Context: Barotrauma is caused by the difference in pressure between the air-containing spaces of the ear and the outside environment. Aim: The aim of the study was to determine the incidence of otitic barotrauma during hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). Setting and Design: A prospective study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital setting. Materials and Methods: All patients planned for HBOT were clinically assessed for Eustachian tube function by pneumatic otoscopy. Patients undergoing HBOT were subjected to otoscopy, and the tympanic membrane of these patients was evaluated before and immediately following the session of HBOT. These changes were correlated with other variables of the patient such as age, underlying illness, comorbidities, and general condition. Analysis: Data collected were analyzed using appropriate statistical means to determine the level of correlation. Results: Of the 100 conscious patients, 19 (19%) had otitic barotrauma. Of those, 31.6% had Grade I otitic barotrauma, 47.4% had Grade II otitic barotrauma, and 21.0% had Grade III otitic barotrauma. Risk factors for otitic barotrauma were pressure equalization problems. We found no influence of age, sex, or comorbidities on the occurrence of barotrauma. Conclusions: Difficulties in pressure equalization were the only risk factors for middle ear barotrauma. Age, sex, or other comorbidities did not affect the incidence of otitic barotrauma.


Among contemporary cultural world characteristics tolerance occupies a particular place. One can find its convincing expression in the sphere of cinematographic solution of religious themes. Thus, non-traditional positions of religious thought get necessary representative ways for expressing and take on a legitimate status. As a result, unlike corresponding to norm artistic interpretation of religious themes before the 19th century there are successfully existing the following positions in cinematography today: traditional production of religious theme, problems of religious ontology; individual search within the bounds of religious discourse.


This paper discusses the relationship between the travesti experience and the institution of paradoxical discontinuous territory in southern Brazil. Our reflection is based on twenty-two interviews conducted with travestis who work in the sex trade and seven interviews with people working in non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that work with travestis. All the interviews were analysed according to the constitution of semantic networks, as proposed by Bardin (1977), which gave meaning to the spatial dimensions experienced by the travestis. All the analysis shows that it is through various processes of social exclusion and spatial interdiction that travestis resist; both through various multidimensional geographies, as well as specifically through the southern Brazilian paradoxical discontinuous territories.


Developing applied and creative talents is the need of the times,the urgent need of social public order as well as an important means of improve the fighting strength of police.Therefore,local public security colleges must further change their concept,strengthen the reform of curriculum system,teaching contents,teaching methods and means,ways of assessment and evaluation as well as teaching management,so as to serve the training of applied and creative public security talents.


To the Editors: Stillman and colleagues (1) are to be congratulated for a marvelous effort. However, I cannot see how the noted differences between foreign medical graduates (FMGs) and United State...


The passage of time sometimes makes a person have a right, and sometimes makes her or him lose a right. The latter is called "extinctive...


Karst islands like those found in the Philippine Archipelago present extreme challenges for stakeholders
to manage their water resources in a sustainable manner. Anthropogenic Climate Change, land development, point source pollution and increased population have all combined to alter the water balance on these fragile islands. Karst features, shallow depth to groundwater and the potential for dissolution, contribute greatly to these challenges. Combined, these factors pose an array of complex research questions. Field implementation of a Freshwater Lens Assessment Protocol (FLAP) was initiated on Bantayan Island in August 2017. Field mapping, well surveying, groundwater sampling and laboratory analysis have been completed for the first quarter of the yearlong study. Through the application of current groundwater characterization practices the research posits a novel approach for these hydrogeological environs. Through applying FLAP credible output for the characterization of the islands groundwater resources will be determined and integrated into an Adaptive Water Resource Management framework, empowering stakeholders to make informed decisions on sustainable abstraction strategies.


It is shown that the cultivation of the Sp59b type strain of the bacterium Azospirillum lipoferum, isolated from the rhizosphere of wheat, in a medium containing the flavonoid quercetin (produced in wheat plants) induces the synthesis of a lipopolysaccharide that differs from the original one in the structure of antigenic determinants, macromolecular organization, monosaccharide composition, and the fatty acid ratio and composition. The obtained data indicate that flavonoids have an important role in the associative interactions of azospirilla, which is implemented with the participation of bacterial LPSs.


Within the framework of the ICT revolution, it is proposed to analyze its impact on Argentine firms, based on three objectives: identification of the level of use of basic ICT applications, the level of decision-making using information systems and the information technology governance's focus on the relevance of the functionality of the information systems in the firms. Three dimensions of analysis are presented: the size of the firms, the sector of the economy in which they operate, and the composition of their capital. The empirical map product of this work is of a contribution for the academic field, for the segment of the ICT offer, and for the public sector.


The high energetic demands of incubation in birds may be an important ecological factor limiting the evolution of life-history traits, such as clutch size. In biparental species, however, the demands of incubation may not be a major constraint because there may always be sufficient feeding time available for the off-duty bird to regain energy used during an incubation bout. We investigated whether the energetic demands of incubation constrain optimum incubation bout length in a biparental incubator by decreasing the energetic demands of incubation. We put an insulated cup around the lining of semipalmated sandpiper nests so that the rate of cooling of eggs was reduced by 21%. Semipalmated sandpipers responded by increasing their mean incubation bout length of around 11.1 h by about 10%. Bout lengths in unmanipulated natural nests became longer as hatch approached (incubation stage), and this was independent of weather. Bout lengths may have decreased with increasing rainfall and were independent of time of day. The results suggest that bout length in semipalmated sandpipers is constrained by their cumulative energetic expenditure during an incubation bout, and this is determined partly by the high costs of steady-state incubation. The results also suggest that the incubating bird determines the bout length rather than the returning bird. Semipalmated sandpipersmay have maximized incubation bout length to minimize changeovers during incubation because these probably increasepredation risk. Selection to minimize the frequency of changeover may then be a factor contributing to the evolution ofbiparental care and life-history traits in semipalmated sandpipers. Copyright 2003.


Tokyo aims to achieve the image of a 21 century capital, as a world-leading international city that is attractive and lively to ensure its international competitiveness and continuous prosperity. Towards this end, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) for the past few years has undertaken various efforts in city planning in 'rebranding' the image of Tokyo. The recent development of Odaiba Waterfront City can be seen as an effort to realize the vision of creating a distinctive future urban image of Tokyo. Odaiba was born as a result of development that puts emphasis on quality built environment through a pragmatic approach in urban design via co-operation between the Government and private sector. Odaiba demonstrates a brand new Tokyo meant for working, living and visiting and provides the driving force for the vitality of tomorrow's Tokyo. Odaiba has well designed public transportation system, work places, shopping and entertainment, parks and recreation and residential neighbourhoods; which are generally uncommon in other parts of Tokyo. This paper is based on the on-going Masters research on the same subject which attempts to analyze the overall urban design qualities of Odaiba with respect to the TMG's vision of creating a distinctive future urban image of Tokyo. The outcome of the research is expected to help to determine to what extent Odaiba contributes to achieve the TMG's vision and what steps are necessary to fully realize the vision.


This chapter explores the re-workings of Homeric epic narrative and ancient classical myth by the British poet Kate Tempest, including the epic poem Brand New Ancients (2013), and the poem sequence Hold Your Own (2014). Tempest uses the poetic medium to formulate future possibilities for those excluded from the political and economic processes shaping the future and to stage the intersubjective encounter characterizing both selfhood and literary engagement. By urging readers and audience to view themselves not as passive citizen-consumers veering towards an open future being shaped by everyone but them, but instead as profoundly mythical beings capable of 'everyday odysseys', Tempest's work constitutes a call for people to become invested in a future they will help to shape. This, in turn, points the way to a creative future that re-establishes literature as an urgent, socially relevant practice and a potentially transformative tool for social and political change.


Parallel Wireless Communications is an emerging area of research that enables mobile clients to access and utilize multiple wireless networks concurrently. This paper explores concurrent bandwidth aggregation techniques to enable parallel wireless communications on mobile devices. Concurrent aggregation can be performed using wireless modems on one device or cooperatively across devices within wireless proximity of each other.. The aggregation can be achieved on the application-layer, transport layer like MultipathTCP, or on layers below IP such as the RLC layer. These schemes are compared. In general, aggregation on the lower layer is closer to the client device and easier to adapt to the varying channel and loading conditions. However, lower layer aggregation needs more changes to wireless access stratum infrastructure. Aggregation above the IP layer is simpler to implement. A feasibility study of MultipathTCP aggregation over multiple WWANs is presented. The aggregation scheme on the RLC layer in evolved HSDPA is also presented, including protocol design and performance evaluation.


Objective To investigate the role of rosiglitazone(RGZ) on pulmonary fibrosis in diabetic rats.Methods The experimental diabetic rats were yielded by injecting streptozotocin and feeding with high fat and high glucose food.All rats were randomly assigned to control,DM and RGZ group.The collagen accumulation of lung was examined by masson trichrome staining.The protein expressions of MMP-2,MMP-9 in lung were examined by immunohistochemistry.Results The amount of collagen fiber increased obviously in lung tissue in diabetic rats,and decreased in RGZ treated rats.The level of MMP-2,9 in lung tissue was higher in diabetic rats than in control group.RGZ decreased the level of MMP-2,9 in lung tissue.Conclusions Pulmonary fibrosis is present in diabetic rats.The level of MMP-2,MMP-9 in lung tissue of dibtetic rats might be related to lung tissue pathological changes.RGZ may alleviate pulmonary fibrosis by down-regulating the level of MMP-2,MMP-9.


Depression occurs frequently in patients with both Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), but there has been little comparison of depression symptoms in the two populations.


The paper presents recommendations on determination of basic specific train tractive resistance at analysis of power consumption on traction of trains that plays an important role in the increase of accuracy of standardization and prediction of power consumption with the consideration for assumptions that significantly simplify the necessary calculations.


