Since the introduction of Identity-based (ID-based) cryptography by Shamir in 1984, numerous ID-based signature schemes have been proposed. In 2001, Rivest et al. introduced ring signature that provides irrevocable signer anonymity and spontaneous group formation. In recent years, ID-based ring signature schemes have been proposed and all of them are based on bilinear pairings. In this paper, we propose the first ID-based threshold ring signature scheme that is not based on bilinear pairings. We also propose the first ID-based threshold 'linkable' ring signature scheme. We emphasize that the anonymity of the actual signers is maintained even against the private key generator (PKG) of the ID-based system. Finally we show how to add identity escrow to the two schemes. Due to the different levels of signer anonymity they support, the schemes proposed in this paper actually form a suite of ID-based threshold ring signature schemes which is applicable to many real-world applications with varied anonymity requirements.


closing of its last store in East Florida in 1817, the John Forbes and Company had little other raison d'etre than to collect these debts. This conventional narrative history has many virtues. Exceedingly well documented, it casts much new light on Gulf Coast and Southeastern history and demonstrates the importance of the Southeast as a battleground for the British, French, Spanish, and the new United States. The alliances which emerge from these struggles, particularly those forged by the Panton, Leslie and Company and John Forbes and Company, are oftentimes surprising, usually having little to do with national allegiances and far more to do with the quest for high profits. Although the authors treat the Indians primarily as pawns, implicitly the Southeastern Indians emerge as shrewd observers of the power struggles being waged in their midst, trying to turn these intrigues to their own advantage. Finally, this is a solid entrepreneurial history of the successes and vicissitudes of an Indian trading firm trying to make its way on the Southeastern frontier in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.


This research focused on the use of an interactive white board in two third grade classrooms to assist students in learning to write main ideas and supporting details as introduced through The Six Traits writing model. The study focused on a control group and an experimental group completing similar writing lessons. The experimental groups' lessons centered around the use of an interactive white board and various activities and interactive games to enforce the learning. The results from the study can aid educators in the incorporation of an interactive white board to assist instruction.


As design patterns are gaining widespread acceptance at industrial level, efforts research them.especially design pattern arouse the attention of people.This paper presents the importance of adapter pattern in integration between the ERP system and CRM system.which are implemented in integration between the ERP system and CRM system, are elaborated.Finally, it points out that more research of using design pattern is needed.


The article presents a historiography of the non-state sector of culture and the processes that took place in the artistic life of Ukraine at the crucial time of the late 1980s — early 1990s. It shows various aspects: changes in stylistic trends, the rising of creative freedom of the young generation of artists, social changes, the economic situation and the rise of the art market, which had just appeared on the ruins of the former Soviet Union. On the case of Tiberiy Szilvashi, the "Zhyvopysnyi zapovidnyk" ("Picturesque Reserve") group, and members of the Parkomuna (Paris Commune) it is shown how changes took place not only in works of artists, but also in a transition to market relations considering the latest changes. The article describes the formation of the gallery movement in Kyiv, namely the activities of such institutions as Atelier Karas, Triptych Art Gallery, Gallery 36, L-Art Gallery, Irena Gallery, "Blank Art" and others. The problematic moments are identified and described, the analysis of external and internal factors that determined the path of the gallery activities of Kyiv in the first years of Ukraine's independence is carried out. The problem of works of art collecting made by representatives of the "fresh" bourgeoisie is raised. The materials of the article can be used in further scientific research on the history of the art market of Ukraine, in particular, gallery business.


The present invention relates to a cellulose ether composition for use in the preparation of dry mortar formulations, especially of cementitious bound tile adhesives (CBTA). The invention further relates to a dry mortar formulation comprising said cellulose ether composition. Furthermore, the invention is directed to a method of improving the slip resistance of the dry mortar formulation without deteriorating the mechanical strength and the open time of the cured dry mortar formulation.


The thesis concerns public debate on the public activities of The Swedish History Museum (Historiska museet) in Stockholm between the years 1992 and 2011. Moreover, the thesis contribute with knowl ...


Combining Spatial Modulation (SM) with multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems constitutes a promising technique for exploiting full spatial multiplexing. To further maximize its capacity, we propose to optimize the activation probability with an iternative optimization method. Moreover, we propose to incorporate the newly-proposed distribution matcher encoder for probability shaping. Numerical results are provided to substantiate the proposed system's improvement in terms of mutual information lower bound, and to validate the efficiency of the proposed encoding scheme.


Epitaxially grown GaAs transferred electron device n++n n+ structures, having intentionally graded n-active layer doping concentrations, exhibit significant improvements in output powers and efficiencies relative to flat n-active layer devices. A further improvement of greater than 30 percent results for devices designed to operate in the heat sink - anode configuration. state-of-the-art rf performance results are presented here along with accelerated life test date: oscillators operating continuously (cw) at 110°C near 61GHz in the second harmonic mode have exhibited essentially constant rf and dc performance after 10,000 hours of operation. Extrapolation to +85°C corresponds to 50,000 hours (5.7 years).


There are two types of motor nerve innervation patterns and AChR distributions in human EOM: single and multiple. The latter is further divided into two subgroups that are restricted to EOM and are not found in limb muscles. Epitopes that are unique to EOM end-plates exist. Some OMG patients have antibodies that are specifically targeted to those epitopes. These antibodies are functionally active and can cause AChR loss in EOM end-plates. In addition to AChRs, specific components constructing the microenvironment surrounding them may also be involved in the susceptibility of EOM in myasthenia gravis.


The present invention discloses a digital correction method based on six-axis NC locator aircraft panel assembly deformation. The relationship between the position error digitized data correction method of the present invention, by the method of partial least squares regression model inversion, establishing six-axis CNC positioning and motion parameters obtained digital detection point calibration model to achieve a large aircraft panels digital assembly deformation correction, not only reduces the assembly stress due to large aircraft panel assembly due to the deformation, while ensuring an efficient, high-precision attitude adjustment assembly and fuselage sections each abutting panels, ultimately enhance large aircraft parts assembly quality. Digital correction method of the present invention by a six-axis NC locator coordinated movement, succeeded in solving large aircraft panel assembly and accurate positioning of the distortion correction, effectively reducing the large aircraft panel assembly stress due to deformation of the assembly, a large aircraft lifting member the assembly quality.


This paper reports on an effort currently underway to integrate modern computing strategies into a sophomore course in linear systems. The course material includes Laplace transforms, system modeling and simulation, Fourier series and Fourier transforms. The course has a laboratory which meets biweekly. The effort reported here is one to incorporate the use of two software packages across the lecture and laboratory portions of the course. Introduction Getting Electrical Engineering students started in their curriculum with up-to-date attitudes toward the role of computing in the engineering problem solving process is extremely important. This attitude should not be one that automated computing is a course of last resort for problems that cannot be solved by hand, but rather that computing is something that the practitioner does in practice to increase productivity and to make the workload more bearable. In addition, computing should not be done in a setting where the engineer does not understand the process being implemented. That is, a full understanding of the process is still very important so that the engineer can know when computed results make no sense. Freshman students in the Electrical Engineering Department at the University of Wyoming are first introduced to computing in the Introduction to Engineering Computing course wherein they are exposed to tkSolver and Excel in an engineering problem solving atmosphere addressing problems of material balance, engineering economics, electric circuits, and statistics and data presentation. In the past, the introduction of computing tools appropriate to electrical engineering (namely Spice, MATLAB and an additional simulation tool) was done on a hit-and-miss basis and it was never clear what computing skills upper division students had. Reported here is an effort to remedy this situation and provide a unified approach such that all students have a set of known basic modern computational skills. Course Setting In the second semester of the sophomore year electrical engineering students are required to take a first course in linear systems which is preceded by a circuit analysis course the previous semester. Also they should have taken or be taking concurrently an ordinary differential equations course in the mathematics department. The linear systems course is a prerequisite for further study in electrical networks, network synthesis, controls and discrete signals and systems. Page 295.1 The course meets three times weekly and has a biweekly laboratory. The nominal topic outline of the course is given below in Table 1. Table 1. Topic Outline for the Linear Systems Course Solution of Linear Equations The Unit Step Function The Dirac Delta Function The Laplace Transform Development of Transform Pairs Time and Exponential Multiplication Partial Fraction Expansion Linear Ordinary Differential Equations System Modeling Mechanical Systems Electrical Networks System Concepts The Transfer Function Poles, Zeros and System Stability The Frequency Response Function Bode Plots Firstand Second-Order Systems The Convolution Integral Fourier Methods The Fourier Series Mean Square Error and the Parseval Relation Filtering of Periodic Signals Complex Fourier Series The Fourier Spectrum Introduction to the Fourier Transform Appropriate Software In the selection of software there are many possibilities and it is best to introduce students to packages that will have maximum utility in their future education and practice. The software packages chosen for this course were MATLAB  [1]and VisSim [2]. MATLAB was chosen because it has become the standard for system analysis, signal processing and many other engineering computing tasks. VisSim was chosen as a typical simulation tool because of its short learning curve and its excellent graphical user interface. This was done with full consciousness that Simulink fits better with MATLAB since it is an adjunct to MATLAB. This was done as a tradeoff because of the ease with which VisSim is learned. After this, the use of Simulink in the future is more readily achievable. Perhaps the novel part of this reported work is the simultaneous and synergistic introduction of both packages. Both of these software packages are available in Student Editions [3, 4] at very reasonable prices. It is important for completeness to note that Spice is introduced in the Electrical Networks course for which this course is a prerequisite. P ge 295.2 The Theme Problem The primary use of the software is associated with the biweekly laboratory and is accomplished in the framework of a problem which provides a recurrent theme for all aspects of the course. In the fall semester of 1996 the problem involved a two degree-of-freedom vehicle suspension system as illustrated in Fig. 1 although it could as well be an electrical network. The system is fourth order and thus hand computations will not suffice for the calculation of various system responses to various road profile inputs. Figure 1. Vehicle Suspension System Theme Problem. In this system m1 and x1 are respectively the mass and displacement of the chassis while m 2 and x2 are respectively the mass and displacement of the axle and wheels (the unsprung mass). Coefficient b represents the viscous damping of the shock absorber, k 1 the stiffness of the springs and k2 the stiffness of the tires. Displacement x 3 represents the road profile which serves as the forcing function for the system. A meaningful set of parameters for this system are: m1 = 360 kg m2 = 30 kg k1 = 15 kN/m k2 = 65 kN/m b = 0, 600, 1200, 1800 N-s/m For all exercises the students are asked to predict the system response using transform methods and MATLAB, and to verify that prediction by time-domain simulation using VisSim. The Laboratory Exercises In the course of the laboratory six exercises are accomplished and are detailed below by number. Lab Exercise 1 This provides an introduction to MATLAB in the context of polynomial assembly from the roots, finding polynomial roots, polynomial evaluation, function evaluation and plotting and solution of linear equations. Lab Exercise 2 Students gain expertise in the use of MATLAB as an aid in the Laplace transform solution of linear, constant coefficient differential equations and to plot the solution. The functional form of the solution is to be verified by simulation using VisSim and the conventional analog computer paradigm employing integrators, summers, inverters and function generators. m1


