: Di Leo A et al. NPJ Breast Cancer. 2018;4:41. Clinical trial information: NCT02246621 This study was funded by Eli Lilly and Company Citation Format: Joyce O'Shaughnessy, Stephen Johnston, Miguel Martin, Jens Huober, Masakazu Toi, Valerie AnneMarie Andre, Holly Rene Martin, Molly Catherine Hardebeck, Angelo Di Leo, Matthew Philip Goetz. Updated subgroup tumor response of abemaciclib plus aromatase inhibitor for hormone receptor positive (HR+), HER2 negative advanced breast cancer (MONARCH 3) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-19-09.


A method comprising near-field holography with an electron beam lithography-written phase mask was developed herein. Soft X-ray varied-line-spacing gratings with a central groove density greater than 3000 lines mm−1 were fabricated using this method.


During the close to ten years that Joaquim Nabuco participated in the struggle toabolish slavery (1879-1888), this aristocrat, son of a Senator of the Empire, acosmopolitan who praised himself for 'eyes that looked aways accross the Atlantic',was lambasted by his adversaries as an 'anarchist', a 'communist', an incendiary; hisfriends and later his interpreters saw him as an 'idealist' who had the courage to'separate himself from the aristocracy and carry out abolition'; or, finally, a socialreformer who had socialist-leanings and was committed to the defence of smallproperty and of free and poor men of the city and the countryside. This articlequestions these interpretations.


The equations of Kirkwood and Salzburg for distribution functions are generalized to multicomponent systems. The generalized equations serve to derive a recurrence relation between the coefficients of powers of particle number densities in a Maclaurin expansion of the distribution functions. This recurrence relation is then used to derive the general term in the expansion of the distribution functions in terms of modified irreducible integrals in multicomponent systems, which includes the original one‐component expansion of Mayer and Montroll as a special case.The corresponding expansion of the potentials of average force is derived. The use of the new expansion is illustrated by a relatively simple derivation of the Fuchs expansion of the grand potential in multicomponent systems.Possible applications to ionic solutions, impurities in solids and x‐ray diffraction in solutions of several solutes are briefly discussed.Some new formulas in the theory of cumulants (Thiele semi‐invariants) are presented.


Liquid films in steam turbines, present in usual operating conditions, play a large but poorly understood part in the wetness-born troubles (power losses and erosion). More knowledge is needed to estimate their impacts and lessen their effects. The aim of this paper is to propose and verify a model to predict these liquid films. This model is based on modified Shallow Water equations (integral formulation). It takes into account inertia, mass transfer, gravity, gas and wall frictions, pressure, surface tension, droplet impacts, rotational effects and is unsteady. A 2D code has been developed to implement this model. A part of the model has been verified with analytical solutions (Riemann problems and inclined lake at rest), has been confronted with the linear stability of falling liquid film and has been validated with the experiment of Hammitt et al. [1] which involves a sheared film under low-pressure steam turbine conditions.


There are some differences of interrogative sentences between Chongqing dialect and common spoken Chinese. This paper analyzes the practical differences in such five aspects as right and wrong questions, particular referring questions, choice questions, positive and negative questions. Some related laws between Chongqing dialect and common spoken Chinese could be provided for Chongqing people to learn common spoken Chinese.


modeling data heterogeneity by a mixture of local models and exploiting the correlation in the localized data subsets to reduce their subspace dimensionalities has been realized in many mixture models; like PCA mixture and FA mixture models. Determining the number of local models as well as the proper dimensionality for each subspace (local model space) are the most difficult questions of these models. Instead of using fixed ad-hoc dimensionality for all local models, this paper proposes using a global preserved variance percentage value to estimate the dimensionality that retains the given variability percentage in each subspace. We test the proposed method on classifying handwritten digit by a mixture of Probabilistic PCA model, the result shows that the proposed method outperforms fixed dimensionality probabilistic PCA mixture model. Keywords-component; PCA; MPPCA; Gaussian mixtures; EM algorithm.


This paper presents an overview of methods inspired by the behaviour of real ants in the nature which are currently in the focus of research and which have been used in the process of electrocardiogram interpretation and processing. The paper describes the use of dynamic time warping algorithm used together with ant colony inspired clustering and considers the relevant steps to speed up the algorithm and make it robust in respect to the data used. The paper also discusses the use of standard clustering methods in the ECG processing using the dynamic time warping algorithm and compares them with ant colony inspired clustering method.


A cationic oxazaborolidinium-catalyzed asymmetric Mukaiyama aldol reaction of (1-methoxy-2-methyl-propenyloxy)-trimethylsilane with various aldehydes including α,β-disubstituted acroleins has been developed in high yields and enantioselectivities. The synthetic utility of this methodology was demonstrated in the first short synthesis of naturally occurring inthomycin C in high enantiopurity.


Teacher's ability of teaching is mainly acquired and developed in teaching activity where it is also shown as company.Class Observation(CO),as an effective way to promote their professional development,can help pre-vocational teachers improve this kind of ability.According to the paper including analyses of definitions and dimensions of CO,the author explores some strategies of CO for pre-vocational teachers from the following aspects: making the purpose of CO clear,deciding what observes,choosing ways to observe,dealing with the information.


In this communication, offshore wind energy is studied around the East of Scotland, where, among other farms, the pioneering floating wind farm Hywind-Scotland is located. SIEMENS 160/6 turbines have been implemented in this farm, and we have thus used this turbine for our study. The main purpose is to compute the Capacity Factor (CF) changes due to air density variations in the study area. The impact of seasonal air density changes has been assessed as percentage reduction, but individual extreme cases have also been considered at Hywind-Scotland farm. Temperature, pressure, and wind speed data from the reanalysis ERA5 have been used for that. As a results, in winter, the CF increment due to low temperatures and denser air reaches values around 3% and summer-winter difference can reach the 4%, that is, 0.52 GWh of energy production for one SIEMENS 160/6.


This study aims to determine the effect of sales accounting information systems and internal control on the effectiveness of controlling accounts receivable at PT.Sentral Medika Indonesia Semarang. The population in this study were all employees of PT. Sentral Medika Indonesia Semarang with a total of 60 employees, while the sample taken using purposive sampling method is a total of 53 employees who work in the accounting department, sales department, warehouse department, marketing department, manager and president director. . The data analysis tool in this study used multiple linear regression.
The results show that the sales accounting information system has a positive and significant effect on the effectiveness of controlling accounts receivable, it can be seen from the t-count value which is greater than the t-table value of 3.016> 1.679, and the significance value of 0.004 is smaller than 0.05, so the hypothesis one accepted. Internal control has a positive and significant effect on the effectiveness of receivables control, it can be seen from the t-count value which is greater than the t-table value, namely 4.242 > 1.679, and the significance value of 0.000 is smaller than 0.05, so hypothesis two is accepted. This means that the higher the company's sales accounting information system and internal control applied in the company, the effectiveness of the internal control carried out by PT. Central Medika Indonesia Semarang will continue to increase.