This study is the floristic survey for the Styracaceae recorded in the cangas of the Serra dos Carajas, Para state, bringing detailed descriptions, illustrations, and morphological comments for the species. Two species of Styrax were recorded: S. griseus and S. pohlii. Styrax griseus was described based on material collected in the Serra dos Carajas, but is not endemic to the area. Styrax pohlii is widely distributed throughout the Northern portion of South America.


In this study, the micromorphology of nectaries in Echium russicum J. F. Gmel. flowers was determined by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and their anatomy by using light microscopy (LM). The rate of nectar production of flowers and sugar concentration in nectar were investigated. The nectary gland is located below the ovary of the pistil. It is composed of 4 parts corresponding to the parts of the ovary. The widest regions of the nectar-producing tissue are situated by the furrows separating the adjacent parts of the ovary. Nectar is secreted through anomocytic stomata, located only in the lower part of the nectary. The stomata were distributed evenly or they formed clusters of 2-3. The average number of stomata on the surface of the whole nectary was 184. At the nectar secretion stage, open and closed, as well as not fully mature stomata were observed. The orientation of most of the stomata was parallel to the nectary base. The cuticle surface of the cells of the upper and lateral part of the nectary was smooth, whereas in the region producing stomata it showed various folds facilitating the retention of nectar. The flowers produced nectar throughout the flowering period. The weight of nectar secreted throughout the lifetime of ten flowers was, on the average, 20 mg, with the concentration of sugars of 58% and their weight reaching 17 mg.


Based on the Wilson's criterion metal-insulator, extended to materials with strong electronic correlations, we have identified a specific class of the materials, which is not associated with their usual classification into Mott-Hubbard and charge transfer dielectrics. The local symmetry of these materials leads to a disappearance of quasiparticle states (so-called first removal or fist extra states) in the Hubbard's gap. It's especially unusual for the doped materials, where quasiparticles - charge carriers can disappear or appear under external factors, but the Mott transition has not yet been achieved. In the work we introduced the so-called a"quasiparticle transparency", and also provided specific experiments to identify materials with the low quasiparticle transparency. Some examples of these materials with a spin crossover under high pressure and showing Jahn-Teller nature have been observed.


An approach is presented for the identification of modal parameters in the frequency domain in an experimental modal analysis with multiple frequency response functions. With improvement of the calculation method and reduction of the FRF matrix, computer time for calculation becomes shorter. Experimental modal analysis and FEM calculation are done on two structures. The results of experiment and calculation agree well up to 4000 Hz in 51 and 25 modes. Validity and usefulness of the presented approach are verified by these agreements.


Sixty-eight variables, consisting of the results of 25 subtests of the "Standard Language Test of Aphasia" (SLTA) and 43 speech symptom variables evaluated from conversational speech, were classified by the cluster analysis method. The relatively high similarities among the subtests within SLTA, and the relatively low similarities between SLTA-subtests and the other speech symptoms and among the speech symptoms themselves are shown in the dendrogram. These results suggest thst many aspects of the speech symptoms of aphasia cannot be fully grasped by the SLTA used as a psychometric test-battery.


A gap in the proof of the finsler "unicorn" conjecture in the paper "Regular Landsberg metrics are always Berwald" by Z. I. Szabo is pointed out


Abstract Research Objective To explore whether expanded Medicaid helps mitigate the relationship between unemployment due to COVID and being uninsured. Unanticipated unemployment spells are generally associated with disruptions in health insurance coverage, which could also be the case for job losses during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Expanded access to Medicaid may insulate some households from long uninsurance gaps due to job loss. Data Source Phase 1 of the Census Bureau's Experimental Household Pulse Survey covering April 23, 2020–July 21, 2020. Study Design We compare differences in health insurance coverage source and status linked to recent lob losses attributable to the COVID‐19 pandemic in states that expanded Medicaid against states that did not expand Medicaid. Data Collection/Extraction Methods Our analytical dataset was limited to 733,181 non‐elderly adults aged 20–64. Principal Findings Twenty‐six percent of our study sample experienced an income loss between March 13, 2020, and the time leading up to the survey—16% experienced job losses (e.g., layoff, furlough) due to the COVID‐19 crisis, and 11% had other reasons they were not working. COVID‐linked job losses were associated with a 20 (p < 0.01) percentage‐point (PPT) lower likelihood of having employer‐sponsored health insurance (ESI). Relative to persons in states that did not expand Medicaid, persons in Medicaid expansion states experiencing COVID‐linked job losses were 9 PPT (p < 0.01) more likely to report having Medicaid and 7 PPT (p < 0.01) less likely to be uninsured. The largest increases in Medicaid enrollment were among people who, based on their 2019 incomes, would not have qualified for Medicaid previously. Conclusions Our findings suggest that expanded Medicaid eligibility may allow households to stabilize health care needs and they should become detached from private health coverage due to job loss during the pandemic. Households negatively affected by the pandemic are using Medicaid to insure themselves against the potential health risks they would incur while being unemployed.


Identification of various clay minerals and their changes in the clay fraction of soil samples of 3 types of Indian soils before and after depletion of K by exhaustive cropping by growing Sudan grass (Sorghum vulgare) was done on the basis of strongest XRD peaks from basal planes. Sudan grass was grown in clay pots containing 5 kg of three types of soils from India and potassium was applied at the rate of 0, 50, 100, and 200 mg /kg before starting the experiment and after each of the first three cuttings. Seven cutting of Sudan grass were taken over a period totalling 280 days, each time the forage was grown for 486 weeks. It has been observed that, permanent removal of K from Illite8dominating soils leads to the degradation of Illite with its transformation to expandable or non8expandable minerals and decrease in Illite content was high in Vertisol (46%), medium in Alfisol (33%) and low in Inceptisol (14%) . There was a decrease in intensity of peak at 10 Ǻ resulting in degradation of illite due to permanent removal of potassium ions by plants from inter8layers of clay lattice. This proved the formation of vermiculite, chlorite and smectite.


This paper describes the experience of a therapist who experienced psychosis and was hospitalised as a result. Turid's experiences of her time on the ward have led to her questioning many taken-forgranted practices. This paper is a powerful invitation to all mental health practitioners to think differently about how we respond to those in crisis, to acknowledge the support and care offered between 'patients' within psychiatric wards, and to question and dismantle the artificial separation between 'professionals' and 'those who experience mental health difficulties'. This paper was crafted from an interview1 and was delivered as a keynote address at the 8th International Narrative Therapy and Community Work Conference, which was held at Agder University College in Kristiansand, Norway, June 2007.


The normal decline in progesterone concentrations in plasma expected at this stage of the oestrous cycle was delayed by one to two days in treated gilts, while the pre-oestrous peak of oestradiol and preovulatory surge of LH were delayed by 1.4d(P< 0.05) and 2.0d (PSO.025) respectively. The onset of oestrus was delayed by 1.4d(P<O.lO),but ovulation rate and oestrous duration were not affected by high temperature.


The pulping properties of bamboo (D.oldhami) by a chemical process, using sodium sulphite sodium sulfide AQ solution, were invesgated. The comparison to kraft pulping properties were also involved, the results show that the pulping process (MSS AQ) had some advantages than traditional kraft pulpling, such as higher yield, lighter pulp and stronger strength of pulp and so on.


The objective of the present study was to determine the exact type of interaction between AO-294, the less active enantiomer of a novel antiepileptic drug losigamone and valproate, in the model of maximal electroshock-induced convulsions in mice. Isobolographic analysis of obtained data show that the 2 drugs interact additively. This may suggest that AO-294 may be used in the 2-drug therapy of refractory epilepsy. However, it does not seem to be superior to its maternal antiepileptic, since losigamone (according to previous reports) interacted synergistically with valproate.


The aim of this paper is to analyze the different models of waste management policies implemented in Spain by Regional Governments (RG). To do this, we have compared the formalities required for waste producers by the various competent regional institutions and studied the different regional standards in this area. We have studied specifically the requirements for small waste producers (those that generate an annual amount of waste of less than 10 tonnes). We found significant differences in levels of demand between the RG. State law should be more stringent to avoid these differences between RG.


A survey of course syllabi was conducted to discover how introductory counseling courses were taught, what they emphasized, what types of assignments were given, what textbooks were used, how inclusive the courses were about the expanding field of counseling, and how worthwhile the syllabi were. Results indicated a very diverse picture. There were many approaches to the teaching of introductory counseling courses, and some programs did not have a required introductory course per se. A great variety of texts were required, and the quality of course syllabi was very uneven. Questions arise as to how appropriate it is to have students begin their professional education by focusing immediately on the study of professional theory, skill training, or specializations such as career counseling or rehabilitation counseling. Results of the survey are appended, and references are included. (TE) 2114***********A**1414*********00*********0************US**0**21***0000** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. A ***************************0**************000******MA****************** A SURVEY OF INTRODUCTORY COUNSELING COURSES


A distributed multistate network is a multistate network with the flows entering from multiple source nodes and exiting by multiple sink nodes. A multistate network is a network with its nodes and edges having multiple states (capacities) or failures. Such networks are different from the ones solved by the traditional methods in two aspects: the number of source/sink nodes is more than one, and the source nodes are also sink nodes. The optimal double-resource assignment problem for a distributed multistate network (ODRADMN) is to solve the optimal capacity assignment for nodes and edges in the network such that the total capacity requirement of the network is minimized while keeping the network still alive. Traditionally, multi-objective optimization methods are employed to solve such kind of problems. This paper proposes an elegant single-objective optimization method to solve the double-resource optimization problem in terms of network reliability. Several numerical examples are demonstrated to explain the proposed method.


