Multicasting provides an efficient way of delivering data from a sender to a group of receivers. It has been gained much attention over the past decade because of an increasing demand for group communication applications such as multimedia streaming. Compared with network layer multicast solutions, recent application-layer multicast and overlay multicast approaches provide a new way of handling multicast without upgrading the infrastructure in a large scale. Meanwhile, they introduce a number of challenges and are still plagued with concerns pertaining to scalability, deployment, heterogeneity and dynamic performance. In this paper we propose a new protocol framework for relieving these issues, so-called the Dynamic Mesh-based Overlay Multicast Protocol or DMMP, which intends to provide an efficient and reliable multicast support by dynamically managing an overlay core comprised of end hosts. Although more analysis and evaluation is necessary, this paper sheds light on several identified design issues with DMMP and initially analyzes its performance.


This article investigates the approximate controllability of non-linear fractional stochastic differential inclusions with non-local conditions. We establish a set of sufficient conditions for their approximate controllability and provide results in terms of controllability for the fractional stochastic control system. Our approach relies on using fractional calculus and the fixed-point theorem for multiple-valued operators. Finally, we present an illustrative example to support our findings.


Objective To explore the molecular mechanism of xenotransplantation immune tolerance by recombinant adenovirus (rAdv) CTLA4Ig transgenic swine derm. Methods A recombinant CTLA4Ig Adenovirus expression vector was constructed and then transfected into swine dendritic cell (DC). The transfected dendritic cell was stimulated with swine derm antigen and cultured with human T lymphocyte. CD80 and CD40 of DC membrane were detected, then function and signal transduction mechanism (PI PLC pathway) of T lymphocyte was observed. Results T lymphocyte proliferation ability and IL 2 secretion were suppressed significantly by the CTLA4Ig rAdv transfected DC, signal transducing activity was also decreased.Conclusion The CTLA4Ig transgenic dendritic cell mediated by recombinant adenovirus vector could induce the immune tolerance for human peripheral T lymphocytes.


This paper describes the design, implementation, analysis, and evaluation of a Practical Buses protocol for anonymous network communication. The protocol, based on the metaphor of a city bus, provides connection anonymity for Internet-based communication. We modify the original Buses protocol from the literature to provide receiver anonymity, strengthen security, and improve efficiency and scalability. Our prototype is tested in a LAN scenario. Preliminary performance results show that the Practical Buses protocol is promising.


The improvement of cascaded second-order nonlinearity h (2) : h (2) effects in a quasiphase-matching (QPM) structure constituted by a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide is obtained utilizing an integrated metal mirror placed after an additional waveguide segment. The resulting double-pass device, which can be employed for wavelength conversion, is refined by choosing the most advantageous length of the segment waveguide and by taking into account both the thermal and electro-optic effects. In the ideal case of perfect QPM, for a grating length z G4 = 25 mm, the calculated double-pass maximum efficiency is eta dp = 22.86 dB, which is almost the triple of eta sp = 8.20 dB, calculated for the single-pass version (without mirror) for the same value of the pump and signal powers.


Advances in nanofabrication are the driving force behind the technological breakthroughs in device performance and miniaturization. Functional layered materials with dielectric properties, such as insulators, semiconductors, and correlated electron materials will be necessary for fabrication and delivery of new age devices. 1 Helium (and Neon) ion beam nanofabrication has the benefits of clean, resist-free processing; smaller penetration depth into the material, and reduced active ion implantation, common in standard Focused Ion Beam (FIB) lithography applications. 2 We demonstrate the use of HIM to create a variety of micro-sized structures with varying chemical properties atop several transition metal thiophosphates 3 (TPS) compositions; a broad class of van-der-Waals layered solids. TPS compounds exhibit large band-gaps and a pronounced flexibility to ionic substitution in the metal sites with over 260 combinations known for the sulfides alone. To investigate the effects of the stoichiometric ratio of Cu/In on the growth of nanostructures, we irradiated the surface of the different Cu compositions with varying He doses. Figure 1 illustrates Band Excitation Piezoresponse Force Microscopy (BE-PFM) results for same levels of irradiation in Cu 0.05 In 1.32 P 2 S 6 and Cu 0.7 In 1.1 P 2 S 6 . Irradiated