The conservation of biodiversity in landscape mosaics requires an under- standing of the impacts of human land use within mosaic elements and an evaluation of the biological uniqueness of different elements. We address these issues by examining patterns of ant diversity in three semiarid rangeland landscapes used predominantly for grazing. These landscapes lie along a regional gradient from shortgrass steppe through a transitional zone to desert grassland, along which climate and ant species composition vary. Within each landscape, we compared the effects of grazing and natural variation in soils and vegetation on ant diversity and community composition. Grazing had little effect on ant richness, diversity, or composition at the transitional zone or the desert grassland site, but ungrazed areas at the shortgrass steppe site had a higher overall richness and favored the abundance of some species. Some samples of saltbush (Atriplex canescens) shrubland were similar to ungrazed samples in richness and species composition. In both the tran- sitional zone and the desert grassland, creosotebush (Larrea tridentata)-dominated habitats harbored comparatively species-rich and distinct ant communities. In addition, mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) coppice dunes at the desert grassland site favored the abundance of several species that were rare across the site. Canonical correspondence analysis revealed that variation in soil strength and texture best explained community variation at the short- grass steppe site, whereas soil texture and associated differences in shrub density best explained differences in composition at the transitional and desert grassland sites. The characterization of habitats based upon vegetation classification did not adequately reflect environmental variation that was important to ants in shortgrass steppe, but reflected im- portant soil textural variation in the transitional and desert grassland sites. These results suggest that ant conservation in these semiarid rangelands should emphasize patterns of variation in soil properties. The results add to a growing consensus that a variety of variables determined by the responses of several focal taxa may be needed to characterize biodiversity patterns.


[1] The outstanding exposure of deformation bands in a multilayer sequence of the Orange quarry, Provence, France, motivates a study investigating the development and controls of deformation band geometries by field mapping combined with finite element modeling. Field mapping yields new insights into angular relations between, and evolution of, the deformation bands as well as provides input parameters for the setup and boundary conditions of the numerical simulations using ADELI 2D. In particular, reverse-sense deformation bands are found to have developed within three of the four exposed layers of the multilayer stack with similar orientations to bedding, indicating layer-parallel contraction. Numerical simulations, carried out as a parametric study to investigate the influence on deformation band development and geometry, successfully reproduce the sequential development of deformation bands in the three layers as seen in the field as well as recreate the observed angular geometries of ∼39° to the maximum compression. This angular relationship is put into context with observations from other field studies and theoretical values to explore controls of deformation band orientations. Furthermore, band localization is impeded in the model by increased layer cohesive strength, demonstrating the importance of host-rock property variations on localization of bands within the multilayer sequence. Results from both field investigation and numerical simulations are consistent with regional tectonics, where the strata underwent gentle folding due to thrust faulting at depth, and bring further insight into the development and geometry of deformation bands in both extensional and contractional tectonic regimes.


ABSTRACT Because of their vast applicability, line integrals with respect to arc length are extensively treated in many texts on advanced calculus and engineering mathematics. The definitions, evaluation theorems and illustrative simple applications are basically very similar from text to text. In trying to extend their use to more modern applications we have encountered a number of misleading statements in standard reference texts regarding the properties of such integrals relating to the orientation of the curve. The purpose of this paper is to raise the awareness to the proper understanding of the underlying principles involved in evaluating these integrals and to emphasise the care needed in the pedagogical treatment and writing of future texts on this topic.


Through the study and analysis of the family members' annual average income of the citizens in cities and towns, the local average GDP per person, and the Engel coefficient, this paper is an attempt to explore closely the relationship between these factors and the prices of houses in cities and towns. We have built a mathematical model to illustrate it, and propose a new conception of the coefficient of the family housepurchasing power (the price of a house /the family's annual maximum purchasing power). The model reveals that the prices of commercial residential buildings and local development level of the national economy and the living standard of the local people, as well as family annual income and the number of the family members, are closely related. This study provides guidance for the numerous housepurchasers and can help them determine the price range of the commercial residential buildings they are going to buy according to their own family purchasing power. Besides, it is of referential value to the real estate development business people. 


Abstract If PL(v,z) = Σbi(v)zi is the skein polynomial of a link L, and D = D1 * D2 is the diagram which is a planar star (Murasugi) product of D1 and D2 then bϕ(D)(v) = bϕ(D1)·bϕ(D2)(v) where ϕ(D) = n(D)– (s(D) – 1) and n(D) denotes the number of crossings of D, and s(D) is the number of Seifert circles of D.


B e n i p and uncontroversial. the definition neatly envelopes the field in a cloud of benevolence. Which parent, teacher. guardian would object? However. consciously or unconsciously. this definition eschews what I believe are fundarnental issues in the field: the role of ideolog). perceptions of agency and representation. and adult constructions of child and childhood. Who is determining the nature of the work of art? Who is empowering whom. and how? Who is represented, who is representing. and who and what purports the real relevance? The above definition is an example of the paradoxical relation benveen theory and practice that impacts the field and is directlj connected with the ideological constructs under which scholars and practitioners operate. One of my obje~ t ives '


We investigate the one-dimensional Schr\"{o}dinger equation for a harmonic oscillator with a finite jump $a$ at the origin. The solution is constructed by employing the ordinary matching-of-wavefunctions technique. For the special choices of $a$, $a=4\ell$ ($\ell=1,2,\ldots$), the wavefunctions can be expressed by the Hermite polynomials. Moreover, we explore isospectral deformations of the potential via the Darboux transformation. In this context, infinitely many isospectral Hamiltonians to the ordinary harmonic oscillator are obtained.


Scorpions for Breakfast Arizona Governor Jan Brewer Broadside Books, 2011The title of this book is appropriate. Someone blogging on a web site set up to support Arizona Governor Jan Brewer in her fight against illegal border crossings into her state described her appropriately, saying "Jan Brewer eats scorpions for breakfast." It's a description that brings to mind a not-very-pleasant part of desert wildlife in a beautiful state, but that befits her toughness and readiness to stand up to the "scorpions" of politics and cultural conflict. Her book centers on two things: the predicament Arizona has been in because of illegal immigration, and the often strident opposition she has run into from President Obama and his administration and from the diverse groups that welcome the cross- border influx.Brewer has a long history in Arizona politics. She was first elected to the State House of Representatives in 1982, and then to the State Senate, before twice winning election as Arizona's Secretary of State. She explains that Arizona has the unusual procedure that the Secretary of State (rather than a lieutenant governor) takes the office when a serving governor steps down, which is why she became governor in January 2009 when Janet Napolitano leftto take her place in the Obama administration as Secretary of Homeland Security. Brewer was elected governor in her own right (by a landslide) in November 2010.Arizona's predicament has many faces. Illegal immigration into the United States has been ongoing for many years, but it was exacerbated for Arizona, a state located inland along the border with Mexico, when in the early 1990s the federal government "made the conscious decision to redirect illegal aliens east from San Diego and west from Texas by shoring up the border in those two locations." The result is that now "Arizona is the site of the most illegal crossings." Brewer tells the magnitude: "In 2009... the Border Patrol caught more than 550,000 illegal aliens [entering Arizona], and over 240,000 of these apprehensions occurred in the Tucson sector." She adds that "the Border Patrol estimates that it apprehends only one in four illegal border crossers." This influx is not limited to Mexicans; Brewer says "the organized crime and drug and human smuggling rings that control the flow... are global operations, bringing illegal crossers from all over the world into Mexico and then funneling them through Arizona to destinations in virtually every state...."From this, we see that the immigration is no longer just, or even primarily, of individuals fleeing north, assisted by small enablers. It has been taken over by the drug cartels and other smuggling rings. "Mom-and-pop smuggling operations have largely been replaced by cold-blooded, high-stakes, organized criminal gangs." The result is that many of those entering carry automatic weapons; the gangs war among themselves for control of the trade; those smuggled in are made to serve as "reluctant drug mules" with heavy backpacks full of drugs taped to their bodies; hundreds of "drop houses" are set up to hold the immigrants in Phoenix and elsewhere, sometimes as prisoners held for ransom to be paid by their relatives in Mexico and the United States; "spotters" occupy mountains, often living for months at a time "in primitive caves called 'spider holes'"; and "since 2001, the bodies of more than 2,100 men, women, and children have been found in the Arizona desert." The flow of people results in "tremendous environmental damage... In 2006 alone, over a million pounds of trash was [sic] picked up along the Arizona border." There are "mountains of water bottles, backpacks, food wrappers, used diapers, and human excrement."Brewer continues describing the impact on her state. "Violent crime [has] invaded our cities." (This is in addition to the murder of a popular rancher on his spread next to the border, a murder that was especially shocking to Brewer and many other Arizonans. …


