Bedrock erosional forms consisting of striations, flutes, grooves, scallops and potholes have been described by Spenceley (2001) from the adamellite forming the Quart Pot Creek channel bed upstream of Stanthorpe, Queensland, Australia. We examined ~ 500 m of the channel bed between the northern end of Kingston Road and just below the Carnarvon railway bridge (Figure 1). In this report, we argue that the spatial distribution and orientation of the bedrock erosional forms are consistent with a fluvial, not glacial or glaciofluvial, origin and that the features cannot be used to support notions of a Triassic age glaciation of the area.


Organo alkali metal compounds such as (n)BuLi and (Me3Si)2NK act as excellent catalyst precursors for the addition of phosphine P-H bonds to carbodiimides, offering a general and atom-economical route to substituted phosphaguanidines, with excellent tolerability to aromatic C-Br and C-Cl bonds.


Cruz Junior E.C., Salvarani F.M., Silva R.O.S., Silva M.X., Lobato F.C.F. & Guedes R.M.C. 2013. A surveillance of enteropathogens in piglets from birth to seven days of age in Brazil. Pesquisa Veterinária Brasileira 33(8):963-969. Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos 6627, Cx. Postal 567, Belo Horizonte, MG 30123-970, Brazil. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com The purpose of the study was to evaluate the real importance of anaerobic enteropathogens and rotavirus in contrast to more common agents as cause of diarrhea in piglets within the first week of life. Sixty 1to 7-day-old piglets, 30 diarrheic and 30 non-diarrheic (control), from 15 different herds were selected, euthanized and necropsied. Samples of the jejunum, ileum, colon, cecum and feces were collected from the piglets and analyzed to determine the presence of the following enteropathogens: enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), Clostridium perfringens types A and C, Clostridium difficile, rotavirus and Isospora suis. Among diarrheic piglets, 23.3% were positive for C. difficile, 70% for C. perfringens type A cpb2+, 14.3% for rotavirus and 10% for ETEC. Among non-diarrheic control piglets, 10% were positive for C. difficile, 76.7% for C. perfringens type A cpb2+, 0% for rotavirus, 3.3% for ETEC and 3.3% for I. suis. C. perfringens type C was not detected in any of the animals. Histological lesions characteristic of C. difficile, E. coli and rotavirus were observed. However, no C. perfringens type A suggestive lesions were detected. There was a positive correlation between mesocolon edema and the presence of C. difficile toxins. Although C. perfringens type A cpb2+ was the most frequently detected enteropathogen, there was no association between its presence and diarrhea or macro or microscopic changes. C. difficile and Rotavirus were the most relevant pathogens involved with neonatal diarrhea in this study, and histopathology associated with microbiological test proved to be the key to reach a final diagnosis.


The invention concerns a plastic bottle, wherein reinforcing means (50) are formed by a circular groove provided around the body (10) of the bottle. The groove comprises, from the base upwards, a lower part (51) to be connected to the body, a central part (52), and an upper part (53) to be connected to the body. Each of said parts has a constant peripheral profile, the central part having a peripheral profile with simple curvature with a concave part facing outwards of the bottle, the upper and lower parts having each a profile with simple curvature and a concave part facing inwards of the bottle, and the upper and lower parts are each connected tangentially to the body and the central part. The invention is particularly applicable to bottles designed to be filled with carbonated or aerated drinks.


Backward erosion piping is an important failure mechanism for cohesive water retaining structures which are founded on a sandy aquifer. At present, the prediction models for safety assessment are often based on 2D assumptions. In this work, the 3D character of the phenomenon is demonstrated on the basis of small-scale experiments. Our approach reveals the correlation between the occurrence of piping initiation and progression and the width of the physical model, which is a measure for the inclusion of the third dimension (to be regarded in a real dike situation as the influence zone of a crater). In addition, it was found that the model width has an impact on pipe characteristics and pipe development. Therefore, our results enable a better understanding of the complex physical mechanism related to backward erosion piping and thus can lead to a significant improvement in the safety assessment of water retaining structures.


Healthcare is literally swamped by images: new CT-scanners produce several hundreds of images for each exam, functional magnetic resonance produce thousands of raw images per study, not to mention endoscopy or telemedicine with their streams of video images. Gigabytes, terabytes of data must be moved between the technicians, radiologists and clinicians who want to access them in real time. This is obviously stressful for computer networks and storage devices, but the exponential growth in computer performance keeps technology able to cope with this challenge.


An outpatient clinic is a very complex department to manage. The management of the outpatient department should given greater emphasis on its medical facilities in order to ensure the services provided are in high quality, which conforms to customer or patient satisfaction. Long waiting time for treatment at the department is always the main problem faced by the management, and even worst the consultation time is tremendously shorter than the waiting time. This situation has been a common complaint by the patients and remains to occur even though an appointment system is implemented. The implementation of inefficient appointment and inconsistent service time contributes to the dissatisfaction among patients as well as giving a huge impact to the healthcare's overall operations. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze the multiphase patient flow system in Obstetrics and Gynecology Department (O&G Department) of a specialist centre by developing a simulation model that illustrates the actual patient flow in the department. The Arena 7.0 software package is used to develop the simulation model in order to examine the patient flow, especially the waiting time involved. In addition, 120 questionnaires were distributed to patients to gather direct responds and opinions towards the services provided. The information gathered was used to aid the model improvement process. The result obtained from the simulation model shows that a long waiting time does exist in the system. Based on the developed simulation model, two proposed experimentation are being done to find the right solutions to reduce the patients' waiting time and at the same time enhanced the quality of services of the O&G Department. The proposed experimentation model can be effective to the system and is possible to be implemented in the department.


Front end noise processing has a direct impact upon the accuracy and stability of the speech recognition.According to the fact that the signal separated by wavelet denoising algorithm isn't its optimal estimation, a novel Bionic Wavelet Transform( BWT) de-noising algorithm based on subband spectrum entropy was proposed. To achieve the purpose of speech enhancement, the subband spectrum entropy, which has a good accuracy of the endpoint detection, was taken full advantage to distinguish the parts of speech and noise, to real-timely update the threshold of BWT, and to precisely determine the noise signal wavelet coefficients. The experimental results indicate that the Signal-to-Noise Ratio( SNR) of the proposed algorithm is 8% higher than the Wiener filter algorithm. The proposed method has significant enhancement effect on speech signal in noisy environments.


In the Advanced Detectors Research Group within the Space-Based Optical Sensing Center of Excellence in the Spacecraft Technology Division of the Air Force Research Laboratory's Space Vehicles Directorate, we look to enhance existing detector technologies and develop new detector capabilities for future space-based surveillance missions. To that end, we present some ideas for tuning the wavelength response of detectors throughout the IR (using applied electric or magnetic fields or via a lateral biasing technique). We also present a concept for detecting the full polarization vector of a signal within a single pixel of a quantum well detector.


In quantum metrology quantum properties such as squeezing and entanglement are exploited in the design of a new generation of clocks, sensors and other measurement devices that can outperform their classical counterparts. Applications of great technological relevance lie in the precise measurement of parameters which play a central role in relativity, such as proper accelerations, relative distances, time and gravitational field strengths. In this paper we generalise recently introduced techniques to estimate physical quantities within quantum field theory in flat and curved space-time. We consider a bosonic quantum field that undergoes a generic transformation, which encodes the parameter to be estimated. We present analytical formulas for optimal precision bounds on the estimation of small parameters in terms of Bogoliubov coefficients for single mode and two-mode Gaussian channels.


This article discusses the human-computer interaction (HCI), as interfaces that occur with user participation presupposes the usability of interactive computer systems. The HCI come from the advancement of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and relationship marketing, as well as the way people behave in front of Interaction Design (ID), the Experiential Design (ED) and the Design Thinking (DT). So to broaden the discussion on the issues, we prepared this essay classified as exploratory, descriptive and analytic selection of a type of literature (Hair, et al., 2005). Understanding of ICTs and HCI triangulation of ID, ED and DT was possible to reflect about the development of interactive computer systems. It can be concluded that the ED is used in several contexts HCI and ICTs, encompassing both the ID and the DT of HCI, objects, and subjected to facilitate the experience of individuals (designers and users) and object (or products services) in which they operate.


Two kinds of InGaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are investigated to understand the nonradiative carrier recombination processes. Various temperature-dependent measurements such as external quantum efficiency, current-voltage, and electroluminescence spectra are utilized from 50 to 300 K. Based on these experimental results, we analyze the dominant nonradiative recombination mechanism for each LED device. We also analyze the effect of the dominant nonradiative recombination mechanism on the efficiency droop. On the basis of correlation between the efficiency droop and nonradiative recombination mechanisms, we discuss an approach to reducing the efficiency droop for each LED device.