With the developing of society, "Management Science" is becoming more and more important for us to make decision in economic activity, but the development of Management Science major in domestic colleges and universities is not optimistic. Therefore, it is a question that worth consideration about how colleges and universities of finance and economics that focus on application area develop management science well that emphases on Mathematical theory. Based on the in-depth analysis of running situations of Management Science in domestic colleges and universities of finance and economics and combined with our own experience in education, we put forward corresponding reform thinking and practice for current running issues of management science major in colleges and universities of finance and economics. Keywords—Management Science; colleges and universities of finance and economics; construction of a major; orientation


Heavy metals in aquatic ecosystems accumulating in the tissues of aquatic biota will enter the human body through the food chain. Depending on the concentration and toxicity of absorbed heavy metals, the clinical effects are observed. The aim of this study was to survey metals accumulation pattern including Ni, Pb, Cu and Zn in muscle, gill, scale, liver and kidney tissues of Hipophthalmichthys molitrix of Sistan Chahnimeh reservoirs. Also, the heavy metal concentration in fish muscle was compared to food standards. After sampling, preparation of tissues and digestion with Nitric acid, the concentration of each element was measured by using atomic absorption spectrophotometer Konik model Novaa 300 in μg/g d.w. The pattern of essential metals accumulation (Zn and Cu) was measured in liver and gills and of nonessential metals like Ni was found in liver and kidney. The high accumulation of Cu was obtained in liver (63.42 μg.g), Zn in gills (74.40 μg.g), Ni in kidney (0.41 μg.g) and Pb in liver (0.19 μg.g). Due to the needs of aquatic organism to the above mentioned heavy metals for metabolism activities, the high accumulations of essential metals (Cu and Zn) are in liver and gills. The Ni had high level in kidney due to the disposal mechanism of this element form fish body. The pattern of nonessential metals accumulation in kidney and liver tissues was similar to scales. Therefore, the scale can be a useful bioindicator for the accumulated metals in aquatic organisms. The concentration of metals in muscle was lower than the standards and therefore, is not dangerous for fish consumers.


Advance and enrich the excellent tradition of the west- China culture and the culture of the Three Gorges. Rely on the socialist construction reality, keep in view the modernization, the world and the future. In the practice of the West China Development, it is required to make an utmost exertion to create the western culture with not only the native and national characteristics but those of the age.


Abstract We recorded the diurnal behaviors of the endangered Black-faced Spoonbill (Platalea minor) for 16 days during the wintering season in Jeju Province, Korea to find an appropriate and effective sampling technique for behavioral study. Two main techniques were used and compared: focal sampling with continuous recording and scan sampling with instantaneous recording at various time intervals. As a result, recording the behavior of a focal bird for more than 20 min per h was the best technique with high accuracy and precision. However, to select less time- and labor-intensive techniques we concluded that scan samplings with less than 10 min intervals or focal samplings with more than 15 min durations are appropriate measurements of the spoonbill's behaviors. Considering sampling sizes, scan sampling with 5 min recording intervals can be an effective technique but additional methods are also required to obtain significant information for infrequent or occasional behaviors. We suggest that each sampling technique should be validated by preliminary or supplementary surveys to estimate the endangered animal's behaviors and this can be an important part of the groundwork for conservational efforts on the Black-faced Spoonbill.


This dissertation describes laboratory studies of three oxygen isotope exchange reactions — O( 1 D) + CO 2 , O 2 + CO 2 , and O( 3 P) + CO 2 — and their importance to oxygen cycling in the upper atmosphere. First, we studied the isotope exchange reaction O( 1 D) + CO 2 , which is believed to govern the oxygen-isotope budget of CO 2 in the stratosphere. Our combined field, laboratory, and modeling study of the exceptionally rare 16 O 13 C 18 O isotopologue revealed that O( 1 D) + CO 2 explains only part of the stratospheric CO 2 isotopologue budget, not all of it as previously thought: O( 1 D) + CO 2 could not explain the large enrichments of 16 O 13 C 18 O (i.e., of the "Δ 47 " tracer) at high Northern latitudes. Mesospheric and heterogeneous chemistry of CO 2 were proposed as possible sources of this meridional variation in 16 O 13 C 18 O. Therefore, we performed crossed-molecular-beam experiments to investigate the chemistry of CO 2 at hyperthermal collision energies; this class of reaction could be important in the upper atmosphere, where low gas densities and high rates of photochemistry increase the relative probability of hyperthermal reactions. Our experimental and theoretical study of the O 2 + CO 2 isotope exchange reaction showed that the reaction can occur through a short-lived CO 4 reaction complex, which leads to O 2 + CO 2 products that are highly internally excited, but possibly still in their ground electronic state. Our study of O( 3 P) + CO 2 collisions at hyperthermal energies showed that O( 3 P) + CO 2 isotope exchange can occur in the upper atmosphere, proceeding through a short-lived CO 3 reaction complex. The O( 3 P) + CO 2 → O 2 + CO reaction was also observed, and our data suggest that it can proceed through a 'stripping' mechanism or a CO 3 complex. These reactions demonstrate new ways in which oxygen can be cycled through CO 2 in the atmosphere; their isotope effects, manifest in the isotopic composition of atmospheric CO 2 , may impose independent constraints on atmospheric transport and biosphere-atmosphere interactions.


Based on the record of old debris flow deposits in Eastern China,the forming conditions of debris flow are studied .It is stated that the materials of debris flow accumulated mainly in glacial or periglacial stages when the physical weathering was strong,and the motive power of water for debris flow formed mainly in interglacial or interperiglacial stages when the precipitation increased rapydly.According to the limits of the space change of material conditons and water motive power conditions,the formation of debris flow can be devided into three patterns:In the north part of Chian,the forming is controled with monsoon precipitation.The forming is controled by materials accumulated in the medium part of China,and is connected with landform in the south part of China.On the basis of the three patterns,the measurment for reduce disaster is discussed.It is concluded as followed:1.The ation and evolution of debris flow is a result of the nautral environmental development in the Eastern China.2.The debris flow disaster is formed through the re_adjustment of the cold climate deposits under the conditions of the modern interglacial stage climate.3.In different pattern region,the limited conditions of debris flow is not indentical.So the measurement for reduce disaster in different region should be based on different conditions.It is important that the law of the fluctuation of the monsoon's end part be studied in the north part of the eastern China.The study on the deposits of old debris flow in the middle part and the landform condition in the south part of the Eastern China is the key work for reduce disaster.


Implementation of quality and testing by outsourced test team is new field procurement in software project especially in software development. In Government Agency of Malaysia, cost procurement for implementing both of the quality and testing are blended together with the cost of overall project which is implemented by software development team. Therefore, the cost of quality and testing has to extract from the overall cost of software project. The problem is how to estimate the cost of quality and testing that will be provided to outsourced test team. This paper aim to extract the cost of quality and testing from the total cost of the software project based on Salleh and Primandaria model. The result shows that our extraction model produces an acceptable estimation for project and suitable apply by Government Agency of Malaysia.