Coordination of various distributed generation (DG)
units is required to meet the growing demand for electricity.
Several control strategies have been developed to operate
parallel-connected inverters for microgrid load sharing. Among
these techniques, due to the lack of essential communication links
between parallel-connected inverters to coordinate the DG units
within a microgrid, the droop control method has been generally
accepted in the scientific community. This paper discusses the
microgrid droop controller during islanding using the Henry Gas
Solubility Optimization (HGSO). The most important goals of
droop control in the islanded mode of operation are the frequency
and voltage control of microgrid and proper power sharing
between distributed generations. The droop controller has been
designed using HGSO to optimally choose PI gains and droop
control coefficients in order to obtain a better microgrid output
response during islanding. Simulation results indicate that the
droop controller using HGSO improves the efficiency of
micro-grid power by ensuring that variance in microgrid
frequency and voltage regulation and effective power sharing
occurs whenever micro-grid island mode or when variation in
load occurs.


This brief intends to explain how methodical research around possible anxiety-generating elements present in the structure of games and simulators, can bring considerable learning benefits to participants. The hypothesis is that anxiety can be intention-ally and effectively structured in the design of andragogic simu-lators, with the effect of promoting cognitive development, so-cial consciousness and emotional awareness. Information is recovered through specific observation guides and question-naires. Evidence showed positive results when user's experi-ence is accompanied by a trained facilitator, who provide feed-back to users in specific timeouts. Ethical considerations of these simulators are extensively discussed in this paper, and full information, control and objectives of the research were stated to all participants. The process of designing and installing anxi-ety-generating elements in the structure of a simulator is ex-plained using the Mercante game as an example.


The computational ability to accurately predict the dynamic behavior of a nuclear reactor core in response to reactivity- induced perturbations is needed to understand the behavior of existing reactors under "upset" conditions and to design the next generation of nuclear reactors. Space-time and point kinetics methodologies were developed for the purpose of studying the transient-induced behavior of the High Flux Isotope Reactor's (HFIR) compact core. The space-time simulations employed the three-energy-group neutron diffusion equations, and transients initiated by control cylinder and hydraulic tube rabbit ejections were studied. The work presented here is the first step towards creating a comprehensive multiphysics methodology for studying the behavior of the HFIR core during transients (loss of off-site power, pump shutdown, reactivity perturbations, etc). The results of these studies show that point kinetics is adequate for small perturbations in which the power distribution is assumed to be time-independent, but space-time methods must be utilized to determine localized effects.


We discuss the first results obtained from a new testing fa- cility for measuring the induced absorption in multilayer dielec- tric coatings exposed to intense UV radiation. The absorption loss is measured in-situ during exposure, as a function of time for var- ious UV photon energies, intensities, and sample materials. The sample is irradiated by the direct beam from the TOK undulator at NSLS and measured in-vacuo. The undulator is typically run at K = 1 (so that the harmonic emission is low) to simplify the data anal- ysis. The test chamber is separated from the undulator beamline by a differentially pumped line which permits the introduction of car- bonaceous gases into the chamber at pressures up to 10-5 Torr. By varying the current and energy of the stored electrons, one can ad- just the intensity and photon energy of the undulator first harmonic in the range up to 1.2 w/cm2, and between about 5 eV and 35 eV.


Subtitle: Leveraging fleet purchasing power via strategic sourcing has become increasingly popular, as companies look to reduce fleet expense. Some fleet managers see this process as threatening. Is it?


This essay is an intervention into the debate regarding the possibility and/or desirability of articulating Nietzsche with Marx as a means to expand upon the foundations of critical social theory. Critics who oppose such an articulation do so because they see Nietzsche's political views as elitist, if not reactionary, and therefore incompatible with any Marxist-influenced theoretical project. On the other hand, theorists who do attempt such an articulation focus upon the critique of epistemology at the relative exclusion of politics. By focusing upon the labor question, the following pages present a new way to articulate Nietzsche's cultural analyses with Marx's structural ones. Both thinkers argued for the separation of work from leisure through a critique of the capitalist work ethic. This way of approaching the labor question is largely neglected in much of Marxist theory that seeks the liberation of work rather than the liberation from work. Reading the two thinkers together on the labor question provides an alternative way to understand Nietzsche's perceived aristocratic pretensions while jettisoning the labor metaphysic that plagues much of Marxist theory. A rigorous critique of the work ethic points toward a new way of life beyond the workplace, made possible by the radical reduction of working hours.


The article focuses on the chemical interactions occurring in the process of gelation in a system based on low-esterified pectin and amidated free calcium ions, the source of which is the egg shell powder.


An elastic spectral distance measure based on a F0 adaptive pitch synchronous spectral estimation and selective elimination of periodicity interferences, that was developed for a high-quality speech modification procedure STRAIGHT [1], is introduced to provide a basis for auditory morphing. The proposed measure is implemented on a low dimensional piecewise bilinear time-frequency mapping between the target and the original speech representations. A preliminary test results of morphing emotional speech samples indicated that proposed procedure provides perceptually monotonic and high-quality interpolation and extrapolation of CD quality speech samples.


Introduction Percutaneous nephrostomy performed for hydronephrosis of pregnancy provides rapid relief of pain by unblocking urinary tract obstruction. We present this case series to create awareness of current diagnostic and therapeutic modalities available for urological problems in pregnancy. Method This retrospective study was done over four years between 2007 and 2011 at Bradford Royal Infirmary hospital. Five women had right sided percutaneous nephrostomy between 16 to 27 weeks of gestation with insertion of 8F locking loop pigtail catheter under sedation and USS guidance. Result All patients were diagnosed with right sided hydronephrosis of pregnancy on ultrasound scan. They presented with right sided loin pain. Four patients also had pyrexia, raised C-reactive protein and white cell count and were suspected of pyonephrosis. Catheter insertion was successful in all cases with rapid of pain. Renal function was preserved in all cases. Four women had delivery at full term and one woman delivered at 35weeks gestation. One patient developed septic shock during replacement of catheter (after catheter fall out) at term with onset of labour pain and a pathological foetal cardiotocograph needing emergency Caesarean section. There was some delay in replacement of catheter which could have trigger off her infective morbidity. She had removal of a renal calculus one week post delivery. Conclusion In our series all patients experienced rapid improvement of their symptoms after nephrostomy procedure. Nephrostomy as a minimally invasive procedure during pregnancy has acceptable technical and clinical results and is relatively safe for the mother and the baby.


: With the slowdown of China's economic growth, the accelerated reform of interest rate marketization, the increasingly intensified trend of financial disintermediation, under the background of downward pressure on the economy, the business activities of urban commercial banks are facing a severe form. Compared with other domestic commercial banks, China's urban commercial banks have significant differences in profitability due to history, operation and management ability, local environment and other reasons. Therefore, it is a topic of strong theoretical and practical significance to explore which specific factors will affect the profitability of urban commercial banks and the extent of the impact. Factors influencing the city commercial bank profitability can be divided into internal and external, this paper assumes that the degree of assets, the credit ratio, capital strength, degree of non-interest income growth, operational efficiency and credit risk is the internal factors affect the profitability of the, while the external factors for economic development degree and the diversity of market demand. Based on the balance panel data of 10 urban commercial banks from 2013 to 2017, this paper conducts empirical analysis to verify the impact of various factors on the profitability of urban commercial banks. Based on the empirical research conclusions on the factors affecting the profitability of relevant sample city commercial banks, this paper puts forward strategies to improve the profitability of city commercial banks from five aspects: capital strength, cost management, credit risk, characteristic operation and regional economy.