OBJECTIVES: To describe the accumulation of aging‐associated health disorders using a cumulative measure known as a frailty index (FI) and to evaluate its ability to differentiate long‐ and short‐life phenotypes as well as the FI's connection to aging‐associated processes in older people.


Surface waves supported by a ferrite rod, magnetized longitudinally near and below saturation, are studied experimentally using the surface wave resonator technique. Two types of slow waves are found to exist. Their propagation constants depend on the dc magnetic field and rod size. They are interpreted as the HE_{11} mode positive and negative circularly polarized surface waves. For pure circularly polarized waves, a magnetized ferrite is considered as a dielectric with nontensor permeability. A calculation of the propagation constant of these circularly polarized surface waves, based on the dielectric analogy, is made. The agreement between calculation and measurement is close.


In plants, the as-1 cis-element and its trans-acting factors, known as TGA transcription factors, play an important role in the transcriptional control of salicylic acid- and auxin-inducible gene expression. Previous experiments have established that TGA2.2 is the major component of the nuclear as-1-binding factor (ASF1) and cellular salicylic acid response protein (SARP) that bind to the as-1 element. Using TGA2.2 as bait in a modified yeast hybrid screen, several cDNA TGA2.2-interacting proteins were isolated.TGA2.2 interacts specifically in yeast and in vitro with two closely related proteins, At1g50570 and At5g55530 that contain a C2 domain in their amino acid sequences. At1g50570 interacts with class-II members of tobacco TGA factors. The At1g50570 and At5g55530 proteins function as transcriptional activators in yeast. At1g50570 protein activated the transcription of the â-glucuronidase reporter gene driven by the as-1 element in BY-2 protoplasts. At1g50570-green fluorescent protein fusion protein localized mainly to the nuclear envelope and endoplasmic reticulum in BY-2 protoplasts. Expression of the At1g50570 gene was induced in response to pathogen infection. Overexpression or repression of the At1g50570 gene in transgenic Arabidopsis plants did not alter the expression of the PR-1 gene under unstressed or salicylic acid -induced conditions. The role of At1g50570 TGA2.2 interaction in as-1-mediated gene activation has yet to be examined.TGA2.2 interacts specifically with At1g28480, a glutaredoxin protein, which is known to catalyze reductions of disulfides. At1g28480 interacts specifically with all identified members of the tobacco TGA transcription factors. The At1g28480-TGA2.2 interaction was neither affected by oxidative stress conditions nor by site-directed mutagenesis of the TGA2.2 and At1g28480 encoded conserved cysteine residues. At1g28480 enhances indirectly the TGA2.2 dimerization and in vitro DNA binding activity by increasing steady state TGA2.2 protein levels in yeast. The interaction between At1g28480 and TGA2.2 was confirmed in planta by a protoplast two-hybrid system. In addition, At1g28480 interacts via TGA2.2 with NPR1, a key regulator of systemic acquired resistance, in a yeast three-hybrid system. The At1g28480 gene is expressed in Arabidopsis plants in response to SA-inducing and pathogen infection. Overexpression or repression of the At1g28480 gene in transgenic Arabidopsis plants did not alter the salicylic acid-inducible gene expression. In contrast, overexpression of the At1g28480 repressed the auxin-induced expression of an as-1::GUS reporter construct in Arabidopsis transgenic plants. These results indicate that At1g28480 protein might function in signal transduction pathways involving TGA transcription factors.


Consumers, manufacturers, and inventors have been pondering the idea of electrifying transportation for decades, but engines on the road remain largely based on fossil fuel. Alternate technologies like hydrogen fuel cells and biofuels have been on the near horizon for years. Despite the advent of various strong policy incentives, electric vehicles (EVs) have had limited success in the market. However, a recent surge in battery technologies and other market forces have combined to pose a serious threat to the centuries-old internal combustion engine vehicles. Anticipating significant EV penetration into the transportation sector, this article discusses various aspects and key challenges of charging battery electric vehicles (BEVs).


Highlights

 Laser diffraction analysis of soil particle size distribution is uniquely suited for active turf racetracks.

 Eight standard sampling locations are shown to be sufficient for characterizing a racing surface.

 Differences between the three archetypes of turfgrass racing surfaces were significant using laser diffraction.

 There is a need for consensus on the proper handling of organic content in samples.

 Abstract. Significant research has focused on North American dirt and synthetic Thoroughbred racing surfaces. Turfgrass racing surfaces have received less consideration. Basic information, including climate and turfgrass species, can be documented relatively easily. However, a key characteristic, the particle size distribution of the growing medium, is not readily available for turf tracks. Particle size distribution and the deviation from nominal values are important to infiltration rate, shear strength, and turf health, as well as being critical for the selection of top-dressing and divot repair sand. The primary difficulty with obtaining the particle size distribution is the relatively large quantity of material required for traditional sedimentation test methods. Sampling an active racing surface could present a risk to the horses and riders. Laser diffraction testing methods present an opportunity to use much smaller samples. The use of smaller samples introduces new questions about the ability of a small sample to represent a large area, such as a racetrack. Tests were carried out with high resolution sampling at one racetrack. By sampling a large number of locations, 96 locations on a single racetrack, the variability of the track could be evaluated, and an eight-sample protocol was developed. Using the eight-location protocol, 22 additional turf racetracks throughout North America were sampled. A total of 23 turf racetracks were tested, representing all three of the designs used for North American turf racetracks. By looking at the three different track designs: engineered profile, engineered profile with fiber, and native soil, appropriate testing parameters and measurements were identified. While the primary objective was to understand turf racetracks, this unique data set also provided a method to investigate the applicability of laser diffraction for the analysis of soil samples. Mineralogy and organic content had previously been identified as important in the measurement of particle size distribution using laser diffraction. Mineralogy and organic content were determined for samples from each surface using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and loss on ignition. The PSD of the three types of turfgrass horse racing surfaces showed significant differences between native soil (N), engineered surfaces without synthetic fibers (EWOF), and engineered surfaces with synthetic fibers (EWF). These basic design descriptions were also found to be sufficient for making reasonable estimates of the settings used in the machine configuration and sample preparation. A single refractive index was used for the entire range of samples in this group; however, the sample quantity tested was different for the three different types of track designs. Keywords: Horse, Laser diffraction, Racing, Soil, Thoroughbred, Turf, Turfgrass.


Voltage sag forming method considering transient process is proposed to simulate voltage sag caused by short circuit fault happened in infinite grid. Voltage after fault is composed of steady and transient component. Steady component can be obtained by symmetrical component method and transient component can be gotten from damping function. Transient component is not only related to circuit parameters, but also related to fault moment. Single phase to ground fault whose impendence is inductive which is the most common in short circuit fault is chosen as the example to analyze steady and transient component of voltage sag. Then the proposed method is testified by simulation.


Polycrystalline samples of the (AgInSe2)1–x(VSe)x system were prepared by the melt and anneal method. The anneal temperature was 900 K and the anneal time one month. The step composition was 0.1 and the weight of each sample approximately 1 g. Additionally, the composition x = 1/3 was also prepared, since these alloys have been reported as electronic, i.e. definite compounds exist in the diagram at precise values of composition, one of them x = 1/3.

The stoichiometric relation of the samples was investigated by SEM technique. The experimental values, in average, are very close to the nominal values, all of them lying inside the interval of the experimental error (±5%). X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA) techniques were used for characterization of the alloy samples. Guinier photographs were obtained for all the samples and unit cell parameters were calculated using the available software for indexation. The diffraction patterns show sharp lines indicating good thermal equilibrium of the samples. Transition temperatures obtained from DTA measurements were manually obtained from the (T vs. T graph with the criteria that the transition occurs at the intersection of the base line with the slope of the thermal transition peak, as usually.

From the analysis of the experimental results it was observed that the solid solubility of VSe in AgInSe2 is approximately 20%, i.e. the single-phase region exists in the composition range 0 ≤ x 0.2 at least two phases coexist. A schematic T-x phase diagram is proposed. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)


The author describes population trends in the German province of Saxony from 1743 to 1815. Data are presented for each year on total population natural increase marriages and on births and deaths. (ANNOTATION)


This study intends to investigate whether or not using highly illustrative pedagogical practice, through the use of computer and related technologies can indeed motivate students to learn and put into practice what they are taught inside the classroom. For students to grow fully as human persons, they should develop their minds through effective learning. Effective learning however is possible only if students are truly motivated to learn. Computer based instruction (CBI) can help in motivating students to learn and even put into practice what they are taught in class. Following Keller's ARCS motivational model in pedagogical practice, CBI is said to 'intrinsically' motivate students by drawing their attention while encouraging them to relevantly apply what they learn in class. Students also develop sense of confidence and satisfaction in their learning process through CBI. A survey of Saint Dominic College of Asia (SDCA) students was conducted. Results of the survey showed that majority of the students had absorbed better teaching materials when CBI was used than when CBI was not used. Results also revealed that CBI as an approach to teaching was preferred by students than non-CBI approach to teaching, confirming the hypothesis in this study.


We present a near-linear time algorithm that approximates the edit distance between two strings within a polylogarithmic factor. For strings of length $n$ and every fixed $\eps>0$, the algorithm computes a $(\log n)^{O(1/\eps)}$ approximation in $n^{1+\eps}$ time. This is an {\em exponential} improvement over the previously known approximation factor, $2^{\tilde O(\sqrt{\log n})}$, with a comparable running time [Ostrovsky and Rabani, J. ACM 2007, Andoni and Onak, STOC 2009]. This result arises naturally in the study of a new \emph{asymmetric query} model. In this model, the input consists of two strings $x$ and $y$, and an algorithm can access $y$ in an unrestricted manner, while being charged for querying every symbol of $x$. Indeed, we obtain our main result by designing an algorithm that makes a small number of queries in this model. We then provide a nearly-matching lower bound on the number of queries. Our lower bound is the first to expose hardness of edit distance stemming from the input strings being ``repetitive'', which means that many of their substrings are approximately identical. Consequently, our lower bound provides the first rigorous separation between edit distance and Ulam distance.