The aim of this work is to define the endosonographic criteria of fistula in ano as a trial to avoid recurrent perianal fistula. 42 patients underwent endosonography preoperatively in an outpatient setting. Analysis of endosonographic findings revealed the presence of positive results in 38 cases for positive location of an internal opening. The following endosonographic criteria were demonstrated: (1) root like budding formed by the intersphincteric tract that contracts the internal sphincter (3 cases) the appearance of root like budding with internal sphincter defect (6 cases) and subepithelial breach connecting to intersphincteric tract through an internal sphincteric defect (29 cases). False negative results were recorded in four cases. It is concluded from these findings that endosonography is of particular importance in locating the internal opening of the perianal fistula and hence helping in the prevention of recurrence. (authors)


We consider a hybrid satellite-terrestrial relay system that employs a multiantenna satellite to communicate with multiple users via multiple amplify-and-forward relays. We employ a max-max user-relay selection scheme to minimize the outage probability of the system. Considering both variable and fixed gain relaying protocols, we derive exact closed-form expressions of outage probability and their asymptotic behavior over independent and identically distributed fading channels for each hop. Numerical and simulation results validate our analysis and highlight the performance gains of the proposed scheme.


SUMMARY

Investigation of a possible association between Verticillium dahliae and H. rostochiensis (pathotype E, British notation) was based on field observations and an examination of disease development in single-stemmed potato plants grown in pots. An association was found in the distribution of the nematode and the fungus in the field, and the disease was far more severe with a combined infection than with either pathogen alone. Studies on leaf-area development and yield reduction suggest there is synergism between fungus and nematode, the reductions produced by the combined infection exceeding the sum of those produced by either pathogen alone. Fungal mycelium and the extent of host colonization by V. dahliae were greatly increased by the presence of the nematode. The possible benefits to V. dahliae in the fungus-nematode complex are discussed.


The main differences between our scheme for prediction and subtraction of multiples from complex water-bottom and other wave-equation approaches (see references) are the following : 1) By applying the adaptive subtraction of the predicted multiples in the tau-p domain, we take into account the angle-dependency of the reflection coefficients from the water-bottom ; 2) We do not split the subtraction procedure into two steps - first subtraction of the 'pure' multiples and receiver-side peg-legs, then subtraction of source-side peg-legs.


Reduced insulin‐like growth factor bioactivity has been linked to poor metabolic control and growth hormone hypersecretion in adolescents with Type 1 diabetes. The safety and efficacy of recombinant human insulin‐like growth factor I administered subcutaneously in a dose of 40 μg kg−1 for 28 days was studied in a group of 6 adolescent male subjects with Type 1 diabetes (aged 13.6–19.4 years, puberty stage 3–5). After a 4‐week run‐in period (week 4 to day 0) recombinant human insulin‐like growth factor I was administered for 4 weeks (day 0 to week +4) before a run‐out of a further 4 weeks duration (week +4 to +8). HbA1c levels were measured throughout the study and overnight profiles were undertaken to study levels of insulin‐like growth factor I, insulin‐like growth factor binding protein‐3, and growth hormone concentrations (week —1, day 0, and week +4). The injections were well tolerated and hypoglycaemia was not problematic at any stage of the study. Recombinant insulin‐like growth factor I administration appeared to lead to a sustained increase in insulin‐like growth factor I levels (week —1; 198 ± 16 ng ml−1, week +4; 422 ± 18 ng ml−1, mean ± SEM; p = 0.03). Insulin‐like growth factor binding protein‐3 concentrations (n = 6) increased in 5 subjects (week —1; 4.5 ± 0.3 μg ml−1, week +4; 5.1 ± 0.4 μg ml−1) and mean overnight growth hormone decreased (week −1; 14.0 ± 3.1 mU I−1, week +4; 7.6 ± 1.7 mU I−1) during the period of study but these differences were not statistically significant. HbA1c levels fell significantly at the time of rhIGF‐I administration (day 0; 10.4 ± 1.9% vs week +4; 9.4 ±1.9%; p = 0.03) despite a reduction in subcutaneous isophane insulin dose from 0.50 ± 0.02 U kg−1 to 0.41 ± 0.02 U kg−1 (p = 0.03). There was no significant change in biochemical and haematological indices, glomerular filtration rate or urinary albumin excretion. The restoration of IGF‐I levels in adolescents with Type 1 diabetes may have a beneficial impact on glycaemic control.