Complete rejection of the belief in depravity or innate tendencies to wickedness of children did not appear generally in popular American literature until just before The Civil War.1 The following passage, written in 1810 by Cyrus Comstock of Hartford, Connecticut, typifies the generally accepted Calvinist belief of the early 1800s in the innate depravity of children:
 It is a consideration truly to be deplored that children have depraved hearts. This depravity, if unrestrained, will certainly lead them in the road to eternal ruin. And when parents out of excessive fondness, indulge their children in every thing, and resign their own judgments, and suffer themselves to be governed by them, they strengthen this depravity, and bind their children stronger and stronger, under these chains of moral darkness, and it would be just with God, if he should reserve such children under these chains of darkness to the judgment day. There parents must meet their children and give an account how they train them up. 2


To characterize the impacts of development along the New Jersey coastal zone, long term trends describing cumulative impacts were developed for eight environmental parameters in the Barnegat Bay watershed. The eight parameters evaluated were population, landcover, freshwater ambient quality, beach closings, wetlands acreage, fecal coliform averages in marine waters, nonpoint source loads of phosphorus to marine waters and nonpoint source loads of nitrogen to marine waters. Results reveal a quadrupling of population; a significant increase in residential/commercial landcovers; freshwater problems with fecal coliform, pH, and phosphorus; unacceptable numbers of backbay beach closings; inadequate wetland information; unacceptable levels of fecal coliform in some sections of the backbay waters; and lower than expected loads of nonpoint source phosphorus and nitrogen to marine waters. Analyses conducted using a Geographical Information System (GIS) were essential to the evaluation and interpretation of the available scientific data for the watershed. INTRODUCTION The Coastal Zone Management Program in the Office of Environmental Planning, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) is characterizing cumulative environmental impacts in the coastal zone as part of a contract with the National Ocean & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Cumulative impacts are those caused by the sum of many individual activities, which separately are not problems, but together result in environmental degradation. The Barnegat Bay watershed was selected for the initial research in cumulative coastal impacts because of its status as a National Estuary, and because of its high level of development since the 1970s. The Barnegat Bay watershed consists of all or part of 29 municipalities in Ocean County, New Jersey. It was anticipated that cumulative impacts would be more readily identified and measured in an area which has experienced high population growth and land cover change in a relatively short time period. Initially, it was decided to examine cumulative impact trends over the 20-year period from 1970 to 1990, for 20 different cumulative indicators. However, upon examination of the available data it was discovered that reliable, consistent information was available for only eight cumulative indicators. Limitations of the NOAA contract restricted this study to the evaluation of existing data sets and precluded the collection of additional information. Thus, the result of this project is the development of trends for the following eight indicators: population, landcover, freshwater quality (22 chemicals), beach closings, wetlands, fecal coliform levels in marine waters, nonpoint source phosphorus and nonpoint source nitrogen loads into marine waters. Upon NOAA approval, a detailed methodology and findings report will be available for each of the eight trends developed. Most of the work performed for this study was conducted using the Geographic Information System (GIS), to facilitate spatial analysis, in addition to straightforward numerical calculation of trends. The spatial analysis proved extremely important and should help to target specific management strategies to specific environmental problems which are localized within the watershed. POPULATION TRENDS Population data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census is available for the study area. Data from 1960 to 1990 was evaluated. The 1960 population for the study area was 97,927 persons. On average, the population of the study area increased by about 98,000 persons per decade up to the 1990s. By 1990 the population had reached 391,549 persons, and had in essence quadrupled. Population increases were greatest in Jackson, Brick, Lakewood and Dover townships during the period from 1960 to 1970. Population increases were greatest in Brick, Lakewood, Dover, Manchester and Berkeley townships between 1970 and 1980. Population increases were greatest in Brick, Dover and Berkeley between 1980 and 1990. Today, each of these municipalities has over 30,000 residents. The distribution of the population increases is greatest in the north and steadily decreases to south. The population is concentrated along the streams, backbay, ocean waterways, and barrier island. In an earlier document, Profile of the Barnegat Bay (Rogers et al., 1990), the population in the study area was projected to grow to 362,100 persons by the year 2000. The 1990 population actually exceeded that earlier estimate by 29,449 persons. The important lesson to be gained from this observation is that it is critical to periodically reexamine important trends. Future studies in the area should be careful to update existing information sets. Clearly the area is under significant development pressure. In addition to the development pressure exerted by the permanent residents, it is estimated that in the bay communities the ratio of season population to permanent population is 2:1 and in the coastal beach community the ratio is 10:1 (Rogers et al., 1990). Management strategies developed for the watershed must account for the continued population stresses on the land, environment and infrastructure capacity. LANDCOVER TRENDS Landcover information for the study area was available for the years 1972 and 1989. The classification scheme used in the 1972 data set was quite generalized and only differentiated between residential/commercial, agricultural, forested, and water landcovers. In contrast, the classification scheme used in 1989 was elaborate and differentiated among various types of residential, commercial, and agricultural landcovers. To compare the two data sets, the 1989 landcover parcels were "clumped" to match the classification scheme used in 1972, and a change analysis was performed. Residential/commercial landcovers increased from 19% of the study area in 1972 to 29% in 1989, a 10% increase. Agricultural landcovers decreased from 3% of the study area in 1972 to 2% in 1989, a 1% decrease. Forested landcovers decreased from 78% of the study area in 1972 to 69% in 1989, a 9% decrease. Spatially, the residential/commercial increases in landcover are concentrated in the northeastern portion of the watershed, and along the streams, backbay and ocean waters. FRESHWATER AMBIENT QUALITY TRENDS Trends of twelve chemical parameters at two surface water quality monitoring stations were evaluated for the period from 1975 through 1994. One monitoring station is located on the Toms River and drains an area of 318.57 square kilometers. The second station is located on the Manasquan River and drains an area of 113.96 square kilometers. The chemicals evaluated were fecal coliform (summer), unionized ammonia (summer), dissolved oxygen (summer), nitrate nitrogen, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, total phosphorus, total organic carbon, pH, the percent of dissolved oxygen saturation (summer and year), and the percent of dissolved chloride (winter and year). Statistical analysis was performed by Dr. Hal Wilson of CES, Inc. Fecal coliform analysis shows no trend at either monitoring station. Unionized ammonia, total Kjeldahl, total organic carbon, and percent of dissolved chloride (year) reveal one station with an increasing trend and one station with a decreasing trend. Dissolved oxygen and percent of dissolved chloride (winter) exhibit one station with an increasing trend and one station with no trend. Nitrate nitrogen and percent of dissolved oxygen saturation (year) show one station with a decreasing trend and one station with no trend. Total phosphorus and percent of dissolved oxygen saturation (summer) reveal two stations with decreasing trends. PH exhibits two stations with increasing trends. Following the trend analysis, a comparison of the analytical values to the water quality standards was performed. Fecal coliform, while showing stable trends, violates the water quality standard at both stations (92% and 25% of the time). PH violates the water quality standard 100% of the time at one station and 23% of the time at the second station. Total phosphorus frequently violates the water quality standard at one station (48%). However, violations are infrequent at both stations now, and the phosphorus trend is decreasing at both stations. Dissolved oxygen, dissolved chloride and nitrate nitrogen have never violated the water quality standard at either station. Finally, available data were examined for 10 additional chemical species: copper (water), lead (water), mercury (water), suspended sediment, copper (sediment), lead (sediment), mercury (sediment), DDT (sediment), gross PCBs (sediment) and phosphorus (sediment). Trends were not calculated for these species due to insufficient data. The levels of pesticides appear to be decreasing. Both mercury and lead levels in the water frequently violate the water quality standard; however, there are some recently recognized problems with the sample collection methodologies used in the past. Therefore, one cannot validly conclude that there are problem levels of metals in the fresh surface waters. Future work should be conducted to determine if there are actual violations in the levels of metals in the water. BEACH CLOSINGS Beach closing information was obtained from the Cooperative Coastal Monitoring Network (NJDEP, Enforcement) from 1988 to 1995 for both the ocean side and backbay beaches in the study area. Beach closing is predicated on fecal coliform sample results. Repeat fecal coliform values above 200 MPN will cause a beach to be closed. Fecal coliform, while a broadly used indicator for human pathogens, is produced by all warm blooded animals. Therefore, the presence of fecal coliform may indicate the presence of human sewage, or other fecal sources. High fecal coliform counts can be found following a rainstorm, at localities near feedlots and under various other circumstances. There were less than 10 ocean side beach closings each year from 1988 to 1995. This indicates that fecal coliform co


An aqueous silver perchlorate–sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS)–benzophenone (BP) solution was photolyzed with either UV or near-UV light. Irradiation with 253.7 nm light, which was absorbed by both BP and silver ions, brought about the formation of collidal silver and the photobleach of BP. Peptization of colloidal silver agglomerates after prolonged irradiation was ascribed to electron injection from the benzophenone ketyl radical (BPK). The formation of colloidal silver and the photobleach of BP were also caused by irradiation with 365 nm light, which was absorbed solely by BP (sensitized reaction). A simple reaction scheme was introduced and the initial rates for the sensitized photoreduction of silver ions and the photobleach of BP were expressed in closed forms. Suitable combinations of the kinetics parameters and the extinction coefficient of colloidal silver were proposed in order to interpret the dependences of the initial rates on the reactant concentrations.


A two-dimensional system with a floating cylinder confined between two parallel vertical stationary plates partially immersed in an infinite liquid bath in a downward gravity field is considered. The equilibrium states of the system are investigated using the Young–Laplace equation in two dimensions. According to the symmetry of menisci at both sides of the cylinder, the equilibrium states are classified into three types: the equilibria of fully symmetric menisci, the equilibria of partially symmetric menisci and the equilibria of asymmetric menisci. The study is then extended to investigate the stabilities of the confined cylinder with bifurcation theory. Results show that there can be at most two stable regions in the bifurcation diagram. For different plates' contact angles, there are five representative types of bifurcation behaviours for either the case of one stable region or the case of two stable regions. In comparison with the case of an unconfined cylinder, the confinement by two hydrophobic plates with a small spacing can assist the stable interfacial floatation of the confined cylinder with a large weight.