Editors' Note: In reference to "Practice guideline summary: Use of fMRI in the presurgical evaluation of patients with epilepsy," Dr. Papanicolaou et al. discuss whether functional MRI (fMRI) evaluation for language dominance in epilepsy surgery can be considered reliable given the high rate of false-positives inherent in fMRI data processing. In support, guideline editors Gloss et al. cite the high concordance between fMRI and amobarbital testing and explain how the method of analysis used in hemispheric language assessment has been shown to be less prone to statistical error.


Objective To analyze the constituents of the volatile oils from the flower of Dalbergia sissoo Roxb.for the development and utilization of the resource.Methods The volatile oils from the flower of Dalbergia sissoo Roxb.were extracted by diethyl ether immersion method and were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS).Results Forty-six kinds of chemical constituents from volatile oils had been identified,and they were mainly classified into esters,fatty acid,and aldoketones.Of all the constituents,Bis(2-ethyl-hexyl) phthalate accounted for the highest proportion(37.114%),followed by 5-hydroxy-7-methoxy-2-(4 methoxyphenyl)-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one(7.846%).There were 14 compounds with the relative content of volatile oils over 1.000%,which accounted for 80.045%.Conclusion Bis(2-ethyl-hexyl) phthalate,which has anti-tumor activity,accounts the highest proportion of the volatile constituent from the flower of Dalbergia sissoo Roxb,and the other active constituents also have high proportion.


Two-dimensional (2D) Janus structures, which are totally different from prevailing 2D structures, are more interesting for the photocatalytic water splitting. Here we proposed some inartificial 2D Ge4Se9 Janus structures. Excellent photocatalytic properties are revealed: (a) Ge4Se9 structures exhibit layer independent direct-gap character with appropriate band gaps of 2.53, 2.22, 2.11 and 2.03 eV for monolayered, bilayered, tripled and four-layered ones, respectively; (b) Band edge positions of these 2D structures are suitable for the driving of evolution reaction of water splitting; (c) More importantly, owning to intrinsic electric polarization, charge densities of valence band maximum (VBM) and conduction band minimum (CBM) of tripled and four-layered Ge4Se9 structures can be notably separated; (d) In addition, we also observed that these 2D structures can possess rather pronounced optical absorption under the visible light region. This work discloses some inartificial 2D Janus structures, whose fascinating properties render them as promising photocatalysts for water splitting.


The study presented in this article is based on the assumptions that the Jornal Nacional (National News),  broadcast by Rede Globo (Globe television networking), is a reference and large audience newscast and  that the press, in focusing on a certain subject and presenting a specifi framework for some theme – in this  case, crack use and the social consequences of this use – inflences, to some extent, the public perception  of the topic. What are the frameworks given by media coverage to crack use and the social implications of  the drug on televisionthrough the newscast called Jornal Nacional, broadcast by Rede Globo? The goal is to  understand the frameworks provided by this newscast about crack consumption, based on the analysis of  how it organizes informative content. The content analysis was applied to the reports exhibited in JN from  2012 to 2017 and to interviews with reporters responsible for the coverage of the crack. We identifid that  the newscast framed the crack use and the social implications of the drug use as a public health problem  and as a chronic (to a lesser extent) social problem, on the one hand; and as a public safety issue to a  greater extent on the other hand. The way of this newscast organizing and to give meaning to the issue can  potentially inflence the formulation of public policies, as well as the way of society interpreting the issue  and to give meaning to the social context of the crack consumption phenomenon.


The traditional port facilities are morphing to follow the economics of water related trade, such as the newest cargo: gaming. This paper examines the ultimate evolution of the gaming business into a self-contained fantasy world, the new port facility being designed in the Mississippi Sound, in Biloxy, to berth casino barges. The facility is designed to cluster six large floating casinos into a single waterfront setting. The planning and design of the facility that can handle 20,000 patrons a day, and that is both environmentally sensitive and hurricane safe is described. The facility will serve as a building platform for a community of hotels, commercial venues, marinas, and floating casino barges.


The invention discloses yellow peach and honey health care wine and a production method thereof. The yellow peach and honey health care wine is characterized by comprising the components in parts by weight as follows: 40-45 parts of honey, 3-4 parts of yeast, 4-5 parts of purslane, 3-5 parts of dandelion, 30-34 parts of carrot, 2-3 parts of reed roots, 3-4 parts of corn stigma, 20-24 parts of yellow peach pulp, 3-4 parts of sunflower discs, 4-5 parts of hollyhock flowers, 2-3 parts of mottled bamboo roots and appropriate water. The honey has functions of spleen and stomach nourishment, bowel relaxation, skin moisturizing, regeneration promotion and the like; the purslane and the dandelion can clear heat and remove toxicity; the corn stigma can clear liver and nourish gallbladder; and fragrance and sweetness of yellow peach are matched during treatment, so that the fermented health care wine is mellow and strong and sweet in taste, can moisten body and mind, clear heat and remove toxicity and is suitable for being drunk in summer.


The Linear Aerospike SR-71 Experiment (LASRE) was performed in support of the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) program to help develop a linear aerospike engine. The objective of this program was to operate a small aerospike engine at various speeds and altitudes to determine how slipstreams affect the engine's performance. The joint program between government and industry included NASA!s Dryden Flight Research Center, The Air Force's Phillips Laboratory, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Lockheed Martin Skunkworks, Lockheed-Martin Astronautics, and Rocketdyne Division of Boeing North American. Ground testing of the LASRE engine produced two successful hot-fire tests, along with numerous cold flows to verify sequencing and operation before mounting the assembly on the SR-71. Once installed on the aircraft, flight testing performed several cold flows on the engine system at altitudes ranging from 30,000 to 50,000 feet and Mach numbers ranging from 0.9 to 1.5. The program was terminated before conducting hot-fires in flight because excessive leaks in the propellant supply systems could not be fixed to meet required safety levels without significant program cost and schedule impacts.


This case study was conducted by qualitative research design consisting ethnographic approach, teaching experiment, protocol analysis and analytic description. The objective of the study was to analyze cognitive aspect and emotional aspect in students' mathematical communication in teacher professional development innovates by lesson study and open approach. The targeted group was 23 first graders at Ban Bungniambungkrinoon School, Khon Kaen Province. Three Problem situations; school bus problem (6 3 4), playing sand in playground (7 5-8) and eating apples(13-4-2) was used as learning activity in this teaching experiment. The data from classroom teaching episodes was analyzed by protocol analysis according to characteristics of mathematical communication as an cognitive aspect proposed by Emori (2005), then analyzed emotional experience as an emotional aspect proposed by Inprasitha (2001). Research findings revealed that mathematics classroom taught by open approach through 4 steps; posing open-ended problem situation, student's self learning, whole class discussion and summary through connection; three characteristics of mathematical communication in view of cognitive aspect found in classroom were rigorousness, economy and freedom. Moreover, in view of emotional aspect we found that student have emotional experience in every step of teaching. Emotional experience that often occurred were self confidence, excitement and enjoyment, introspectiveness, paying attention, accepting other ideas, awaiting answers and amazing respectively. From the findings of this research, not only the cognitive aspect could be evaluating mathematical communication in classroom, but also emotional aspect can help teacher to understand students' mathematical concept and develop them.