Ocean biogeochemical (BGC) models utilize a large number of poorly-constrained global parameters to mimic unresolved processes and reproduce the observed complex spatio-temporal patterns. Large model errors stem primarily from inaccuracies in these parameters whose optimal values can vary both in space and time. This study aims to demonstrate the ability of ensemble data assimilation (DA) methods to provide high-quality and improved BGC parameters within an Earth system model in idealized twin experiment framework.  We use the Norwegian Climate Prediction Model (NorCPM), which combines the Norwegian Earth System Model with the Dual-One-Step ahead smoothing-based Ensemble Kalman Filter (DOSA-EnKF). The work follows on Gharamti et al. (2017) that successfully demonstrates the approach for one-dimensional idealized ocean BGC models. We aim to estimate five spatially varying BGC parameters by assimilating Salinity and Temperature hydrographic profiles and surface BGC (Phytoplankton, Nitrate, Phosphorous, Silicate, and Oxygen) observations in a strongly coupled DA framework – i.e., jointly updating ocean and BGC state-parameters during the assimilation. The method converges quickly (less than a year), largely reducing the errors in the BGC parameters and eventually it is shown to perform nearly as well as that of the system with true parameter values. Optimal parameter values can also be recovered by assimilating climatological BGC observations and challenging sparse observational networks. The findings of this study demonstrate the applicability of the approach for tuning the system in a real framework.

References:

Gharamti, M. E., Tjiputra, J., Bethke, I., Samuelsen, A., Skjelvan, I., Bentsen, M., & Bertino, L. (2017). Ensemble data assimilation for ocean biogeochemical state and parameter estimation at different sites. Ocean Modelling, 112, 65-89.


Forty years ago, we learned an important lesson in the development of a child with the Myelomeningocele form of Spina Bifida: 6 to 9 year old patients with myelomeningocele did not know whether they were boys or girls. A subsequent study demonstrated that parents were embarrassed to ask whether their infant or young child could become a competent reproductive human being! This lack of information is in stark contrast to what is actually known. Adult patients with myelomeningocele are able to reproduce. A patient's potential sexuality can be discussed in a straightforward manner. For parents of children initially treated elsewhere, their understanding of a particular concept should be clarified prior to any further discussion. If their understanding is correct, the issue will not require further discussion unless their knowledge is out of date. Therefore, we discuss with new families, regardless of age, the parents' knowledge of their fetus' or child's sexuality and reproductive potential.


This work has been supported in part by the Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories, Office of Aerospace Research, under a contract with the Ohio State University Research Foundation, and by the National Science Foundation under a grant to the Laboratory of Molecular Spectroscopy and Infrared Studies, Department of Physics. The Ohio State University.


Every pregnant woman experiences anxiety in pregnancy, the anxiety increases with the Covid-19 pandemic and the increase in cases of pregnant women's deaths caused by Covid-19. Excessive fear in pregnant women due to this pandemic causes mothers to experience anxiety and worry in pregnancy. Type of quantitative analytical research, research design used Quasi Eksperiment One group pre-post test design is to apply Self-Healing (Self compassion) applied every morning when waking up and at night before going to bed and done regularly for 3 months. A sample of 120 pregnant women with purposive sampling techniques. Intrumen: HARS (Hamilton Anciety Rating Scale), Ceklist and Observation sheet, data analyzed using the Wilcoxon Test. Most of the respondents before Self-Healing therapy, 62.5% had moderate anxiety levels and after doing Self-Healing therapy, the respondents were mild, which was 77.5%. Analysis with the Wilcoxon Test obtained a p-value of 0.001 correlation coefficient (r) 0.125 which can be concluded there is an effect of Self-Healing therapy on decreased anxiety during pregnancy.


Submitted for the MAR12 Meeting of The American Physical Society Synthesis and characterization of nitrogen-doped graphitic nanoribbons JOSUE ORTIZ, M. LUISA GARCIA, IPICYT, Mexico, XIAOTING JIA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, U.S.A., RAFAEL MARTINEZ, Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain, MIGUEL A. PELAGIO, Universidad Federal de Pernambuco, Brazil, DAVID SWANSON, Augustana College, U.S.A., A. LAURA ELIAS, HUMBERTO GUTIERREZ, The Pennsylvania State University, U.S.A., FERNANDO RODRIGUEZ, EMILIO MUNOZ, IPICYT, Mexico, MILDRED DRESSELHAUS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, U.S.A., HUMBERTO TERRONES, MAURICIO TERRONES, The Pennsylvania State University, U.S.A. — Nitrogen doping of carbon nanostructures such as nanotubes and graphene is a practical approach for tailoring their electronic and chemical properties. However, the doping of graphene nanoribbons still remains to be a challenge. Here we discuss a novel synthetic route to N-doped graphitic nanoribbons using chemical vapor deposition. The morphology of the new nanomaterial resembles the observed for the undoped graphitic nanoribbons, with particular differences specially at the ribbons' edges. We performed scanning and transmission electron microscopy as well as Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies in order to confirm the nitrogen presence within the nanoribbons. In addition, the electrical response for individual nanoribbons was obtained. We observed that N-doped nanoribbons exhibit a clear semiconductor-like behavior depending on the amount of nitrogen embedded in the hexagonal carbon network (undoped nanoribbons always showed a metallic response). These doped nanostructures could find applications in the fabrication of electronic devices. Josue Ortiz IPICYT, Mexico Date submitted: 23 Nov 2011 Electronic form version 1.4