Only a handful of the nearly 6 million immigrants who came to the United States between 1820 and the Civil War left detailed records of their experiences in the years immediately after their arrival. We know little of the routes they followed within the United States or how quickly they reached their destinations, the difficulty of their adjustment to the U.S. labor market, or the rate at which they were able to amass material wealth. In my dissertation, I have created a sample with which I explore these experiences for more than 2,000 European immigrants who came to America during the 1840s. This sample makes it possible to follow, for up to 20 years after their arrival, the patterns of geographic, occupational, and financial mobility of immigrants in the first great wave of nineteenth-century European migration to the United States. The sample was designed to overcome the shortcomings of both the federal census manuscript schedules—which lack information on immigrants prior to their arrival—and the federal passenger ship lists—which lack information on immigrants after their arrival—by combining these two rich sources. This was done by searching in the 1850 and 1860 manuscript census schedules for a sample of 23,800 European immigrants—5 percent of all male family heads and unaccompanied males on lists of passenger ship arrivals at New York between 1840 and 1850. This produced a linked sample of 2,109 male family heads and unaccompanied males: 1,544 located in 1850, 1,192 located in 1860, and 508 located in both censuses. These immigrants all arrived at the port of New York, but most—probably 75 percent of those arriving at the end of the 1840s—left the city immediately. Those who remained in New York were either too poor to move on (the Irish) or had a specific reason for remaining (merchants and clerks who sought employment in the city's commercial houses). Most arrivals took advantage of frequent and inexpensive transportation out of New York to other locations along the Atlantic Coast and to points in the interior. More than half of all immigrants in the sample went to just three states: New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Immigrants were more likely than the native-born to be located in cities and on the frontier. Immigrants reached all of these locations rapidly: there are no differences in the regional distribution of the immigrants in the sample by how long they had been in the country. The immigrants most likely to go west were those who arrived with the most resources or with the least, as indicated by family size at arrival. The attraction of the


Applying the difference between velocities of the ship and the passive false target,a true and false targets identification algorithm,which made the total residual norms of linear equations of true and false targets velocities minimized,was put forward. Next,how to reduce the effect of target velocity fluctuation and observational errors to the algorithm and the case that the algorithm was invalidated were discussed. Lastly,some examples were demonstrated to show the algorithm was effective.


Due to the widespread of recent object detection technologies, various real-time object detection systems such as human detection systems and car detection systems are deployed in banks, airports and so on. In most of these systems, camera devices continuously send their original recorded images to processing computers even when their target objects for detection are not recorded. This causes a large amount of communication traffic such as exceeds bandwidth usage, delays for data transmission. The communication traffic can be reduced by continuously sending rough images and re-sending clear images only when clear images that have objects recorded are required for the applications. For instance, a image that recorded a human. However, detecting objects in the rough images decreases its accuracy. In this paper, to evaluate the performance of our proposed progressive quality improvement approach, we investigate the accuracy of object detections changing the qualities of images.


A novel lead-free, ultra-wide temperature range stable dielectric ceramic with a high dielectric constant was prepared by a traditional solid-state reaction method. The microscopic mechanism, and the electric and dielectric properties of the Bi3+,Na+,Zn2+,Nb5+ doped BaTiO3 dielectric system were investigated for the first time. X-ray diffraction revealed that Bi3+,Na+,Zn2+,Nb5+ and BaTiO3 form a solid-solution with a pseudo-cubic structure. The thermal vibration and interactions between the dipoles contributing to the realization of an ultra-wide temperature range stability, were discussed. The microscopic model based on the bond energy and coordination number, was used to research the changes of the dielectric stability. In this paper, the relationship between microscopic mechanism and the macroscopic dielectric properties in the ultra-wide temperature range stable dielectric ceramics was established, thereby paving the way for achieving ultra-wide temperature range capacitors. In addition, fine dielectric properties of (Na0.015Bi0.3Ba0.685)(Zn0.2Nb0.115Ti0.685)O3 with an er of 700, and tan δ of 0.00535 can be obtained over an ultra-wide temperature range (−53 to 350 °C). These features give the ceramic system high practical value in miniaturization and increasing applications in harsh environments.


Concrete repair with repair mortars is an usual practice in reinforced concrete structures rehabilitation. The growing number of reinforced concrete buildings with repair needs, allied to an increased interest and investment in rehabilitation market by the engineering industry, indicates an increasing relevance of these materials in the construction sector. The construction materials industry has strongly invested in the creation of repair mortars with optimized properties, mostly with one-component character, and currently it is possible to find a wide range of these products in the market. The knowledge of the properties of this kind of product is essential to perform a successful repair operation. The objective of this study is to provide a contribution to increase the extension of the knowledge about four repair mortars from different manufacturers that are available in the market. It intended to characterize some properties of the mortars, focusing on those which are more relevant to concrete repair performance.


We develop a span-of-control model where managerial skills are endogenous and the outcome of investments over the life cycle of managers. We calibrate such model to U.S. data, and use it to evaluate the interplay between idiosyncratic distortions and exogenous productivity in accounting for plan-size differences and output per worker in Mexico. We find that idiosyncratic distortions, as heavier implicit subsidies on small and large establishments, are essential to generate a plant-size distribution in line with Mexican data. Differences in exogenous productivity drive the bulk of output per-worker differences between the U.S. and Mexico.


Objective To summarize the experience in the diagnosis and treatment of elastofibroma dorsi,focusing on the clinical features,the specific radiological characteristics,and the typical pathological alterations.Methods Clinical data of 10 cases of pathologically confirmed elastofibroma dorsi from January 1997 to April 2008 were retrospectively reviewed.Results Most patients were female(8/10)in this series.All the lesions were located within the muscles in the subscapular region.There were 13 lesions in 10 cases(3 cases with bilateral involvement).Seven patients complained of pain and feeling of foreign body,and three were asymptomatic.The size of the masses was between 4 centimeters to 12 centimeters,averaging at(7.46 ±2.70)centimeters.Except for the early 3 cases,accurate diagnosis was made in all the other 7 cases before the histological exams solely based on the physical examination and imaging findings.Marginal excision was done for all the cases under general anesthesia.Fluid accumulation,as the only kind of complication was found in 3 cases which was resolved by repeated paracentesis.No recurrence was found during the follow-up period(4 months to 125 months,median 11 months).Conclusion Elastofibroma dorsi is a rare,pseudotumoral lesion usually found in elderly women.It is a very special type of soft tissue tumors that its diagnosis can usually be made solely on the basis of unique imaging characteristics and physical examination before the histological exam.Surgical marginal excision is the choice of treatment with good short-term and long-term results.

Key words:
Neoplasms,connective tissue; Surgical procedures,operative; Tomography,X-ray computed; Magnetic resonance imaging; Elastofibroma dorsi


Background: Background: ABP 959 is being developed as a biosimilar to eculizumab reference product (RP). ABP 959 and the RP are humanized recombinant IgG2/4 κ mAbs which bind with specificity to the human complement C5, blocking its cleavage to C5a and C5b and preventing the generation of the terminal complement complex (TCC), thereby blocking cell lysis. Excessive activation or insufficient control of C5 is believed to play a role in the pathogenesis of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS), generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG), and neuromyelitis optical spectrum disorder (NMOSD). Drug binding to C5 blocks this biological function and contributes to efficacy across these indications for which the RP is approved. Aims: Aims: The goal of this analysis is to further support the previously demonstrated pharmacokinetic (PK)/pharmacodynamic (PD) similarity of ABP 959 with eculizumab RP by providing additional data on similarity in PK exposure with respect to unbound eculizumab RP and 50% total hemolytic complement activity (CH50). Methods: Methods: This was a randomized, double-blind, single-dose, 3-arm, parallel-group trial in healthy adult male subjects, aged between 18 and 45 years, with a body mass index of 18 to 30.0 kg/m 2 , who were randomized following informed consent, to receive a 300-mg IV infusion of ABP 959, or FDA-licensed eculizumab RP (eculizumab US), or EU-authorized eculizumab Summary/Conclusion: Summary/Conclusion: These additional clinical pharmacology results demonstrate bioequivalence of ABP 959 to eculizumab RP with regard to unbound eculizumab and CH50. These results further support the PK/PD similarity of ABP 959 with eculizumab RP.


Encrypted network traffic classification is an essential task in modern communications, which is used in a wide range of applications, such as network resource allocation, QoS (Quality of Service), malicious detection, etc. With the continuous evolution of network technology, approaches used to classify network encrypted traffic have become increasingly complex, and model training relies heavily on a large amount of labeled data. However, the acquisition of correct and massive labeled data of network traffic in the real environment remains a major challenge in this field. On the opposite, unlabeled traffic is extremely easy to obtain in a network. Therefore, the effective use of unlabeled data is of great significance to the development of modern communications. In this paper, we propose the Sauce model, which can effectively use unlabeled information to obtain high-quality clustering space. It is composed of Aux (auxiliary network) and AE (auto encoder), where Aux is designed for collaborative training with AE, affecting the distribution of samples in the latent space generated by AE. Sauce uses t-SNE (t- distributed stochastic neighbor embedding) to perform secondary dimensionality reduction on the latent code, and then uses a clustering algorithm for cluster analysis. Besides, sauce applies the self-training technique, replacing the real labeled data with pseudo-labeled data to reduce the reliance on labeled data and improve the utilization of unannotated data. We conduct experiments on two real network datasets. The experiments show that Sauce can achieve clustering accuracies of 98.4% (VPN dataset) and 98.0% (TOR dataset), outperforming other unsupervised or semi-supervised learning methods.