The kinetics of the reactions of F and C1 atoms with ethylene oxide have been studied using relative rate techniques in 10–700 Torr of either nitrogen or air diluent at 295 ± 2 K; k(F + C2H4O) = (9.4 ± 1.6) × 10−11 and k(C1 + C2H4O) = (5.0 ± 0.9) × 10−12 cm3 molecule−1 s−1. The result for k(F + C2H4O) is in good agreement with the literature data. The result for k(C1 + C2H4O) is a factor of 5.6 lower than that reported previously. It seems likely that in the previous study most of the loss of C2H4O attributed to reaction with C1 atoms was actually caused by unwanted secondary reactions leading to an overestimate of k(C1 + C2H4O). © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 34: 122–125, 2002


The invention belongs to the technical field of medicinal and edible formula foodstuffs, and specifically relates to a special diet edible for people with a specific endowment constitution. The specific endowment constitution means a constitution in a special state caused by genetic factors and congenital factors, and mainly comprises allergic constitution, genetic-disease constitution, fetal genetic constitution and the like. According to the special diet, traditional Chinese medicines with characteristics of whole grains, homology of medicine and food, and new resource foodstuffs are combined together, diet and health preserving are organically combined, so that the symptoms such as allergy and the like are conditioned, prevented and resisted. According to the special diet, disease treatment methods as motherland traditional Chinese medicine treasures are inherited, probiotics is creatively utilized as a pioneer, so that splenic and gastric motility is enhanced and drug absorption is accelerated. Probiotics is abundant in multiple active factors, biological immune factors and multiple vitamins. Also according to constitution characteristics of people with the specific endowment constitution, multiple natural original-ecological medicinal and edible food materials are added, so that the special diet of the invention has the unique advantage of integration of triple-efficacy comprising dietotherapy, prevention and conditioning.


This paper intends to investigate the reality of the 19th-century Victorian society regarding crime, punishment as well as how society can make a person a monster. Investigating the reasons for being a monster is a major concern of this research. Moreover, this paper seeks to identify the way of achieving salvation and the causes for choosing a particular path of salvation. Since this research is theoretical in nature, relevant data has been collected from already published works. In Great Expectations, Abel Magwitch is a key character who can be considered a man-made monster because society and its people never treat him as a human being. Rather, he has always been treated as an outcast due to his low birth and criminal past. Besides, he has never got a proper education. As a result, no one has offered him a white-collar job. So, merely for survival, he has indulged in crimes, and he had to commit crimes repeatedly because society already tagged him as a monster who bears no goodness. At the same time, people in society consider him as an outcast, but it is the society and its legal system that made him a monster by doing several injustices against him because of the prejudices toward the lower-class that view them as inherently evil. Besides, Compayson, his partner in crime, scapegoats him for all crimes. Finally, this research focuses on how he finds a way of salvation, a metaphorical one, to save his guilt-stricken soul. He wants to be a creator of a gentleman. So, he chooses Pip to make him a gentleman, and this is to be his way of salvation. Due to the influence of classism and false consciousness, he decides to make Pip a gentleman, only to be accepted by society not as a monster but as a human being. By the end of the novel, he definitely gets salvation and is transformed into a human being from a man-made monster.


Technology effects are underway at Arnold Engineering Development Center to extend closed-loop Direct Write Scene Generation capabilities to include advanced signal-injection and thermal-array optical projection capabilities. Laser- projection for sensor optics with or without optics installed, signal-injection, and thermal-array optical projection schemes provide direct simulation of dynamic electro-optic sensor systems. FPAs and electro-optic sensors are stimulated with simulated infrared scenes for optical diagnostics and evaluation of focal plane arrays or electro- optic sensor systems, and to simulate complex mission scenarios. Closed-loop operation can provide high-fidelity simulation of complex infrared scenes, sensor optical blurring, and other temporal effects such as jitter. Although all optical stimulation and testing methods have inherent advantages, compromises, and limitations, there is a common desire to not only maximize optical simulation and photonic stimulation fidelity through advanced verification and validation efforts, but to also minimize computational requirements for high-performance diagnostics. Computational and source-to-FPA oversampling have very similar fidelity defects and requirements for signal-injection, laser- projection, and thermal-array optical projection diagnostic- methods. This paper briefly describes scene generation and projection technology and corresponding research devoted to sampling issues and criteria related to FPA oversampling, corresponding fidelity defects, and performance trades.


The structures, interaction energies, and vibrational spectra of a series of molecular complexes containing boron trifluoride as the electron acceptor and a variety of oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and halogen bases as the electron donors have been computed. The effects of the molecular interactions on the vibrational properties of the boron trifluoride species have been studied, and the degree of perturbation has been correlated with some of the properties of the bases.

Keywords:

ab initio calculations;
van der Waals complexes;
molecular structures;
interaction energies;
vibrational spectra;
boron trifluoride


I cordially greet you on the occasion of your General Assembly, and I thank Archbishop Paglia for his kind words. This meeting takes place in the first Jubilee of the Academy for Life: twenty-five years after its birth. On this important anniversary, last month I sent the president a letter entitled Humana communitas. I was moved to write this message first of all by the wish to thank all the presidents who have guided the Academy, and all the Members for their competent service and generous commitment to protecting and promoting human life during these twenty-five years of activity.


Contrary to standard accounts, the birthplace of American secessionist sentiment was not Charleston, South Carolina in 1860, but the heart of the New England Yankee culture -Salem, Massachusetts -more than half a century before the first shot was fired at Fort Sumter. From 1800 to 1815, there were three serious attempts at secession orchestrated by New England Federalists, who believed that the policies of the Jefferson and Madison administrations, especially the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, the national embargo of 1807, and the War of 1812, were so disproportionately harmful to New England that they justified secession.


For many oil fields,the water-cut rate has been over 90% and the ratio of total oil produced to the OOIP has been less than 35%.How to enhance oil recovery is an urgent problem for high-water-cut fields.Presently,the technique of polymer EOR has been applied to many oil fields to increase production,but most polymers are not feasible for EOR for high-temperature and high-salinity reservoirs because of the performance discrepancy of polymers and the requirements for produced water disposal.Using the high-temperature and high-salinity reservoirs in Shengtuo Oilfield as an example,this paper studies the performance indexes of the polymers suitable for EOR for high-temperature and high-salinity reservoirs,selects the comb-shaped polymer KYPAM as the flooding agent in Shengtuo Oilfield on the basis of influence factors analysis of polymer flooding.The suggestion of the performance index is of value to polymer flooding for high-temperature and high-salinity reservoirs.


Maximum power extraction technique (MPPT) is very vital in case of a an off-grid photovoltaic (PV) system. For this purpose, Perturb & Observe (P&O) algorithm is one of the most explored techniques for itseasy implementation. However, conventional-P&O is less compatible to nonlinear dynamics of a PV system. This problem can be overcome using a metaheuristic-based P&O scheme. Therefore, metaheuristic optimization based maximum power extraction scheme is formulated for a PV system in this paper. Here, Particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is chosen as the metaheuristic optimization algorithm as it is already established in other fields. The proposed PSO-P&O based maximum power extraction scheme consists both the advantages of PSO (accuracy) and P&O (easy implementation). An off-grid PV model is constructed and simulated in MATLAB/SIMULINK platform. Further, to test its efficiency, results obtained from it are correlated to conventional-P&O technique. All results are infavors of the proposed scheme.


The effects of a nutritional packet on performance and carcass characteristics of feedlot beef steers were evaluated. Thirty Angus-crossbred steers (BW = 542 ± 8.4 kg) were used in a randomized complete block design and allocated into pens with SmartFeed (C-Lock; 15 steers/treatment). Steers were consuming a steam-flaked corn-based finishing-diet, ad libitum, for the last 65-d on feed prior to slaughter, in which treatments were: 1) control and 2) a nutritional-packet [0.29% DM basis; live yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae; 8.7 Log CFU/g); Vitamin C (5.4 g/kg); Vitamin B1 (13.33 g/kg); NaCl (80 g/kg); KCl (80 g/kg)]. Individual BW was recorded every 14 d and carcass quality data was collected at slaughter. Steer was considered the experimental unit. The MIXED procedure of SAS was used with the fixed effect of treatment and the random effect of block. Total DMI was unaffected (P = 0.610) by treatment from d 0–65; however, control steers had greater (P = 0.030) DMI from d 54–65. The G:F was unaffected (P = 0.830) by treatment from d 0–35; however, it was greater (P ≤ 0.001) for steers fed the nutritional packet from d 0–50, and 0–65. Treatment did not affect (P = 0.920) ADG from d 0–35, however it increased (P ≤ 0.001) ADG from d 0–50 and tended (P = 0.060) to increase ADG from d 0–65. Carcass adjusted final BW tended (P = 0.060) to increase by 28% for treated cattle, whereas the Longissimus dorsi area tended to decrease (P = 0.090). No differences (P = 0.240) were observed for fat thickness, while yield-grade (P = 0.03) increased for treated cattle. The nutritional packet appears to improve performance in the final days of feeding steers under intensive management, and energy partitioning may be altered to fat deposition.


The ferroelectric microregion (FMR) in quantum paraelectric SrTiO 3 is studied by Raman scattering using an optical cryostat with a 3 He refrigerator. By the partial exchange of the oxygen atom for its isotope 18 O, broad FMR spectra change drastically to underdamped Lorentzian-type spectra with decreasing temperature below 10 K. The peak is assigned to the ferroelectric soft Eu mode. The intense and sharp spectra of the Eu mode, which are nominally Raman inactive, indicate that the symmetry is lowered to a non-centrosymmetric symmetry in FMR. Furthermore, the softening characteristic of the soft Eu mode in a low-temperature region implies that the symmetry is not necessarily ferroelectric. The local symmetry breaking is enhanced by the substitution of the isotope  18 O.