The city development of the society leads to the congestion of ground traffic, which makes people build a large number of underground tunnels. Underground tunnels often encounter underground pipelines or other tunnels, and how to build safety is the most important. However, at present, the theoretical knowledge of tunnel construction is far behind engineering practice, so it is urgent to develop relevant research. The shallow excavation method is an important method to build the tunnel. During the construction, the ground disturbance is small, the ground traffic and the buildings are not affected. The funds and equipment are relatively small, and many different sections can be excavated flexibly. Based on the excavation of the Tunnel Six in Beijing metro line, this paper uses FLAC3D modeling. The influence of soil pressure and lining parameters on ground subsidence and the influence of shallow buried excavation method on the pipeline are analyzed by changing the size of soil pressure and lining parameters.


Thin (< 80 nm) layers of ZnSe grown on (001)-oriented GaAs contain a variety of both partially and fully pyramidal configurations of triangular {111} stacking faults whose apices are at, or close to, the interface. It was found that one format of these fault groupings exhibited extrinsic-type strong-beam characteristics but two distinct classes of contrast when examined under specific weak-beam conditions. The contrast behaviour is described and discussed in relation to the contrast expected for different model structures of the overlapping groupings suggested by their high-resolution edge-on examination.


: This Paper presents enhancement of bandwidth of the rectangular microstrip antenna. The proposed antenna is simpler in design with low fabrication cost. The main objective of this paper is to design microstrip antenna for wireless applications by loading zinc nanoparticles on rectangular patch of the proposed antenna. The antenna consists of substrates made up of glass epoxy material with thickness as 0.16cm. The experimentally measured and calculated antenna parameters such as bandwidth, return loss, VSWR, radiation pattern and gain are presented.


The authors studied the effects of temperature and water quality on the growth of sea cucumber Holothuria scabra in the experiment.The sea cucumber was reared at 15,20,25 and 30 ℃ for 15 d in the tanks,and the body weight was measured.The results showed that the sea cucumber had daily increase in body weight of 0.1 g and daily growth rate of 0.022% at 15 ℃.At 20 ℃,they were 3.917 g and 0.830%;at 25 ℃,they were the best,individually 7.667 g and 1.48% from 20 ℃ to 30 ℃;at 30 ℃,they were 1.553 g and 0.428%.The sea cucumber had less food consumption without weight gain.The water quality pattern was divided into three groups: the group with no exchanged water,the group exchanged 1/3 water per day and the group exchanged all water per day.After culture in the tanks for 15 d,the daily growth rates were-3.304%,0.563%,1.638% in the three groups,respectively.The results showed the animal weight decreased in the group with no exchanged water.Among the water quality,we find that NO-2 was negatively correlated with the growth of the sea cucumber.NO-2 concentration(1.34 mg/L) in the group no exchanged water was higher than in the other two groups(0.55 mg/L,0.23 mg/L).