A 38-year-old woman presented to the emergency department of the Sir Mortimer B. Davis-Jewish General Hospital with a 2-week history of right-sided pleuritic pain and shortness of breath. She had an occasional cough with scanty sputum. The patient had immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong I 1 years previously. She had three children. Fifteen months earlier she had had a therapeutic abortion (the products of conception were normal) and a tubal ligation. Four months before admission she experienced menometrorrhagia. A pelvic examination and a Papanicolaou smear yielded normal. results. A diagnosis of dysfunctional uterine bleeding was made and no further investigation or therapy was carried out. The patient had no history of previous pulmonary disease and was receiving no medication.


A theoretical model is presented to study the general dynamic characteristics of the upper human respiratory system for a healthy as well as an unhealthy lung. The model is formulated by using perturbation technique on the fluid momentum and continuity equations taking into consideration the structural dynamic features of the air passage walls. A recursion formula is generated to compute the input impedance along the principal path. Also the distributed pressure response along a single pathway in the breathing system is investigated for different frequencies. The results indicate that for a healthy lung the magnitude of the impedance at the throat decreases to a minimum value at a frequency of 379 Hz, then increases again, and continues to fluctuate between maximum and minimum values. This prediction agrees very well with available experimental data and disputes earlier theoretical observations of double minimum values. However, it is indicated that a lung with some abnormality at a Horsfield order of 24 ...


Weather forecasting is the process of predicting the status of the atmosphere for certain regions or locations by utilizing recent technology. Thousands of years ago, humans tried to foretell the weather state in some civilizations by studying the science of stars and astronomy. Realizing the weather conditions has a direct impact on many fields, such as commercial, agricultural, airlines, etc. With the recent development in technology, especially in the DM and machine learning techniques, many researchers proposed weather forecasting prediction systems based on data mining classification techniques. In this paper, we utilized neural networks, Naïve Bayes, random forest, and K-nearest neighbor algorithms to build weather forecasting prediction models. These models classify the unseen data instances to multiple class rain, fog, partly-cloudy day, clear-day and cloudy. These model performance for each algorithm has been trained and tested using synoptic data from the Kaggle website. This dataset contains (1796) instances and (8) attributes in our possession. Comparing with other algorithms, the Random forest algorithm achieved the best performance accuracy of 89%. These results indicate the ability of data mining classification algorithms to present optimal tools to predict weather forecasting. Original Research Article Kareem et al.; AJRCOS, 9(3): 13-24, 2021; Article no.AJRCOS.68636 14


The method according to invention, to discover a route to forward the packet to the sink node where the wireless network is a sink from the source node where the source. Some vicinity of the source of the acts as a relay node. Each source, measures the reception rate control message transmitted from each neighboring node. Next, the data packet to the sink from a particular source through the neighboring nodes with a measured lowest rate reception rate has to be transferred.


Cervical cancer continues to be among the most frequently diagnosed and fatal cancers among women, ranking fourth in both categories globally in 2018. Detecting and treating early signs of cervical cancer drastically improves patient survivability. We will present images of the inner endocervical canal and the ectocervix taken by a fiber-based imaging system capable of co-registered Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and Autofluorescence Imaging (AFI). The rotary-pullback double clad fiber (DCF) imaging catheter captures 3D volumetric OCT scans and 2D AFI surface maps from within the endocervix. Images are obtained from patients undergoing colposcopy-guided biopsies or Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure (LEEP).


The large data-transfer time among different cores is a big problem in heterogeneous multi-core processors. This paper presents a method to accelerate the data transfers exploiting data-transfer-units together with complex memory allocation. We used block matching, which is very common in image processing, to evaluate our technique. The proposed method reduces the data-transfer time by more than 42% compared to the earlier works that use CPU-based data transfers. Moreover, the total processing time is only 15 ms for a VGA image with 16 × 16 pixel blocks. key words: block matching, heterogeneous multi-core, dynamically reconfigurable processor, data transfer, accelerator


We present a method for creating a special monolingual dictionary. It is a corpus-driven frequency dictionary whose entries are "verb phrase constructions" (VPCs), not words. It does not contain explicit definitions but corpus examples. A significant part of the process is a"automatic": we use not only natural language processing tools to analyse a text but also specific algorithms which take over some of the typical tasks of the lexicographer, that is, we create the raw entries fully automatically. As a result, the manual lexicographic work is reduced, and the dictionary can be created with a low budget. We are creating a Hungarian dictionary but the core methodology is "language independent". The methodology can be applied for other languages as well. This kind of dictionary can be useful both in language
teaching and natural language processing.


1: Introduction 2: Susan Gardner: 'A Story for this Place and Time': An Interview with Nadine Gordimer about Burger's Daughter 3: Conor Cruise O'Brien: Waiting for Revolution 4: Stephen R. Clingman: The Subject of Revolution 5: John Cooke: Leaving the Mother's House 6: Judie Newman: Prospero's Complex: Race and Sex in Burger's Daughter 7: The Degeneration of the Great South African Lie: Nadine Gordimer 8: The Synthesis of Revelation: Burger's Daughter 9: Nadine Gordimer: What the Book is About 10: Susan Gardner: Still Waiting for the Great Feminist Novel 11: Lorraine Liscio: Burger's Daughter: Lighting a Torch in the Heart of Darkness 12: Louise Yelin: Exiled In and Exiled From: The Politics and Poetics of Burger's Daughter 13: Selected Bibliography


ABSTRACT This study analyzes public attitudes towards Euroscepticism in three Mediterranean countries: Spain, Italy and Greece. Specifically, drawing upon cultural backlash theory, we investigate how the general feeling of nostalgia and the rejection of neoliberal values like social and cultural diversity affect citizens' Eurosceptic attitudes and thus their willingness to leave the European Union. Based on survey data from the Pew Research Centre, we first find that attitudes towards ethnic, religious and racial diversity predict citizens' willingness to leave the European Union in Spain and Italy, but not in Greece, whereas citizens with higher levels of nostalgia are more prone to leave the European Union in Spain and Greece, but not in Italy. Finally, attitudes towards diversity are explored as a moderator over the relationship between citizens' perceptions of their country's economic situation and Eurosceptic attitudes. This article contributes to current discussions on Euroscepticism, arguing that cultural backlash theory might play a crucial role in accounting for citizens' cultural and political attitudes towards the EU.


Stoneflies are a globally threatened aquatic insect order. In Arkansas, a diverse group of winter stonefly (Capniidae: Allocapnia) have not been surveyed since the 1980s, likely because species-level identification requires the rarely-collected adult form. Allocapnia mohri, a regional endemic, was previously commonly found in mountainous, intermittent streams from the Ouachita Mountains ecoregion north to the Ozark Highlands, but no species distributional models including land use or climate variables exist to our knowledge. We collected adults from 71 stream reaches from the historic Arkansas range from November to April 2020 and 2021. We modeled distributions using random forest (RF) models populated with landscape, climate, and both data to determine which were most predictive of species presence. Correlations between landscape or climate variables and presence were examined using multiple logistic regression. The landscape RF models performed better than the climate or landscape + climate RF models. A. mohri presence sites tended to have a greater elevation, a lower mean July temperature, and a greater percentage of very slow infiltration soils in the watershed, compared to absence sites. A. mohri was absent at the Ouachita Mountains sites and may be experiencing a range contraction or migration northward.


A compatibility in poem writing with a style of Lightness instead imitation and resonance,happens to be advocated by the three poets in Shandong: Yu Shenxing,Feng Qi,Gong Nai,and the poets of Gong'an School in the early Wan Li period Ming Dynasty.But some differences exist in these two groups of poets in many aspects because of their different foundation of thoughts and their different geographical cultures.Although the three poets haven't achieved the ultimate victory,their poetics poetry reflected a new developing trend at that time.


Biosensors and immunosensors show an increasing attractiveness when developing current cheap and fast monitoring and detecting devices. In this work, a model of immunosensor in a class of delayed lattice differential equations is offered and studied. The spatial operator describes symmetric diffusion processes of antigenes between pixels. The main results are devoted to the qualitative research of the model. The conditions of global asymptotic stability, which are constructed with the help of Lyapunov functionals, determine a lower estimate of the time of immune response. Nonlinear analysis of the model is performed with help of a series of numerical characteristics including autocorrelation function, mutual information, embedding, and correlation dimensions, sample entropy, the largest Lyapunov exponents. We consider the influence of both symmetric and unsymmetric diffusion of antigens between pixels on the qualitative behavior of the system. The outcomes are verified with the help of numerical simulation in cases of 4 × 4 - and 16 × 16 - arrays of immunopixels.