Absorbent insert (1) for a food packaging, comprising at least three layers, with a lower support layer (2), an absorbent middle layer (3) containing cellulose fibers, and an upper layer (5) consists of a film, wherein the layers (2, 3 , 5) are at least partially welded to each other, wherein the lower support layer (2) adjacent to the middle layer (3) and a liquid permeable nonwoven fabric is capable is durchleitbar through the liquid in the absorbent middle layer (3). This liquid may be particularly effectively sucked from the bottom in the absorbent pad.


This study provides original data on the impact of human activity on vegetation under the specific conditions of the Kastanozem from the Kostanay region (northern Kazakhstan). Radical changes in land use are provoking deposition in vegetation. The question remains whether natural vegetation will return or whether a different type of vegetation will be created under the specific conditions of the Kastanozems soils. The evaluation of vegetation took place in the fields that were abandoned in different time horizons. Height, cover, biomass weight and species composition of vegetation were monitored. The vegetation of abandoned fields is characterized by low species diversity. Succession runs from annual species to a stage where perennial dicotyledonous species with a deep root system dominate. Spontaneous vegetation leaves a sufficient amount of biomass on the soil surface, which assumes that the land will be protected from undesirable phenomena such as erosion and desertification processes.


Objective To explore the effect of problem-based learning(PBL) in the guiding and teaching for nursing students in clinical practice. Methods Sixty nursing interns were randomly divided into the experimental group(n=30) and the control group(n=30). The experimental group received PBL model in the teaching rounds, while the control group received traditional learning model. The teaching effects were compared between the two groups. Results There were significant differences in the self-rating and teacher-rating results between the two groups(P 0.05). The total score of operating examination in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group(P0.05). There were no difference of total score of theory examination between two groups(P0.05). Conclusion The teaching effect of PBL is better in nursing students' learning activity and ability of analyzing and resolving problem.


The presence of petroleum hydrocarbons, distillates, and chlorinated solvents in the subsurface environment frequently occurs from inadvertent discharges or unlawful release, and can pose a serious threat to human health and the environment. Due to strict environmental regulations, many industries are faced with significant financial and , potentially, criminal penalties associated with releases of these chemicals. In recent years, responsible industries have intensified efforts to remediate subsurface contamination problems. A new technology that addresses each aspect of subsurface contamination by volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has been developed that serves to minimize the duration and cost of remedial efforts. The Subsurface Volatilization and Ventilation System[trademark] promotes in situ destruction of contamination by biodegradation, and air circulation to enhance volatilization and vapor capture to reduce VOC mass present in the subsurface as bulk product, aqueous phase and sorbed contamination, and vapors. Because all phases of VOC contamination are addressed simultaneously, the remediation process is greatly accelerated. In addition, because SVVS[trademark] is simplistic in design and construction, remediation costs are typically well below those associated with more traditional treatment options.


Bachelor thesis deals with the theoretical and practical summary of the financial analysis which is used in business activities of companies. The aim is financial analysis, which comes to the evaluation of the current state of funding and pointing out the risks of this financing, together with a recommendation of more appropriate methods of financing in company ASG Service. The theoretical part focuses on the description of financial analysis, its procedures, methods and indicators. Part of these theses is to analyze the risks associated with financial analysis. The practical part deals with the financial analysis of the company and with the risk analysis. In the conclusion there are recommendations suggested to minimize these risks.


This article investigates the effects on motivation and learning of topics related to the accounting subject, with theimplementation of Machine Learning as a pedagogical tool in the context of university education. A methodology focused onmotivation called ARCS was implemented. The motivation wasquantified with the Instructional Material Motivational Survey(IMMS) instrument, which was applied to a group of 94 university students. The results show that Machine Learning is accepted and positively valued by students as a pedagogical tool, evidencing the positive stimulation of interest in learning after its use and implementation. It is intended to promote the use of this type of technology by teachers in areas traditionally away from the most innovative technologies. The research provides a validatedmeasurement model and solid scientific references that demonstrate that the implementation of Machine Learning can favorably stimulate students' motivation, as well as their interest in learning and their self-confidence.


HE genetic hazards of ionizing radiations are the subject of much concern Tand controversy, and the need for more information on the inheritance of radiation-induced sublethal mutations in mammals has been stressed by the REPORT OF T H E UNITED NATIONS SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE ON T H E EFFECTS OF ATOMIC RADIATION (1958). There is increasing evidence that many mutations may have slight dominant deleterious effects, which may culminate in a greater population damage than the lethal effects of homozygous mutations (RUSSELL, RUSSELL and OAKBERG 1958). The possibility of reducing the reproductive efficiency of a population to such an extent as to cause its genetic death by accumulation of radiation-induced genetic damage (dominant deleterious effects or a fixation of recessives) through many generations is not beyond comprehension. The study described here was designed to determine the heritability of radiation damage in terms of reproductive performance in the RFM strain mouse.


Experiential learning is a key component of the education and training of music therapists in the United States. Currently, there is limited peer-reviewed, English-language literature that explores undergraduate student perspectives of curricular self-experiences. The purpose of this study is to help fill this gap and better understand undergraduate music therapy students' experiences of participating in curricular self-experiences in order to inform best practices for implementation. Three recent graduates of a music therapy program engaged in semi-structured, individual interviews. Interview transcripts were analyzed using the process of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Group superordinate themes emerged from the research question and subquestions about benefits and drawbacks of curricular self-experiences and what facilitated or impeded students' participation. Participants identified empathy and skill development as benefits and that peer relationships and clear expectations facilitated participation. They also identified vulnerability and boundaries as drawbacks, and that professor/student relationships and cohort interactions impeded participation. Findings from this study highlight shared experiences among students and provide concrete examples of what educators should consider when designing curricular self-experiences.


Like many other animals, humans communicate heavily through vocal signals.  The human voice constitutes a rich source of information about both the intrinsic qualities of the speaker and the speaker's emotional state.  Some of the largest human sex differences are also found in the voice.  For example, men and women differ by more than five standard deviations in voice pitch, 3.5 times the sex difference in height.  Thus, the voice serves as an excellent focal trait for studying the influence of sexual selection.  Fortunately, the acoustic properties of the voice are eminently quantifiable.  Voice pitch, the most perceptually salient acoustic feature of the voice, can be measured accurately by a single quantity, fundamental frequency.  In this workshop, attendees will first learn the basics of vocal acoustics and some of the ways in which the voice has been studied in human ethological research.  Next, attendees will learn how to both measure and manipulate various acoustic properties of the voice, including amplitude, fundamental frequency, and formant frequencies, using the powerful freeware program Praat. This workshop will focus on hands-on practical instruction, and attendees should finish the workshop prepared to conduct their own experimental and correlational voice research.


The current legislative framework and the recent energy crisis ask for massive applications of renewable energy sources (RES) in the built environment to reduce energy demand, environmental emissions, and energy costs. The uncritical application of these policies, especially on architectural heritage, could generate serious conservation issues, compromising their heritage values, biodiversity, traditional appearance, and materiality. Thus, there is an urgent call to balance architectural heritage preservation with energy production using clear rules, policies, criteria, and heritage-compatible technologies. The present study aims at defining an updated overview of the application of solar, wind, geothermal energy, and bioenergy on architectural heritage. A deep literature review of the studies published in the years 2020–2023 has been performed, identifying main topics, challenges, advanced solutions, and future perspectives. Acceptability, design criteria, and cutting-edge technologies are also illustrated through case studies to better understand practical approaches.


MMP‐3 plays an important role in normal and pathological tissue remodeling, and its expression of is regulated by a variety of cytokines, growth factors, and hormones, mainly at the level of transcription. Transcription factor ZBP‐89 has been shown to interact with a polymorphic promoter sequence and activate transcription of the MMP‐3 gene when over‐expressed. To examine the role of ZBP‐89 in basal and IL‐1‐induced expression of MMP3 we knocked down ZBP‐89 in the MG63 cell line. MMP‐3 mRNA expression was measured by real‐time PCR and compared with expression in a negative control cell line. The basal expression of MMP‐3 was significantly lower in the knockdown cell line when compared to negative control. This is consistent with ZBP‐89 as an activator of basal expression. IL‐1 fold induction was significantly higher at 6 hours in the knockdown cell line, which is consistent with a role of ZBP‐89 as a repressor of IL‐1 induced expression of MMP‐3.


Education Day at the May meeting of the National Conference of Social Work brought forth some excellent results. Many of the papers were good and in them are found some durable contri? butions to the literature of the subject. The Journal presents the two papers which are specially appropriate to the September issue. Dr. John Dewey's paper appears earlier in The Journal while a part of the paper contributed by Dr. Joseph Kinmont Hart is presented in this department as typical of the best that the National Conference produced at its great fiftieth anniversary meeting. The remainder or first part of the paper may be found in the printed proceedings of the National Confer? ence and a companion discussion in the March Journal. In the November number of The Journal will appear some discussions of rural work and the National Conference.?Editors.


Abstract : The report constitutes an interim technical report for the period February 1, 1969 - April 30, 1970, and includes the following information. Section 2 contains information on research personnel affiliated with the ERL and the JSEP. Section 3 summarizes research effort by respective research area. Section 4 lists journal articles, talks and memoranda sponsored either in whole or in part by the JSEP.


Costs of seven methods of handling beef by retail firms are explored, considering number and size of stores per firm and distance from the packer. The least costly method is centralized cutting into retail cuts by retail firms. Larger store size reduced per unit costs significantly for all systems studied, while number of stores per firm affected costs only slightly.