Automatic speech recognition (ASR) by machine has been an attractive research area in past several decades. In recent years, there are many automatic speech-reading systems proposed that utilizing the combination of audio and visual speech features. In this paper, we proposed an automatic visual feature extraction approach to extract the visual features of the lips that can be used in the audio-visual speech recognition system. These features are important to the recognition system, especially in noisy condition. The segmentation of the lip region uses both color and edge information. We then establish a set of visual speech parameters and incorporate them into the recognizer. The WD-KNN classifier is used as the recognition engine in this paper. We present recognition performance using various visual features to explore their impact on the recognition accuracy. These features include the geometric and the motion of the lip. The experimental results based on Mandarin databases demonstrate that the visual information is highly effective for improving the recognition performance.


Context: Host responses to periodontal disease include the production of different enzymes released by stromal, epithelial or inflammatory cells. Important enzymes associated with cell injury and cell death are aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase (AST, ALT), alkaline phosphatase, acidic phosphatase (ALP, ACP), and gama glutamyl transferase (GGT). Changes in enzymatic activity reflect metabolic changes in the gingiva and periodontium, in the inflammation. Aims: In this article we examined the activity of AST, ALT, GGT, ALP, and ACP in the saliva from patients with periodontal disease, before and after periodontal treatment (experimental group — 20 gingivitis patients and 20 periodontitis patients), and in the saliva from healthy subjects (control group — 20 samples). Settings and Design: Periodontal disease was determined based on the clinical parameters (gingival index (GI), probing depth (PD), and clinical attachment loss (CAL)). Patients with periodontal disease were under conventional periodontal treatment. Materials and Methods: The stimulated saliva of the patient was collected in a sterile test tube and analyzed using the Automatic Analyzer. Results: The obtained results showed statistically significant increased activity of AST, ALT, GGT, ALP, and ACP in the saliva from patients with periodontal disease, in relation to the control group. A significant reduction in the enzyme levels was seen after conventional periodontal therapy. Conclusions: Based on these results, it can be assumed that the salivary enzymes (AST, ALT, GGT, ALP, and ACP) can be considered as biochemical markers for evaluating the diagnosis and prognosis of the functional condition of periodontal tissues in disease and health, and in the evaluation of the therapy effects in periodontal disease.


The paper discusses the main issues, trends, and factors affecting development of the domestic tourism. The main factors include: low profitability of the sphere of domestic tourism, low awareness of the tourism product, inadequacy of the quality-price ratio.


Postmodernism believes that modern political power has moved from the macro-political field to aspects of daily life.Society,knowledge,truth,science,words,text,law,morality have become an important field of power,ultimately constructing a modern great genealogical network of power operation.Clarifying postmodernism power genealogy is undoubtedly an important reference to Western political practice a reflection on modern Western political philosophy.


This is a retrospective study of 55 aids inward patients at the Central Hospital with positive Elisa test. The author analyse sex, age, cardiac symptoms, Xray and E.C.G. findings. T h e re w e re 87 aids patients among which 55 (63,1%) presented cardiac manifestations. Therewere 29 males and 26 female with mean age 32 years (range 11-56). The main cardiac symptoms (19/55) were respectively : chest pain (32.7%) ; cough (30.9%) ; palpitations (24%) and dyspnée (5.4%). Relating to the stade of AIDS, these cardiac symptoms were frequent in stade I and II CDC (63.6 %). E.C.G. findings were : sinus tachycardia (38.1%) ; low voltage of QRS (30.9%) and abnormalities of T waves (38.1%). The pericardium is the most frequent tunic involved in this study (8/55) and the tuberculoses is the most common etiology (7/8). Therewere incrasing frequency compared to others heart disease patients (14.5% vs 11.3%) and tuberculosis is the principal etiology (75% vs 45%). T h e re were 5 cases of congestive heart failure with cardiomegaly and one fatal cardiovascular shock. One case of endocarditis was suspected but not confirmed due to lack of echocardiography test. The evolution was 7 died (12.7) : one with cardiovascular shock; one cardiac tamponade; two opportunist infection and 3 terminal cachexia. Pericardial aspiration associated with antituberc u l o s i s treatment ameliorate often the prognosis.


By combination of combustion theories,acoustic theories and KIVA algorithm on the basis of the flow field,grid cells in the combustion chamber involving chemical reactions are served as acoustic sources that generate the combustion noise.These sources will produce the acoustic waves during the combustion.Areas around sources were divided into cells inside the acoustic wave and the others outside the acoustic wave according to the range of acoustic wave propagation.Thus,the pressure in combustion chamber can be calculated.The process of pressure oscillations in some positions can be captured.The characteristics of main acoustic sources leading to pressure oscillations were analyzed.Comparison on calculation and experiment shows that the hysteresis effect of acoustic wave propagation needs to be considered in the study of combustion process of IC engines.


Several software models and utilities have evolved during the last 10 years to calculate consistent, quantitative, and objective Test Program Set (TPS) cost estimates for the Naval Air Systems Command. A historical overview of these methods and utilities, together with lessons learned on the CASS program, are identified and discussed in depth. One of the latest TPS cost estimation tools will also be presented. Finally, projections are offered on how these tools will evolve over the next 5 years, along with how current and enhanced features will support the acquisition, deployment, and life-cycle maintenance costs of CASS and the next generation ATS Test Program Sets.


A COMMON everyday custom among Oriental peoples, especially Semites, is to emphasize anything they may say, even trivialities, with an oath of one kind or another. This habit or custom came down from a far-off antiquity, whose origin is still beyond our ken. And the acts or words, classed as oaths, cover a considerable range of meaning. They have been widely and comprehensively discussed for long years. The magnitude of the theme requires that we limit its treatment to specific lines. This we wish to do by confining our attention to the character and significance of the oath as used in court procedure in Babylonia and the Old Testament. One of the essentials in the discussion is to determine as far as possible the fundamental meanings of the words used for oath, and the usage of these words in the periods under survey. This requires an examination of the Sumerian, Babylonian, and Hebrew terms employed. Briefly the Sumerian and Babylonian words are these: 1. Nam-erim = mamitu (Br. 2178), "oath," "ban," "curse,"p used especially in incantations, with an appeal to some god or king or witness. It was also used as an oath where no appeal was made either to god or man, where the actor merely took his oath. A third use is that found in the execution of treaties between peoples and nations, as E-an-na-tum, king of Lagash, with the city of Umma (ca. 2900 B. C.). The oath was taken and confirmed in the camp of Ningirsu, son of En-lil; the person or god by whom the oath is taken will slay the violator of that oath. The Semitic origin of this common word for oath is probably a root yama, ' oath,' ' ban,' or ' curse,' or Arabic wama'a, " to make a sign with the hand " (Mercer, Oath, p. 26). Among the Arabs the only really binding and sacred oath is the yamin, 'faithful,' akin to mamitu. There is also a goddess Mamitu, consort of Nergal, the god of devastation, pestilence (cf. AJSL,, April, 1910, pp. 170-171), who has been personified (Langdon, Sumerian and Babylonian Psalms, p. xix).


Multidisciplinary Design Optimization(MDO) is a methodology for the design of complex engineering systems and subsystems that coherently exploits the synergism of mutually interacting phenomena.This paper presents an overview of the recent developments in the field of MDO.Regarding two challenges of MDO: computational expense and organization complexity,the overview presents the main contents of MDO and introduces two current methods dealing with MDO respectively: experiment design and multidisciplinary design optimization algorithm.Marine structural design is obviously a system engineering of multidisciplinary nature,however its use of MDO is scarce at the moment.It is the authors' belief that the application of MDO in the field of marine structural design is undoubtedly of significant importance.It is hoped that this overview would be of help to those who are interested in the application of MDO.


For the purpose of cooling electronic devices in space systems with high heat flux efficiently, experiments of highly subcooled pool boiling of FC-72 on micro-pin-finned surface structure were studied in short-term microgravity utilizing Drop-Tower Beijing with duration of about 3.6 s.The micro-pin-fins were fabricated on the silicon chip surface with the dry etching technique.The silicon chip was heated by means of controlling heating dc current for the desired heat flux.The bubble behavior for a smooth surface was also provided for comparison.The results indicated that the performance of high efficient heat transfer on micro-pin-finned surface is independent of the gravity, which stems from the sufficient supply of fresh liquid to the heater surface due to the capillary forces.


US 2008/O165867 A1 Jul. 10, 2008 An interference contribution associated with a selected Sub carrier of a plurality of subcarriers associated with a previ (51) Int. Cl. ously transmitted OFDM symbol or a current OFDM symbol HO3D L/06 (2006.01) is determined. A fast Fourier transform (FFT) output for the H04K L/10 (2006.01) current OFDM symbol is also determined. The interference (52) U.S. Cl. ....................................... 375/348,375/260 contribution is subtracted from the FFT output of the current (58) Field of Classification Search ................. 375/260, OFDM symbol to form a modified FFT output. 375/348, 259,345, 316 See application file for complete search history. 19 Claims, 4 Drawing Sheets


The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in Green Bank was charged with replacing and enhancing the original control system on the NRAO 43-Meter (43m) telescope, for a minimum amount of labor, time and materials. The original 1960's vintage design required continuous operator presence for monitoring and control of the telescope. A fully automated, unattended operation was desired, along with better tracking performance at high speeds and reduced maintenance costs. We responded with a design based on proven industrial control technology, RTAI/Linux computers, and hardware and software adapted from the GBT and other NRAO telescopes. Commercial off-the-shelf software packages were also used in the system. We describe the overall design of the system and the decision process that led to the adoption of the various pieces of hardware and software, including the tradeoffs made between buying and building systems, and allocation of telescope functions between subsystems.