The title of Alfred Hitchcock's film is Rear Window which is based on the short story, "It Had to be Murder". Windows are frequently used in films and arts as an image and an expression of the frustration of and the resulting desire for communication. More often than not, windows represent a desire to escape from the present situation to the unknown, free world. However, Hitchcock's "window" is at the rear which is opened to the rear windows of the private lives of New York apartments, to the prison like frames of the residents. The first part of the essay surveys the various roles "the window" plays in RW. A window is meant for looking out of, not the reverse. In RW, Jeff's rear window is a voyeuristic instrument which is meant for looking through other windows into the rooms from outside. The view of the inside from the outside became a popular motif in the 20th century paintings among which Hitchcock's contemporary and an enthusiastic theater-goer Edward Hopper's paintings give most insight to understand RW as is pointed out by Prof. Pallasmaa. Many of Hopper's paintings use the compositional device of an interior with a nude or half-dressed woman glimpsed through a window by an unseen viewer who looks in from outside. The impression conveyed from both Hopper and RW, however, is not one of prurient voyeurism but rather of loneliness and isolation. This sense of isolation comes partly from the inevitable distance and the psychological gulf between the eye(cinema spectators) and the object(cinema): visual activity is by nature a touch without a touch, a contact without a contact. Hitchcock both reverses the roles of and shifts the power of the surveillant and the surveilled once more when the object of Jeff's observation breaks out of the frame and attacks him. The study of the relation between the art(eye) and the object again is a popular motif in the paintings such as Velasquez's Cupido and Venus. The spectator's voyeuristic curiosity is stirred by the nude Venus sitting askance with her back, with Cupid holding up the mirror for her in front of her. However, it is instantly and unexpectedly attacked when the spectator meets Venus' eyes looking directly at him from the mirror. The fantasy about the safety of the observer is shattered as if a dinosaur virtually attacks spectators from out of the screen frame. If each window is a screen and Jeff is a cinema spectator, then the lives in the rear window frames are the wish-fulfillment of Jeff and other voyeur, Lisa. 'Desire' is from the Latin, de-sidus, referring that it is essentially a longing for the unattainable. Another term for desire or longing is anxiety. The double nature of Jeff's desire for Lisa, i.e. craving and rejection(anxiety), can help understanding Jeff's projection of his wish-fulfillment on the screen(windows he is watching) through the dream-works of condensation and displacement: Lisa/Torso/Mrs. Thorwald. It is natural that only when Lisa 'enters' into Jeff's fantasy world, when all other enticements to get his heart fail, can she win and get the upper hand. The second part of this essay examines the roles of the rooms in RW, and relates one of its roles, that of Peeping Tom, to other "race of Peeping Toms" in the movie including the dog that is killed because "it knew too much". Hitchcock proceeds to include the movie spectators in the race of Peeping Toms, which leads to the third and concluding part of the essay. The third part surveys the idea of "the world is a stage and the life is a cinema and we are actors and actresses" in RW. Whether or not Hitchcock endorses the voyeurism of the race of Peeping Toms(both cinema and audience), one thing for sure is that life is "a group of little stories," a potential cinematic art. If cinema itself is represented desires of both scopophilia and exhibitionism, then life, too, is like a texture woven with the desires to be an audience and to be an actor. Both desires in essence are the expression of the need to escape from loneliness: the need to be cared for and encouraged, to be "a neighbor" to each other. This is the answer of Hitchcock to the question of "rear window ethics" which Jeff poses in the movie. After all, without a neighbor, all the great works of Hitchcock would nothing but a lonely pantomime of Miss Lonelyhearts who invites an invisible guest to her feast but to despair.


Despite the widespread use of over‐the‐counter H2‐receptor antagonists little is known about their duration of action on human gastric acid secretion. There are studies reporting inhibitory effects for up to 9 h post‐dose but few data beyond this period.


In this work, we present a methodological framework, designed/developed under the form of an algorithmic procedure (including 20 activity stages and 5 decision nodes) for the determination of maximum allowable subsidy Imax for natural resources optimal exploitation and recycle. This subsidy, determined as fraction of the required investment to build the respective installation and/or establish the corresponding activity, is actually the optimal amount (Iopt, expressed also as fraction of the investment) that might be offered so neither the State not the investor male a surplus profit causing respective loss to the other part (condition of equilibrium, implying Iopt≡Imax). An implementation is presented, referring to the recession period of economic cycle, based on real data representing the situation in Greece. For this purpose, a new model has been developed for estimating dummy gains and losses for the State (due to materials/energy saving through better exploitation or recycling and opportunity cost, respectively) in order to obtain Iopt as a break-even point. The numerical results obtained are within the range set by the Greek legislation, which is in accordance with the European norms, proving the functionality of the methodology suggested herein.


In this study, we present a generalization of the well-known Bernstein operators based on an odd positive integer r denoted by K_(n,r) (f;x), first, we begin by studying the simultaneous approximation where we prove that the operator K_(n,r)^((s) ) (f;x) convergence to the function f^((s) ) (x) then we introduce and prove the Voronovskaja-type asymptotic formula when (r=3) giving us the order of approximation O(n^(-2) ) which is better than the order of the classical Bernstein operators O(n^(-1) ) followed by the error theorem and at the end, we give a numerical example to show the error of a test function and its first derivative taking different values of r.