: Background: Neurological complications following spinal anaesthesia are rare and often transient. It is difficult to ascertain the aetiology in most cases although needle trauma and local anaesthetic toxicity has been implicated. Patient often present with abnormal sensation, reduced power in the affected limb, sensory impairment and unilateral movement disorders of the affected limb. It usually resolves within a short interval without any definitive treatment. However presence of a neurological symptom post sub arachnoid block could herald a disastrous neurological complication. We present the case of a 35 year old booked (G2P1) lady who had emergency caesarean section under spinal anesthesia and developed foot drop and weakness in the left lower limb post surgery. We report this case to increase awareness on rare neurological complications such as foot drop following spinal anaesthesia which is hardly documented as a known complication of sub arachnoid block in our environment


This study is an acoustic and perceptual musicological evaluation of four recordings of vocal renditions from two schools of Chinese narrative singing that were differentiated by gender during the first half of the twentieth century. The analyses were based on four renditions of "At Break of Day" by Liu Baoquan (1869-1942) and Xiao Lanyun (1923-1992) of the "male school", as well as Luo Yusheng (1914-2002) and Lu Yiqin (1933-) of the "female school." The musicological analysis was based on transcriptions of the recordings, comparing melody, rhythm, ornamentation, and tonality. The acoustic analyses involved measures of central tendency and variability for duration and fundamental frequency (F0) using Praat acoustic analysis software. All four vocalists exhibited a similar mean F0, however differences in relative duration, F0 range, F0 variation, and F0 slope were found across singers at both the phrase and syllable level. Differences within schools of singing (male and female) and between instructor and s...


We present a digital voltage printing regime for high-speed and high-precision Micro-jet printing. The voltage pulse peak induces a very fast Micro-jetting mode from the nozzle for a short duration, while a low voltage is picked to ensure the sharp edge, and the high voltage is picked to ensure the printing speed. The conducting films were assembled on electrode arrays of substrate and characterized with respect to their layer thickness and thermal properties. Through an optimal choice of the digital frequency dynamically, a jet-printing regime with a specified droplet size and droplet spacing can be created in different steps. High spatial resolution can also be achieved by properly coordinating the pulsing with large and small current. The edge burr problem was solved by using the dynamic control of the droplets sizes and jetting rapid through the pulse signal. The sensor was printed using heterogeneous material model. Sensor recovery time, respon- se linearity and sensitivity were all significantly improved using the digital pulse regime fabrication.


Flood is identified as one of the most frequent climate exacerbated disasters in Sri Lanka. Meteorological records reveal that the extreme rainfall events and frequent occurrence of floods is on increase over recent decades in most of the cities in Sri Lanka. The assessment of vulnerability in terms of temporal and spatial is identified as a prerequisite for adaptation planning, to make cities more resilient to climate change. The current information base related to flood hazard, which is produced by national agencies, is appropriate for decision-making at national and provincial levels but not at local level. Non-availability of reliable and reasonably accurate flow of information among all stakeholders at local level has hampered the development of cities as climate resilient to respond disasters. The production of flood hazard database for a city using conventional methods and approaches (engineering and surveying) is an expensive and time consuming task. In this context, this research has been carried out to test the applicability of Participatory GIS (PGIS) to produce acceptable and realistic flood maps to identify the flood risk for the city in shortest time period based on evidenced risk to respond climate exacerbated disasters. This paper demonstrates the use of PGIS methodology adapted to collect and integrate the community knowledge and the capability to develop reliable and realistic flood map database for their own city. The overall contribution of this work lies in demonstrating a grass-root level participatory approach to collect, analyze and demonstrate flood records for the development of a database to respond climate exacerbated disasters in the process of making climate resilient cities.


Due to the gross distortion between the real-time image collected by camera fixed in the missile and the base image stored in the missile,the precision of image matching is influenced seriously,so a precise image rectification algorithm is presented. Based on the attitude and position information provided by missile,the rectification algorithm can switch the real-time image to the image from the same view of the based image. Experimental results indicate that the algorithm presented is excellent in precision and robustness,and it can improve the precision of matching greatly.


Hydrogen‐terminated diamond (H‐diamond) metal–oxide–semiconductor field‐effect transistors (MOSFETs) are fabricated, and a partial C–O channel is formed by UV‐ozone treatment of the H‐diamond surface to help realize normally off devices. The first parameterization of the vertical‐field (Feff)‐dependent effective hole mobility (μeff) in a normally off diamond FET is conducted using the fabricated MOSFETs with a gate length of 40 μm fat field‐effect transistors (FATFET). The FATFET with a threshold voltage of −0.69 V shows a low on‐resistance of 475.1 Ω mm and a record high drain current of −3.8 mA mm−1 for normally off H‐diamond MOSFETs with gate lengths over 20 μm. The extracted μeff ranges from 127 cm2(V s)−1 (at VGS = −4.5 V) to 276 cm2(V s)−1 (at VGS = −1.5 V). Both μeff versus Feff and μeff versus VGS relations can be well fitted by the semiempirical formulas used for silicon counterparts. The resulting low‐field mobility without vertical‐field degradation for the two relations is 376 cm2(V s)−1 and 418 cm2(V s)−1, respectively. The origin of this difference is also given.


The downregulation of cell surface receptors by endocytosis is a fundamental requirement for the termination of signalling responses and ubiquitination is a critical regulatory step in receptor regulation. The K5 gene product of Kaposi's sarcoma‐associated herpesvirus is an E3 ligase that ubiquitinates and downregulates several cell surface immunoreceptors, including major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules. Here, we show that K5 targets the membrane proximal lysine of MHC I for conjugation with mixed linkage polyubiquitin chains. Quantitative mass spectrometry revealed an increase in lysine‐11, as well as lysine‐63, linked polyubiquitin chains on MHC I in K5‐expressing cells. Using a combination of mutant ubiquitins and MHC I molecules expressing a single cytosolic lysine residue, we confirm a functional role for lysines‐11 and ‐63 in K5‐mediated MHC I endocytosis. We show that lysine‐11 linkages are important for receptor endocytosis, and that complex mixed linkage polyubiquitin chains are generated in vivo.


Managing of and reasoning about dynamic processes is a central aspect of much activity in the office. We present a brief description of our view of office systems and why change is of central importance in the office. A description system used to describe the structure of the office and office activity is discussed. A viewpoint mechanism within the description system is presented and we discuss how this mechanism is used to describe and reason about change in the office.

A general scenario is described in which viewpoints are illustrated as a means of describing change. Previous technologies for accommadating change in knowledge embedding languages are characterized. We contrast the approach using viewpoints with previous technologies where change is propagated by pushing and pulling information between slots of data structures.


Application of currently available advanced molecular tools and characterization of Napier grass forage crop is limited. Furthermore, ILRI genebank held collection of this forage grass from different part of the world, but with little information on the genetic diversity of the collection. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the extent of the genetic diversity of Napier grass accessions collected from different parts of the world and progeny plants raised from naturally produced seeds. The genomic DNA was extracted from leaves of 347 Napier grass genotypes and genotyped by the DArTseq platform. A total of 96,454 Silico DArT and 96,321 SNP markers were generated, of which highly informative 1001 SNP markers were selected for diversity analysis after screening. The average polymorphic information content (PIC) values of Silico DArT and SNP markers were 0.21 and 0.15 and average heterozygosity of 0.26 and 0.18 respectively. Two major groups and ten sub-clusters were identified by population stratification and diversity analysis using STRUCTURE and hierarchal clustering. Discriminant analysis of principal component (DAPC) further confirmed the sub-clusters. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed significant (P<0.00) variation among the populations. The mean values of fixation index (Fst) per cluster ranged from 0.34 in cluster VI, that consisted of progeny plants, to 0.76 in cluster VII, that consisted mostly of the ILRI collections, and the largest divergence (0.38) was also between sub-cluster IV and VII. All these parameters showed the presence of high diversity and genetic differentiation among the assayed Napier grass genotypes.


Cholesterol supersaturation in bile, which causes gallstone formation, is the result of low bile acid secretion or high cholesterol secretion. The quantitative analysis of cholesterol, bile acids and sterols which are precursors of cholesterol have been used to examine the changes in bile component. We described a simple, sensitive and reproducible method for simultaneous determination of cholesterol, five bile acids and seven sterols in human bile juices and gallstones by capillary column gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Clinical samples were hydrolyzed by alcoholic KOH, extracted twice (pH 14 and 1) and derivatized to trimethylsilyl (TMS) ether with (N-methyl-N-trimethylsilyltrifluoroacetamide/ammonium iodide) mixture in order to be detected on the GC/MS. The good quality control data were obtained through within-a-day and day-to-day test (RSD values were 1.72-13.79, 0.68-14.10, respectively) and the recovery range of them was 73.56-96. 95 Using this method, biliary and gallstone compositions in the patients with intrahepatic stones were analyzed. The amounts and its relative distribution of cholesterol, bile acids and sterols showed different pattern in bile juices and gallstones.


TikTok social media has become an important platform for content creators to disseminate variousinformation, including education for the community. Related to the dissemination of educationalinformation, this study aims to find out the experiences and motivations of content creators in presentingeducational content on Tik Tok media, as well as how they interpret it. The research approach is qualitativewith a phenomenological study, to explore the experiences, motivations and meanings of content creators ineducating the public on TikTok. Through the analysis of qualitative data from in-depth interviews andobservations with several education-focused content creators, this study identifies essential patterns in theexperiences and the ways content creators make meaning of them. The informants are purposively selectedcontent creators who have experience in their field, especially in educational content. The results of thestudy reveal that some of the informants' experiences in creating and presenting their content are veryinteresting because they involve the emotional content of the creators and the audience. This is alsosupported by their motivation in providing educational information. Meanwhile, the meaning of educationthrough TikTok media for content creators is that TikTok is seen as an effective tool for conveyinginformation in a creative way and is able to attract the attention of a wider audience. The implications ofthese findings explain a deeper understanding of the role of TikTok content creators in educating, where TikTok is not only considered a medium of entertainment, but also beneficial for society, especially ineducating the public.