Publisher's copyright statement: This is the accepted version of the following article: Losin, N., Drury, J.P., Peiman, K.S., Storch, C. Grether, G.F. (2016). The ecological and evolutionary stability of interspeci c territoriality. Ecology Letters 19(3): 260-267, which has been published in nal form at https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.12561. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance With Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.


The microbial load and types on eggshell and egg – content of cracked unfertilized chicken eggs sold in Abeokuta were examined. Five samples each were collected from poultry farms, wholesales depot and retail shops. The total viable count on egg shell from cracked eggs purchased from poultry range from 1.41x108 cfu/ml to 2.97x108 cfu/ml and samples from retailers range from 2.74x108 cfu/ml to 3.00x108 cfu/ml. The total viable count in the egg content of cracked eggs purchased from poultry range from 1.08x108 cfu/ml to 2.74x108 cfu/ml while samples from wholesalers range from 1.45x108 cfu/ml – 2.98x108 cfu/ml and samples from retailers range from range from 1.94x108 cfu/ml to 2.99x108 cfu/ml. All the cracked chicken egg samples harboured micro – organisms such in Escherichia coli, proteus vulgaris, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus substils, staphylococcus epidermidis serratia marscencens, pseudomonas aeruginosa salmonella spp. Enterobacter aerogenes, Aspergilus fumigates Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus Niger. All the isolated organisms are of food poisoning.


The adsorption of poly(vinyl butyral) (PVB) at the γ-Fe2O3–benzene interface and the air–water interface was investigated by means of the adsorbance on γ-Fe2O3 and surface pressure (π)–area (A) curves. The adsorption isotherms of PVB on γ-Fe2O3 from the various solvents are of the Langmuir type and can be explained by competitive adsorption between PVB and the solvents. From the π–A curves of monolayers and the adsorbance on γ-Fe2O3, it was confirmed that the adsorbed PVB on γ-Fe2O3 is in a train-loop conformation with the hydroxyl groups and the butyral segments directed toward the solution phase. The packing density of γ-Fe2O3, particles in the magnetic coatings preferentially depends on the conformation of polymers on the particle surface. The PVB–solvent system which gives the most compact train-loop conformation gives the highest dispersion and packing of γ-Fe2O3 in the magnetic coatings.


The microscopic factors relating to the energy dissipation increase in the viscoelastic dynamic crack propagation such as in PMMA [poly(methyl methacrylate)] were investigated through the observation on the microfracture process ahead of the crack tip up to the microcrack formation. It is found that the energy dissipation remains almost constant in a certain low velocity range but increases sharply in the higher velocity range for the PMMA case. A cleavagelike fracture mode works in the former, and both the cleavagelike and a ductile-fracture mode work in the latter. The increase in energy dissipation is attributed to the secondary cracks which remarkably increase in number depending on the crack velocity. The energy dissipation is proved to be independent of the crack velocity in cases where the crack is propagated by the cleavagelike fracture mode.


Previous examinations of perceptions of aggressive behaviors have used static stimulus presentations (e.g., photographs or slides). This investigation examined the impact of varying amounts of geographical and temporal contextual information on observers' perceptions of actors' intentions to physically and psychologically (intimidate) harm others. Participants (51 elite ice hockey players) were randomly assigned to view one of three video-taped presentations showing eight ice hockey behaviors in either a) a dynamic mode with contextual information, b) a dynamic mode with no context, or c) a static, "freeze-frame" mode. MANOVA results showed that non-aggressive stimuli were perceived as less aggressive, and aggressive stimuli were perceived as more aggressive in dynamic presentations with context than in static presentations. Based on these findings, it is suggested that future research focussing on perceptions of aggressive behavior utilize a dynamic stimulus presentation containing context material. (Abstract Adapted from Source: Aggressive Behavior, 1996. Copyright © 1996 by Wiley-Liss, Inc.) Sports Violence Adult Perceptions Adult Aggression Adult Violence Aggression Perceptions Violence Perceptions 07-02


the cognitive system. As such, it can be a driving force of neuroplastic changes in the brain of a person who speaks more than one language. The need to store and use two systems of representations corresponding to the two languages as well as to develop an efficient control system which allows to use the intendent, contextual-ly appropriate language, may result in both functional and structural changes. Neuroimaging studies show that the neural organization of language representations in a bilingual brain depends to a large degree on the type of representation. Conceptual representations seem to share common neural underpinnings between the different languages. Lexical representations, related to the vocabulary and words, are processed by the same brain regions regardless of the language, howev-er, they have been shown to be coded by distinct neuronal populations. Finally, neuroplastic reorganization of syntactic representations is highly dependent on fac-tors related to individual experiences of bilingualism, such as age of acquisition and proficiency in the second language. Neuroplastic changes in the bilingual brain have also been linked to the increased demands that using two languages imposes on the cognitive control mechanisms. Both structural and functional changes in the brain of bilinguals were observed withing a wide network referred to as language control network. Sum-ming up, neuroimaging studies have demonstrated that bilingualism is related to neuroplastic changes in both structure and functioning of the brain. However, the newest reports suggest the extent and intensity of the neuroplastic changes are most likely dependent on individual experiences of each bilingual speaker.


PERFORMANCE RESEARCH 19 ·5 : pp .115-116 ht tp : / /dx .do i . o rg /10 .1080/13528165 .2014 .958368 Walter Benjamin begins his well-known essay 'The Storyteller', published in 1936, by making a basic distinction between those who have travelled from afar to tell a story and those who have stayed at home and can therefore only tell about the local traditions, in local tales. The former are introduced by the well-known proverb, 'Wenn jemand eine Reise tut, so kann er was erzählen.' ('When someone goes on a trip, he has something to tell about.') When making this distinction, however, Benjamin most likely already knew that those who have been forced into exile will probably not be able to return to their original home, even if they have many stories to tell those who stayed, while those who for different reasons have stayed at home will gradually tell fewer and fewer stories, out of necessity, or will even chose to cease doing so. And as we know today, Benjamin cut his journey short by committing suicide after having crossed the Franco–Spanish border and was not able to tell all he knew about exile and the exilic condition; while his close friend Bertolt Brecht with whom he had made parts of the journey, returned to Berlin from the United States a few years after the end of the Second World War. While clear-cut dichotomies are treacherous, Benjamin's distinction (that actually goes back to Homer) between home and exile, of living a homely life as opposed to an exilic one, and between the possibility of returning 'home' or not, is a cultural construct that is not only based on geographic parameters but on existential forms of 'mapping' as well. After reading Yana Meerzon's book, however, presenting an in-depth analysis of the relations between different forms of performing exile and the performance of self in exilic situations, we have no problem in accepting this dichotomy (again). It 'exists' and it is reconstructed as a fundamental category within the structurally oriented theoretical thinking that Meerzon makes good use of in her book, which as she herself also clearly recognizes, was conceived and written in the wake of a developing form of cultural and artistic cosmopolitanism that has gradually made room for this new and still emerging exilic artist (and academic) with economic, cultural and artistic possibilities that the nationalistic discourses of previous generations did not allow for. This exilic condition, Meerzon claims, has a redemptive potential. By carefully studying the exilic journeys and creative developments of six artists, all men, Meerzon has shown us in minute detail that at the same time as the exilic condition is usually forced upon the exilic subject and creates limitations, mainly connected to issues of language, but also to the pain of nostalgia and loss, exilic situations can also serve as the basis for a form of freedom, which these artists felt they were denied (especially in cases where the exiled artist came from a dictatorship) in their respective home countries. Meerzon's study presents six writers and directors, from two clearly distinct generations, all in different ways 'success' stories of artists whose work even became more complex and profound as they had to cope with their own respective exilic situations. Two of them even received the Nobel Prize in Literature. The exiles from the first generation were all born before the Second World War, but their exilic experience is postwar. The examples Meerzon has chosen are Joseph Brodsky (1940– 96, born in the Soviet Union, exile in the United States, Nobel Prize in Literature, 1987), Derek Walcott (born 1930–, San Lucian, exile in the United Kingdom, Nobel Prize in Literature, 1992) and Eugenio Barba (1934–, Italy, exile in Denmark). The second generation of artists, all born after the Second World War, consists of Josef Nadj (1957–, Serbia (the former Yugoslavia), exile in France), Wajdi Mouawad (1968, Lebanon, exile in Canada) and Atom Egoyan (1960–, an Armenian born in Egypt, exile in Canada). But besides these six artists, who are the 'main' figures of the book, many more are mentioned as a frame of broader reference for pointing out and defining the complexity of exilic Performing Exile, Performing Space


Defoliation, whether by cutting or by grazing, substantially reduced nitrogen stress provided that this stress was evident before defoliation. Defoliation had little effect on the relation of nitrogen stress to the concentration of either total nitrogen or ninhydrin nitrogen of the youngest, intact, fully expanded leaf.


Medical History A male patient, 37 years old, was wounded on the lateral and superior aspect of the right chest by the knife on Nov. 16 of 2003. The physical examination showed there was a wound 2 cm in length on the lateral and superior aspect of the right chest with active bleeding, the patient could flex and extend the right elbow, wrist,palm and metacarpophalangeal articulation, but felt numbness of five digits of right hand.