Crested Caracara is an opportunist feeder, eating some variety of food. In pet and captive avian species, barium sulfate suspension has been used to assess gastrointestinal structure, as well to observe gastrointestinal transit. The purpose of this study was to determine gastrointestinal transit times in Caracara plancus using 5 mg/Kg of a 100% barium sulfate suspension. Wholebody latero-lateral view radiographs were taken at zero, ten, 25, 40, 55, 70, 85, 100 e 130 minutes. Barium sulfate suspension can be a useful tool in characterizing gastrointestinal function radiographically in Caracara plancus. Complete gastrointestinal emptiness ocurred at 670 ± 80.50 minutes.


This exploratory study investigated the m o n d a r (4 subjects) and binocular (7 subjects) curvature perception accuracy of young drivers under curve approach and nighttime conditions in a 150 scaled laboratory set up. The experiment consisted of a sequential comparison of a 90" curve segment with a standard radius equipped with 12 equally spaced 150 scaled retro-reflective yellow/black miniature (H 12.2mm, W 9.lmm) chevrons with a 90" test curve segment which could have 2, 3, 4, or 8 equally spaced miniature chevron signs along a curve radius of 95%, 97.5%, loo%, 102.5% or 105% of the standard curve radius. For each presentation the standard curve was presented first to the subjects (black road environment, lowbeam illumination) for 2 seconds, then the subjects rotated 90" and observed the test curve (one of five curve radii, with either 2, 3, 4, or 8 equally spaced chevrons) for 2 seconds. A forced choice response (smaller, larger than the standard curve radius) was required from the subjects. All experimental conditions (5 radii, 4 chevron levels, 5 replications for each subject) were randomized for each subject. The curve approach viewing distance from the subject's eyes to the beginning of the curve was 4.57m (15 ft) which represents 228.6m or 750 ft in the real world, while the curve radius of the standard curve was .9144m or 3 ft which represents a curve radius of 45.6m or 150 ft in the real world. The overall averages for the percentage of the number of correct responses were calculated for all conditions and plotted against the number of chevrons. Based upon the results we may tentatively state that the overall average number of correct responses increases from 2 to 3 chevrons and then remains about the same for 4 and 8 chevrons. Further, the values for binocular viewing are somewhat higher for 4 and 8 chevrons. Therefore, we may tentatively conclude that for the above conditions 4 equally spaced chevrons within a total visual field of about 6" provide adequate curvature estimation cues for unfamiliar drivers approaching a curve at night.


A novel bis-Schiff base of 5,5'-methylene-bis(salicylaldehyde)-5-methyl-2-[(2-aminophenyl) amino ] thiophene-3-carbonitrile was synthesized with 5,5'-methylene-bis(salicylaldehyde) and 5-methyl-2-[(2-aminophenyl) amino]thiophene-3-carbonitrile as raw materials,and the 5,5'-methylene-bis(salicylaldehyde) was derived from salicylaldehyde and trioxane.The results of elemental analysis and mass spectrometry confirmed that the molecular formula of Schiff base was C 39 H 30 N 6 O2 S 2.The structure of the Schiff base was characterized by means of FTIR and1HNMR.The antibacterial activity of the Schiff base was screened by the Oxford cup agar diffusion method.The experimental results showed that the Schiff base had certain antibacterial activity against four bacteria and the diameter of the inhibition zone was 15.0 mm against Escherichia coli with the mass concentration of 1.5 g/L.The antibacterial activity was in the sequence of Escherichia coli,Bacillus subtilis,Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis in descending order,respectively.


One of the important issues in the simulation work is proper representation of the simulated objects. The geometrical shapes of the simulated objects may range from very simple to very complicated geometries. In addition, a lot of objects come with heterogeneous material properties that need to be included into simulations. These two issues play important roles in both industrial and medical radiography simulations. CT (computed tomography) became widely available to the radiography community in the recent years. Since this technology provides two‐dimensional images, CT images can be used to build models toward using in simulation work. In this work, we developed a CT image based algorithm to account for object shape complexities and heterogeneities. The resulting algorithm and absorbed energy doses in a human body part and ideal detector images obtained through the algorithm will be presented.


Taman Siswa as one of the private educational institutions was founded by Suwardi Suryaningrat or Ki Hadjar Dewantoro to promote national education. To crub its widespread activities the Dutch Colonial Government decreed an ordinance declaring Taman Siswa as illegal. The reaction to this fact did not come only from Suryadi and his foolowers but also from other national activitiess. Considering the political situation at that time which was becoming more critical the colonial government lifted the ordinance in 1933.


