This note discusses briefly some questions on economics of privacy, especially the relation of privacy to price discrimination, as well as relevant developments in ecommerce and ordinary commerce. Various open questions that call for further research are discussed. In particular, while much interesting theoretical research has been done, and a small number of informative laboratory experiments have been carried out, much more work would be desirable, especially in some areas of behavioral economics, and there is a great unmet need for active monitoring of the marketplace.


Experiments on the lightning-induced voltage on an overhead wire with a simulated lightning channel and a 1/20 reduced-scale model have been carried out on a lossy ground. This method is quite useful in testing various coupling models as repeated measurement along with a simple simulated lightning channel is possible. The electrical characteristics of the ground, indispensable in the calculation of the induced voltage over lossy ground, are evaluated through the comparison of the measured and the calculated horizontal electric field waveforms. The coupling model adopted in the numerical calculation of the induced voltage, including the terminations of a finite line, is verified by the good agreement of the measured and the calculated voltage waveforms. This result also verifies the usefulness of the measurement of the horizontal electric field waveform in assessing the ground conductivity in the frequency range of interest.


We introduce Contextual Vision Transformers (ContextViT), a method designed to generate robust image representations for datasets experiencing shifts in latent factors across various groups. Derived from the concept of in-context learning, ContextViT incorporates an additional context token to encapsulate group-specific information. This integration allows the model to adjust the image representation in accordance with the group-specific context. Specifically, for a given input image, ContextViT maps images with identical group membership into this context token, which is appended to the input image tokens. Additionally, we introduce a context inference network to predict such tokens on-the-fly, given a batch of samples from the group. This enables ContextViT to adapt to new testing distributions during inference time. We demonstrate the efficacy of ContextViT across a wide range of applications. In supervised fine-tuning, we show that augmenting pre-trained ViTs with our proposed context conditioning mechanism results in consistent improvements in out-of-distribution generalization on iWildCam and FMoW. We also investigate self-supervised representation learning with ContextViT. Our experiments on the Camelyon17 pathology imaging benchmark and the JUMP-CP microscopy imaging benchmark demonstrate that ContextViT excels in learning stable image featurizations amidst distribution shift, consistently outperforming its ViT counterpart.


Objective To explore the relationship between MRI features and histopathologic type of malignant thymoma.Methods Retrospective analysis of 16 cases by puncture,surgical pathological examination confirmed the MR imaging features of malignant thymoma and its pathological types.Results Of the 16 cases,the numbers of invasive thymoma and thymic carcinoma were 12 and 4,respectively.There were 8 cases with more than 10 cm in tumor diameter,6 cases were between 5 and 10 cm in diameter,2 cases were less than 5 cm in diameter.A case had intact membrane,but 15 cases were without intact membrane.13 cases had a higher prevalence of irregular or lobular contours,while 3 cases had regular contours.The numbers of pleural invasion,pericardial invasion,main vessels invasion and distant metastasis were 14,12,6 and 2,respectively.There were 14 cases with heterogeneous signals of tumor parenchyma and 2 cases with homogeneous signals of tumor parenchyma.Conclusion Incomplete membrane with irregular or lobular contours,more than 10 cm in diameter with heterogeneous signals of tumor parenchyma,pleural and pericardial invasion with distant metastasis are all highly suggestive of malignant thymoma.Malignant thymoma is also with longer diameter than other tumors.MRI is of limited value,however,in differentiating type 1(invasive thymoma) from type 2(thymic carcinoma) malignant thymoma.


The invention relates to a sliding contact (4), in particular a commutator, having for a rotor (2) electric machine (1) with a brush (5, 6) and a rotor associated with the brush (5, 6) in touching contact stationary collector (3). It is provided that the collector (3) facing the brush contact surface (18) of the brush (5, 6) has at least one brush drainage recess (19) which has its main extension direction in the circumferential direction and in the main extension direction along a center line (21) passes, the has at two spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction points at a different distance from an edge (20) of the collector (3), and / or that one of the brush (5, 6) facing the collector contact surface (17) of the collector (3) via at least one collector drainage recess ( 24) has, which has its main extension direction in the circumferential direction and extends in the main extension direction along a center line having, at two spaced apart points in the circumferential direction at a different distance from the edge (20) of the collector. The invention further relates to an electrical machine (1).


Urban form always transforms when new transportation technology is deployed. Urban form and transportation technologies always coevolve. Many new technologies have been developed to solve the problems of greenhouse gas emission, air pollution, energy efficiency, high gas prices, traffic congestion, etc. Electric vehicles (EVs) and Mobility-on-Demand systems are two of these technologies. With the advancement of battery technologies, EVs are become the next mainstream product for Automobile industry. Meanwhile, there are many new concepts about various alternative types of car ownership, such as Mobility-on-Demand (MoD) systems, a oneway rental car sharing systems, for which the Smart Cities group of MIT Media Lab is doing research. The regulation and infrastructure of current cities are mainly designed to accommodate gasoline-powered and private owned vehicles. This thesis addresses how will urban fabric and space transform with the arrivals of EVs and MoD systems and what kind of service and urban infrastructure can be integrated when individual vehicles become a node of mobility network. The thesis focuses on Taipei City as a case study city and develops varies scale design strategies, ranging from charging infrastructure, street, sidewalk, curb, parking infrastructure, to building type. The thesis also discusses the benefit of EVs and MoD system may bring to a city. Thesis Supervisor: Kent Larson Title: Principal Research Scientist of Department of Architecture and MIT Program in Media Arts and Sciences


RAYE, JULIE KNOWLES. An electromagnetic interrogation technique utilizing pressure-dependent polarization. (Under the direction of H. T. Banks.) This dissertation focuses on an interrogation technique that uses traveling acoustic wavefronts as a virtual reflector for an oncoming electromagnetic wave. Electromagnetic interrogation techniques in general have the potential for wide applicability in practical problems and this technique in particular enjoys that potential. We begin by developing a viable model for pressure-dependent orientational (Debye) polarization. We then incorporate it into a one-dimensional Maxwell system to describe the electromagnetic/acoustic interaction. This system may be generalized to include a wider class of electromagnetic behavior; we establish well-posedness, enhanced regularity, and convergence results for this general system. Under the framework provided by the mathematical theory, we obtain computational results for sample forward and inverse problems relating to the interrogation technique. Our numerical algorithms for the forward problem involve finite difference approximations in time and finite element approximations with piecewise linear basis elements in space. Solving the inverse problem entails least squares minimization using a gradient-free Nelder Mead optimization routine. Finally, as a first step in developing a model in which the pressure wave may be modulated by the electromagnetic wave (unlike the one-way coupling in the model presented here), we consider the system describing an acoustic wave propagating through a layered medium. We derive a weak formulation for this system and present computational findings. AN ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERROGATION TECHNIQUE UTILIZING PRESSURE-DEPENDENT POLARIZATION by Julie Knowles Raye a thesis submitted to the graduate faculty of north carolina state university in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of doctor of philosophy


The invention relates to an electronic unit for identifying the charged state and/or the wear and tear of a motor vehicle battery. Said unit comprises elements for detecting the battery voltage and in addition, elements for detecting the speed (n*) of the internal combustion engine. The unit also has elements for evaluating the battery voltage (uBatt) according to the internal combustion engine speed during the starting operation (t2-t3), in relation to the charged state and/or the wear and tear of the motor vehicle battery.


With copper nitrate and copper acetate as raw materials,two kinds of nanometer copper oxide powder(marked as CuO-1 and CuO-2) were prepared via precipitation method and solvothermal method,respectively.The crystal structure and morphology of the above catalysts were characterized using the X-ray powder diffraction(XRD) and scanning electron microscope(SEM).The CuO-catalyzed oxidation of lignin by O2to phenolic derivatives in alkaline solution was evaluated under mild conditions(95 ℃,1 atm).The results show that the CuO was active to this reaction and the CuO-1,with a smaller particle size and a small amount of Cu2O,possessed the highest activity.Under the optimized reaction conditions,CuO-1 can achieve 66.6% degradation rate of lignin,providing 14.7% yield for the main phenolic products syringic acid,vanillic aldehyde,syringaldehyde and acetosyringone with a good reusability.


Thinking about the psyche-soma relations means integrating this dualism in the philosophical soul/body dualism that Freud both inherits and diverges from. The notion of ? the life of the soul ?, used by Freud as something akin to psyche, suggests the union between the soul and life and therefore the bodily nature of the psyche. This bodily nature is revealed both in development and in psychic functioning, in the fundamental experiences of satisfaction and pain and in the nature of the drive. It is based on the initial unity between child and mother, which precedes any notion of a separate object. On that basis, it is possible to consider the difference between soma and body and the transition to the erotised body, and to examine some articulations between psyche and body (dreams, affect, acting out) or alternatively the expressions of one by the other.


Microcomputers can provide sophisticated data base management and decision-support systems, budget calculations, word processing, and telecommunication networks. Agencies that develop expertise in microcomputer technology will make a larger contribution to the communities they serve.


Environmental radio frequency (RF) data over a broad band of frequencies were needed to evaluate the airspace around several airports. An RF signal measurement system was designed using a spectrum analyzer connected to an aircraft VHF/UHF navigation antenna installed on a small aircraft. This paper presents an overview of the RF measurement system and provides analysis of a sample of RF signal measurement data over a frequency range of 30 MHz to 1000 MHz.


This article is being retracted at the request of the corresponding author, Dr. Ervant Nishanian. Dr. Nishanian requested the retraction for the following reason: Columbia University has concluded that one of the co-authors of this article, Mr. Frumento, falsified and fabricated CRP data upon which the conclusions of this article were drawn. In addition, the University found that some of the credentials claimed by Mr. Frumento were not accurate. In the article his degrees are listed as "Robert Frumento, MS, MPH". The University found that Mr. Frumento had not received a Master of Science degree from any institution.