The objective of this study is to prepare a super absorbent hydrogel based on polyacrylic acid and an environmentally friendly material such as shellac to remove malachite green dye from aqueous solution using gamma radiation. The adsorption of malachite green (MG) dyes using polyacrylic acid (PAA)/shellac (SH) hydrogels was studied. These hydrogels were prepared by mixing aqueous solutions of PAA and SH at differing molecular ratios (10%, 20%, and 30% SH content in the final reaction mixture) and varying doses of gamma radiation (10–50 kGy). The water absorption by the PAA/SH hydrogels prepared at a 30-kGy radiation dose increased with an increase in the SH content. The removal of the MG dyes from an aqueous solution using PAA and PAA/SH hydrogels was investigated at different values for selected parameters, such as pH, contact time, SH concentration, and adsorbent dosage. The highest MG adsorption percentage (95.5%) was obtained for the PAA/SH hydrogel with the highest SH content (30%). As the adsorbent dosage increased, the dye adsorption capacity increased, accordingly. The combination of SH and gamma radiation caused the PAA to undergo structural changes verified by X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy was employed to investigate the morphology of the PAA/SH hydrogel and revealed that the SH belonging to the PAA matrixes exhibited a homogeneous dispersion. The thermal stability of the hydrogels was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis. The amount of dye adsorbed by the PAA/SH hydrogel was calculated by subtraction based on the ultraviolet–visible (UV–VIS) spectroscopy determination of the concentration of leftover dye in solution using a UV–VIS spectrophotometer.


Background: Proteolytic activation of fungal SREBP requires the five-subunit Golgi Dsc E3 ligase. Results: Dsc1 is an active E3 ligase; loss of Dsc E3 ligase activity leads to ER localization of the Dsc complex. Conclusion: ER exit of the Dsc E3 ligase requires E3 ligase activity. Significance: This is the first example of enzyme activity-dependent protein sorting in the secretory pathway. Layers of quality control ensure proper protein folding and complex formation prior to exit from the endoplasmic reticulum. The fission yeast Dsc E3 ligase is a Golgi-localized complex required for sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP) transcription factor activation that shows architectural similarity to endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation E3 ligases. The Dsc E3 ligase consists of five integral membrane proteins (Dsc1–Dsc5) and functionally interacts with the conserved AAA-ATPase Cdc48. Utilizing an in vitro ubiquitination assay, we demonstrated that Dsc1 has ubiquitin E3 ligase activity that requires the E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme Ubc4. Mutations that specifically block Dsc1-Ubc4 interaction prevent SREBP cleavage, indicating that SREBP activation requires Dsc E3 ligase activity. Surprisingly, Golgi localization of the Dsc E3 ligase complex also requires Dsc1 E3 ligase activity. Analysis of Dsc E3 ligase complex formation, glycosylation, and localization indicated that Dsc1 E3 ligase activity is specifically required for endoplasmic reticulum exit of the complex. These results define enzyme activity-dependent sorting as an autoregulatory mechanism for protein trafficking.


The aim of the essay is to discuss Kamil Pietrowiak's work Świat po omacku. Etnograficzne studium (nie)widzenia i (nie)sprawności (2019) [The World by Feel: An Ethnographic Study of (Not) Seeing and (Dis)Ability]. In his book, Pietrowiak introduces and explains the cognitive limitations of blind people and social perceptions of blindness itself, which shape everyday life for people in this group. Pietrowiak's analyses and reflections are based on the results of ethnographic research (collaborative ethnography) conducted among the blind, their family members and friends, and the employees of institutions and organizations working on their behalf. The author of the essay believes that Pietrowiak's approach is innovative and that he has made a valuable contribution to the subject, especially in consideration of the general level of scholarly and popular knowledge of disabilities.


Simple Summary The Runzhou white-crested (RWC) duck is a unique breed with excellent ornamental and economic value. It has complex feather protrusions, collectively known as crest cushions, which mainly comprise prominent soft tissues covered by skin and feathers. In this study, the number of crest cushions and various serum biochemical parameters of RWC ducks were observed and measured. The results showed that the number of crest cushions could be used to directly reflect the size of the crest. As the number of crest cushions increased, the weight and mortality increased. In addition, the number of crest cushions had a positive effect on various serum parameters, such as various mineral elements as well as triglyceride and immunoglobulin levels. Therefore, it is preliminarily speculated that the number of crest cushions may indirectly affect the health and immune performance of RWC ducks. Abstract We investigated the effects of crest cushions in Runzhou white-crested (RWC) ducks. A total of 322 duck eggs were collected for incubation; 286 eggs were fertilized, and 235 RCW ducks were hatched. All the RWC ducks were weighed after 100 days and counted, and the volume of the crest cushion was measured. The number of crest cushions was positively correlated with the body weight, volume of the crest cushion, and distance from the mouth (p < 0.05). The serum Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Zn, and Se contents in the multiple-crest-cushion group were significantly higher (p < 0.05), as were the levels of triglycerides, immunoglobulin A, immunoglobulin G, immunoglobulin M, and immunoglobulin D (p < 0.01). The opposite results were seen for glycosylated low-density lipoprotein (p < 0.01). Propionic acid and acetic acid contents differed significantly between the two groups (p < 0.05), as did butyric acid content (p < 0.01), being higher in the multiple-crest-cushion group. Thus, an increase in the number of crest cushions coincided with a change in various serum biochemical indicators. The number of crest cushions might be involved in regulating various mechanisms of RWC ducks and might have an immunoregulatory effect.


The invention relates to a colourful environmental-friendly synthesized polymer waterproof paint which comprises the following components in parts by weight: 3-7 parts of petroleum resin, 5-15 parts of styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene (SEBS), 5-15 parts of styrene-butylene-styrene (SBS), 5-10 parts of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, 4-8 parts of terpene resin, 4-8 parts of poly-alpha-methyl styrene, 2-5 parts of tung oil, 10-15 parts of mica powder, 0.2-0.5 part of antiager D, 0.2-0.5 part of antioxidant 264, 0.2-0.5 part of defoaming agent, 0.3-0.5 part of ultraviolet absorber, 35-45 parts of 120 # solvent, 5-15 parts of butyl acetate and 1-3 parts of color paste. The paint has the characteristics of unique waterproof property, acid-base resistance, ultraviolet irradiation resistance, heat insulation, anti-aging property, high adhesion strength, water repellent, good leakage-resisting effect, heat resistance, frost resistance and good elongation; and the paint also has the advantages of wide application range, moderate price, environmental friendliness, durability and the like, and is convenient to use, thereby meeting the demand of people in a real life.


. We present observations of the 'quiet' Sun close to the recent solar minimum (Cycle 22), with the Gauribidanur radioheliograph. Our main conclusion is that coronal streamers also influence the observed radio brightness temperature.


Copper oxide/nickel oxide (CuO/NiO) thin films were deposited on glass substrates by the Physical vapor deposition (PVD) Technique and then annealed at different temperatures of 280°C, 320°C, and 360°C for 2 hours. The effects of the annealing temperature on the optical and structural properties of the CuO/NiO thin films were studied. X-ray diffraction suggests that a Monoclinic and cubic structure with a strong (1 1 1) and (2 2 0) for each of CuO and NiO respectively preferred orientation which remained the same with different heat treatments. And the crystallite size increases with annealing temperature, and the lattice constants of CuO/NiO thin films were also obtained from XRD data. Also, it is found that with the increase of different heat treatments, the optical absorption spectra showed that with increasing annealing temperatures, the absorption coefficient decreases, and the edge absorption shifts to longer wavelengths. The direct optical band gap decreases from 2.88 eV, 2.84ev to 2.74 eV for as-deposited and annealed CuO/NiO thin film at 280 °C, 320 °C, and 360 °C respectively.


Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) has evolved remarkably over the years and is expected to become a primary form of input to mobile devices including smartphones and wearables. Most large-scale mobile platforms perform speech recognition in the cloud today. There are both advantages and disadvantages to this Cloud-based ASR (Cloud-ASR) approach. Cloud-ASR approach allows for a context oriented humancomputer- interaction using speech rather than a mere speech-totext translation. A Cloud-ASR also has disadvantages such as interruption of the speech service when there is no access to the Cloud-ASR, and also the energy consumption for radio communications, which can drain a mobile battery sooner. We propose the usage of Hierarchical Speech Recognizer (HSR) as an alternative approach to overcome the shortcomings of the Cloud-ASR approach. In the HSR approach, mobile devices perform "selective speech recognition" by themselves as much as possible without contacting an external cloud-based ASR service. In this demonstration, we show our proof-of-concept HSR along with its feasibility and advantages.


Introduces a design scheme which centralizing in single computer PIC16F77, using a graphic dot matrix liquid crystal display module VPG19264 and a decoder keyboard interface chip MM74C922 to realize a human interface in pulse power system. Gives the principle diagram of the hardware interface circuit and the software flow chart of the main program.


This scientific writing is about development an application on mobile phone which base on Java, with the theme Traditional Language Dictionary of Batak Toba. Batak language is a traditional language from North Sumatera province. Batak ethnic consist of Batak Angkola, Batak Karo, Batak Mandailing, Batak Pakpak, Batak Simalungun, and Batak Toba. This dictionary can translate words from Batak language into Indonesian and otherwise.
The application is intended to all requiring people which is need the dictionary of Batak-Indonesia and on the contrary. Especially for Batak ethnic people. The Purpose of this application is to facilitate the users to learn and understand the meaning of Batak language, and expected this application can support user mobility, and can perpetuate and introduce the traditional languages of Batak in the wider community.
The application is developed using J2ME which specifically used for the development of Java applications that are implemented on the mobile device. J2ME supports development of application on the equipment with memory and storage capacity is limited, such as common mobile phones, Smart Phone, Black Berry, and Pocket PC.