The gain of an erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) is in general wavelength-dependent, leading to different amplification levels among wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) channels. The use of optical fast frequency-hopped code-division multiple-access (OFFH-CDMA) offers a natural diversity of wavelength, and therefore gain, thus eliminating the requirement of an equalization stage to achieve flat gain on all channels. Computer simulations are developed to analyze and compare the EDFA equalization performance of these two transmission approaches (code-division multiplexing and WDM), especially in situations where the EDFA operating point is subject to change (e.g., channel add-drop, packet-switching environment). We find that WDM requires an equalization stage that fails when traffic characteristics shift, whereas, OFFH-CDMA presents the advantage of more robust, hence truly dynamic, gain equalization.


Abstract The intra-and interspecific acting allelochemicals of Kalanchoe daigremontiana, K. tubiflora and K. pinnata (Crassulaceae) were isolated and could be identified as p-hydroxybenzoic-, protocatechuic-, gallic-, p-coumaric-and coffeic acid. By measuring length of stems and primary roots of Kalanchoe-daughter plants the intra-and interspecific inhibitory activities of authentic compounds could be demonstrated.


The aim of the study was to investigate the characteristics of the individual balance of the activity of brain defensive and reinforcing systems in patients with major depressive disorder.  Material and methods . In 41 patients with major depressive disorder and 32 healthy subjects, we investigated visual evoked potentials in the emotional Oddball paradigm in perception of high and low arousal motivational signals of reward and threat.  Results and discussion . It was established that reduced amplitude of the neuronal response in the per ception of high arousal motivational signals of reward and, in a less degree, threat, is associated with an indicator of the clinical severity of depression. It supports the model of emotion context insensitivity in depression. However, a more pronounced reduce in the neuronal response to stimuli of reward may indicate a prevailing deficiency of the reinforcement system. Thus, the late positive potential magnitude of visual evoked potentials for high arousal motivational signals of reward and threat can be viewed as a promising objective neurobiological marker for monitoring the dynamics of the disturbed individual balance of the defensive and reinforcing brain systems in major depressive disorder patients which can become an important tool of personalized prevention and treatment strategy.


Fish culture is very popular in the States of Bihar,
Bengal and Orissa. In other states, too, there has been a
marked awakening of interest in inland pisciculture.


Background: CVD is accelerated in RA, and risk of CVD death is 50% higher in RA patients. Physical activity (PA) mitigates increased CVD risk, but RA patients typically have less PA. It is not know...


Self-confidence is one of the important factors in determine students' English achievement. This study aims to find out the correlation between self-confidence and students' English achievement and to answer the question of the hypothesis there is a correlation between self-confidence and students' English achievement. The sample of this study were 30 tertiary students of English Language Education study program at Universitas Advent Indonesia. A questionnaire was used to gather the data, the questionnaire consisted of 20 questions and used the five-point Likert scale. The questionnaire was given to the students to measure their self-confidence and then correlated the questionnaire result with the students' English achievement grade. The Spearman's Coefficient of (Rank) correlation was used in order to answer the question of the correlation between the self-confidence and the students' English achievement and the data was calculated using SPSS. The result showed that there is no significant correlation between self-confidence and students' English achievement. However, since there is no enough evidence, the 𝐻 " cannot be rejected. For future researchers, it is recommended to do another study with enough data and evidence with different level of students and different aspect of English skills such as speaking.


Eighteen-hundred g rand fi r ( Abies grandis) studs, curve sawn from small-diameter [approximately 4-7 inches (102-178 mm)] sawlogs, were kiln dried to determine effects of drying schedule and restraint on energy consumption, drying time, and warp (bow, crook, and twist). The experimental design included 18 kiln charges with three replications of t hree k iln s chedules. Nine of the kiln c harges were restrained a nd nine were unrestrained. Kiln schedules were high-temperature [240° F (116° C) dry bulb with no venting or steam spray], elevated [190-220° F (88-104° C) dry bulb and 190-165° F (8874° C) wet bulb], and conventional [180° F (82° C) dry bulb and 170-145° F (77-63° C) wet bulb]. Restraint loading was 200 pounds per square foot (psf) (976 kg/m ). 2 Results showed that the high-temperature schedule consumed approximately one-third and one-half of the energy of the elevated and conventional schedules, respectively. In addition, drying time averaged 21.1 hours with the high-temperature schedule, 42.0 hours with the elevated schedule, and 50.3 hours with the conventional schedule. Although there were several significant differences in bow, crook, and twist in lumber dried by the three schedules, no schedule showed significantly lower warp. Results also showed that restraint reduced warp in lumber in the high-temperature and elevated schedules, and much of th e warp reduction was in lumber w ithin the top six courses of t he stack. In addition, restraint reduced the variance of warp in lumber dried by all three schedules.


Objective To approach the clinical effect of the treatment to the unstable angina pectoris (UAP) with Simvastatin.Methods 91 cases of patients with UAP were randomly divided into control group with 37 cases and observation group with 54 cases.Observation group were observed in the conventional treatment group,based on the given simvastatin l5~20mg/d,one time per night,and kept 4months for the course of treament. In the control group Zhinbiticose were given 1.05g,three times/ d,using as oral.the blood lipid,liver and kidney function enzymes,ECG can be checked before and after the medication ,and the records of the occurrence of cardiovascular events can be took.Results 16 weeks after treatment in the observation group,TC,TG,LDL-C were decreased significantly than that before the treatment (P0.05).HDL-C were significantly increased (P0.05).In the control group before and after the treatment,there was no significant difference on the lipids (P0.05).Cardiovascular events in the observation group were significantly lower compared with the control group with statistical significance (P0.05).Conclusions Simvastatin used for patients with UAP can improve the clinical symptoms,it had fewer side effects,it was easy to use the security,and reduced the incidence of cardiovascular events,was worthy to be popularized.


We have reduced and analyzed a set of narrow-band HST images of a portion of M42 south of the Trapezium. Many new emission-line sources were found, some quite long but so narrow that they are not seen on ground-based images. These include thin shells which are high-ionization shocks. The structure around Orion HH 3 is resolved into multiple components. Slit spectroscopy data establish the high expansion velocities of all these regions. The other objects seen are compact sources. Although some had been detected in VLA surveys and several had been seen from the ground optically, the new images show previously undetected structure and clearly establish that most are protoplanetary disks, which are neutral disks surrounding low-mass pre-main-sequence stars and are ionized from the outside by Theta sup 1 C and Theta sup 2 A Ori.


Mycoplasma lacks some biosynthetic pathways of fatty acid, it depends on an external suppy of fatty acid for membrane building. This can be exploited to introduce variations in membrane composition. There are much evidences to suggest that the membrane fluidity may be markedly influenced by lipid composition. The membrane fluidity is a very important property for the cell physiological functions.In this paper, we report the effects of exogenous fatty acid on the fatty acids composition and fluidity of A.laidlawii AIH089 by using gas chromatogra-phy, electron spin resonance (ESR) and fluorescence polarization techniques. Gas chromatographic results indicate that when the exogenous oleic acid, stearic acid or a mixture of oleic acid and palmitic acid were provided in a lipid-de-pleted medium, an incorporation into A. laidlawii membrane in various quantity could be detected. A significant increase in oleic acid level of A.laidlawii was observed. The fluorescence polarization results have shown that the exogenous oleic acid resulted in significant increase of membrane fluidity but no marked increase in membrane fluidity could be seen in the other two cases. The exogenous oleic acid cause a marked increase in the fluidity of membrane lipid at all region of hydrophobic chains, not only at the vicinity of double bound of o-leic acid (C-9,C-11). The ESR results indicated that the order parameter S value measure with 5NS incorporation remains unchanged with exogenous fatty acid enriched A. laidlawii membrane, but with 16NS, quite differ from 5NS,a significant decrease in rotation correlation time (τ) value was observed, The applicability of the probe in membrane study was discussed.


3 Abstract: This study was performed with pullets to evaluate the effects of dietary yeast extract on bir d performances and feather pecking. A total of 2400, 10-weeks-old pullets were divided into 8 groups: C, R, L and LR are control, feed restriction (from 09h00 to 15h00), litter removal (from 12 to 17 weeks of age) and both feed restriction and litter removal groups, respectively. CA, RA, LA and LRA groups received the diet supplemented with yeast extracts. The dietary yeast extract additive was used at the dose of 50 mg per kg live weight. The experiment lasted 8 weeks. Body weight, feed intake and feather pecking were recorded. Litter removal and/or feed restriction affected the growth rate of pullets and increased the frequency of feather pecking. The yeast extract dietary addition did not have any influence when animals were fed ad libitum, but significantly alleviated the feed restriction and litter removal effects. The results of the pecking observations showed that RA, LA and LRA groups had less frequency of gentle pecks and severe pecks compared to R, L and LR groups. In addition, pullets fed C and CA diets had the lowest frequency of gentle pecks (12.65 and 19.45%, respectively) and severe pecks (0.23 and 0.17%, respectively) compared to R, L and LR groups. In conclusion, the dietary addition of yeast extract could reduce significantly the feather pecking as well as the depressive effects of feed restriction and/or litter removal on body weight gain.


Particle transport in a toroidal plasma confinement device is shown to be nondiffusive when magnetic chaos is present. A phenomenological fit to density profiles gives a diffusion constant and also a pinch velocity directed up the density gradient. We show that the combination of diffusion and pinch is actually an expression of the nonlocal, subdiffusive nature of the transport. The effect is illustrated by numerical modelling of the magnetic structure and associated particle transport in conditions relevant for the reversed-field pinch experiment at the Consorzio RFX, Padova, Italy [G. Rostagni, Fusion Eng. Des. 25, 301 (1995)]. The relevance of this result is quite general, and could be applied also to other systems with chaos induced particle transport, such as electron transport in the tokamak.