The relationship between the morphological structure of a word and its lexicographic representation touches upon two of the thorniest points in lexicography: defining styles and type of entry. Dictionaries of English have traditionally afforded derivational affixes and other combinatory elements main entry status, though they differ greatly as to what precise information they actually provide. This paper examines the lexicographic treatment of words containing two suffixes deriving from two independent words: -ful and -like. Examination of the dictionary entries in MW10 for words containing -ful and -like confirmed our expectation about the correlation between degree of lexicalization and type of entry. It also confirmed our intuitions that -ful and -like differ from each other with respect to productivity in present-day English.


The objective of the present work is to determine the required width of the finite element model to represent an infinitely wide laminate for given load, crack length and boundary conditions for estimating its fracture behaviour. This exercise is useful for the prediction of fracture behaviour of angle-ply laminates having infinite width by developing finite element models of finite width as obtained from the present work without loss of generality. The three-dimensional model considered in the present work is a four-layered angle-ply FRP laminates of symmetric (Θ/-Θ/-Θ/Θ) and anti-symmetric (Θ/-Θ/Θ/-Θ) fibre orientations with an edge crack at its centre interface. The parameter "Strain Energy Release Rate" (SERR) is determined using Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT) in association with finite element method.


With the changes in the architectural modeling,structure form and spacial function,there are some new steel joints,such as irregular joints,appear beams on both sides of the column of different elevation. Experimental methods are used with 3 specimens to investigate the seismic performance of panel zone at the connection of box section steel column and two H-shaped beams with different heigth levels. Parameter α is considered in this paper and α is the ratio of small beam depth to big beam depth. The test result reviewed that:( 1) As the results of strainmeasurement are shown,the failure modes of the panel zone are shear deformation of panel zone.( 2) The hysteretic curves of the irregular panel zone have full hysteretic loops and better energy dissipation capacity.( 3) when the story drift angle remains constant,Angles of shear deformation in irregular panel zone specimens are smaller than it in the standard specimen and the structure is more safe.


Cholesterol-modified chitosan conjugate with succinyl linkages(CHCS) was synthesized and cha-racterized by Fourier transform infrared(FTIR) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance(1H NMR) spectra.The extent of grafting cholesterol was characterized by elemental analyzer.The properties of CHCS and chitosar(CS) were studied by water contact angle test,biomineralization and cell culture.The results show that the contact angle of CHCS is larger than that of CS.In the process of biomineraliation,CHCS can stable the deposited calcium phosphorus salt.The relationships between CHCS/CS and 3T3 cells were studied by MTT method and cytoske-leton fluorescence staining.The results show that CHCS can promote the cell's adhesion,stretched and proliferation.The introduction of cholesterol can promote the ability of chitosan as biomaterials.


Moliere's physician, asked why opium caused sleep, answered that it was because opium contains "a dormitive principle." Naming, crucial for learning, at times becomes a place where the mind itself begins to doze. In the history of psychoanalysis, we have seen names that started as valuable contributions too often used to close off questioning. defenses, resistance, projective identification, holding, and containing—each of these enriching concepts has been degraded by some into a shibboleth of parochial allegiance. Caution is needed when we are tempted to expand our concepts because, in the face of unending uncertainty, we are all vulnerable to compromising discipline in our longing for final answers. empathy, too, is a valuable concept that at times has been stretched beyond its natural shape to serve as a universal explanation. let us first consider some misapplications of the concept and then, returning to empathy proper, begin to place the concept in the context of new developments in analytic thinking.


Based on the basic principle of electrical capacitance sensing,a digitalized electrical capacitance tomography(ECT) system is designed.The effect of the structure parameters of array electrode on the symmetrical sensitivity distribution is also analyzed by finite element method.Through optimum design and simulation experiment,the homogeneity of the sensing field distribution is improved.A 12-electrode digital ECT system including core of digital signal processor(DSP) and the field program mable gate array(FPGA) devices is developed.Meanwhile,a new reconstruction algorithm,which divides the process of reconstruction into two steps,i.e.pre-iteration method off-line and one step image on-line is presented.It can improve both the high data acquisition speed and the high image resolution.