Bibliography (2002 - 2012)


Australia wide maps have recently been generated and released by CSIRO and Geoscience Australia using the 14 band satellite-borne ASTER sensors. Seventeen map products related to surface composition have been developed, based on spectral absorption features representing either abundance of mineral groups, specific minerals and their chemistry, vegetation cover or regolith related characteristics. This study aims to test the geoscience mapping capabilities of these products, individually, and integrated with airborne geophysics and DEMs over the semi-arid Mt Fitton area, South Australia, and within the agricultural Wagga Wagga region, New South Wales. The robustness of these techniques is evaluated by comparing the results from these two areas with different geological exposure and cultivation. Various image processing, statistical and principal component analytical (PCA) techniques were utilised. ASTER map products including Ferric Oxide Content, Ferrous Iron Index, AlOH Group Content, MgOH Group Content, MgOH Group Composition, Ferrous Iron Content in MgOH, and Silica Index products proved useful discriminating previously mapped host or altered units of Mt Fitton. PCA correlation statistics proved helpful in devising potentially useful RGB composite imagery incorporating ASTER and geophysics. 2 D scatterplots between different products also proved useful for classifying surface composition. However ASTER map products within the Wagga area proved strongly affected by agricultural and floodplain cover. Slope per cent products generated from Wagga DEMs were useful in focussing ASTER products in areas of hilly and piedmont outcrop or eroded exposures.


At WARFP 2005, we proposed ATLAS as a scalable implementation for transactional parallel systems [5]. The impetus for the development of ATLAS is to address the significant hurdles that software simulators face in multiprocessor architectural research. In particular, ATLAS is an FPGA-based system that primarily serves as a rapid software development platform for our transactional memory model, TCC [4]. Leveraging commodity hardware and software tools, ATLAS is poised to support research exploring the impact of transactional memory on architecture, operating systems, compilers and programming models.


The paper addresses the issue of controlling streaming of scalable video over wireless links to resource-constrained devices (terminals). A controller on the terminal maximizes user perceived quality taking into account available computing resources and condition of the network. The controller determines the number of layers to be processed using a strategy calculated for the given layers configuration and network conditions. We present a method to decrease the number of pre-calculated strategies for the controller by exploring the dependency between layers configuration and network conditions.


Stepping away from the traditional design-speed concept as unique tool in road design safety monitoring, some countries evolved to the use of advanced design consistency procedures based on speed-profile estimates and expected crash frequency models. However, these procedures were based on long-term research, and have reached a level of development that is hardly replicable in the short-term by every country. Countries bereft of these tools tend to use foreign procedures with its related applicability issues. Benchmarking such methods in countries where alternative methods are available is therefore a major concern. The Interactive Highway Safety Design Model (IHSDM) is such an advanced tool. Four of its six evaluation modules are potentially relevant for direct use outside the US: the Crash Prediction Module (CPM), the Design Consistency Module (DCM), the Traffic Analysis Module and the Driver-Vehicle Module. Three of these relevant IHSDM modules were used in the analysis of a dangerous stretch of a Portuguese single carriageway two-lane rural highway and compared to local advanced procedures and observed data. The PERVEL – Dangerous Curves Detection System, a procedure for the detection of inconsistent horizontal curves in Portuguese single carriageway rural roads, was used in the evaluation of IHSDM speed estimates and DCM results. Additionally, the calibration of the CPM to the Portuguese context is described. Results show that the detected inconsistent curves by both methods are associated with higher accident frequencies than the remaining elements. The application of IHSDM demonstrated its effectiveness in the detection of dangerous road curves, overestimating however the expected accident frequencies.


Accelerating effects of alkylthiols on copolymerization of Charge-Transfer-Complex (C. T. C.) comonomers were discovered for the first time. Experiments indicate that St/MAn (1:1) can hardly copolymerize spontaneously at 37℃, but in the presence of trace amount of thiols (RSH) the copolymerization occurs rapidly. In the range of 1.7×10-4-3.4×10-3 mol-1 for (RSH), initial rates, Rpo, almost remain constant. If set (St + MAn)= constant, Rpo, increase monotonically with increasing [MAn] . Furthermore, when feed ratio Xma = 0.08 -0.083, the compositions of copolymers vary from 0.28-0.33. In other words, regardless of comonomer feed ratio, MAn contents in resultant eopolymers are always far lower than that of "ideal alternative copolymer", as it was frequently reported.


As global challenges intensify, social entrepreneurship—a unique blend of business and social problem-solving—becomes a beacon of innovation. Central to this fusion is empathy, the capacity to comprehend and share the feelings of others, which may profoundly impact one's social entrepreneurial intentions (SEI). This study scrutinized the intricate roles of entrepreneurial behavior (EB) in potentially amplifying or modulating this impact. Leveraging a stratified convenience sample, 393 students from a distinguished private, non-sectarian university provided insights via an online Google Forms survey. The data unraveled intriguing interplays: distinct components of empathy, especially emotional regulation, emerged as crucial drivers for SEI. Yet, their influence was most pronounced when mediated by EB. In particular, EB served as a bridge, fully channeling the effects of several empathy facets on SEI. On the other hand, despite initial presumptions, EB did not moderate the relationship, indicating that its role is more of a conduit than a modifier in the empathy-SEI nexus. This exploration sheds light on the multifaceted interrelationships between personal attributes and entrepreneurial intentions, offering valuable cues for educational institutions and entrepreneurship advocates.


Some morphological and anatomical characteristics of Crocus pallasii Goldb. subsp. turcicus B.Mathew and Crocus cancellatus Herbert subsp. damascenus (Herbert) B.Mathew, which flower in autumn, were investigated. Detailed descriptions of these two taxa of Crocus L., which occur in Şanliurfa, are provided and their morphological characters are compared with those given in the Flora of Turkey. The specimens were collected from different parts of Şanliurfa within C7 of the grid system; their habitat and population status were also determined. Their anatomical structure are illustrated.


As the collective forestry property system in China has developed in recent years, the difficulty faced by forestry households (the main managers of Chinese forests) in securing loans has received extensive attention. To address this problem, we should follow the bottom-up principle and undertake effective measures based on a clear understanding of forestry financing. Based on the results of a questionnaire, this article investigates and analyzes the credit demand in forestry households, lending channels, scaling, time limits, loan usage, and cost structures. Studies have shown that funding deficits contribute to the intense demand for loans. The salient characteristics of foresters' credit demand indicate that such demand is typically large-scale and of long duration—particularly when compared with the credit demand of common farmers. Loans to foresters are used for production purposes and mainly come from formal financing. The structural dislocation of current forestry loan products has resulted in a demand for forestry farming credit that is difficult to satisfy. Therefore, improving the quality of credit services and optimizing loan product structures would help foresters and the Chinese forestry industry.


We consider an optimization problem given by a discrete inclusion, whose trajec-
tories are constrained to closed sets. Necessary optimality conditions in the form of
the maximum principle and in terms of local generalized derived cones of constraints
are obtained.


Nonrelativistic QCD provides a rigorous factorization theorem for heavy quarkonium production and decay. It predicts the universality of nonperturbative long distance matrix elements (LDMEs). In our analysis we test the universality of the S0, S1, and P0 color octet (CO) LDMEs at nextto-leading order in αs by calculating J/ψ polarization observables in photoand hadroproduction using LDME values from a global fit to unpolarized production data. We show that the NRQCD predictions for λθ in the helicity frame are in disagreement with the precise CDF polarization measurement at the Tevatron in run II. We show that neither our set of CO LDMEs nor the ones proposed in two later J/ψ polarization works is able to describe all the unpolarized J/ψ production data and the CDF run II polarization measurement at the same time.


In this paper, we examine the level of information quality obtained by the end-of-the-year accrual financial statements of Greek municipalities in terms of accounting principles compliance. The level of compliance is measured by two alternative compliance indices developed on the basis of data retrieved by auditors' reports. Our results indicate that there is room for improvement in relation to the quality of the information content of municipalities'financial reports. Additionally, variables that relate to the auditor size as well as to the municipality size, wealth and experience in accrual accounting were found to exhibit an influential role on the quality of the accounting information provided to stakeholders through end-of-the-year financial statements in terms of accounting standards compliance. The paper attempts to assess whether the introduction of accrual accounting in a public sector setting succeeded in producing the expected quality of accounting information in practice via analysing compliance with accounting standards.