A 26 year old gravida 1 para 0 Chinese woman was referred with a left retroareolar breast mass at 32 weeks' gestation without associated nipple discharge. The mass had been increasing in size progressively for 1 month and was also increasingly painful. Significant past medical history included excision of a fibroadenoma at the left three o'clock position 11 months ago. The patient had never been on oral contraceptives. She was afebrile on clinical examination. A 5 em hard mass was palpable beneath the left areola, with associated overlying skin erythema. The white cell count was mildly raised at 12 x 1{)9/liter. The


A variety of modeling techniques have been developed in the past decade to reduce the computational expense and improve the accuracy of modeling. In this study, a new framework of modeling is suggested. Compared with other popular methods, a distinctive characteristic is "from image based model to analysis based model (e.g. stress, strain, and deformation)". In such a framework, a reconstruction neural network (ReConNN) model designed for simulation-based physical field's reconstruction is proposed. The ReConNN contains two submodels that are convolutional neural network (CNN) and generative adversarial net-work (GAN). The CNN is employed to construct the mapping between contour images of physical field and objective function. Subsequently, the GAN is utilized to generate more images which are similar to the existing contour images. Finally, Lagrange polynomial is applied to complete the reconstruction. However, the existing CNN models are commonly applied to the classification tasks, which seem to be difficult to handle with regression tasks of images. Meanwhile, the existing GAN architectures are insufficient to generate high-accuracy "pseudo contour images". Therefore, a ReConNN model based on a Convolution in Convolution (CIC) and a Convolutional AutoEncoder based on Wasserstein Generative Adversarial Network (WGAN-CAE) is suggested. To evaluate the performance of the proposed model representatively, a classical topology optimization procedure is considered. Then the ReConNN is utilized to the reconstruction of heat transfer process of a pin fin heat sink. It demonstrates that the proposed ReConNN model is proved to be a potential capability to reconstruct physical field for multidisciplinary, such as structural optimization.


This work was undertaken to study the effect of wake upon the resistance of plane net set parallel to a stream. In this paper, the resistance of a parallel set of wires is reported. The methods and the apparatus are shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and results obtained are as follows: 1) The velocity of the stream around the surface of the set of parallel wires is uniform, when the direction of stream is parallel to the set of wires and each of which is set vertically against the stream. 2) The velocity of the stream running around the wires is decreased due to the wakes, when the angle between the direction of stream and of the surface of the set of parallel wires is small. 3) The resistance of the wire in wake can be calculated be the ordinary formula of velocity decrement in a wake.


As 5G mobile data technology becomes more deeply embedded, its impact on manufacturing will be ever greater. But what will the connected factory look like?


The utility model discloses a novel ignition control flywheel which comprises a flywheel pressing ring end, a flywheel friction surface and a flywheel crankshaft surface, wherein a crankshaft hole is formed in the flywheel crankshaft surface; a friction plate location hole is formed in the flywheel friction surface; the crankshaft hole and the friction plate location hole form a permeable channel in the flywheel by a center hole; crankshaft bolt holes and a crankshaft location pin hole are formed in the same circumference of the outer side of the center hole; a graduated scale is arranged on a wheel flange of the flywheel; a timing mark is arranged in the center of the graduated scale; and a is formed a connection line between the timing mark of the graduated scale and the center of the flywheel, and a connection line between the crankshaft location pin hole and the center of the flywheel form a 45 DEG included angle a. The novel ignition control flywheel has the benefits that the novel ignition control flywheel contributes to accurate correction of ignition timing, increases power of an engine, reduces fuel consumption, and allows the engine to work better.


Load prediction is an important tool for grid utilities and power companies for managing the power system. This has traditionally mainly been applied at transmission and subtransmission system levels. However, as the traditional grid evolves into a smart grid, load prediction at smaller scales becomes necessary for efficient management and operation. In this paper we investigate how the qualitative and statistical properties of load time series change as a function of the number of individual loads aggregated in the series, and how these properties influence the predictability of the time series. We study the performance of a traditional autoregressive model, a wavelet-based model, an Echo State Network, and a variation of Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) at the subtransmission (~10000 customers), distribution substation (~150 customers) and single-meter level. For all the four prediction methods, we employ an evolutionary algorithm as a meta-learner to automatically optimize the free parameters for each model-dataset combination. We find that relatively accurate predictions can be made at finer granularity, but care must be taken in choosing, tuning and analyzing the prediction model as the regularity of the consumption patterns decreases.


The present study includs the isolation and identification of Keratinophilic fungi in fresh water samples collected from Tigris river in Baghdad, Iraq. Samples were collected from different districts of Baghdad (Al-Rustumia, Madina Al-Teb, AlAzamia, Al-Kadimia, Al-Dorha and Al-Kanah). The water samples were examined for keratinophilic fungi by the plating method culturing and Hair Baiting Technique. A total number of 18 genera are recorded, in which the Tigris water indicates an impressive diversity of fungi. A variety of fungal strains were isolated from river water, out of 814 fungal colonies, Aspergillus terrus (5.5%) was the most frequent species, followed by Aspergillus niger (5.2%) then Rhizopus stolonifer (3.3%). The results revealed that the highest number of fungal species are found in water surface near the margin (75%) followed by the fungi isolated from water surface in the middle of the river (25%), whereas the number of fungi in 50 cm depth from water surface near the margin and 50 cm depth from water surface in the middle of the river is 17.10% and 12.20% species respectively. The results suggest that the Tigris river is a potential transmission route of fungi and a healthily hazard mainly for the immune depressed individual.


This paper presents the design of a space frame chassis for a new UTeM Formula Varsity race car. New single-seat open wheel race car chassis was designed as a tube chassis construction as per required in the UTeM Formula Varsity racing competition rules and regulations. Design selection method was performed to select the final concept design of tile chassis and 3D CAD model of the selected design was later constructed using CAD software. Later, load analysis used to determine the load acting on the chassis. Low carbon steel A36 was selected for the space frame chassis construction due to low cost and good structural strength properties. Theoretical structural performance of the chassis was analyzed for both bending and torsion load cases through finite eIement analysis method performed using Generative Structural Analysis module. Results from the simulation shows that the new chassis design has a minimum torsional stiffness of 4874.5 Nm.deg-' and it is 9.5% stiffer than the previous 2010 UTeM race car chassis. The new chassis was founded to have a factor of safety approximately 15.1 in static bending condition. The results show that the new chassis is capable to operate safely as per design requirements for future Formula Varsity race event.


Objective To determinate the genome size of demodex by flow cytometry(FCM),which could lay the foundation for the construction of gene bank and the screening of functional genes of demodex.Methods Clean mites washed with cleanser essence and selected under microscope were collected.After smashing the mites by combination of tissue grinder and ultrasonic wave,mites'nuclei were extracted in citric acid solution.Chicken erythrocytes were served as an internal reference.The mixed sample of demodex and chicken erythrocytes was dyed by propidium iodide(PI).The peak values of the sample fluorescence intensities were measured by FCM.Comparing the multiple relationships between the tw o peak values,mites'genome size was calculated.Results The DNA content of demodex was about 1.05 pg /2C determinated by FCM.1 pg converts to 978 Mb,so the mite's genome size was the equal of 512 Mb.Conclusion Flow cytometry could rapidly and accurately determinate the genome size of Demodex,which was the foundation w ork for the research of mite's genomics.


This paper presents a new model for the identification of the power system transfer functions. The usual model has been to use the shift operator q, or its equivalent z transform, but this gives inaccurate results with the small sampling times that are now used in modern controllers. It is shown by a comparison that this problem can be resolved by using the delta operator δ instead. This is shown by a multimachine example using both operators. The simulation results show that the delta operator formulation reflects the dynamic behavior of the system more accurately.


This paper explores the transition from school to young adulthood of youth with disabilities from the first wave (n=939) of the National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS). Two popular sociological perspe,..tives which explain the postschool success of youth with disabilities were examined: human capital in the form of education and training, and structural factors such as family and community background. Seven latent constructs were identified as generally representing either of the conceptual orientations, their combination, or postschool success and were reflected in a number of measured variables. These seven constructs include: Community Thrive, Family Thrive, School Thrive, School Programs, Academic Difficulty, Individual Aptitude, and Postschool Success. Results suggested that both structural and human capital constructs significantly relate to postschool success. However, the relative importance of the two types of factors varied by disability. For example, Family Thrive related to all disability groups similarly with the exception of mental retardation, while School Programs generally favored youth with learning disabilities and sensory impairments. An appendix offers background information on the NLTS sample. (Contains 'approximately 80 references.) (JDD) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ******************,:****************************************************


The rise of the blended workforce, which is identified as one of the top workplace trends in 2017, is prompting firms to re-evaluate their staffing strategies. A blended workforce melds, as a deliberate business strategy, contingent workers, e.g., independent contractors or freelancers, with permanent employees. In this paper, we study optimal staffing decisions in service systems with a blended workforce, in the context of a queueingtheoretic framework. Because part of the workforce is flexible, the number of servers in our queueing model is random. Since the staffing problem with a random number of servers is analytically intractable, we formulate two problem relaxations, demonstrate their accuracies in large systems by relying on an asymptotic, manyserver, mode of analysis, and make staffing recommendations for systems with a blended workforce. We demonstrate that staffing decisions in such systems are not straightforward. Indeed, we characterize how these decisions depend on three main factors: (i) the supply-side uncertainty of the flexible agent pool, (ii) operating costs in the system, and (iii) fluctuations in incoming customer demand, and show that it may or may not be cost-effective to staff a blended workforce, depending on the interplay between those factors.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present personal experiences of using storytelling as a "sensemaking" tool, to argue for the benefits of this method as a process of better understanding the gendered academy and the role storytelling can play in effecting change.Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on personal experiences of storytelling within workplaces, the paper explores how stories between colleagues can lead to positive change through the co‐construction of new worlds of meaning which are spontaneously revised through interaction.Findings – The paper demonstrates how storytelling between individuals experiencing inequality makes visible the gendered practices in academic workplaces and can lead to a change in those experiences of the workplace. Also, such stories can be a means for prompting change through negotiation. Theoretically, a triple‐loop learning environment within an organization could provide the agora required for stories about inequality to be heard continually and change to ...