A model was developed to determine the optimal slaughter weights of pigs with heterogeneous growth raised in a 1,000 head barn and marketed in truckload groups. Under commonly used revenue schemes, which include discounts for weight and leanness, the optimal strategy was to market one or two truckloads of the heaviest animals, to wait several days, and then to market the rest of the herd. This multiple marketing strategy allows the producer to avoid some sort losses for heavy animals, but only modestly extends the grow/finish period, reflecting the dominance of the opportunity cost of facilities in the herd replacement decision.


We advocate the use of the concept of a vague graph which provides powerful tools and techniques for the modeling of many processes and systems, notably namely dynamic process in physical, biological and social systems. By making it possible to use the upper and lower degree of membership of an element, the vague graph can provide an additional expressive power for the representation and modeling under uncertain and imprecise information. The existence of an upper and lower degree of membership may in many cases be more natural and convenient for the human being than the degree of membership and non-membership as in the intuitionistic graphs which can be considered equivalent, up to the isomorphism, to the vague graphs. An application of the new concept of domination in the vague graphs to an analysis of some non-medical aspects related to the Covid-19 vaccination is shown.


The present study undertakes an analysis of monitoring and evaluation as a pragmatic methodology for enhancing the efficacy of municipalities in the context of South Africa. Research findings indicate that a significant obstacle faced by South African municipalities is the issue of substandard performance. These aspects can be linked to several reasons, such as inadequate allocation of resources, limitations in capacity, and deficiencies in monitoring and assessment processes. This article posits that the use of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) is crucial in addressing instances of suboptimal performance within municipalities. There exists a necessity to enhance the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems in order to attain efficient performance management and ensure the provision of high-quality service delivery. The research was conducted among three distinct municipalities, namely Amajuba, uThukela, and uMgungundlovu, located in the province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). The sample population comprised of municipal officials belonging to the Performance Management System (PMS) and Corporate Services units. The study employed a qualitative methodology and deliberately selected important participants who possessed knowledge and a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter under investigation. Furthermore, it is worth noting that the sample size consisted of 20 people. The researchers organized focus group conversations in order to gather data, which was subsequently controlled through the utilization of the NVivo software application. The findings of the study indicate that monitoring and evaluation (M&E) is a crucial component in enhancing the performance of local government. Its primary purpose is to establish the essential circumstances for achieving greater levels of performance that are sustainable over an extended period. Municipalities are required to demonstrate a firm dedication to the prioritization and adoption of municipal monitoring and evaluation (M&E) as an essential tool for facilitating progressive local governance. This commitment involves the institutionalization of M&E practices, the enforcement of mandatory adherence to established systems and procedures, the integration of information technology systems to enhance and fortify the implementation of M&E, and the utilization of participatory M&E approaches to assess the effectiveness of municipal functions and development endeavors.


Multiprocessor chips are here - and over the next decade they will scale to hundreds of communicating processors per chip. They offer the possibility of computer systems scaling to millions of processors. But perhaps more important is that they will make it possible to design electronic systems using concurrent software to program high-volume multiprocessor chips. Individual processors in these systems will be used to execute conventional software, or to emulate functions normally performed by hardware. And communicating processors - programmed in terms of communicating processes - provide a natural way to unify approaches to hardware and software design.


Preface Introduction The Boycott Decision The Domestic Campaign The International Campaign Consequences of the Boycott Endemic Obstacles to the Boycott U.S. Shortcomings Evaluation of the Use of the Boycott Selected Bibliography Index


Tatiana Semenova - Junior Research Fellow, Centre of Sociology of Higher Education, Institute of Education, National Research University Higher School of Economics. E-mail: email@example.com Vilkova - Intern Researcher, Centre of Sociology of Higher Education, Institute of Education, National Research University Higher School of Economics. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Shcheglova - Analyst, Centre of Sociology of Higher Education, Institute of Education, National Research University Higher School of Economics. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com: 20 Myasnitskaya Str., 101000 Moscow, Russian Federation.As massive open online courses (MOOC) rapidly invaded the education services market at the beginning of the 21st century, a new trend emerged in global education. In the era of globalization and digitization, MOOC acts as an efficient tool to promote universities in the international educational arena, popularizenational cultures, and raise additional funds. This is why a lot of countries, including Russia, have entered the race for online courses. Despite all the focus on MOOC in global education, the proportion of studies analyzing the MOOC market and the prospects for MOOCs in the Russian context is rather small. This article mainly seeks to describe the MOOC market and behavioral patterns of MOOC providers in the international and national online education markets, and to classify MOOC players based on open source data collected from online platforms. As a conclusion, platform data analysis findings are used to identify vacant niches in the MOOC market, and possible avenues of Russian providers" development in the international segment are assessed. Several data sources were used to solve the study objectives: articles, reports, official MOOC-related documents, information from online platform websites, a body of quantitative data collected from two leading online platforms, and a base of quantitative data from the Class Central aggregator, which contains informationon MOOCs offered by several major online platforms.


A data acquisition and processing system based on LAN technology was developed according to the actual demands of integrated remote control,real-time data processing and data processing required by PTS.The oscillograph with embedded Ethernet interface was chosen to fulfil signal acquisition.A computer was taken as the core of instrument remote control and data processing.The network data transmission is based on TCP/IP protocol.Visual Basic 6.0 is used to exploit the virtual instruments of the system.VISA is adopted to realize the remote control of oscillographs.The data exchange and sharing are accomplished through network.Thus the paper points out a future research direction about the technology of interconnection of the control and monitoring system for multi-oscillograph device and information network.


The present invention discloses a mother liquor evaporation system with good evaporation effect, high production efficiency and low energy consumption. The mother liquor evaporation system comprises evaporators which are composed of a tank and a heat exchanger provided in the tank, an evaporation system is composed of the evaporators, the evaporation system is a multi-effect evaporation system constituted by a plurality of evaporators, in the evaporators of the multi-effect evaporation system, an outlet of the tank of the front evaporator tank is connected to an inlet of the heat exchanger of the rear evaporator; steam passes through the heat exchanger, the one effect evaporator introduces steam for once, the subsequent evaporators successively introduce secondary steam which can be taken as a heat exchange medium.


According to President J. Carter, who signed into law a $227 billion excise tax (windfall profits tax) on revenue from decontrolled U.S. crude oil production, the new tax program will provide the U.S. with the incentive and the means to produce and conserve domestic oil and replace more oil with alternative sources of energy. According to C. DiBona (API), the new tax will discourage the increased amount of domestic production required to compensate, by the mid-to-late 1980's, for a 1.7 million bbl/day shortfall, which will have to be made up with imports from foreign producers. According to J. McAfee of Gulf Oil Corp., only a token amount, about $34 billion of the $227 billion which will be raised by the new tax over the next decade, will be devoted to energy development and mass transit. According to C. J. Miller of the Independent Petroleum Association of America, the tax's complex and sometimes conflicting regulations will pose harsh problems for smaller producers.


The American Gas Association's third annual Commercial Gas Market Survey identifies current regional and national market trends and provides a data base for market analysis of the commercial sector. Seventy four gas distribution companies accounting for 63% of total US commercial gas sales returned 96 responses in the 1982 survey. Survey results show that commercial consumption of natural gas rose 4% to nearly 2.5 quads, with 33% of the customers and 40% of the sales in the North Central region. Real estate, educational facilities, and health services facilities were the top three users, and space heating accounted for two-thirds of the total sales. There were nearly 17,000 conversions from other energy sources, 89% of which were for space heating. Dual-fuel users bought 14% of the commercial gas. The companies reported having special conditions, such as interruptible service, on their sales, although these were mostly self-imposed. Conservation has reduced consumption per customer 17% since 1973. 20 tables.


Moringa has been recently introduced in Guanajuato; however, the trees do not grow evenly, there are differences of up to 225 cm. The objective was to evaluate the nutritional and nutraceutical quality of leaf from trees of different sizes. The leaves were harvested in April 2013 in the newly-introduced garden by INIFAP in Celaya, Guanajuato. Nutritional quality for its chemical composition and content of calcium and iron and functional quality for vitamin C content, phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity were determined. The protein content of the leaves from trees of 100 cm was higher (24.7%) than trees of 25 (21.1%) and 250 cm (22.3%), and lower than the commercial sample from Oaxaca (29.3%). One hundred grams of leaf from trees of 25, 100 and 250 cm can contribute with 107, 91.7 and 74% of the daily requirement of vitamin C. Moringa leaf of the tree is a better source of calcium and iron, vitamin C, phenols, tannins than the commercial samples. The same applies for antioxidant capacity. Moringa leaf has better nutraceutical properties than parsley, oregano, thyme and epazote. These results show the lack of uniformity in preparing commercial mixtures and appropriate management can achieve better quality of moringa leaf for commercial purposes. This is the first report on the quality of leaf from Mexican materials of moringa.