The star formation history of a galaxy is modulated by a plethora of internal processes and environmental conditions. The details of how these evolve and couple together is not fully understood yet. In this work, we study the effects that galaxy mergers and morphological transformations have on setting different modes of star formation at galactic scales and across cosmic time. We monitor the global properties of vintergatan, a 20 pc resolution cosmological zoom-in simulation of a Milky Way-type galaxy. Between redshifts 1 and 5, we find that major mergers trigger multiple starburst episodes, corresponding to a tenfold drop of the gas depletion time down to 100 Myr. Bursty star formation is enabled by the emergence of a galactic disc, when the rotational velocity of gas starts to dominate over its velocity dispersion. Coherent motions of gas then outweigh disordered ones, such that the galaxy responds to merger-induced forcings by redistributing large amounts of gas towards high densities. As a result, the overall star formation rate is enhanced with an associated decrease in the depletion time. Before redshift 5, mergers are expected to be even more frequent. However, a more turbulent interstellar medium, is incapable of reacting in such a collective manner so as to spark rapid star formation. Thus, a constant long depletion time of 1 Gyr is kept, along with a low, but gradually increasing star formation rate. After the last major merger at redshift 1, vintergatan spends the next 8 Gyr evolving secularly. It has a settled and adiabatically growing disc, and a constant star formation rate with gas depletion times of 1–2 Gyr. Our results are compatible with the observed rapid transition between different modes of star formation when galaxies leave the main sequence.


This article provides a summary of the alternative manufacturing methods available for fiber-reinforced polymer composites and the factors that influence their selection. Both thermoset and thermoplastic composites are considered, but an article of this length can only give an overview of what is a complex field of many different technologies. Postmolding operations, such as machining, joining, and repair, are beyond the scope of this article; the reader is referred to the bibliography and to other relevant materials available in this encyclopedia for more information.

Keywords:

manufacture;
advanced composite;
GRP;
thermoset;
thermoplastic;
contact molding;
wet layup;
vacuum bag;
prepreg;
autoclave;
resin infusion;
compression molding;
resin transfer molding;
S-RIM;
centrifugal molding;
filament winding;
pultrusion;
automation;
injection molding;
diaphragm forming


Spin stabilized projectile (10) comprising: an outer body (12); an internal mass (14) in a cavity (18) of the body, characterized in that the internal mass is mechanically coupled to the body so that the inner mass can be tilted selectively toward and against the longitudinal axis (30) body rotates relative to the shaft in a direction opposite to the rotation of the body; and an actuator (22, 24) coupled to the internal mass both tilt the internal mass to and in the opposite direction to rotate the shaft and the inner mass around the axis relative to the body.


This paper compares three shaft sensorless control schemes for wound-filed flux switching machines based on high frequency square-wave voltage injection. Because the machine has armature and field windings, high frequency voltage can be injected and processed in the armature winding, as the conventional PMSM, or injecting in one winding and processing the signals from the other winding. The analytic result shows that the scheme with d-axis voltage injection and q-axis current processing is generally similar to that used for PMSMs. An additional polarity identification is required to prevent phase error in the estimated position. However, schemes with injection and processing at separate windings have superior performance, and do not require polarity identification. In addition to the theoretical analysis, experimental verifications of the proposed sensorless control schemes are also presented.


As one of 12 members of the drafting committee of Agenda 21's Chapter 36, 'Education, Public Awareness and Training', Charles Hopkins reflects on the process of working on the now-famous document. Although it was noncontroversial at the time, Chapter 36 spawned education for sustainable development when it was given to UNESCO to administer within the UN system. Hopkins chronicles how UNESCO struggled to establish an identity for ESD, separate from environmental education and the other related 'adjectival education' approaches, to infuse all education through a series of reports, assessments, guides and the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.


Abstract This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of commercial probiotics (Lactobacillus spp.) (LS) with Zataria multiflora essential oil (ZEO) and an antibiotic growth promoter (AGP) on broiler health and performance. In experiment 1, 300 one-day-old chicks (Ross 308) were assigned to one of 4 treatments, comprising five replicates per treatment in a completely randomised design. Dietary treatments included: basal diet (control), 0.25 and 0.50 g/kg LS, or 0.50 g/kg Flavomycine added to basal diet. In experiment 2, 225 one-day-old chicks, were assigned to one of 3 treatments, comprising five replicates per treatment in a completely randomised design Dietary treatments included: basal diet (control), 0.50 g/kg LS, or 1 g/kg ZEO added to the basal diet. The inclusion of LS increased body weight gain significantly (P ≤ .05) at 42 days of age. Both AGP and LS reduced feed intake and feed conversion ratio compared to the control diet (P ≤ .05). The lowest triglyceride, cholesterol, LDL and ALT were observed in chicks administered by LS compare to control and AGP (P ≤ .05). The inclusion of LSdecreased triglyceride, cholesterol, LDL and ALT, and increased immune titre against IBD and IB compare to control and AGP (P ≤ .05), and Intestinal health index were increased in LS group compared to control and AGP. The addition of ZEO, decreased LDL and ALT, and increased the immune titre against AI, ND and IBD compared to LS significantly (P ≤ .001). The results showed that usage of LS (0.5 g/kg) population of salmonella and coliform bacteria were greatly reduced, while in ZEO fed birds, E. coli population of caeca was reduced considerably (P ≤ .001). These results confirmed that LS and ZEO have effective on broiler chicken and can be considered a potent antibiotic replacer. HIGHLIGHTS Use of antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) in poultry diets, has been banned worldwide. To control and eliminate of intestinal pathogens, and increase body weight and improve FCR, alternative procedures as adding phytogenic compounds and probiotics in the poultry diet. Lactobacilli spores and Zataria multiflora essence can decrease the microbial population of the caecum, and increase the intestinal health index.


The process of cellular differentiation is guided by molecular controls that regulate the expression of cell-specific genes. Clearly, these controls must be precise in both their specificity and temporal appearance. The signals that direct the molecular regulation of differentiation are intrinsic and extrinsic (extracellular) factors. Intrinsic mechanisms require a change in activity (e.g., by molecular modification) or concentration (by synthesis regulation or dilution due to cell division) of the effector molecules. Extracellular influences, whether circulating or insoluble elements, induce differentiation by interacting with receptive molecules on the target cell surface or, as with steroid-mediated induction, with intracellular receptors. Although little is known about the nature of regulatory factors or the mechanism of signal transduction involved in differentiation, research has demonstrated the importance of the extracellular environment in development.
 1–4


The effects of crack width on chloride ingress and mechanical behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) specimens were experimentally studied after exposure to 300 cycles of freeze-thaw and seawater immersion (75 times). Cracks were induced prior to exposure by an eccentric compression load which was sustained until the end of the exposure period. The maximum cracks widths induced in the four column specimens were 0, 0.06, 0.11, and 0.15 mm, respectively. Results show that when the crack width was less than 0.06 mm, the effect of cracks on chloride ingress could be neglected. However, when the crack width was more than 0.11 mm, chloride ingress was accelerated. Results of static loading tests show that both yield load and ultimate load of RC columns decreased as crack width increased. When the crack width was 0.15 mm, yield load and ultimate load of RC column specimen decreased by 17.0% and 18.9%, respectively, compared to a specimen without cracks. It was concluded that crack width significantly promoted local chloride ingress and mechanical performance degradation of RC structures in cold coastal regions or exposed to deicing salts.


The evidence of direct local infection was in some of these cases unquestionable. The result of my observations is, that there is certainly no infection from the cutaneous exudations or the pulmonary exhalations of the affected; but that the alvine discharges are highly infectious, and that extreme care should be taken to receive them, at their first discharge, into some disinfecting medium; by which means, I believe, the propagation of the disease may be effectually checked. I would strongly recommend those who are anxious for further information on this important subject to read the admirable series of letters by our talented associate, Dr. William Budd, in the JOURNAL, in 1854 and 1S55. [To be continued.]


The purpose of this study was to address the Department's concern about (1) making weigh-in-motion (WIM) equipment operate satisfactorily upon installation and (2) enhancing data consistency as compared to static-weigh operations. In order to address these concerns current Department practice with portable WIM was reviewed and evaluated. Data previously collected by the Department with both portable and permanent equipment was analytically evaluated as was the steering axle weights in static versus dynamic situations. Finally, an evaluation was made of data collected with portable WIM during calibration, testing and operation.


The intermetallic compound formation in gold–aluminum thin‐film couples is monitored as a continuous function of time by photographic x‐ray analysis during in situ annealing in the temperature range 35°–350 °C. A copper rotating anode x‐ray machine gave high enough intensities to allow phase changes to be detected in a matter of minutes. The experimental procedure will be presented. It was found that Au5Al2 is the dominant crystalline phase in the initial stage of the reaction. The order of formation of the various intermetallic compounds is discussed.


The effects of a surprising change in reward magnitude on blocking of the acquisition of stimulus control by brightness cues introduced following prior acquisition of discriminative stimulus control by internal cues were investigated in two experiments employing an instrumental go/no-go discrimination problem. Blocking was attenuated in both experiments by a surprising decrease in reward to the negative (S) stimulus coincident with the beginning of compound stimulus training. In Experiment 1, a delay in the reduction of Sreward until Day 5 of compound stimulus training also attenuated the blocking effect and did so to the same degree as a reduction in Sreward simultaneous with the beginning of compound training. In Experiment 2, a reduction in Sreward prior to the beginning of compound training had much less of an attenuating effect on blocking. The results are discussed with reference to theoretical explanations of blocking.