Social activism, particularly law reform, has long been an accepted, even revered part of the lawyer's identity. However, modern developments such as nation-wide firms, the economic importance of client development, and aggressive attempts by clients to deploy attorneys as de facto, undisclosed lobbyists have put substantial pressure on the traditional vision of the attorney as a "lawyer-statesman" or someone who "checks clients at the door" when participating in law reform activities. Furthermore, law reform activism on behalf of one client (or prospective client when attorneys use their law reform lobbying as part of their marketing strategy) poses a real danger of injury to other law firm clients. The latter may lose cases influenced by Restatements, Model Acts, Committee Reports, or White Papers produced by law reform organizations. Law reform organizations have paid insufficient attention to the problem of the partisan participant, and the legal profession has failed to sufficiently appreciate the positional and institutional conflicts created when lawyers engage in politico-legal activism on behalf of clients. Both problems undermine the lawyer-statesman ideal and create impermissible positional conflicts of interest disserving clients. Lobbying surrounding the American Law Institute Restatement of the Law of Liability Insurance (RLLI) exemplifies both problems and the profession's insufficient response to date. Recognition and appreciation of the problem demonstrate the need for a new regime of increased disclosure (to clients, law *


The article considers the biological principle of egoism in relation to human nature and the moral development of a person, criticism of the concepts of the selfishness of human nature. The different points of view of the professional psychologists are analyzed.


There is a stunning disconnect between the false "ordinary common sense" of fact-finders (both jurors and judges) and the valid and reliable scientific evidence that should inform decisions on the full range of questions that are raised in cases involving the forensic mental health systems – predictions of future dangerousness, competency and insanity determinations, sentencing mitigation in death penalty cases, and sexually violent predator commitments. Abetted by the misuse of heuristic reasoning (the vividness effect, confirmatory bias, and more), decisionmakers in such case frequently "get it wrong" in ways that poison the criminal justice system. If we were to adopt this proposal – to provide two experts in cases in which such inaccuracy is likely, one to explain to the fact-finders why their "common sense" is fatally flawed, and one to provide an evaluation of the defendant in the context of the specific question before the court – then, and only then, would therapeutic jurisprudence principles be vindicated.


The basis for design, analysis and quantification of the conditions for self-excitation in a sourceless PWM inverter excited and controlled single-phase induction generator are established and demonstrated in this paper. Three system configurations of the generating system are investigated for self-excitation.


This supplementary material contains additional information referenced to topic headings in the original paper and new topic headings that relate to matters not discussed in the original paper. Among the previous topic headings are: Introduction and Background. The new topic heading is Recent Cases (sub-headings: Planning Activities as Not Constituting a Taking; Effect of Fluctuations in Value; Loss of Financing or Other Economic Opportunity; Oppressive or Unreasonable Precondemnation Conduct as Constituting a Taking; Commercial Property Versus Residential Property; Factors Constituting Persuasive Evidence of a Taking; and Synopsis). An additional reference is added to the Appendix Bibliography.


<abstract>
We investigate the triple correlation sums of coefficients of $ \theta $-series and prove an asymptotic formula with power-saving error term. As a result, we present that this type of sum is non-trivial in the regime $ H\ge X^{2/3+\varepsilon} $.
</abstract>


Let be a real symmetric matrix having the zero/non-zero pattern off-diagonal entries described by a graph G. We focus in this article on the number of the connected components of some subgraphs of G associated with an eigenvector of . We generalize some known results so-called 'discrete nodal domain theorems' in the literature.


A decoy receptor for SARS-CoV-2 For severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to enter human cells, the spike protein on the surface of the virus must bind to the host receptor protein, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). A soluble version of the receptor is being explored as a therapeutic. Chan et al. used deep mutagenesis to identify ACE2 mutants that bind more tightly to the spike protein and combined mutations to further increase binding affinity (see the Perspective by DeKosky). A promising variant was engineered to be a stable dimer that has a binding affinity for the spike protein; it is comparable with neutralizing antibodies and neutralized both SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV-1 in a cell-based assay. In addition, the similarity to the natural receptor may limit the possibility for viral escape. Science, this issue p. 1261; see also p. 1167 A variant of ACE2 based on deep mutagenesis far outcompetes the natural receptor in binding the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. The spike (S) protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) binds angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) on host cells to initiate entry, and soluble ACE2 is a therapeutic candidate that neutralizes infection by acting as a decoy. By using deep mutagenesis, mutations in ACE2 that increase S binding are found across the interaction surface, in the asparagine 90–glycosylation motif and at buried sites. The mutational landscape provides a blueprint for understanding the specificity of the interaction between ACE2 and S and for engineering high-affinity decoy receptors. Combining mutations gives ACE2 variants with affinities that rival those of monoclonal antibodies. A stable dimeric variant shows potent SARS-CoV-2 and -1 neutralization in vitro. The engineered receptor is catalytically active, and its close similarity with the native receptor may limit the potential for viral escape.


Menstruation is a natural and natural event, but in reality many women experience menstrual problems, including menstrual pain or dysmenorrhoea. Nonpharmacological menstrual pain management can be done by giving turmeric acid extract. This study aims to determine the effect of giving turmeric acid extract on the intensity of menstrual pain in adolescent girls in State High School 1 Serdang Bedagai Regency in 2020. The research method is quantitative. This type of research is a quasi-experimental design with one-group pretest-posttest design. The study population was 150 class X and XI students of State High School 1 Serdang Bedagai Regency as many as 150 people. The sample selection using purposive sampling as many as 36 people. The results of the study using Wilcoxon sign rank test showed p-value of 0,000 <0.05. The conclusion is there are differences before and after giving turmeric acid drink to the intensity of menstrual pain (dysmenorrhea). It is expected that schools can provide information to students about the use of turmeric acid as a non-pharmacological treatment in reducing menstrual pain.


The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of two concentration of pomegranate fruit by-product powders (rind "PR" and seeds "PS") and red grapes by-product (seeds "GS" and skin "Gk") at 2 and 4%, as antioxidants when incorporated to chicken thigh mince and frozen stored at –18°C for 3 months. The proximate chemical composition of raw chicken thighs, pomegranate and red grapes by-products as well as the total phenolics of the later were determined. The pH, peroxide values (PVs), 2-Thiobarbaturic acid reactive substances (TBARS), cooking loss and sensory attributes were monitored monthly for 3 months of storage at –18°C. Results indicated that total phenolics of pomegranate rind powder (PR) exceeded that of PS being 118 mg/mL and 7.4 mg/mL as tannic acid equivalent, respectively. Total phenolics of GS powder was twice that of GK being 4.3 and 2.1, mg/ mL gallic acid, respectively. Results showed that 4%. PR and 2% GS and GK added to chicken thigh mince exhibited significant lower pH values (P<0.05) at the end of the frozen storage period. The PVs of added 2 and 4% PR and 2% GS and GK significantly (P<0.05) lowered PV of chicken mince than other treatments and control at the end of the storage period. TBARS at all levels of added pomegranate rind and seeds were significantly lower (P<0.05) than that of the control with no significant differences between them. The TBARS of added 2% GK, 4% GS and 2% GS were significantly lower than other treatments and the control at the end of the storage period. Data of cooking loss (CL%) showed that 4% PR and 4% GS exhibited the lowest cooking loss values. The organoleptic evaluation indicated that the addition of PS powder at 2 and 4% to chicken thigh patties registered significantly (P<0.05) higher sensory scores for various eating quality attributes. Meanwhile, 2 and 4% GK containing patties registered higher sensory scores and were significantly different (P<0.05) than all other treatments and control. Therefore, pomegranate and red grapes by-products at 2 and 4% can be used as a good natural antioxidant in minced chicken thighs to improve its quality during frozen storage.


In this paper, we investigate an innovative physical layer security (PLS) scheme for an uncertain reconfigurable intelligent surface- (RIS-) assisted communication system under eavesdropping attack. Specifically, in our proposed system, we consider that the uncertain RIS is known to the legitimate user while not to the eavesdropper (Eve). In this manner, the reflective elements of the uncertain RIS are adjusted to strengthen the keen signals for the legitimate user while suppressing the signals for Eve via jamming. We analyze the system by assuming legitimate and wiretap channels, respectively, where the secrecy capacity maximization problem is formulated and its exact closed-form expression is derived. Simulation results verifying the accuracy of our analysis demonstrate the validity and superiority of the uncertain RIS-assisted communication system against its counterparts.


RATIONALE
Socioeconomic factors are associated with worse disease severity at presentation in sarcoidosis, but the relative importance of socioeconomic variables on morbidity and disease burden has not been fully elucidated.

OBJECTIVES
To determine the association between income and sarcoidosis outcomes after controlling for socioeconomic and disease-related factors.