velocity vector field; ] > 0 is the kinematic viscosity; → F is a nonlinear vector function; ε ≥ 0 is a small nonnegative parameter; the external force g(x, t) is locally square integrable in time for (x, t) ∈ Ω × R, that is, for any t ∈ R, g(x, t) ∈ L2loc(R; H), whereH = (L 2(Ω)) 3,V = (H1 0 (Ω)) 3, and (⋅, ⋅) and ‖ ⋅ ‖ are the inner product and norm ofH, respectively. The Benjamin-Bona-Mahony (BBM) equation is a wellknown model in physical applications which incorporates dispersive effects for long waves in shallow water that was introduced by Benjamin et al. [1] as an improvement of the Korteweg-de Vries equation (KdV equation) for modeling long waves of small amplitude in two dimensions. Contrastingwith the KdV equation, the BBMequation is unstable in its high wave number components. Further, while the KdV equation has an infinite number of integrals of motion, the BBM equation only has three. Both KdV and BBM equations cover cases of surface waves of long wavelength in liquids, acoustic-gravity waves in compressible fluid, hydromagnetic waves in cold plasma, and acoustic waves in harmonic crystals. For the well-posedness of global solutions for BBM equation, we can refer to [2–7]. For the long-time behavior, such as the existence of global attractor and its structure and the dimension of the attractors, we will discuss the known results in details. Biler [8] investigated the long-time behavior of 2D generalized BBM equation


No doubt both communication and jamming are indispensable in wireless confrontation. For the jamming side, a major challenge is how to coordinate the jamming and the internal communication behaviors. This paper investigates a joint channel strategy optimization problem in an integrated communication and jamming system. A spectrum compensation mechanism is proposed to coordinate the channel strategies between the users and the jammer within a Stackelberg game framework. Considering the dynamics of strategy space, we formulate the followers sub-game as a stochastic potential game. Moreover, we prove the existence of Stackelberg equilibrium and propose an algorithm to search for the equilibrium solution. Simulation results show that the proposed method can increase the jammer's and the users' utilities significantly compared with the uncoordinated situations.


W O O K C H A N G , † D A V I D A . S M A L L , † F R E S H T E H T O G H R O L , * , ‡ A N D W I L L I A M E . B E N T L E Y † Center for Biosystems Research, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, College Park, Maryland 20742, and Microarray Research Laboratory, Biological and Economic Analysis Division, Office of Pesticide Programs, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Fort Meade, Maryland 20755


This paper presents the first analysis of transfer pricing strategies, employing a simulated proxy for the company's marginal tax rate. Application of this sophisticated tax measure allows us to perform a direct comparison of profit shifting to subsidiaries with low statutory tax rates and to subsidiaries with tax losses. Using a panel of 23,668 EU subsidiaries of foreign companies, we observe that the shift-to-loss effect is significant and that its size (marginal effect: -.193) does not differ considerably from the size of shifting to low tax rates (marginal effect: -.182). Our findings further indicate that the shift-to-loss effect influences profit shifting only in the short term and that profits are shifted in particular to subsidiaries, whose loss carryforwards are expected to expire in the near future.


The antioxidant defense system has many components. A deficiency in any of these components can cause a reduction in the overall antioxidant status of an individual. Reduction in total antioxidant status has been implicated in several disease states, such as cancer and heart disease (2). Quantification of the antioxidant status from an animal means the measurement of the activity of all antioxidant enzymes and of the non enzymatic components. Moreover, the individual quantification does not take into account the synergic or inhibiting relations that may occur between different antioxidants


The European mink was first reported in Spain in the 1950s. Since then it has expanded its range in centralnorthern Spain. In 2007 the first European mink was captured in Aragón, in the province of Zaragoza. Since 1999, the rivers rising in eastern Zaragoza and Huesca have been trapped and surveyed to detect the presence of European mink in Aragón and confirm its slow expansion towards the east and south-east of the Iberian Peninsula. Trapping was carried out during seven years (1999, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009), with a total of 128 trapping stations and 9,680 trap nights. The rivers Ebro, Queiles, Huecha, Arba, Alera, Castiliscar, Onsella, Veral, Esca, Regal and Aragón were trapped. 16 different European minks were captured between 2007 and 2009, with 27 captures (11 recaptures): nine males and seven females. Mean weight of males was 894,4 g (SD= 150,4) and 514,7 g (SD= 18,7) for females. European mink was detected in the Huecha and Queiles rivers in the south of Aragón, where capture densities were higher; 1,19 and 1,28 different minks per 100 trap nights respectively. It was also detected in the Onsella, Castiliscar and Alera rivers in the north of Aragón, where capture densities were lower; 0,19, 0,55 and 0,66 different minks per 100 trap nights respectively. Its presence was detected in 7 UTM 10x10 km squares. By contrast, its presence was not detected in the upper basin of the River Aragón, probably as a consequence of the barrier constituted by the dam and water reservoir of Yesa, and in the River Ebro.


Purpose is to study the effect of a stress-strain state (SSS) of rock mass on statistical dispersion of deformability characteristics of the compacted overburden; to develop modeling methods of dispersion of random values (RV) influence of subsoil material characteristics; and to analyze their SSS modeling using a finite-element method as well as simulation modeling. Methods. The following has been applied: the tested methods of experiment planning theory; methods of rock mechanics; methods of mathematical statistics and probability theory; simulation using Monte Carlo method; and finite-element method (FEM) using elastic-plastic model to simulate SSS of artificial rock masses. Findings. Statistic parameters of the distribution of RVs of both analytical and boundary resistances of the compacted overburden have been obtained as well as subsidence of plates (bases) on beddings, and their relative irregularities. Statistic parameters and regularities of plate subsidence have been identified using numerical SSS simulation of beddings, and simulation by means of Monte Carlo method. It has been determined that there is a probability of origination of a nonlinear stage of a basis deformation in addition to a linear one. The fact can be explained by variability of the compacted rock characteristics as well as random nature of loads on the bases. It has been defined that probability failure of the basis on a bedding from 1st boundary condition is allowable since safety characteristic is β > 3-4; in terms of relative irregularity criterion, their subsidence on a one layer bedding achieves 10% when its boundary value (ΔS/L) is u = 0.002 and 3% when its boundary value (ΔS/L) is u = 0.004; however, in the context of a multilayer bedding, the values are only 0.02%, and 0.0006% respectively. Originality. It has been identified that determination of deformation of the beddings, belonging to overburden Quarternary rocks, should take into consideration the determined regularities of distribution of physiomechanical characteristics of the compacted soil in the process of analytical numerical simulation, and in the context of finite element method using elastic-plastic model. Practical implications. Possibility to utilize overburden Quarternary rocks as well as their mixtures has been proved while using them as a material of soil beddings for buildings and structures; and methods have been developed to calculate artificial formations on the basis of the compacted overburden taking into consideration statistic parameters of distribution of their physiomechanical characteristics.


In this work, we have applied surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and surface-enhanced infrared spectroscopy (SEIR) to study the interaction of nitro polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs) with metal surfaces. The nitro group confers the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) moiety additional electronic and structural characteristics which verify NPAHs−surface interactions. SERS and SEIR spectra suggest that the NPAHs 1-nitropyrene (1NP) and 2-nitrofluorene (2NF) at concentrations of <10-6 M (∼200 ppb) interact with metal surfaces through the nitro group, adopting a perpendicular orientation onto the surface. In both cases, the interaction seems to occur through the O atoms of the nitro groups, which are coplanar to the PAHs fragment. The most efficient interaction was obtained using silver metal colloidal surfaces. The mechanism of interaction with the metal surface is related to the structure of NPAHs:  although a monodentate interaction is deduced in the case of 1NP, a bidentate one seems to o...


A common belief among engineers is that, to get the best performance, a PC based data acquisition module must plug into the PCI bus. Properly implemented, however, a data acquisition module can use the PC's USB 2.0 port to pump data into a PC as fast as PCI-based cards. The keys to achieving this performance are a hardware USB interface on the module and optimized driver software for the host system.


approved ThoMas A. Schmidt In 1998 Manfred Streit [12] found a class of non-biholomorphically equivalent algebraic curves that are Ga/(Q/Q) conjugate by using subgroups of the triangle group A(2, 3, it). His work was an extension of work done by A. Macbeath [8] who proved that for q = p +1 mod7 there are three non-biholomorphically equivalent Riemann surfaces with PSL2(Fq) acting as a Hurwitz group of conformal automorphisms. In this dissertation, we use subgroups of the Hecke Groups to construct Reimann surfaces, which we then compactify. We show that the compactified surfaces are uniformized by a subgroup of a specific type of triangle group. Upon examination of the Ga/(Q/Q) orbits of these surfaces when we view them as algebraic curves, we see that these non-biholomorphically equivalent surfaces are Galois conjugates. Redacted for Privacy Principal Subgroups of the Nonarithmetic Hecke Triangle Groups and Galois Orbits of Algebraic Curves by Katherine M. Smith A Dissertation submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Presented June 8, 2000 Commencement June 2001 Doctor of Philosophy dissertation of Katherine M. Smith presented on June 8, 2000


♦ Shamliyan T, Kane RL Pediatrics 2012;129:e1291-e1300[OpenUrl][1][Abstract/FREE Full Text][2].

Results for only 29% of completed studies involving children conducted from 2000 through 2010 were published in peer-reviewed journals, according to an analysis of 758 studies registered on the online


In a semiconductor in which the effect of mixed conduction is dominant, the determination of carrier mobilities only by Hall measurements is impossible. Magnetoresistance measurements provide the lacking equation which, in conjunction with the expressions for RH and μn in the mixed conduction region, may be used to determine μn and b. As the analytical solution is difficult, we solved the system by an approximative method under the main assumption that b≫1. This method was applied to measurements of semi‐insulating Cr‐doped GaAs (which is a typical example of a semiconductor in which mixed conduction is dominant), with good results. Further application to intrinsic InSb at room temperature, using known data, confirmed the validity of the method.


A titrimetric method has been developed for the determination of germanium in glass. Germanium anion in aqueous solution combine with two molecules of mannitol to form a germanate mannitol complex in presence of sufficient mannitol. The complex is moderately strong acid and germanium can be determined by alkalimetric titration. The proposed method is simple, rapid and selective and the method is successfully applied for the determination of germanium in glass.