In present investigation, a series of 2-pyrazolines (2a-P) were prepared by cyclization of hydrazine hydrate/ phenyl hydrazine with α, β-unsaturated ketone (chalcones) using triethanolamine solvent within 15-20 min.The newly synthesized 2-pyrazolines were characterized on the basis of elemental analysis and spectroscopic data. All newly synthesized compounds were evaluated for their antibacterial activity. Most of the compounds showed potent activity.


The invention discloses a method, a device and a system for controlling the speed of a feeding motor of a tobacco shred feeder and relates to the field of automation control. Time intervals of adjacent pulse signals output by an incremental type shaft encoder which is mounted in a rotating shaft of the feeding motor are detected by a tobacco shred feeder controller in real time, the actual speed of the feeding motor is computed according to the time intervals of the adjacent pulse signals, and a speed voltage signal sent to a frequency converter is adjusted according to the difference between the actual speed of the feeding motor and an expected speed to enable the actual speed to be as same as the expected speed. The expected speed is related to a tobacco rod production speed a and a tobacco shred storage time T provided by the tobacco shred feeder controller. The method, the device and the system for controlling the speed of the feeding motor of the tobacco shred feeder have the advantages that feeding precision can be increased effectively, feeding stability can be guaranteed, and the rate of cigarette making machine halt caused by insufficiency of tobacco shreds is decreased.


Background. Magnetic inductive sensors are widely used in precision navigation as electronic compasses and sensors of object's position. Due to simplicity of the design, high sensitivity in combination with small working currents and a low level of noise they are of interest to biomagnetic instrument engineering provided reduction of sensing elements up to nanoscale sizes. The purpose of the work is to substantiate solvability of this problem using nanotubular solenoids with the core from ferromagnetic nanowire. Materials and methods. The article offers a design of a magnetic inductive sensor on the basis of a relaxation generator on an operational amplifier with a sensing element in the form of a solenoid from an electroconductive supracrystalline nanotube. The core of the solenoid is executed from a ferromagnetic nanowire and isolated from the solenoid by means of a dielectric supracrystalline nanotube. Results. Inductance, active resistance of a sensing element of a magnetic inductive sensor on the basis of supracrystalline nanotubes and the time constant of the RL chain of a relaxation generator were calculated at room temperature. The sensing element has diameter of 1,76 nm and length of 1 Conclusions. Creation of sensing elements for magnetic inductive sensors of nanoscale sizes on the basis of nanotubes of various configuration is technically feasible within the framework of modern nanotechnologies.


Aim: To determine the Nicotine concentration and pH in commercially available brands of Cigarettes and Bidis.
 Materials and Methods: Tobacco products were obtained from the local markets. Pure form of Nicotine was used as standard which was obtained from Sigma Aldrich Chemicals. Nicotine was extracted and the concentration was estimated by Spectrophotometer. lgm of nicotine was suspended in 20 m1 of distilled water and pH was estimated using a pH meter, after 30 minutes. Statistical analysis was done using t-Test and p < 0.05 was selected in describing the level of significance.
 Results: The analyses shows that Nicotine Concentration was more in Bidi compared to Cigarettes and was found to be statistically significant (p < 0.05), the pH was more in Bidi when compared to Cigarettes.
 Conclusions: The study results show a substantial difference in nicotine concentration in Bidi and Cigarettes, but there was no significant difference in the pH of Bidi and Cigarettes. However the addictive potential of tobacco products may be controlled by altering the pH, size of tobacco, use of filter.


Background: Peripheral arterial disease is one of the most important causes of morbidity. Non-invasive characterization of peripheral arterial disease is possible by using CT angiography. The aim of this research is to evaluate CT angiographic findings in patients with peripheral arterial disease, to characterize lesion, risk factors and site of lesion.
Methods: This hospital based prospective study was conducted in 40 consecutive patients with lower limb peripheral arterial disease who underwent CT angiography in the Department of Radiodiagnosis College of Medical Sciences-Teaching Hospital from January 2018 to Jan 2019.
Results: Atherosclerotic peripheral disease was most common in elderly male patient with history of smoking, hypertension, diabetes or dyslipidemia and usually presents in the late stages with single or multiple arterial segmental involvement including the abdominal aorta. However, non- atherosclerosis peripheral arterial disease was seen in younger patients and presents with vascular thrombosis.
Conclusions: CT angiography is a reliable non-invasive imaging modality for evaluating patients with peripheral arterial disease and lesion characterization.
Keywords: CTA; Peripheral arterial disease.


Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) combines the advantage of high achievable rates and relatively easy implementation. In this paper we present an evaluation of the combined use of the turbo codes (TC) and the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing with pilot-aided data in Rayleigh fading channel with compensation the phase error and perfect compensation. The system is called TC-QPSK-OFDM. The simulation results of TC-QPSK-OFDM at three iterations are sufficient to provide good BER performance with phase error and perfect compensation. The gain factor is 7 dB compared with un-coded QPSK-OFDM with perfect compensation at BER 2*10-4 and 8 dB at 3*10-4 with phase error compensation. The proposed system can be used in several wireless standard such as 802-11a.


Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVEs) are shared virtual spaces designed to enhance collaboration between the - usually remote - participants. The deployment of Collaborative Virtual Environments over wide area networks increases typical network delays, potentially breaking the consistency between the replicated versions of an environment at the participants' sites. This paper presents our qualitative observations of an experiment involving two players engaged in a virtual ball game in the presence of increasing network delays. It also describes how network delay affected the participants' behaviour and produced collaboration breakdowns. We observed that, as the network delay increases, the users modify their playing strategies in an attempt to cope with the situation, presenting several types of adaptation strategy. Knowledge of the presence and effect of delays is a major factor in allowing users to adopt strategies for coping with inconsistencies. We propose that if the participants were made more aware of the behaviour of the system, e.g. the presence of delays, then they might be able to improve their performance. Consequently, we propose a number of techniques to increase the user's knowledge of infrastructural characteristics such as delay.