METHODS
Using the Sarcoidosis Advanced Registry for Cures (SARC) database, we analyzed data from 2318 United States sarcoidosis patients to determine the effect of income and other variables on outcomes. We divided comorbidities arising after diagnosis into those likely related to steroid use and those likely related to sarcoidosis. We assessed the development of health-related, functional and socioeconomic outcomes following the diagnosis of sarcoidosis.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
In multivariate analysis, low income patients had significantly higher rates of new sarcoidosis related comorbidities [<$35,000 OR 2.4 (1.7-3.3), $35,000-$85,000 OR 1.4 (1.1-1.9), >$85,000 (REF)], new steroid related comorbidities [<$35,000 OR 1.3 (0.9-2.0), $35,000-$85,000 OR 1.5 (1.1-2.1), >$85,000 (REF)], had lower health-related quality of life as assessed by the Sarcoidosis Health Questionnaire (p<0.001) and experienced more impact on family finances [<$35,000 OR 7.9 (4.9-12.7), $35,000-$85,000 OR 2.7 (1.9-3.9), >$85,000 (REF)]. The use of supplemental oxygen, need for assistive devices, and job loss were more common in lower income patients. Development of comorbidities after diagnosis of sarcoidosis occurred in 63% of patients and were strong independent predictors of poor outcomes. In random forest modeling, income was consistently a leading predictor of outcome.

CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest the burden from sarcoidosis preferentially impacts the economically disadvantaged.


High-frequency characteristics of a quantum well (QW) diode with thermionic electron transport are reported. The frequency-dependent admittance of the QW diode is obtained using a rigorous self-consistent small-signal analysis. The frequency dependencies of the QW diode capacitance and conductance are governed by a characteristic time of the recharging of the QW, which depends strongly on temperature and device structural parameters. Experimental data on conductance and capacitance of the QW diode as functions of temperature and frequency can be used to extract the parameters of the QW, such as QW recombination velocity and ionization energy.


Tetrairidium dodecacarbonyl, Ir4(CO)12, is a massive compound called metal cluster complex, which has a molecular weight of 1104.9. Using an Ir4(CO)7+ primary ion beam, secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) of boron-delta-doped silicon samples was performed. Depth resolution, defined by 1/e decay length for the trailing edge of the boron delta layer, was investigated in the beam energy ranging from 2.5 to 10 keV at an incident angle of 45°. Experimental results showed that the depth resolution improved with oxygen partial pressure at a beam energy of 5 keV. It was confirmed that the depth resolution without oxygen flooding monotonically improved as beam energy decreased. Furthermore, it was found that the favorable effect of oxygen flooding on depth resolution weakened as beam energy was reduced.


The integration of Minnan culture and the higher vocational general education is conducive to local cultural heritage,and enhances the vocational college students' overall quality. At present,Quanzhou vocational college has deficiencies in the general education courses setting,activities,environmental construction and the evaluation system. It requires us to construct the curriculum system,carry out cultural activities on campus,build campus environment,cultivate teaching staff and build evaluation system with Minnan culture feature.


SUMMARY The dynamic performance of a flat car is studied herein. The performance indices include roll angles, lateral accelerations, center plate loads, side bearing loads, wheel loads and spring deflections. These variables are maximum when the car is running at its critical speed, corresponding to either the rock and roll, or the bounce mode. The Association of American Railroads' (AAR) Flexible Carbody Model was used. The input for vertical track irregularities used in the simulation was generated from published spectra for U.S. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Class 4 track. After studying the car's performance with various column loads and spring suspensions, it was found that the most commonly used column load of 4,000 lbs. (17.8 kN) should be used. The spring suspension used in the original car design should also be adopted, in order to avoid spring bottoming.


We present a highly sensitive fiber temperature sensor based on a gain-switched Fabry–Perot semiconductor laser self-seeded from a linearly chirped fiber Bragg grating. A temperature resolution of better than 0.1 °C was demonstrated. This sensor not only has the advantage of robustness against fluctuating light levels, but also obviates the need for fine wavelength discrimination.


Abstract The intention of this article is to analyze the scientific production in the field of investigation in Environmental Education for sustainability in Mexico during the decade 2002-2012. This was done with the purpose of informing researchers of the achievements, trends and challenges ahead in this area of investigation. In order to stablish a framework to determine the current state of knowledge firstly, researchers set up work teams primarily on a national scale, both regional and federal, to detect the scientific production in distinct institutions at university level, and in formal and informal educational sectors; secondly, they read and reviewed the gathered material to make an extensive analysis of its contents determined by the type of investigation, as well as distinctive characteristics and scientific contribution. This article concludes with recognizing the advances realized, including the trends and challenges to achieve investigations of improved quality and social relevance in the field of research on sustainability in Mexico.


What is public management and how it ought to be done?This is a disputing question in the field of public administration.In this paper,the author defines the concepts of "administration","management","public administration"and "public management", and identifies their differences.He reviews three usages of "public management",points out that public management is a new approach or paradigm which rises after public administration and public policy in the field of public sector management research.


Pareto Rule of 80/20 has a lot to inform the globe of the inequalities that prevail in human and business systems. This Rule of 80/20 was first postulated by Juran in 1937, however the principles are still applicable in the modern society. It is so unfortunate that the 20% who controls 80% (vital few) of the global wealth, is still sustained. The 80% who controls only 20% (trivial many) of the global income still find themselves constricted to that position. This is a pathetic situation, and governments should do well to help start-ups and the marginalised in societies to extricate themselves from this mess. Poverty or unfair distribution of wealth should not be accepted as the order of life, and individuals should do well to come out of it. It is the hope of this article that when start-ups are given the necessary push by government to be sustainable, there would be a paradigm shift within the 80/20 Rule of Pareto


Our object in this article is to describe some numerical schemes for the approximation of nonlinear evolution equations, and to study the stability of the schemes. Spatial discretization can be performed by either spectral or pseudospectral methods, finite elements or finite differences; time discretization is done by two-level schemes, partly or fully explicit. The algorithms that we present stem from the study of the evolution equations from the dynamical systems point of view. They are based on a differentiated treatment of the small and large wave lengths, and they are particularly adapted to the integration of such equations on large intervals of time. INTRODUCTION The long-time integration of dissipative evolution equations has emerged as a new type of problem in numerical analysis, and its appearance is due to the considerable increase in computing power that we have seen during the last years. Much effort has been devoted in the past to the approximation of evolution equations on finite intervals of time or, in the dynamically simple case where the solution converges to a steady (stationary) state as time goes to infinity. However, in many physically relevant situations the solutions to a dissipative evolution equation do not converge to a stationary solution. They rather remain time-dependent and they converge to a compact attractor that encompasses the nonlinear dynamics. Hence, and whether this is addressed implicitly or explicitly, the numerical integration of the evolution equation is then closely related to the approximation of the attractor that may be a complicated set, even a fractal. Inertial algorithms are new integration algorithms that are based on the approximation of the attractor by smooth, simple manifolds (namely the approximate inertial manifolds). These algorithms will be recalled below but, at this point, let us point out that one of their main features is a differentiated treatment of small and large wave lengths. An inertial manifold is an exact law of dependence of small wave lengths in terms of the large ones, the small wave Received April 3, 1990. 1980 Mathematics Subject Classification (1985 Revision). Primary 65F10, 65F35, 65N20, 35A40. ? 1991 American Mathematical Society 0025-5718/91 $1.00+ $.25 perpage


In order to improve displacing devices, new methods for supporting a bimorph element with a double-support structure were investigated. Consideration of bending properties revealed that, when the bimorph element was bent, the cross-sections at both of the bimorph element's ends rotated. A double-support bimorph element with U-shaped metal plates at each end was designed, the result being used. It was found that the displacement for the double-support bimorph with U-shaped metal plates was approximately 4 times larger than the displacement for a conventional double-support bimorph.


The conferences, the spectaculars of European diplomacy between the First and Second World Wars, have contributed some interesting myths to the folk history of the twentieth century. The Munich Conference of 1938, for example, has come to represent to some an act of betrayal, surrender and defeat—an effort to have one's own skin by selling out a small country in a vainattempt to satisfy a dictator's unlimited appetite. The Locarno Conference of October, 1925, has been regarded as an event which brought an end to the conflict between Germany and the Western powers during the World War and its aftermath. Supposedly, at Locarno enemies were reconciled after years of hostility, and a new era dawned: the following four years were a period of harmony between Germany and the West, as foreign ministers from each side conducted personal diplomacy in an atmosphere of good will. These assertions about Locarno have received less scholarly attention than the myth of Munich and deserve critical reexamination. As part of that reconsideration, some measurement might be taken of the level of misunderstanding and malevolence and hope — either genuine or illusory.


The field of knowledge management has gained wide attention across all industry sectors including software development. Managing accumulated knowledge and experiences of members of software engineering community is seen as a silver bullet to end many of the classical ills associated with the art of software development. Knowledge and experience management is also advocated in improving software development process. The present paper investigates the role of knowledge and experience management in improving the software process.


Reducing our carbon footprint is an urgent global issue. A number of persuasive technologies have been developed with the aim of reducing energy demand by influencing energy consumption behaviour. We refer to energy consumption behaviour as any way which an individual acts that directly or indirectly has consequences on their or others' carbon footprint. Systems that influence a change in behaviour are "computerized software or information systems designed to reinforce, change or shape attitudes or behaviours or both without using coercion or deception". Despite promising results, important drivers underpinning energy use are rarely taken into account during the system design. This paper presents research on social-media systems that investigates how such systems might influences users' energy consumption behaviour based on an understanding of people's values, everyday life and their decision-making.