The spatial filter in the path of the signal and reconstructed beams and the sampling of reproduced data pages on a camera cause a nonuniform brightness distribution of bright symbols and degrade the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). We thus applied a digital filter to data pages before recording to improve the reproduced data quality. The simulation results showed that a digital filter with coefficients of the neighboring horizontal and vertical taps from the center tap of −0.10 improved the brightness distribution of bright symbols and increased the SNR of the reproduced data. We experimentally investigated the effect of the digital filter in angle-multiplexed holograms. As a result, the SNR increased and the bit error rate decreased. We found that this method is effective for improving the reproduced data quality.


Objective:[ST5",6BZ]To study the antifungal activities of 23 1 [2 (N methyl N substituted benzyl) amino 2 (2,4 difluorophenyl)ethyl] 1 H 1,2,4 triazole compounds in vitro and to discuss their structure activity relationship.Methods:The antifungal activities of the title compounds against 8 pathogenetic fungi were tested in vitro .Results and Conclusion: The results showed that the title compounds had activities against 8 tested fungi to different degree. Most compounds exhibited higher activity against Candida abicans and Candida parapsilosis than that of butenafine. The activities of compound 2 and 13 were 64 to 128 times as much as econazole against Cryptococcus neofomans . Compound 2,3,13,16 were highly active against most fungi. SAR studies revealed that the combination of structural features of both benzylamine and azole analogues was beneficial to the antifungal activity. However, if benzyl was replaced by naphthabenzyl, the antifungal activity was much lower. [


The analysis of the performance of a binary optical element requires a physical optics calculation because of the diffractive nature of such elements. We have developed a number of software tools for this analysis, which are based on the Kirchhoff-Fresnel diffraction integral. These tools allow investigation of results of diffraction both in and out of the focal plane. The programs take a given (nonbinary) element, convert it to a binary element with prescribed etching resolutions and etching depths, and perform the diffractive calculation. The diffraction is calculated by a number of means (direct numerical integration, Fresnel approximation, evaluation of analytic formulas). The software also computes quantitative measures of performance, such as blur spot sizes, diffraction efficiencies, and wavelength separation (for dispersive elements). We discuss the abilities and limitations of the codes and present sample calculations.


A field experiment was conducted during the summer seasons of 1991 and 1992 on alluvial sandy-loam soils of Cuttack (coastal region of Orissa) to identify a suitable high-yielding variety of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) in rice (Oryza sativa L.) fallows and suitable technology for higher productivity of the crop. The promising varieties were 'R 8808', 'ICGS 11' and 'DRG 12' with mean yields of 3.55, 3.33 and 3.26 tonnes/ha respectively. The crop sown at the spacings of 40 cm X 10 cm (250 000 plants/ha), 30 cm X 10 cm(333 000 plants/ha) and 20 cm X 15 cm (333 000 plants/ha) gave significantly higher yield (2.60, 2.79 and 2.82 tonnes/ha respectively) than that grown under the spacings of 20 cm X 10 cm (500 000 plants/ha). 30 cm X 15 cm (222 000 plarus/ha) and 40 cm X 15 cm (166 666 plants/ha). The crop responded to gypsum @ 500 kg/ha applied 30 days after germination, and to P @17.46kg/ha applied at sowing.


This project was completed with the support of the National Bioenergy Center at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy's Office of Science, and Cal Poly Science Teacher and Researcher (STAR) Internship Program. Special thanks to Calvin Feik, Jessica Olstad, and Steven Phillips for their assistance in sample and data collection. Additional thanks to Linda Lung, Jennifer Coughlin, and Doug Duncan for supporting my development as a teacher-researcher. Above all, I would like to thank my mentor, Singfoong Cheah, for her assistance and support, and showing me the value of curiosity and perseverance in science. Figure 2: Sample EDS spectrums is the production of unwanted byproducts, including organic tar and inorganic constituents (such as sulfur, chlorine, and alkali metals). The concentrations of such byproducts depend on variables such as feedstock, temperature, and process conditions (gasification versus pyrolysis). This study focuses on understanding sulfur contaminants by studying the content and speciation of inorganic sulfur in biochar. Elucidating the molecular transformation of sulfur during the conversion process will support the purposeful development of strategies to reduce the amount of undesirable sulfur in thermochemically derived biofuels.


The uropigyan gland is characteristic of birds. Considered as sebum, has two lobes responsible for producing a secretion that is to the sealing of penalties of this animals. We used 30 individuals of Gallus gallus from Bovans Goldline lineage, with approximately 15 weeks of age. In the vascular system blood, after natural death, was injected aqueous solution of Neoprene Latex "450" at 50%, road left ischiatic artery. The birds were dissected after 48 hours of setting in aqueous solution of formalin to 10%. The irrigation of the uropigyan gland showed up from the flow median artery, through two branches right and left who issued the medial and lateral branches glandular right and left. Both lobes were also irrigated by their respective branches gland.


Quality management is an important function for viable production networks. In order to qualify decision makers to understand the fundamental principles of quality management in production networks, a game-based simulation and learning environment is developed, which can furthermore be used to understand how human factors influence the quality of decisions in complex production networks. Previous studies have shown that underlying factors must exist, which predict the players' performance. It is currently unexplored, which factors are contributing to high performance. To deeper investigate which human factors are critical for supply chain success and to further refine the quality management game a series of studies were examined. As expected, expertise had a great impact on performance, however contrary to the expectations cognitive skills had none. The refined decision dashboard, with seamlessly integrated self-adapting visualizations on key performance indicators, had a significant positive impact on game performance. The studies suggest that the developed game is a valuable contribution for the qualification of quality managers, as the quality of decision increased. © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the International Editorial Committee of the "2nd International Conference on Ramp-Up Management" in the person of the Conference Chair Prof. Dr. Robert Schmitt.


The object of this paper is to study invariant submanifolds 𝑀 of Sasakian manifolds 𝑀 admitting a semisymmetric nonmetric connection, and it is shown that M admits semisymmetric nonmetric connection. Further it is proved that the second fundamental forms 𝜎 and 𝜎 with respect to Levi-Civita connection and semi-symmetric nonmetric connection coincide. It is shown that if the second fundamental form 𝜎 is recurrent, 2-recurrent, generalized 2-recurrent, semiparallel, pseudoparallel, and Ricci-generalized pseudoparallel and M has parallel third fundamental form with respect to semisymmetric nonmetric connection, then M is totally geodesic with respect to Levi-Civita connection.


A number of researchers focus their research on spectrum sensing technologies. Single-node spectrum sensing algorithms and fusion-decision algorithms in cooperative spectrum sensing are proposed from different special aspects to get better network performance. This paper analyzes these performance influence factors of these algorithms, including SNR, cognitive user number, and so on. Simulation and analysis results give the suggestion while employing these algorithms.


The probe photon energy dependent amplitude of RBMs is explained in terms of the real and imaginary parts of third-order susceptibility showing that the previous explanation by frequency modulation due to radius change is incorrect.


In a typical oil reservoir, untapped crude co‐exists with water (connate water or brine) whose chemical composition depends on the formation in which it trapped. Although CO2‐EOR has been lately regarded as viable recovery technique for heavy crudes, its applicability on the field scale lies in understandings of various phenomena among which induced chemistry. In this research, we proposed to evaluate the extent to which brine salinity and hardness as well as an induced chemistry inherent to CO2 injection alter heavy oil recovery. Conducted at a laboratory scale, CO2was selected as a displacing agent to be injected in an analysis cell of a PVT apparatus within which reservoir physical conditions were reproduced. A heavy crude (API 11.5 o ) and three brine solutions chemically different were selected as displaced fluids. CO2 showed a high solubility, which increased with the pressure, comparatively to methane in both pure component hexadecane and heavy crude with a bubble point –pressure at 7.8 MPa. Salinity, taken alone, was found not to alter gas solubility, however the build‐up in Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ within connate water impacted invariably GOR.


Predation by wolves Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758 in ungulate communities in Europe, with special reference to the multi-species system of Bialowieza Primeval Forest (Poland/Belarus), was assessed on the basis results of original research and literature. In hisstorical times (post-glacial period), the geographical range of the wolf and most ungulate species in Europe decreased considerably. Community richness of ungulates and potential prey for wolves, decreased over most of the continent from 5-6 species to 2-3 species. The wolf is typically an opportunistic predator with a highly diverse diet; however, cervids are its preffered prey.


The article covers the history of libraries in the villages of the Ferghana Valley in the 1960s and 1980s. In particular, the issues of libraries serviced for the villagers, their supply of books, and their logistical support are covered by archival materials and scientific literature on the subject.


In view of constructionism, this thesis analyzes the formation of FL learners' third culture which distinguishes either from native culture or target culture. It also provides accessible approaches for teachers as to helping learners to build up individual, adaptive and positive third culture with the intention to make learners capable of intercultural communication.


Temperature effect on a rectangular resonant cavity is studied,and temperature characters of bi-metals are discussed.Based on there studies,a new temperature compensation method is proposed to stabilize the resonant frequency of a rectangular resonant cavity.This method has been proved to be effective.


The massive construction of buildings in some communes of Santiago, the construction of haighways or the widening of streets are some public and/or private interventions that have aroused the uneasiness of their neighbors. They have organized themselves into neighborhood groups which have gained prominence in e local discussion on urban development in recent years.This article proposes a conceptual line to read these groups from the heterogeneity of their discourse, for understanding their collective action and their effects on the urban agenda.