In this paper I develop a framework that provides a simple and explicit mechanism for understanding and quantifying the role of trade and technology in the rise of the skill premium in developing countries. The distinguishing features of the model can be summarized as follows: Under capital‐skill complementarity, a rise in the demand for capital will increase the wage gap. Three different forces may spur demand for capital. First, increased trade, which may raise output as well as lower the cost of imported machinery and equipment. Second, technological change, understood as a decrease in the price of capital. Finally, structural reforms may also affect the demand for capital by changing its relative price. Based on the model, an empirical methodology is developed to quantify the contribution of each of these factors to the rise in the skill premium of the Colombian manufacturing sector. I find that trade liberalization accounted for a 17% of the rise in the skill premium and exogenous technological change explains 32%. The rest is explained by other structural reforms implemented as part of the general process of globalization, mainly changes in the exchange rate and foreign investment regimes.


A disk-based interviewing techmque is used to conduct an extensive survey among members of a large PC user group The survey includes a series of questions on the sources of technical knowledge used by these PC users to gain information about software and hardware. The extent of use and the relative utility of 11 alternative sources of information are assessed. Data on the information source attributes and on the end-user characteristics that might affect the use and utility of the information sources are also analyzed. We conclude that PC magazine articles and friends and colleagues are the most frequently used sources and that these 2 sources and user group members are attributed the greatest utility. In general, whereas accessibility is the most important factor in determining the level of use of an information source, those sources that are less biased and more interpersonal receive the highest utility scores from end users. Keywords personal computers, information utility, information use, user groups, disk-based surveys, opinion leaders, end users.


We discuss two optimization problems from economics. The first is a model of optimal investment and the second is a model of resource management. In both cases the time horizon is infinite and the optimal control variables are continuous. Typically, in these optimal control problems multiple steady states and periodic orbits occur. This leads to multiple solutions of the state–costate system each of which relates to a locally optimal strategy but has its own limiting behaviour (stationary or periodic). Initial states that allow different optimal solutions with the same value of the objective function are called Skiba points. The set of Skiba points is of interest, because it provides thresholds for a global change of optimal strategies. We provide a systematic numerical method for calculating locally optimal solutions and Skiba points via boundary value problems. In parametric or higher dimensional systems Skiba curves (or manifolds) appear and we show how to follow them by a continuation process. We apply our method to the models above where Skiba sets consist of points or curves and where optimal solutions have different stationary or periodic asymptotic behaviour. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Acoustics is used to determine the relationship between current flow, temperature structure, and biological processes at fronts. In 1985 surveys were made of acoustic volume reverberation at the boundary of the slope water and the Gulf Stream, 120 km northeast of Cape Hatteras, using towed 70‐kHz sonars. Scattering theory and net samples suggest the scatterers were macrozooplankton of about 2‐cm length. Two‐dimensional images of 200‐m depth by several kilometers distance give views of internal biological patches across the front. From them the spatial arrangement and behavior of animals have been observed and animal type inferred. For large‐scale surveys covering several hundred kilometers and days, obtained during April 1989 (BioSYNOP program), a synoptic view, from which the influence of large meanders of the Gulf Stream on the macrozooplankton can be observed, was obtained. Finally, better resolution of animal type, function, and size is possible with multifrequency sonar. Multicolor imaging of 38‐, 70...


Stratigraphic vertical profiles of snow properties measured a few meters from each other are usually different. In particular, slope-parallel variations of the thickness of one or several layers can create an apparent spatial variability, which masks possible common stratigraphic sequences in these profiles. Besides the referencing in depth of the layer position, it is thus necessary to match the stratigraphic sequence between the different profiles. On a few profiles measured with a low vertical resolution, this time-consuming stratigraphic matching can be done manually. Here, we propose an automated matching method that applies to large data sets. The proposed matching algorithm enables to produce a single profile representative of the study site and provides a partitioning of the apparent spatial variability between property variability and depth variability. In our method, the thicknesses of individual layers are taken as free parameters to be adjusted in a least square optimization procedure that minimizes a certain metric between the profiles. The method efficiently synthesizes several vertical profiles of hardness such as the ones measured by the SnowMicroPen into one representative profile. Combined with clustering methods, it successfully groups numerous simulated specific surface area profiles into representative snowpack classes at the massif scale.


The contemporary world we live in revolves around media technology which has become an essential aspect of communication. Television has been deeply rooting itself in every socio-familial system and brings about changes in every culture. Its immense quality to influence children's life raises interest as well as about child media use or misuse in this techno-social world. The study took place in four districts of Mizoram. It investigates how family members interlace children's television viewing with forms of mediation, rules, restrictions and also parental views on television. During family viewing, children tend to perform other activities out of individual choices or responsibilities. Despite watching television, some children had a preference for play. There were some gender and age differences in their play pattern. Academic responsibilities also compelled older children to study during family TV viewing. It was noted that children were more focused when they viewed their own choices of programmes, but when they 'have to' watch programmes like News channels their attention was easily diverted. Parents are unable to regulate their children's TV viewing and a large number of them practiced restriction on viewing hours. Some parents were able to watch TV with their children. This co-viewing often led to adult child conversation based on the show. However, most parents simply discussed the programmes without stressing on child directed dialogues. Parents had views on benefits and hazards of TV viewing on children. They definitely felt that children imitate actions, language and other physical adapting of dress or hairstyle of characters that sparked their interest. They displayed a tendency to often use television as a target of blame for defending children's socially unacceptable behaviour yet, good traits were attributed to good 'social circle'.


This paper reports the key security related activities associated with the FRR shipment. Starting with transportation of the SNF in the country of origin to the final destination at the INEEL. Methodology for compliance will be addressed. The graded approach and a three step system will be explained. This paper will be used as part of the planning to support the FRR Project for returning the Asia and European SNF back to the US.


Through adopting the method of progeny test and superior tree selection of Casuarina equisetifolia,10 genealogies were selected from 63 genealogies.The application of 4 clones selected by nursery testing showed that the survival ratio,preserving ratio,growth and disease resistance were markedly superior to the tree seedling of Casuarina equisetifolia.The four surperior clones(Yue 501,Ping 18,Hui 1 and Pu 20) were selected according to wind resistance,hydroponics rooting rate and stem form,and could be popularized and applied in coastal protection forest construction of the whole province.


The article examines the changes that have taken place in the field of radio journalism under the influence of socio-cultural phenomena, the progress of new information technologies, the activation of civil journalism and the interactive beginning in broadcasting. The processes of transformation of the figurative structure of radio journalism, expressive means and methods of creating a journalistic work on the radio in the context of media convergence, genre modification is considered. The author analyzes both the materials of "classical" radio journalism and new forms of broadcasts with a journalistic component.