Layers of cerium dioxide nanoparticles were prepared on titanium by electrodeposition with organic solution. Three concentrations of cerium ions were used at 31.6 V. The organic solution was isobutanol and titanium foils were used as anodes and cathodes. Currents were monitored during the electrodeposition. Deposition times ranged from 0.5 to 8 h. Deposited Deposited layers were calcined at 700 K for 30 min. The morphology and composition of the deposited layers were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). As-prepared and calcined deposition layers were assayed to be cerium dioxide. The average crystallite size increased from 4 to 7 nm through calcination at 700 K. Sizes of calcined cerium oxide agglomerates were ranging from 73 to 146 nm for 30 min deposition and 209 to 262 nm for 8 h deposition. The electrodeposition efficiencies of 0.5 h deposition at three concentrations were measured to be highest.


The biogas and biomethane industries are significant and growing contributors to achieve climateneutrality by 2050. As calculated by the World Biogas Association, the sector has the potential to reduce worldwide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 10-13%. The biogas and biomethane industries reduce emissions via many different pathways, such as avoided emissions by replacing fossil fuels, avoided methane slips from manure, green fertilizer production which replaces carbon-intensive chemical fertilizers, carbon storage in soils and carbon capture and storage.


What is the problem and what is known about it so far? The pancreas makes insulin, a substance that helps the body store energy from food. Diabetes mellitus interferes with the body's ability to store energy from food. Type 1 diabetes mellitus (also called juvenile diabetes) occurs when the pancreas stops making insulin. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (also called adult-onset diabetes) occurs when the body makes plenty of insulin but cannot use it normally. In both types, the result is high blood sugar levels. Over time, high blood sugar levels can lead to blindness, kidney failure, nerve damage, and heart disease. Fortunately, good care with diet, exercise, and medications to control blood sugar level, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels can prevent complications. However, people with diabetes generally do not live as long as people without diabetes. Since the 1970s, death rates have decreased in the United States, which means that people are living longer than they used to. Whether death rates have decreased by the same amount in people with and people without diabetes, however, is not known. Why did the researchers do this particular study? To compare changes in death rates since the 1970s in people with and without diabetes. Who was studied? Almost 20,000 people who participated in 1 of 3 national surveys about health that took place in 19711974, 19761980, and 19881994. How was the study done? The survey asked people whether they had diabetes. The researchers then followed the people for up to 12 years to see who was still living and who had died. Next, they compared the numbers of deaths in people with and without diabetes from the 1990s with those from the 1980 and 1970s. They also compared deaths in men and women. What did the researchers find? When the researchers looked at the entire group without separating people with from people without diabetes, they found that death rates decreased from 1971 to 2000. When they looked only at the people with diabetes, they found that death rates declined in parallel in diabetic and nondiabetic men. However, the death rates in diabetic women did not decrease. In fact, the differences in death rate between nondiabetic and diabetic women doubled over the time of the study. What were the limitations of the study? The researchers used patient self-report to determine whether the patient had diabetes instead of checking blood sugar levels. Many people who have diabetes are not aware that they have it, and some people might think they have diabetes when they really don't. What are the implications of the study? Despite U.S. trends that show reduced death rates since 1971, people with diabetes continue to have a higher risk for dying earlier than do people without the disease. The problem is greatest among women with diabetes. Research to understand these differences should be a priority.


Objective To study the effects and safety of Sulfentanil and Fentanyl in total intravenous anesthesia(TIVA) in gynaecologic laparoscopically operation.Methods Forty patients grade I-Ⅱ according to America society of anesthesiologists(ASA) who would be performed gynaecologic laparoscopy operation were randomly divided into two groups:Sufentanil group(group SF,n=20)and Fentanyl group(group F,n=20).Patients received Midazolan(0.04 mg/kg),Sufeutanil(0.3 μg/kg) or Fentanyl(3 μg/kg),Propofol(2.0 mg/kg)and vecuronium intravenously for anesthesia induction.The anaesthesia was maintained with Propofol continuous intravenous infusion and the propofol infusion rate was adjusted according to the blood pressure.Sufentanil(5 μg) or Fentanyl(50 μg) was intravenously administrated in addition if necessary during the operation.The heart rate (HR),systolic blood pressure (SBP),diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were recorded.Conscious state was assessed by the observer's assessment of anaesthesia /sedation scale(OAA/S).Results Patients in Sufentanil group had more stable blood pressure intra-operatively,shorter recovery time and tracheal extracted time,higher OAA/S scale post operatively than that in Fenlanyl group. Conclusion TIVA with Sufentanil and Fentanyl may be suitable for gynaecologic laparoscopy operation with hemodynamic stability and well anesthetic effect in induction and recovery.


This paper considers the use of various clustering methods to characterize the seasonal features of the temperature stratification of the atmosphere surface layer. As initial data, we used series of observations of temperature profiles in a layer up to 1 km, obtained by a passive microwave profiler MTP-5. Clustering methods with automatic determination of the number of clusters are considered: DBSCAN, Affinity Propagation, MeanShift. It is shown that the DBSCAN method is of little use for identifying typical conditions for continuous series of observations. Affinity Propagation and MeanShift methods give similar results, but require fine tuning of the clustering parameters. The results of the temperature profiles clustering are presented with the identification of cluster centers and their parameters: the average temperature profile gradient and extreme values of the profile curvature.


The invention discloses a method for realizing down conversion of a radio frequency (RF) spectrometer by narrow-band local oscillation and switch filtering. RF down-conversion fully utilizes three frequency coordinating modes and divides RF signals into five wave bands for down-conversion; utilizing switch filtering to realize frequency selection of the signal of different wave bands, so that thefirst local oscillation has narrow frequency span and low frequency; utilizing a plurality of band-pass filters in high wave band to realize frequency selection and frequency tuning, so that the design of the RF band filter is easy to realize. The invention has the advantages of simple and easy design, low cost and the like, and can be widely applied in down-conversion modules of economical and hand-hold RF spectrometers, RF receivers and RF network analyzers.


It is well-known that every maximal planar graph has a matching of size at least $\tfrac{n+8}{3}$ if $n\geq 14$. In this paper, we investigate similar matching-bounds for maximal \emph{1-planar} graphs, i.e., graphs that can be drawn such that every edge has at most one crossing. In particular we show that every 3-connected simple-maximal 1-planar graph has a matching of size at least $\tfrac{2n+6}{5}$; the bound decreases to $\tfrac{3n+14}{10}$ if the graph need not be 3-connected. We also give (weaker) bounds when the graph comes with a fixed 1-planar drawing or is not simple. All our bounds are tight in the sense that some graph that satisfies the restrictions has no bigger matching.


* Corresponding Author Accepted : 16 June, 2019 Published online :17 June, 2019 DOI : https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3247962 Abstract: Based on a supplementary study on jacquard standards warp knitting technology and their construction, this study offers the modern simulation design model of computer-aided design (CAD) to fabricate stitch forming jacquard warp-knitted fabric highly methodical. In particular, the application of knitting CAD technology develops it more expedient to design and manufacture fabric for textile industry it brings huge social and economic advantage. According to the research of warp knitting technology is the basic of computer graphics and other programming technical tools as like as VC++6.0, integrative is a key to complete the study. At first, the thesis establishes the process of fabric simulation model and expansion of stitch forming jacquard warp knitted fabric in essence. After that, the research analyses the structure and improvement of the stitch forming jacquard warp knitted fabric, acquire the appearance of fabric looks as well as affects the parameters of its. The research is correlated with mathematical models and technical methods for simulation of this type of fabric. Finally, the research designs the software (CAD) which is applied to simulate the stitch forming jacquard warp knitted fabric, and also develop with the computer programming tool VC++6.0. Comprehend the simulation this kind of fabric construction and gets final design with some fabric effect.


Intramolecular C-H activation/C-O coupling, dearomatization, and [4+2] cycloaddition of BINOL units have been well developed in a one-pot approach with maleimide derivatives as the dienophiles. This tandem catalytic system generates a variety of functionalized bridged polycyclic products in a step-economical manner, which greatly enriches the modification methods and strategies for the BINOL skeletons.


Scientists using elephant seals to help with oceanic monitoring have shown that melting ice is affecting water circulation worldwide. The consequences are not known at the moment.


Laser beams have long been applied across many disciplines, extending degrees of freedom for purely spatial control to polarization spatial control. Adaptive beam shaping in Na Laser Guide Star approaches will be assessed for progress and lessons learned. Laser Guide Stars based on Rayleigh Scattering at 530 nm is straightforward: simply frequency double a Nd:YAG. For Na Laser Guide Stars, there is no easy way to get 589 nm and is more cotp:plicated. Significate Laser Guide Star Systems include the Starfire Optical Range (SOR), The Lick Laser Gude Star (UC), Caltech/Mt. Palomar, the Keck Laser Guide Star, ESQ VLT, and Gemini South. These will be compared for progress and future developments.


The effects of homogenizing annealing on phase composition and microstructure of the Nd12.2Fe63.8Co17.4Ga0.5Zr0.1B6 alloy ingot were analyzed by XRD, SEM and EDX, and the effects of homogenizing annealing temperatures, holding time on magnetic properties of the HDDR bonded magnets were investigated.The results show that homogenizing annealing effectively eliminates the segregation phase and α-Fe dendrites in the alloy ingot.When the alloy is subject to a homogenizing annealing at (1100-1150) ℃ for 10 h and furnace cooling, the content of α-Fe gradually decreases with increasing annealing temperatures.However, after annealing at 1150 ℃ for 20 h, the content of α-Fe gradually increases.After homogenizing annealing at 1150 ℃ for 10 h and cooling in furnace, α-Fe in the alloy ingot is significantly reduced, HDDR powders consist of the recombined Nd2Fe14B grains with more uniform size and regular shape, and the excellent magnetic properties with Br=0.6309 T, Hcj=676.2 kA/m, (BH)max=55.6 kJ/m3 are obtained in the HDDR bonded magnet.