The invention discloses a sewage treatment system with mutually communicated tanks. The sewage treatment system comprises an original water tank and at least two sewage treatment stations, wherein each sewage treatment station comprises a first reaction tank, a second reaction tank, a first flocculation tank, a first sedimentation tank, a third reaction tank, a fourth reaction tank, a second flocculation tank and a second sedimentation tank, which are sequentially connected, each sewage treatment station adopts linear design, and an isolating wall is arranged between the adjacent sewage treatment stations. The sewage treatment system further comprises at least two corrosion-resistant self-priming pumps which are arranged above the isolating wall and connected with the adjacent sewage treatment stations. The mutual communication among the ten water tanks of the adjacent sewage treatment stations is realized through the adoption of the design provided by the invention. When any water tank or any equipment in the tanks has failure, the water tanks can be pumped dry in short time for the convenience of maintenance.


Mesh topologies are large scale peer-to-peer systems that use low-bandwidth wireless links to achieve the application objectives. The quality of service in such system is known to decrease as scale increase. Uniform spreading algorithm is spreading messages over all the shortest paths. This is a straightforward strategy where the source, as well as each intermediate node along every path in the contour, sends successive messages in a round-robin fashion. Uniform spreading algorithm shows that the nodes along one of the paths will always handle shortest paths more messages than the nodes along other paths. Optimal spreading algorithm is effectively utilize all the available shortest paths and spreading the messages in balanced load. Optimal technique characterize the set of shortest paths between a pair of nodes in regular mesh topology and derive rules using this characterization, it effectively spread the messages over all the available paths to improve QOS.


meeting expressing the American perspective on the new treaty's meaning. What he said that day has been lost to history. But what the Chinese said rings in my memory still. Their diplomatic summation began: "Wherever there is oppression, there is resistance...." In a few simple words the Chinese thus defined not only their own relation to their longtime adversary, they also captured the historical essence of the black struggle in America: Resistance to Oppression. The post-war freedom movement remained faithful to that tradition but it also


BACKGROUND: Both benign and harmful head and neck disorders have been associated with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Many studies have connected EBV to oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Oral squamous cell carcinoma is the most prevalent type of cancer. Fresh 6ssue samples from pa6ents with OSCC were tested for the presence of Epstein-Barr virus. OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of EBV and IL10 expression in OSCC pa6ents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: FiLy individuals with OSCC and 25 with clinically healthy oral mucosa were studied. In situ hybridiza6on was used for the detec6on of EBV. Serum IL-10 levels were also evaluated in pa6ents and controls using a human IL-10 ELISA Kit. RESULTS: EBV was detected in 4 healthy pa6ents, 6 with moderately differen6ated OSCC, 10 with poorly differen6ated OSCC, and 19 with undifferen6ated OSCC. These differences were sta6s6cally significant (p<0.05). IL-10 expression was more common in OSCC diagnos6c groups than healthy controls, and the difference in blood IL-10 levels between pa6ents and controls was sta6s6cally significant (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of EBV in OSCC suggests its possible role in oral cavity malignancy. On the other hand, IL10 is expressed at higher levels in OSCC biopsies; such elevated concentra6ons may promote viral spread.


The relevance of the research is caused by the need to improve electromechanical systems with linear electromagnetic engines and accumulator food for realization of striking operations, technologies in construction, technical researches, etc. and assumes an effective use of power stock of accumulators and increase in period of operation of system without recharging the source. The main objective of the research is to estimate expediency and to define the possibility of realization of the system providing automatic correction of the electric power consumed from accumulators when the properties of loading change. It is shown that electromechanical systems with the linear electromagnetic engines equipped with sensors of limit provisions of an anchor and operated on the coordinate of a moving anchor are preferable to the technical embodiment. The advanced controlling system with the use of a programmable logic controller which without complication of the device of feedback provides automatic correction of the consumed energy from accumulators under changing properties of loading is offered.


Welcome to the 29th International Heterogeneity in Computing Workshop (HCW). Heterogeneity is, more than ever, one of the key features of modern computing systems. From HPC infrastructure to embedded systems or cloud environments, heterogeneity is pervasive. Modeling, managing, programming, and controlling such systems raise many key research problems and opportunities for innovation.


This article develops a generic framework to explain the environment for public–private partnership (PPP) development in transitional economies. The framework stands on a tripod that includes the market, the operating environment, and the government, each containing several factors that support aspects of PPPs. The authors apply the framework to analyze the results of a multicountry survey in an effort to identify key factors that facilitate PPP development in transition countries. The identified factors are market potential, institutional guarantee, government credibility, financial accessibility, government capacity, consolidated management, and corruption control. The framework and identified factors may serve as effective tools to diagnose and monitor PPP development in a broader array of countries. The framework is applied in analyzing data from four transitional economies and several advanced economies. The efficacy of the framework is further justified by its explanatory power of PPPs' practicality and is largely confirmed by results from a sensitivity test.


1Institute of Clinical Psychology, University of Management and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan. 2CNRS, Unit UPR-3212, Neurobiology of Rhythms, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France. 3Consultant Anesthesiologist, Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi (Pakistan) Correspondence: C-II, Institute of Clinical Psychology, University of Management and Technology (UMT), C-II, Johar Town, Lahore (Pakistan); E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com; email@example.com; Phone: 03213330471 Received: 14 Jul 2018 Reviewed: 31 Jul, 15 Aug, 27 Aug 2018 Revised: 1 Aug 2018, Accepted: 01 Sep 2018 Background: Some studies have evidenced the effect of inflammation and anesthetics on Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) but there is still no data regarding the effect of inflammation and anesthesia alone or in combination of inflammation and anesthesia on BDNF protein in rats' brain. Objectives: To examine effect of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) alone or combined with propofol anesthesia at 3rd of injection on cortical and hippocampal BDNF. Methodology: Male rats in four groups were treated with Intralipid® control, propofol anesthesia (120 mg/kg), LPS (1 mg/kg) and combined propofol with LPS respectively. The brains were removed and brain homogenates were prepared from hippocampus and cortex tissues. The amount of BDNF protein was assessed using ELISA on the brain supernatants. Results: BDNF protein was increased when subjects were injected with propofol anesthesia alone (about 30%) or to LPS injection (about 400%) in both cortex and hippocampus samples. When anesthesia was injected combined with LPS, BDNF protein was decreased in both cortex and hippocampus samples (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Our data evidenced the long term effect of propofol and LPS in increasing BDNF and propofol combined with LPS decreases BDNF protein in hippocampus and cortex.


The article studies the influence of managerial discretion and political cost on RD expenditure in Chinese listed firms. Managerial discretion has a significantly positive influence on RD expenditure. Position power characterized by general manager serving as board chairman concurrently and operation power featured by operation capital and cash flow have a positive significant effect on RD, while pay power expressed by managerial payment differences is not significantly related to RD expenditure. However, the influence of political cost on RD expenditure exhibits complex results. Specifically, state owners are inclined to expend higher RD while monopoly industries have less RD expenditure, the relationship between enterprise size and RD expenditure exhibits a significant U-shape, but the relationship is weakened in the firms whose largest shareholder is the state. The RD expenditure is positively related to the managerial ownership, finance lever and high-tech industry, while there is no significant relationship between RD expenditure and ownership concentration, change of general manager, ROA, and sample year.


We show that, by virtue of the linewidth reduction provided by counter-propagating beams, it is possible to use the optical Stark shift to sweep a two-photon resonance through the sum frequency of the applied light while simultaneously satisfying the conditions required for optical adiabatic rapid passage. Consequently, the application of a near-resonant pulse of light can result in complete population inversion of a two-photon transition.


The task of treating more severely disturbed adolescents in a shorter time in inpatient settings presents clinicians with new challenges. In this paper factors engendering the development of brief therapies are outlined, definitions and modalities introduced, and applications to treatment of hospitalized adolescents discussed.


Moore Jessop. Pp. xiii., 294. London : Kegan Paul, Trench, Triibner & Co. 1891. This book might well be entitled the evolution of " The great globe itself [and] all which it inherit." It begins with the mythological story of Saturn, as the son of Heaven, because the apparent motion of the starry universe is a measure of time; and as the son of Earth, because the ebbing and flowing of the sea is likewise a measure of time ; and continues with the mythical Bathybiusof Haeckel, and the story of the Neanderthal skull and other beginnings of man himself. It then leads up by numerous entertaining chapters on a multiplicity of subjects to the time when " life


Abstract The synthesis, characterization, crystal structure, and magnetic properties of Co2(OH)2BDC and Co(H2O)2BDC (BDC is benzene 1,4-dicarboxylate or terephthalate, O2CC6H4CO2) are reported. Co2(OH)2BDC (C2/m, a=19.952, b=3.286, c=6.295 A, β=95.84°, Z=2, V=410.6 A3) consists of two types of edge-sharing CoO6 chains that are connected to each other by OH (Co–O–Co bridges) to form layers that are further joined together through terephthalate. It exhibits unusual magnetic properties: above 48 K it displays paramagnetism, between 44 and 48 K it behaves as a collinear antiferromagnet, and below 44 K a weak spontaneous magnetization is observed in very low applied fields. At higher fields metamagnetic behavior is observed. Two types of hysteresis loops are observed, one centered about zero field and the second about the metamagnetic critical field. The critical field and the hysteresis width increase as the temperature is lowered; the latter exceeds 50 kOe at 2 K. The unusual large coercivity may be due to the large single-ion anisotropy of Co(II) and its pronounced increase at low temperature. Co(H2O)2BDC (C2/c, a=18.274, b=6.543, c=7.296 A, β=98.6°, Z=4, V=862.5 A3) consists of layers of separated octahedral CoO6 connected via Co–O–C–O–Co. It is paramagnetic and obeys the Curie–Weiss law (Θ=−27 K).