The relationship between healthcare utilization before and after liver transplantation (LT), and its association with center characteristics, is incompletely understood. This was a retrospective cohort study of 34 402 adult LTs between 2002 and 2013 using Vizient inpatient claims data linked to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database. Multivariable mixed‐effects linear regression models evaluated the association between hospitalization 90 days pre‐LT and the number of days alive and out of the hospital (DAOH) 1 year post‐LT. Of those patients alive at LT discharge, 24.7% spent ≥30 days hospitalized during the first year. Hospitalization in the 90 days pre‐LT was inversely associated with DAOH (β = −3.4 DAOH/week hospitalized pre‐LT; P = .002). Centers with >30% of their liver transplant recipients hospitalized ≥30 days in the first LT year were typically smaller volume and/or transplanting higher risk recipients (Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease [MELD] score ≥35, inpatient or ventilated pre‐LT). In conclusion, pre‐LT hospitalization predicts 1‐year post‐LT hospitalization independent of MELD score at the patient‐level, whereas center‐specific post‐LT healthcare utilization is associated with certain center behaviors and selection practices.


RGB-based 3D hand pose estimation methods frequently produce physiologically invalid gestures due to depth ambiguity and self-occlusion. Existing methods typically adopt complex networks and a large amount of data to avoid invalid gestures by automatically mining the physical constraints of the hand. These networks exhibit high computational complexity and thus are difficult to be deployed into mobile devices. In consideration of this problem, a novel knowledge distillation framework, called Explicit Knowledge Distillation, is proposed to enhance the performance of small pose estimation networks. The proposed teacher network has interpretable knowledge, explicitly passing the physical constraints to the student network. Experimental results on three benchmark datasets with five different sized models demonstrate the potential of our approach.


AIM: To investigate the effects of icariin(ICA) on monoamine and amino acid neurotransmitters in senescence accelerated mouse prone/10(SAMP10).METHODS: The 8-month-old SAMP10 were randomly divided into model group,Donepezil Hydrochloride(DON)-treated SAMP10 group(1 mg/kg) and ICA-treated SAMP10 groups(50,100,200 mg/kg),with twelve mice in each group.Twelve senescence accelerated mouse/resistance1(SAMR1) with the same age were used for normal control.After 30 days of oral administration,HPLC with electrochemical detection(EC) was used to measure norepinephrine,5-hydroxytryptamine,dopamine and its metabolites 3,4-phenyl acetic acid and homovanillic acid,and glutamic acid,glutamine,aspartic acid,γ-aminobutyric acid,taurine,glycine.RESULTS:ICA could significantly reduce the levels of glutamic acid,glutamine and γ-aminobutyric acid in the cerebral cortex of SAMP10(P0.01),and increase the levels of norepinephrine,dopamine,3,4-phenyl acetic acid,5-hydroxytryptamine,homovanillic acid,aspartic acid and taurine(P0.01 or P0.05),but glycine had no significant effect(P0.05).CONCLUSION: The improvement of ICA on the ability of learning and memory in SAMP10 may be related to elevating levels of monoamine neurotransmitter,regulating the balance of excitatory amino acids and regulating the balance of inhibitory amino acids.


The redefinition of the strategic and operational concept of the armed forces in Europe since 1989 has induced a reorientation of the missions assigned to the naval forces. Our study shows that several European constants appear independently of national characteristics : an ascending dynamic of projection missions, a stagnation of traditional missions, as well as a development of public utility missions. However this evolution does not mean a total rupture of the type of mission, but rather a broad re-actualization and redistribution of priorities.


The central observation of this paper is that belief ascriptions with plural subjects can be interpreted non-distributively, so that beliefs can be truthfully attributed to a plurality that cannot be attributed to any of the individuals that it comprises. Moreover, the beliefs of a plurality appear to be predictable from the beliefs of its associated individuals. Two potential analyses are offered for the relationship between the beliefs of individuals and those of pluralities. Both of these analyses, which are meant to negotiate the agreements and disagreements between individual experiencers, run into issues differentiating between relevant and irrelevant disagreement. To resolve these issues I invoke a notion of "aboutness", which filters out contextually irrelevant beliefs.


Abstract Using quarterly data for Uruguayan banks we find that this sector is a concentrated oligopoly that exhibits global economies of scale. Specific product economies of scale are statistically significant in households and corporate loans. There are economies of scope between varieties of loans, deposits in local currency and portfolio management. The credit market to households is the least competitive, behaving like a monopoly or under implicit collusion. The credit market to firms exhibits greater competition than that suggested by the structure of the market, especially in local currency. Overall, the results suggest that there exists room for development and increasing competition in the Uruguayan banking sector.


One of the shared physiological roles between TGF‐β and connexin family members is to inhibit epithelial cell cycle progression and consequently, to provide protection against malignant transformation. Herein, we demonstrated that TGF‐β1 induces the expression of connexin43 (Cx43) in normal murine mammary gland (NMuMG) cell lines at the protein and mRNA levels, and transcriptionally. Using overexpression of a truncated dominant‐negative form of Cx43, we determined that the modulation of gap junctional communication by TGF‐β1 plays a key role in the control of NMuMG cells proliferation by TGF‐β1. In addition, using overexpression of truncated dominant‐negative forms of either Smad2 or Smad3, and MDA‐MB‐468 human breast carcinoma cells deficient for Smad4, we determined that the Smad cascade is not implicated in TGF‐β1 effect on Cx43 expression. Using specific pharmacologic inhibitors for JNK, ERK, p38, and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways, we demonstrated the cooperative role of p38 and PI3K/AKT signaling in TGF‐β1‐induced Cx43 expression and gap junctional communication. Furthermore, transfection of a c‐jun antisense expression vector significantly prevented TGF‐β1‐induced Cx43 gene expression demonstrating the involvement of c‐Jun/AP‐1 pathway together with p38 and PI3K/AKT pathways in mediating TGF‐β1‐induced Cx43 gene expression. J. Cell. Physiol. 217: 759–768, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


This paper tries to make clear why a European journal of developmental psychology makes sense. First it is explained that so-called European culture is a complicated matter: historically and culturally many fault lines are to be detected, from the borders of the Roman empire to the iron curtain. These fault lines separate different cultural areas within Europe.  Developmental thinking came into existence within the eighteenth century (Enlightenment), especially with the work of Rousseau, which offered the theoretical building blocks for Western education and for modern Piagetian developmental psychology. Empirical developmental research found its origins in Germany, especially in Jena, with the work of William Preyer. The Jena ideas were brought to the USA by Stanley Hall. And in the twentieth century the Rousseau–Piaget tradition was brought to the USA by John Flavell.  A European Society for Developmental Psychology and its flagship the European Journal of Developmental Psychology should devote itself to the study of the European roots of developmental psychology as well as contributing to European developmental psychology, which in an open, new Europe moves across the original fault lines.


This study investigates the effects of different aggregate gradations and compaction number on road performance of asphalt mixtures.The dynamic stability,low temperature bending failures strain,soaking marshall stability,AASHTO T283,split strengthen and freeze-thaw split strengthen are used to evaluate the road performance.Three gradations(Sup13,Sup20 coarse and Sup20 fine) and two compaction(100,125) number were selected.Means comparison using Tukey test is used to analyze.Increasing compaction number would bring on higher dynamic stability,low temperature bending failures strain,split strengthen and freeze-thaw split strengthen.Compared with fine gradation,coarse gradation gives higher dynamic stability,low temperature bending failures strain,split strengthens and freeze-thaw split strengthen under the same compaction number.There are no significant differences between water stability with coarse and fine gradation or different compaction number.Coarse gradation is top-priority compared with increasing compaction number.