The study was conducted in the consumer goods industry companies listed in
Indonesia Stock Exchange. The research aims to determine the future earnings expectations
contained in the consumer goods industry companies, as well as whether the variable
smoothing earnings (income smoothing), debt ratio, and total assets affect the
a future earnings expectations.


Homophily – the tendency for individuals to form social ties to others who are similar to themselves – is one of the most robust sociological principles, leading to patterns of linkage in social networks that segregate people along many different demographic dimensions. This phenomena, in turn, can result in inequalities in access to information and opportunities by members of different demographic groups. As we consider potential interventions that might alleviate the effects of network segregation, we face the challenge that homophily constitutes a pervasive and organic force that is difficult to push back against. The design of interventions can therefore benefit from identifying counterbalancing natural processes in the network that might be harnessed to work in opposition to segregation. In this work, we examine several fundamental network formation models to show that triadic closure is one such process. Our analyses show the power for triadic closure to reduce network segregation at the level of graph structure. We believe that the insights in this work have qualitative implications for the design of network interventions in settings such as online platforms and college dorm assignments, where the designer has a vested interest in mitigating network segregation.


In-memory computing (IMC) is attracting interest for accelerating data-intensive computing tasks, such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and scientific calculus. IMC is typically conducted in the analog domain in crosspoint arrays of resistive random access memory (RRAM) devices or memristors. However, the precision of analog operations can be hindered by various sources of noise, such as the nonlinearity of the circuit components and the programming variations due to stuck devices and stochastic switching. Here we demonstrate high-precision IMC by a custom program-verify algorithm that uses redundancy to limit the impact of stuck devices and analog slicing to encode the analog programming error in a separate memory cell. The PageRank problem, consisting of the calculation of the principal eigenvector, is shown as a reference problem, adopting a fully integrated RRAM circuit. We extend these results to also include a convolutional neural network (CNN). We demonstrate a computing accuracy of 6.7 equivalent number of bits (ENOBs). Finally, we compare our results to the solution of the same problem by a static random access memory (SRAM)-based IMC, showcasing an advantage for the RRAM implementation in terms of energy efficiency and scaling.


Abstract Advertising theory and practice require that media plans be developed and evaluated in terms of advertising exposures, or other desired communication effects, rather than media vehicle exposures. This often means that, when evaluating media schedules in terms of effective reach, for example, media vehicle audience ratings must be weighted. Also, optimum levels of message frequency typically must be feasible within an appropriate time frame. This article focuses on how leading advertising agencies implement theoretical constructs concerning effective reach when evaluating media plans. Media executives from 91 leading advertising agencies describe their agencies' procedures for weighting audience ratings, including the magnitude of weights typically applied to vehicle audience estimates in major media categories. Alternative definitions of effective reach and rationale supporting the use of various time intervals for media plan evaluation are also presented.


By the end of the century from the time of Charles IX, the swirls of religious fanaticism and sectarian passions was the long-term causes of the French religious wars. Early in the religious wars between Protestants and Catholics began to spread mutual slaughter. Then Michel de L'Hopital, who was appointed by the Queen Mother Catherine de Medicis, was longing for the strengthening of the monarchy tarnished and the preservation of the kingdom torn. From when Michel de L'Hopital was appointed Chancellor to the first religious war, he was devoted to religious harmony and was set to draw a sketch of patriotism. In other words, he led registration to the edict of Romorantin, preventing the execution of the prince of Conde, promulgating the edict of Orleans, drafting the ordinance of April and promulgating the edict of January 1562. From the period of the peace of Amboise to the second religious war, he was devoted to political integration and made a complete picture of patriotism. In other words, he had to run to retake the city of Le Havre, cut off intervention of the Council of Trente, establish the foundations of Gallicanism, the declaration of the King's majority and the tour of the Kingdom. As such this, a powerful political force came out in the Queen Mother and Michel de L'Hopital's patriotism was implemented by this. But When she who was sensitive to political interests withdrew support for him, his patriotism could not visualize. Because the measures were biased Catholic and the catholics to defend the orthodox religion seemed obsessed. The huguenot also was induced as a result of the backlash. Even though Michel de L'Hopital's patriotism was short-lived, which existed only for the duration of his chancellery, he left behind more success than failure about the religious harmony and political integration performing the chancellery during the eight years. (Halla University / firstname.lastname@example.com)


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop an analytical framework toward facilitating the quantitative measurement of interdisciplinary understanding regarding sustainable energy systems with an application in the area of capacity-building projects in higher education.

Design/methodology/approach
The analytical framework is developed using the portfolio representation measurement approach in combination with a survey questionnaire. The subsequent assessment is carried out using the statistical measure of mean signed deviation to capture variation from an established baseline across the project group and visualized via radar diagrams.

Findings
The results provide a quantitative assessment framework for evaluating the degree of interdisciplinary understanding in the project groups. The application of the framework to the DESIRE project indicates the most significant degree of variation across economic and regulatory dimensions of sustainability. Discrepancies in general and educational contexts are observed.

Research limitations/implications
The exploitable value of the results is sensitive to the derivation of composite indicators of the dimensions defined as well as the survey design. The case study was carried out on an ex-post basis, potentially biasing the results reported and limiting their interpretability and theoretical value.

Practical implications
The analytical framework can be used as a basis for assessing and engaging in discussions on interdisciplinarity understanding at the outset of capacity-building projects.

Originality/value
The contribution of this paper is practical in scope and entails the development of a quantitative framework for measuring interdisciplinarity in the specific context of capacity-building projects in the field of sustainability research in higher education institutions.


As the core of "Rise of Central China" strategy, the regional innovation capacity of the Wuhan Metropolitan Area is the key to enhance the innovation ability of central China and even China. High-tech industries are the key driving force to improving regional innovation. Studying the relationship between high-tech clusters and regional innovation capacity helps optimize the spatial layout of regional high-tech industries, upgrade the industrial structure and enhance regional innovation capacity. Based on the panel data of nine cities in the Wuhan Metropolitan Area from 2010–2019, we measure the regional innovation capacity and the degree of high-tech cluster using the super-SBM and locational quotient. Furthermore, we explore the high-tech cluster's influence on regional innovation capacity by constructing a non-linear panel threshold model and a spatial econometric model. The results showed: 1) The innovation capability of the Wuhan Metropolitan Area shows a "W" type fluctuation upward trend, and the degree of the high-tech cluster is below the quotient level of 1, showing a continuous "M" type trend; 2) There is a non-linear double-threshold effect between high-tech cluster and innovation capacity, and the overall effect of promotion, but there is a marginal decreasing, probably because of the crowding effect or over-competition of the high-tech cluster in some regions; 3) After considering the spatial effect, the impact of the high-tech cluster on the innovation capacity of both local and neighboring regions shows a "U" curve, but the spillover to the neighboring areas is relatively limited. Therefore, to give full play to the advantages of the high-tech cluster, it is necessary to take a long-term view when formulating relevant industrial policies while considering the differences in regional economic development levels and spatial spillover effects.


Mental health is a 'wicked problem' that requires understanding the views and experiences of different social groups. Young people concerned about the stigma of being a 'mental health service user' are one such group. This chapter provides another perspective by exploring how young people with Asperger syndrome make sense of mental distress and how, in turn, this may influence help-seeking behaviors. It examines how mental distress is framed as an integral and enduring part of Asperger syndrome. It also explores how a rhetoric of self-reliance is linked to an ambivalence to using mental health services which, in turn, is affected by poor experiences of support at a young age.


We investigate performance measurement information (PMI) and role stress in local government using a Multivariate Analysis of Variance. We find that role ambiguity for public service managers who receive both non-financial and financial PMI is lower than for those who receive either non-financial information only, or financial information only. Performance is significantly higher when role ambiguity is low. Our results indicate that role ambiguity fully mediates the effects of PMI on performance, but there is no evidence that role conflict mediates those effects. Role ambiguity and role conflict do not mediate the association between job rotation and performance.


AC contactor and power electronic device are two popular electrical switch products.However,they still have several problems such as causing surge current and excess loss.To solve the problems,a novel hybrid non-contacted switch,which consists of a power electronic device and a common mechanical switch was presented.The former is used during the transient process of switch breaking and closing,and is substituted by the mechanical switch when it runs into steady status.Since the proposed switch could not only eliminate the transient spark、surge current and electrical arc,but also minimize the steady-state loss of switch itself,it could reach the anticipated merits of non-surge close、 non-electrical arc break and low loss.


Four-level hybrid-clamped (4L-HC) converters are promising candidates in high-power medium-voltage applications. To ensure a low switching loss for 4L-HC converters operated in high power scenarios, the selective harmonic elimination pulse width modulation (SHE-PWM) is adopted, which has good harmonic performance with a low switching frequency. The unified SHE-PWM formulation is used in obtaining the four-level switching patterns and switching angles to achieve the optimal output waveform quality. In addition, to ensure the balanced voltages across the DC-link capacitors and flying capacitors in 4L-HC converters, the model predictive control (MPC) is used in selecting the redundant switching states based on the output voltage level signal from the SHE-PWM module, while regulating the switching frequency at the same time. Various steady-state and dynamic simulation results are provided to validate the effectiveness of the proposed SHE-MPC method for 4L-HC converters.


Non-destructive determination of freshness of pork Boston butt was performed using near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. NIR diffuse reflectance spectra of pork samples were measured using a spectrophotometer with a fiber optic probe, and multiple linear regressions were carried out based on second derivative spectra and K values, percentages of IMP and inosine. The best calibration equation for estimating freshness was obtained through a multiple linear regression analysis using K values as an objective variable, composed of two wavelengths of 713 and 1,181nm. Following validation using other sample sets, it was found that the equation might be more applicable to pork Boston butt that has a low K value of less than 40%.