Recently, the venture capital (VC) industry has experienced the entry of several new capital providers. Using US data on investors and their portfolio startups from 2000 to 2022, we document the emergence of a new type of investors: the micro VC. Our analysis reveals that micro Vencture Capitalists (VCs) have an idiosyncratic investment strategy, which differs from traditional VCs. Compared with these investors, micro VCs invest in riskier startups, that is, early‐stage ventures initiated by less experienced founders; yet, micro VCs are less likely to syndicate, stage their investments, and replace the startup founders. Additionally, startups funded by micro VCs are less likely to experience successful exits than those backed by traditional VCs. These results can be traced to a mix of smaller capital endowments, less sophisticated limited partners, and lesser human capital of which micro VCs dispose, and that may induce them to spread their thin capital across many investments to maximize returns. Our analysis also uncovers important differences in the strategies pursued by micro VCs and business angels.The VC industry is increasingly populated by a variety of investors with disparate characteristics and objectives. One such type of investors is represented by the so‐called micro VC firms. These are VC firms that manage funds typically below $50 million and focused primarily on investing in founder‐led startups. We leverage comprehensive VC data in the United States to answer three questions: (1) Who leads micro VC firms? (2) How do micro VC firms invest? (3) How do startups backed by micro VC perform? We find that micro VC firms are often led by relatively inexperienced entrepreneurs with little VC experience, and these firms are supported by less sophisticated limited partners. Although micro VC firms invest in riskier startups, they are less engaged in syndication and investment staging than traditional VC firms. Finally, micro VC‐backed startups have a lower probability of successful exit as compared with those backed by traditional VC firms. Collectively, our results suggest that micro VCs differ from traditional VCs beyond being "micro."


In a hot tokamak plasma the primary mechanism for absorption of the energy of electromagnetic waves at a frequency near ..omega../sub He/ is cyclotron damping in the region with ..omega..approx. =..omega../sub He/. Numerical calculations are carried out for the wave trajectories and for the absorption of the wave energy along these trajectories in the semiclassical approximation for existing devices and for the devices of the next generation. If the pumping conditions are chosen correctly, the energy is absorbed at the center of the plasma and is expended on heating the bulk of the electrons.


Subject Index, both arranged alphabetically. The Author Index contains the primary entry for each item: this entry is listed under the name of the first author and includes coauthor names, title, location of the item, and notice of corrections and comments if any. Cross-references are given from each coauthor name to the name of the correspondin first author. The location of the item is specified by the journal name (atbreviated), year, month, and inclusive pages. consisting of a subject heading, modifying phrase(s), first author's name, The Subject Index contains several entries for each item, each and enough information to locate the item. For coauthors, title, primary ent in the Author Index. Subject cross-references are provided comments and corrections if any, etc., it is necessary to refer to the as required2y the subject matter. Also provided whenever appropriate are listings under generic headings such as Bibliographies (for any paper with at least 50 references, as well as papers that are exclusively bibliographies), Book reviews, and Special issues.


Understanding recruitment in demersal fish requires determination of larval survival and delivery to appropriate settling habitats. Sanddabs Citharichthys sp. are an abundant neritic fish of Central California, an area of persistent upwelling. 'Upwelling shadows' develop in the lee of coastal promontories, retain surface waters, and may promote spatial variation in fish settlement. To test this hypothesis, we studied the diet and foraging dimensions of a seabird (Cepphus columba) specializing in sanddab consumption at windward and leeward sites over a 6 yr period. We integrated the bird's take of sanddab with information on upwelling intensity and variability and sanddab larval abundance based on net sampling. Seabird diet at both sub-colonies was variable, but dominated by Age 1 sanddabs. Sanddabs were more prevalent in the diet of guillemots at the leeward site, and diet was more variable at the windward site. Persistent upwelling led to regional increases in sanddab larval abundance which, in turn, resulted in enhanced recruitment to leeward waters, as reflected in seabird diet. Pulsed upwelling was related to apparent increased recruitment in windward waters. This study is one of the first to suggest that seabird diet can be used as an indicator of spatial variability in recruitment and settlement of demersal forage fish.


The article profiles the continuing validity of two theories of
 architecture elaborated in the mid nineteenth century by Gottfried Semper
 and Eugene Viollet-le-Duc. Both offer materialist-constructivist concepts
 tat broke with the programmatic mold of the Vitruvian tradition.
 Sempers's theory is of particular interest for art history since it
 included and innovatory anthropological perspective on the theoretical
 understanding of architecture; Viollet-le-Duc's theory on the other
 hand reclaimed the rationality of construction, for example that of the
 Gothic cathedrals, which was clearly at loggerheads with the classical
 canons of the school of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. It was the theory of
 Semper which determined in particular depth the modern architecture of the
 twentieth century, for example that of Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies van der
 Rohe and Le Corbusier. It also contained stimuli fot the revision of
 present-day architecture in Mexico which, however, under the lasting
 influence of Luis Barragan, is fixed in the constructional tradition of
 massive walls and draws little from the analytical approach of Semper.


THE UNSUCCESSFUL MINERALS SEARCH IN MINAS GERAIS. After extracting practically all the gold and diamonds from the captaincy of Minas Gerais, Brazilian and foreign politicians and naturalists were looking for new sources of wealth in the form of ores. However, the news of the discovery of copper and cobalt mineral deposits, made by José Vieira Couto (a naturalist from the city of Diamantina), were discredited because the locations indicated or even the analysis performed may have been done incorrectly or even intentionally altered by the naturalist in order to draw the attention of the Portuguese Crown or seeking ways of obtaining social and political promotion among the colony's governors.


Fluorescence blinking is commonly observed in single molecule/particle spectroscopy, but it is an undesirable feature in many applications. We demonstrated that single CdSe/ZnS quantum dots in agarose gel exhibited suppressed blinking behavior. In addition, the long-time exponential bending tail of the power-law blinking statistics was found to be influenced by agarose gel concentration. We suggest that electron transfer from the light state to the dark state might be blocked due to electrostatic surrounding of gel with inherent negatively charged fibers.


In this paper, we focused on the development of photocatalytic degradation to be a promising method for the treatment of decontaminated fruits and vegetables with pesticides. We investigate the coupling between Laser irradiation with TiO2 nanoparticles catalyst in order to study the photocatalytic degradation of metalaxyl, chlorpyrifos, and diazinon from artificially contaminated tomato puree and orange puree. Degradation products were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The influences of different parameters such as catalyst concentration, irradiation time on the reaction rate were ascertained and optimum conditions for maximum degradation were determined. The degradation percentage of all pesticides was achieved under optimized conditions (1g/L catalyst at the irradiation time of 120 min). The study proved that the coupling between TiO2 nanoparticles and laser irradiation has a high potential for photocatalytic degradation of diazinon, chlorpyrifos, and metalaxyl from orange puree and tomato puree. And also, proved that the efficient degradation of pesticide residues increased with an increase in laser irradiation time (for 60 min) and catalyst (TiO2nanoparticles) dosage in all experiments. Maximum reduction >80% was observed in diazinon in all puree treatments.
The processing factor (PFs) was generally less than one which indicates that all processes can reduce pesticide residues in all puree treatments. The less efficient removal of pesticides residues from all treatments without Laser irradiation (dark TiO2100mg)
We concluded that the optimum conditions for the photodegradation of diazinon, chlorpyrifos, and metalaxyl in all puree treatments were TiO2100mg catalyst concentration and after 60 min of laser irradiation.


Objective:To explore the relationship between Ki-67 and gestational trophoblastic disease(GTD).Methods:Immunohistochemicl method was used to detect the expression of Ki-67 in human villi and GTD.Results:Ki-67 labeling index is insignificantly between human villi and all subgroups of GTD.But excluding the effect of constituent ratio of all kinds of trophoblasts and accounting the Ki-67 labeling index of cytotrophoblasts,it showed an increasing Ki-67 labeling index from human villi,through hydatidiform mole and invasive mole,to choriocarcinoma.And the different expression of the Ki-67 labeling index between all groups were significant.Conclusion:The Ki-67 labeling index of cytotrophoblasts may assist to predict the prognosis of GTD and the survival of patients.It's more useful than the Ki-67 labeling index of trophoblasts.


Abstract Introduction and Objectives: Barbed polyglyconate suture (V-Loc®; Covidien, Mansfield, Massachusetts) was first used for the urethrovesical anastomosis (UVA) during robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) beginning January 2010. Safety and feasibility were previously demonstrated in 51 patients.1 In this video, we demonstrate the technique of urethrovesical anastomosis with barbed suture and the results of a randomized, controlled trial assessing perioperative and functional outcomes after urethrovesical anastomosis with barbed polyglyconate versus monofilament poliglecaprone in RARP. Methods: After institutional review board approval, 64 patients meeting all inclusion criteria participated in this multi-surgeon prospective, randomized, controlled trial between May and September 2010. Posterior repair and urethrovesical anastomosis during RARP were performed with barbed polyglyconate (n = 33) or monofilament poliglecaprone (n = 31) suture. Primary outcomes were anastomotic (UVA) and posterior...


Producing high-resolution images and depth maps of a scene is critical to many applications. Although some imaging systems today are equipped with multiple cameras, the output image resolution is usually only a small fraction of the total number of sensor pixels. To significantly increase the output pixel ratio, we propose an imaging system that consists of an array of telescopic cameras and a wide-angle camera. By minimizing the overlap between the telescopic cameras and maximizing the overlap between the low-resolution wide-angle camera and the telescopic cameras, a camera system with nonparallel optical axes is created. The heterogeneous images of different resolutions are fused into a high-resolution wide-angle image, and its corresponding depth map is generated by pairwise heterogeneous matching. The performance of the proposed imaging system is evaluated using both synthetic and real data.