The degradation of p-nitrophenol and electricity generation of MFC are studied in a single air-cathode microbial fuel cell which is constructed using air electrode as cathode and carbon paper as anode,with glucose and p-nitrophenol as the anode mixed fuels.Experimental results demonstrate that MFC has a certain effect of removing p-nitrophenol of different concentrations.The removal rate of 400 mg/L of p-nitrophenol can be 74.1% when reaction time is 4 days and the rate be 82.1% when reaction time is 6 days.The maximum output voltage of MFC is 0.293 V(external resistance,1 000Ω)and the maximum output power of MFC is 56.5 mW/m3(wastewater).


Abstarct: This research is a class action research with the objective to fix the learning process and to improve student's math achievement s by applying Think Pair Square (TPS) Cooperative Structural Learning Approach Model. The subject of this research are the students of class XI IPA 2 SMA Negeri 1 Pekanbaru at the second semester of academic years 2013/2014, which amounted to 32 students, consists of 16 male and female students with heterogeneous level of academic capabilities. This research consists of 2 cycles, of which each cycle in composed of 4 stages, which is planning, implementation, observation and reflection. In every end of a cycle, daily exams will be implemented. Data collection is done by observation and tests are daily exams. Data analysis is done by narrative descriptive and statistic descriptive analysis. The result from the observation page shows that teacher-student activities had performed well after action has been made. Most of the students have participated actively in the learning process that has been exercised, such as step-by-step learning, presenting student worksheets or question papers, responding a fellow classmate's presentation, and giving learning conclusions. Students even try to resolve questions that the teacher has given correctly by the end of the learning process. An action is deemed successful when the number of students that reached the Minimum Mastery Criteria had increased by the first and second daily exams. The number of students that reached Minimum Mastery Criteria from the base score, the first and the second daily exams, in that order are 31.3%, 46.9%, and 62.5%. The result of this research shows that the Think Pair Square Cooperative Learning Approach is capable of fixing the learning process and increasing math achievement s from the students of class XI IPA 2 SMA Negeri 1 Pekanbaru at the second semester of academic years 2013/2014. Key words: Mathematics learning achievement, Cooperative learning, Think Pair Square , Class action research


The present invention is a silica having at least one collagen, agents and / or collagen enhancer particle size, and 0.3 μm greater than D The present invention is collagen, agents and / or improving the sensory characteristics of a topical composition comprising a collagen enhancing agent, eyes swelling, the silica to reduce dark circles, eyes fine lines and thin gold eye-use of the titanium dioxide composite particles relate to.


Abstract Monitoring the coefficient of variation is an effective approach to Statistical Process Control when the process mean and standard deviation are not constant but their ratio is constant. Until now, research has not investigated the monitoring of the coefficient of variation for short production runs. Viewed under this perspective, this paper proposes a new method to monitor the coefficient of variation for a finite horizon production by means of one-sided Shewhart-type charts. Tables are provided for the statistical properties of the proposed charts when the shift size is deterministic. Two illustrative examples are given in order to illustrate the use of these charts on real data.


Abstract The quantum confinement effect and phonon scattering in low dimensional nanostructure is effective in the improvement of the efficiency of thermoelectric generators. Bi2Te3 nanowire arrays were prepared in Al2O3 templates through the use of electrochemical deposition. Chemical mechanical planarisation was employed to level the upper and lower surfaces of Bi2Te3 samples. The XRD (X-ray Diffractometer) test showed that the crystal grain of Bi2Te3 nanowire was 20–30 nm, attaining a size where the structural properties of the structure induced the quantum confinement effect. It was also indicated that there were dense structures in the fabricated nanowires, the nanowire ends kept at the same level as the hole's edge, solving the problem for the following assembly of thermoelectric transducers. Based on the procedures presented in this paper, there is promise in the future enhancement of the Seebeck coefficient of this nanowire array by introducing nanodoping to the structure.


This paper attempt to estimate the function of total cost of Sudanese airlines domestic services. The data were obtained from the Planning Directorate of Sudan Civil Aviation Authority, Air Transport Directorate, Sudan Airways Directorate of Central Planning and some other currently active Sudanese airlines. The data were statistically analyzed the annual cost function of five Sudanese airlines companies for the period from 2004 to 2013, for a total of 50 balanced short Panel Data observations. The researcher study was to find out how the total cost (TC) behaves in relation to the domestic output, in revenue passenger (PAX), cargo/ freight (FRT), fuel cost (FC) and load factor (LF). The result shall lead us to estimate an airline cost function, by using Panel Regression Models to analyze the data obtained for this research. The researchers study the four possibilities Panel Regression Models: Pooled Ordinary Least Square (OLS) model, Fixed Effects Least Squares Dummy Variable (LSDV) model, Fixed Effects within-group (WG) model, and the Random Effects model (REM). These results shall be evaluated to determine the best suitable model for estimate an airline cost function. The models were represented as follows: TCit = β0 + β1PAXit + β2FRTit + β3LFit + β4FCit + uit i = 1, 2, ... , 5 , t = 1, 2, ... , 10 The F-statistic of Wald test equal 13.26867 with probability value equal to 0.0000, which is a highly statistically significant value at 5% level. So we can reject the null hypothesis; that is to say, all the dummy variables are equal to zero, that are represented in Pooled OLS model, and accept the alternative hypothesis which says that the Fixed Effect Least Squares Dummy variable (LSDV) is appropriate. The Chi-square statistic value for 4 degrees of freedom of Hausman test equals 53.074696 with probability value equal 0.0000, which is a highly statistically significant value at 5% level. So we can reject the null hypothesis; that is to say that the Random Effects model (REM) is appropriate, and accept the alternative hypothesis which says that the Fixed Effects within group (WG) is appropriate. According of Hausman test and Wald test, the researcher concluded that the Fixed effects model is appropriate and acceptable to the predictive purpose of forecasting the total cost.


Abstract The edge state, which is a peculiar magnetic state in zigzag-edged graphene nanoribbons (ZGNRs) originating from an electron–electron correlation in an edge-localized π-state, has promising applications for magnetic and spintronics devices and has attracted much attention of physicists, chemists, and engineers. For deeper understanding of the edge state, precise fabrication of edge structures in ZGNRs has been highly demanded. We focus on anthenes, which are peri-condensed anthracenes that have zigzag and armchair edges on the molecular periphery, as model systems for understanding, and indeed prepare and characterize them. This paper summarizes our recent studies on the origin of the edge state by investigating anthenes in terms of the relationship between the molecular structure and spin-localizing character.