In the light of current NHS strategy, assessment of needs, particularly among those with significant disability, has become highly topical. This article outlines the complexity and skill required for assessing and managing neurologically-related disability. The multifaceted nature of assessment in rehabilitation is indicated, along with an example of such an assessment service developed in practice. The benefits of an assessment strategy in neurorehabilitation is emphasized in terms of resources, patient outcomes and staff development.


In the preparation of a synopsis of the North American genera of Syrphidæ, I have found several new species that could not be placed in any of our known genera. A careful study of the figures and descriptions of exotic forms has not thrown much light upon them, and I am therefore constrained to regard them as new. With the genera included in the present paper, and resuscitating Macquart's Toxomerus, the number now recorded from North America will reach sixty, all but five or six of which are in the writer's collection. Of these, but nine or ten have not yet been found east of the Central Plains, and the following, only, that are not now known west of that region, viz., Triglyphus, Senogaster, Pyrophaena, Doros, Ocyptamus, Rhingia, Brachyalpus, Somula, Temnostoma, Merapioidus, Pterallastis, Teuchocnemis and Lepidomyia, leaving nearly forty genera that occur entirely across the continent; indeed a large proportion of the species are identical from the Atlantic and Pacific regions.


Objective The acquisition of critical thinking skills over one semester by distant and campus social work students enrolled in a graduate-level policy course were compared. Method The scores of pretests and posttests of 62 master's of social work students were analyzed using the California Critical Thinking Skills Test. Results Both groups significantly increased their critical thinking skills with no significant differences found between the two groups. Conclusion Distance education using interactive television was found to be equivalent to face-to-face instruction with regard to acquisition of critical thinking skills.


Different types of pump reflectors for dye lasers with xenon flashlamp pumping have been investigated experimentally. It has been shown that the flashlamp operation in the simmer mode leads to raising the main discharge temperature and increasing the lamp light output. The energy characteristics of the designed pulse-periodic dye lasers for a visible spectral range have been reported.


5 Abstract: Interaction of physical and mental dimensions is necessary to survive. The purpose of present study was to examine body dissatisfaction and mental health of competitive and recreational male bodybuilders. The sample composed of 97 bodybuilders (46 competitive, 51 recreational ones), aged 21 to 34 years old, selected randomly from Tehran gymnasia. It was ex-post facto research. Mental health was assessed by GHQ-28 and body dissatisfaction was evaluated by FRS. Results showed that there was significant difference between competitive and recreational male bodybuilders in social dysfunction. Recreational male bodybuilders had better performance in social function. However, there was not significant difference in other dimensions of mental health (p 0.05). Moreover, BMI did not predict body dissatisfaction significantly in group of competitive.


We investigate the temporal evolution of impulsively generated perturbations in a potential coronal arcade with an embedded loop. For the initial configuration we consider a coronal loop, represented by a density enhancement, which is unbounded in the ignorable direction of the arcade. The linearized time-dependent magnetohydrodynamic equations have been numerically solved in field-aligned coordinates and the time evolution of the initial perturbations has been studied in the zero-β approximation. For propagation constrained to the plane of the arcade, the considered initial perturbations do not excite trapped modes of the system. This weakness of the model is overcome by the inclusion of wave propagation in the ignorable direction. Perpendicular propagation produces two main results. First, damping by wave leakage is less efficient because the loop is able to act as a better wave trap of vertical oscillations. Second, the consideration of an inhomogeneous corona enables the resonant damping of vertical oscillations and the energy transfer from the interior of the loop to the external coronal medium.


It is well known that a large majority of school-age children and adolescents are not active enough to gain the physical and psychological benefits associated with regular moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Schools can play a pivotal role in reversing this trend due to the time students spend in this setting. The purpose of this article is to outline the characteristics of school cultures that inspire students and staff to make physical activity a part of their daily routine. Larger gymnasiums, manicured and modern outdoor play spaces, and new and plentiful sport equipment are important tools for promoting school-based physical activity. However, these artifacts are not as imperative as the values and the relationships among the people who use them. Physically active school cultures have school leaders who agree upon and promote common goals for school-based physical activities, educate new students and staff on the value of physical activity and encourage collegial relationships among students, teachers, parents, administrators, and community partners.


Automatic medical image segmentation, an essential component of medical image analysis, plays an importantrole in computer-aided diagnosis. For example, locating and segmenting the liver can be very helpful in livercancer diagnosis and treatment. The state-of-the-art models in medical image segmentation are variants ofthe encoder-decoder architecture such as fully convolutional network (FCN) and U-Net.1A major focus ofthe FCN based segmentation methods has been on network structure engineering by incorporating the latestCNN structures such as ResNet2and DenseNet.3In addition to exploring new network structures for efficientlyabstracting high level features, incorporating structures for multi-scale image feature extraction in FCN hashelped to improve performance in segmentation tasks. In this paper, we design a new multi-scale networkarchitecture, which takes multi-scale inputs with dedicated convolutional paths to efficiently combine featuresfrom different scales to better utilize the hierarchical information.


Abstract The design and deployment of an experimental meteorological buoy are described. A hot-film anemometer is used for in situ calculations of wind velocity variance spectra. The dissipation method is used to derive surface wind stress from the spectra. This is believed to be the first time a hot-film has been installed on a buoy and used to estimate surface wind stress. Buoy-based hot-film measurements provide distinct advantages over shipboard measurements in that they are much less subject to flow distortion by superstructure. The dissipation technique is also less subject to error due to uncertainties in stability-dependent physical mechanisms because the measurements are made very close to the water surface. Results are interpreted in terms of neutral drag coefficients, and simultaneous buoy and shipboard values show less scatter in the buoy data for a 40-h period. Given the variability in the wind speed and direction created by synoptic weather systems, both platforms compare satisfactorily with...


Replacement and Insertion policies play a key part in determining the effectiveness of caching in both uni-processor and multi-processor systems. General strategies have been designed to take advantage of the principle of locality obeyed by a large class of computer programs-Temporal Locality and Spatial Locality. On this note, the LRU replacement policy and its variations have been the de-facto standard in processor systems, but it has several shortcomings. Performance of LRU is severely affected when there is little locality in the behavior of the application program. To overcome this, some novel replacement strategies have been proposed that can fare well in both LRU-friendly and LRU-averse scenarios. We take a look at two of them-Adaptive Insertion Policies [15] and Re-Reference Interval Prediction (RRIP) [5]. Electrical interconnects are viewed as a major limiting factor with respect to designing high performance caches, with regard to latency, bandwidth, and power. Several hybrid architectures have been proposed which sought to provide lower average latency, lower cost and better overall performance. The increasing sizes of on-chip caches and the growing domination of wire delay necessitate significant changes to cache hierarchy design methodologies. To solved the scal-ability issues in multi-banked caches which form a Uniform Cache Architecture (UCA), non-uniform cache architectures (NUCA) have been proposed, where the banks are connected with an interconnect fabric and access time for a block is a function of the delays experienced in traversing the network path from the cache controller to the bank that contains the block. We take a look at Interconnect Design Delays for large NUCA caches [12], Reactive NUCA [4], PageNUCA [3] and ESP-NUCA [11]. Modern multi-core processors employ large last-level caches (LLC) shared between all of the cores. Researchers have proposed a variety of techniques to manage the LLC to provide better performance and fairness. Most of these schemes follow a pattern of observation, policy selection, and enforcement. Caches for multi-core processors can be managed both by hardware and software. Here we focus on two novel proposals of both mechanisms. Improvements in computational capability attained by Moore's law and microprocessor architectural innovations are over time balanced by corresponding improvements in I/O capability. 10GbE connectivity is expected to be a standard feature of server platforms in the near future. Among the numerous methods and features proposed to improve network performance of such platforms is Direct Cache Access (DCA) to route incoming I/O to CPU caches directly. We take …


We have investigated how a weak radial magnetic field (B 0 ∼10 G) influences the dynamics in the equatorial plane of the envelopes of Be stars. We calculate the distributions of the azimuthal velocity and the azimuthal magnetic field for models with various mass-loss rates, radial velocity distributions, and strengths of the radial component of the magnetic field at the surface of the star. Our investigation has shown that, in a slowly expanding envelope, a weak magnetic field can influence the rotational velocity distribution quite effectively by transferring angular momentum from the magnetic field to the material


In this paper, new multiple dc-dc converter topologies such as boost and buck types are proposed. Basically, multiple converters are interleaved together along with an integrated high frequency multiphase magnetic called zig-zag transformer. The balanced multiphase winding voltages of the transformer are generated by three pulse width modulation (PWM) signals appropriately phase-shifted. The transformer automatically makes all the multi-phase currents identical so that current control can be simply achieved by sensing only a single current even for multiple converters without current sharing technique. Switching frequency of each phase is slightly lower since today's semiconductor technology limits the level. But with the proposed topology, overall input/output ripples are appeared at the number of phases times the switching frequency. First of all, three-interleaved converters are introduced for simplification of the analysis. It is noted that no current ripple is appeared at the boundary conditions where converter operating point needs to be placed. The proposed topology also improves transient response since all identical phase currents flow through the magnetic. Experimental results are shown to confirm the validity of possible use of the proposed approach in practice.