This thesis investigates the feasibility of dynamic phase-contrast x-ray imaging at an inverse Compton source. Propagation-based imaging (PBI) is demonstrated by the detection of edge-enhancement and the usage of quantitative phase retrieval. Applications are explored, including time-sequence PBI of mice. The developed setup, the challenges in small animal imaging and several experiments are presented. In grating-based imaging, a custom imaging protocol is employed to visualize the signal changes during a breath cycle of a mouse.


We extend our previous classification of stacky curves in positive characteristic using higher ramification data and Artin-Schreier-Witt theory. The main new technical tool introduced is the Artin-Schreier-Witt root stack, a generalization of root stacks to the wildly ramified setting. We then apply our wild Riemann-Hurwitz theorem for stacks to compute the canonical rings of some wild stacky curves.


This article mainly summarizes the technological leapfrogging theories from the probability of leapfrogging, technological times,manners and types of technological leapfrogging.The important conclusions are as below:Resource gift,characteristics of technological evolution and technological capabilities are key factors determining technological times, manners and types of technological leapfrogging especially, technological capabilities also directly determine whether or not the technological leapfrogging can realize. In the prophase of technological leapfrogging,based on the relative advantage principle , developing countries should introduce the mature technologies that evolve slowly and need low technological capabilities by FDI etc. Along with the cumulativeness of technological capabilities and upgrade of the resource gift structure, developing countries should gradually set foots in the technologies evolving fast by technological licensing, trade and self research and development, and finally reach the frontier of technology. In addition, this article briefly discusses the implications of the technological leapfrogging theories for China implementing technological leapfrogging.


The compact capacitor bank CQ‐1.5 is a pulsed power generator developed at the Institute of Fluid Physics, and capable to deliver a current of peak 1.5 MA within rise time 500–575 ns into a 2–3 nH inductive load. It is motivated to do isentropic compression experiments (ICE) on metals up to 0–50 GPa and to launch flyer plates at velocities over 8 km/s. The measured free surface velocities of two ICE specimens of different thickness were treated by backward integration to acquire the compression isentrope of copper up to 35 GPa. Meanwhile theoretical isentropes and an energy conservation based model to predict magnetically driven flyers' final velocity are proposed here, and compared with the experimental data.


Absfmct-A variational finite element analyijs of linear and low nonlinear guided wave propagation in piezoelectric media is proposed here. The method is applied to thin metallic AI &ides on Ez LiNb03! such as employed in waveguide convolvers. First dispersion c'urves and tield amplitude profiles for linear analysis are obtained. Then the method is applied to account for the nonlinear mixing mechanisps and to compute the,ponvolution 6gure of merit. The hear field distribution at w is used to compute the driving forces at 2w, and the forced problem is solved at 2w.


Due to the abilities of remarkable field confinements and enhancements, plasmonic surfaces supporting spoof surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) are important artificial structures with many potential applications. In this paper, we propose analytical derivation to the dispersion formulation of metallic surface with complicated subwavelength decorations using a field-network joint solution, which offers a new scheme to obtain the dispersion relations of plasmonic surfaces. Based on the proposed method, we could predict not only the dispersion relationship between the frequency and wavenumber but also the approximate near-field distribution on the plasmonic surface rapidly and accurately. As an example, we analyze a series of complex-decorated metallic plasmonic surfaces, with comparisons to the full-wave simulation and experiment. The analytical, numerical, and experimental results show that these plasmonic surfaces support electromagnetic surface modes that are similar to the SPPs at the optical frequency. Meanwhile, the calculated dispersion curve and field form have great matching to the simulation and measured results.


The aim of this study is to explore the factors leading to variation in English language proficiency levels in Mauritius, an island situated in the Indian Ocean and where English is the official language spoken along with a French-based Mauritian Creole and another second language, French. The impetus for the study were the increasingly lower scores on exit tests, namely the Certificate of Primary Education (the last examination at the end of the Primary cycle), the Cambridge School Certificate (SC) and the Higher School Certificate (HSC) examination since the introduction of universal secondary education in 1976. The study seeks to characterize and compare learners in rural and urban contexts in Mauritius in terms of the extent to which these settings provide opportunities for English language learning. The chief contention of this study is that there exist different kinds of conditions inside and outside the classroom which make available differential opportunities for English language learning. The central concern of this study is, therefore, to find out to what extent and in what ways the nature of classroom and extra-classroom interaction such as home language use other than English differs in rural and urban classes, and the nature of the conditions for language learning that become available as a result of these differences in classroom and extra-classroom interaction. Taking these exposure factors into account, the study then considers what the variation in achievement actually involves in terms of morpho-syntactic competence. The language sub-systems investigated are pluralization, adverb placement, tense formation, passivization, relativization and WH movement. The informants are French-based Creole speakers at three levels of education from six different English-medium schools in Mauritius. The method of investigation used for this study was observation and analysis (both quantitative and qualitative) of the interaction inside and outside English classes in both rural and urban settings, hi order to develop a framework for observation and analysis of classroom and extra-classroom interaction in terms of the language learning conditions, research literature on first and second language acquisition was examined - this led to a description of the conditions considered necessary for language learning to take place. The investigation into the problem began with the observations in different types of schools in Mauritius, three in a rural setting and three m an urban setting. The home factors, including further exposure to English and the learners' French literacy were also explored. This study led to the hypothesis that the conditions prevailing in the urban classes are more conducive to language learning than the conditions available in the rural classes. The classes in these schools were then compared in terms of the language learning conditions available in each setting. This comparison indicated that there are marked differences between the rural and urban contexts in terms of the nature of the opportunities for exposure to language input, the extent of the opportunities available for learners to participate in interaction in English and the nature of the learning environment available inside and outside the school, at home and in the community. There exist opportunities for acquisition beyond the curriculum for urban learners, while for their rural counterparts, there is not much beyond the learning-based curriculum. These observations led to the hypothesis that the conditions for language learning available in the urban schools are more conducive to language learning than those available in the rural schools. The findings of the study indicate that my morpho- syntactic achievement measurement confirms this hypothesis.


To investigate the acceptability, feasibility and value of needs assessment in planning and conducting a seminar about skin cancer for general practitioners.


In order to enhance the practical abilities of students majoring in drama,film TV literature at normal universities,priority should be given to the improvement of students' theoretical attainments.Based on a solid foundation of their professional knowledge,students are to be encouraged to organize and participate in various activities via student societies at universities to practice their professional skills.At the same time,the principle of "teaching students according to their aptitude" should be upheld with emphasis laid upon the training of potentially competent and creative students.


A new emission line (LP), which is a satellite of the emission line of an electron-hole liquid (EHL), was observed in the emission spectrum of a pure uniaxially compressed germanium crystal. The behavior of the new line at various strains and temperatures and in a magentic field are explained in terms of recombination of electron-hole pairs in the EHL, accompanied by plasmon emission. The equilibrium density of the EHL at various values and directions of the strains is determined from the spectral position of the LP line.