This study deals with the experimental and numerical study on RC beams which is strengthened by wrapping FRP on steel rods. The objective of the study was to investigate the improvements in the structural behaviour of RC beams, while steel bars are wrapped with FRP. The fibre used for the study was E-Glass fibre. Flexural test was conducted on RC beams and RC beams in which the steel bars are wrapped with FRP. In Numerical study, ANSYS software was used to build a 3D model of the beams and to analyse the beam structure. Finally the results obtained from the Experimental test and FEM analysis were compared. The result shows that the load carrying capacity of the RC beams can be increased by wrapping FRP on Steel rod. Index Terms – FRP, Composite bars, ANSYS, RC beam


Field ion microscopy with negative ion imaging has been successfully performed using organic image gases of high electron affinity such as tetracyanoethylene (TCNE). Pure ion images without contributions from field electrons are obtained in a rather broad range of field strengths since field electron emission is suppressed by the field induced formation of a polymer layer from image gas molecules. Under condensation of TCNE on the field cathode surface, unusual ring structures are observed in the ion image. The origin of these structures is not yet clear.


We investigate the phase structures of various N=1 supersymmetric gauge theories including even the exceptional gauge group from the viewpoint of superconvergence of the gauge field propagator. Especially we analyze in detail whether a new type of duality recently discovered by Oehme in $SU(N_c)$ gauge theory coupled to fundamental matter fields can be found in more general gauge theories with more general matter representations or not. The result is that in the cases of theories including matter fields in only the fundamental representation, Oehme's duality holds but otherwise it does not. In the former case, superconvergence relation might give good criterion to describe the interacting non-Abelian Coulomb phase without using some information from dual magnetic theory.


Abstract Particles in nepheloid layer water from four stations in the Sargasso Sea (25–55 m depth) were gently concentrated by reverse flow filtration and tested for their micro‐bial hydrogen production potential. After the addition of a reducing agent and nutrient supplements, the samples were incubated in the dark, under argon. Controls were prepared by filtering the concentrate through 0.2‐μm membrane filters to remove particulates and microorganisms. The total bacterial population ranged from 7.3 × 104 to 1.8 × 105 cells ml−1. Hydrogen production occurred in the experimental vials from all stations; hydrogen in the control vials was 30‐μm particle size fractions; all fractions produced hydrogen upon incubation. Maximum accumulations of hydrogen reached 3 × 105 to 106 nl per 25‐ml sample. These results suggest that fermentative, hydrogen‐producing microorganisms are abundant in the nutrient‐poor Sargasso Sea an...


It has been our pleasure to act as guest editors of this special edition of the World Leisure Journal on Leisure, Health and Disability. We understand that recreation and leisure providers are ideally placed in the community to enhance the health, wellness and quality of life of people with disabilities, although this idyllic goal has yet to be reached (Higgins, 2004; Patterson & Pegg, 2009; Stumbo & Pegg, 2004; Stumbo, Wang, & Pegg, 2011). It has been widely documented that leisure experiences and participation provide unique and valuable experiences that may result in a multitude of physical, social and psychological benefits, as well as enhancing overall quality of life. It also has been shown that, when people with disabilities participate in leisure experiences, they obtain benefits similar to their non-disabled counterparts (Patterson & Pegg, 2009; Stumbo & Peterson, 2009). However, in order for these benefits to be achieved by people with disabilities, leisure and recreation services must be both accessible and inclusive (Anderson & Brown Kress, 2003; Pegg & Compton, 2004). When accessible and inclusive leisure services are not provided, the potential offered by the leisure experience for these individuals remains elusive (Compton, Pegg, & Robb, 2003; Darcy, 2001; Darcy, Cameron, & Pegg, 2010). In addition, Schleien, Green and Stone (2003) note that, while leisure experiences have great potential to showcase inclusion, if they are not accessible and inclusive they also have great potential to widen social chasms between people with and without disabilities. However, in many countries accessible and inclusive leisure and recreation services are variable at best. As such, a continued examination of the nature of accessible and inclusive leisure and recreation services is deemed warranted, as is the effort to detail the diverse range of benefits that people with disabilities may derive from such services. The intent of this special issue on Leisure, Health and Disability is to bring a focus to these issues on a worldwide basis. We received a wide diversity of articles from researchers in all corners of the world using a variety of research methods, many involved in trans-national research teams. Each article went through a rigorous, anonymous, review process by two external reviewers as well as the three co-editors before being accepted. The first two articles represent the supply-side of accessible tourism, directly from the perspectives of tourism providers. Jaqueline Nicolaisen, Bodil Stilling Blichfeldt and Florian Sonnenschein interviewed providers in four tourism destinations in Denmark and Germany, focusing specifically on whether the language and ideas of the providers drew from a medical model of disability or a social model of disability. Interestingly, their findings indicate that tourism providers in these countries drew on both of these models, reflecting a certain complexity in their perceptions concerning tourists with disabilities. World Leisure Journal Vol. 54, Issue 3, September 2012, 198 200


The rise of the corporation is one of the most transformative events in the history of United States, including the agricultural economy. Seeking to understand how these private businesses influence American foodways, my research examines the emergence of agribusiness in the period after 1945. These private entities manipulated the physical and metaphysical landscape of agriculture to sell not just their products, but also to remake rural America in a way that suited their needs. Agribusinesses wanted to make themselves, their products, and their specific vision of production and consumption, indispensable to the agricultural system. They intended to expand their hold on the food and fiber economy and their actions directly reflected this endgoal. They attempted to do this by fundamentally altering the way people, both the public at large and farmers, viewed and understood agriculture. By manipulating conceptions of agriculture, agribusinesses created a new ethos that centralized their place in the political economy of agriculture, celebrated technological determinism and high modernism, modified agricultural values to fit their own perceived ideal, and simplified many rural identities to fit a single idea. This fusion created an inherently contradictory image of agriculture, where the material reality, a capital-intensive and technical system controlled by corporate forces, differed greatly from America's idyllic perception of farming and farmers. These fluctuating conceptions allowed agribusiness to construct an agricultural system that wholly dependent on large companies for preservation and operational success.


The purpose of the article is to identify and estimate the dependency model for the extreme prices of agricultural products listed on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. The article presents the results of the first stage of research covering the time interval 1975–2010. The selected products are: Corn, soybean and wheat. The analysis of the dependency between extreme price values on the selected futures was based on the estimation of five models of two-dimensional extreme value copulas, namely, the Galambos copula, the Gumbel copula, the Husler–Reiss copula, the Tawn asymmetric copula and the t-EV copula. The next stage of the analysis was to test whether the structure of the dependency described with the estimated copulas is a sufficient approximation of reality, and whether it is suitable for modeling empirical data. The quality of matching the estimated copulas to empirical data of return rates of agricultural products was assessed. For this purpose, the Kendall coefficient was calculated, and the methodology of the empirical combining function was used. The conducted research allowed for the determination of the conduct for this kind of phenomena as it is crucial in the process of investing in derivatives markets. The analyzed phenomena are highly dependent on e.g., financial crises, war, or market speculation but also on drought, fires, rainfall, or even crop oversupply. The conducted analysis is of key importance in terms of balancing agricultural production on a global scale. It should be emphasized that conducting market analysis of agricultural products at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange in the context of competition with the agricultural market of the European Union is of significant importance.


The analysis of EEG signal is a relevant problem in health informatics, and its development can help in detection of epileptic's seizures. The diagnosis is based on classification of EEG signal. Different methods and algorithms for classification of EEG signals with an accepted level of reliability and accuracy have been developed over years. All these methods have two steps that are signal preprocessing and classification. The goal of the preprocessing step is removing noise and reduction of the initial signal dimensionality. The signal dimensionality reduction is required by classification methods, but its result is a loss of small information before the classification. In this paper, an approach for EEG signal classification that takes this loss of information into account is considered. The novelty of the considered approach is usage of fuzzy classifier in the classification step. This classifier allows taking uncertainty of initial data into account, which is caused by loss of some information during dimensionality reduction of initial signal. However, application of fuzzy classifier needs modification of the preprocessing step because it requires data in fuzzy form. Therefore, fuzzification procedure is added to the preprocessing step. In this paper, Fuzzy Decision Tree (FDT) is used as the fuzzy classifier for the epileptic's seizure detection. Its application allows achieving 99.5% accuracy of the classification of epileptic's seizure. The comparison with other studies shows that FDT is very effective for task of epileptic's seizure detection.


Let be identically distributed -mixing random variables with mean zeros and positive finite variances. In this paper, we prove , where and .


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Piezoelectric sensors and energy harvesters have received considerable interest due to their self‐powered capability and potential applications in various electronic devices. However, it is still a challenge to fabricate stretchable piezoelectric devices because piezoelectrics mainly consists of stiff crystalline structures. Here, extremely stretchable and tough piezoelectric gels are reported, which are prepared simply by swelling poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)‐based poly(urethane‐urea) (PUU) gels with aqueous solution of molecular ferroelectrics. The hydrogen interactions between the PEG segments in the gels and the molecular ferroelectrics (dabcoHReO4, DH) enable well dispersion and crystallization of DH in the PEG segments. The resulted PUU/DH composite piezoelectric gels exhibit unique tensile mechanical properties, including superior strain (>1000%), high breaking strength (>10 MPa), modulus (>2 MPa), and toughness (>57 MJ cm−3). The extremely stretchable and tough piezoelectric gels show excellent piezoelectric properties (d33 ≈ 62 pC N−1 for films with a 10 wt% of DH and light transparency (>90%), and can quantitatively detect different mechanical deformations. Additionally, the energy generators can harvest mechanical energy with a power density of 1.7 µW cm−2. This work is expected to motivate new design principles for fabricating piezoelectric materials with excellent mechanical and piezoelectric properties for various applications.