We present the results of low-temperature optical experiments (absorption and reflection) in visible and middle infrared frequency regions with epitaxial films of copper oxide materials like a Y1Ba2Cu3O6+x. Based on our data and reference data, we consider the anomalous spectral effects in HTSC having no analogy with conventional BCS superconductors: (1) the optical response to superconducting transition at Tc; (2) the spectral weight redistribution induced by chemical doping and temperature; (3) the drastic enhancement of low-temperature photodoping; (4) the long spin-structure relaxation via temperature variations seen in the optical spectra. The thorough analysis of the results obtained is fully compatible with the concept of two-component system of light and heavy carriers (holes), being in dynamical coexistence with each other. The dynamical coexistence of the intraband carriers occurs on the background of strongly correlation interrelation of the heavy quasiparticles with the optical interband (char...


Lifetime values of (3.6 plus or minus 0.1) x 10/sup -6/ sec and (6.7 plus or minus 0.2) x 10/sup -7/ sec were obtained by delayed coincidence measurements for the 379 kev and 316 kev levels of the Tm/sup 169/ nucleus. The partial probabilities for eight transitions were determined on the basis of these data and those on the relative transition intensities from both levels and the multipolarity ratios. For the 177 (E2), 177 (M1), 198 (E2), 198 (M1), 308 (E2), 240 (E1), and 260 kev (E1) transitions which are forbidden with respect to the projection of the total angular momentum on the deformation axis, the delay factor comprises 10/sup 3/ to 10/sup 4/ per unit forbiddenness, a value which differs significantly from the usual value (10 to 100). The 63 kev (E1) transition which is forbidden with respect to the projections of the orbital and spin momenta and also with respect to the quantum number characterizing oscillations along the deformation axis is less probable by five orders of magnitude than that predicted by Weisskopf's estimation. However it is in good qualitative agreement wlth Nilsson's calculation of the probability for deformed nuclei. (auth)


Key messagesThe global palm oil value chain has grown in complexity over time as have the public and private regulations governing the sector. This influences stakeholder decisions along the palm oil supply chain and the territories where it is produced.Weak alignment between the many regulatory initiatives has given rise to a 'transnational regime complex' that is struggling to resolve effectively many structural performance issues that have long plagued the palm oil sector.Key performance issues facing the palm oil sector relate to pervasive land conflict and informality, yield differences between companies and smallholders, and a high carbon debt linked to emissions arising from deforestation and peatlands conversion.Different disconnects, complementarities and antagonisms characterize current governance. Building connections and enhancing complementarities are important ways to gradually reduce antagonisms.Complementarities have emerged among instruments with global reach, whereas disconnects persist especially within public regulations, between regulations and private standards, and between standards operating across different territorial scales.Several connections can be built by better linking existing regulations, and public regulations and private standards at different levels. These could arise by embracing approaches that look at both supply chain and territorial management.The main policy targets to achieve sustainability and inclusivity are: 1) limiting the expansion of palm oil in high-carbon forests and peatlands; 2) adopting mechanisms to enhance transparency and accountabilities; 3) creating conditional incentives to intensify palm oil supply, mainly of smallholder farmers; 4) adopting new approaches to facilitate the upgrade of smallholder production systems; and 5) legalizing tenure claims under different types of rights recognition schemes.


This paper studies on the image segmentation method of Lingwu Long Jujubes based on a new extraction model of hue to improve the accuracy of extracting images of Lingwu Long Jujubes. According to the characteristics that color components of Lingwu Long Jujubes in RGB color space have different distribution in a shadow environment or others, a extraction model of hue aiming at images of Lingwu Long Jujubes based on stage treatment of R component is built to extract hue information. And the difference between the target object and the background object is increased by using color difference. Then, the image is segmented by optimal threshold obtained by combining the maximum entropy and the mathematical criteria to achieve the adaptive adjustment of the segmentation threshold. Finally, the segmented image will be obtained through dealing with mathematical morphology. By comparing the segmentation effect of 30 Lingwu Long Jujubes images with artificial methods and other methods, it proves that the color image segmentation method of Lingwu Long Jujubes based on a new extraction model of hue has good effect to extract the object region. The accuracy of the segmentation rate is up to 92.6883%. The time that the algorithm run is 1.3107 s.


Most of the research on leaf beetles more focusing on their roles as a pest or biological control. On the ecological part is much understudied. So the objective of this study is to determine the accumulation and diversity of leaf beetles at different altitude on Fraser's Hill, Pahang. Sampling was done in Dec 2016 – Feb 2017 at lower ( 900 m a.s.l) altitudes by using sweep net from 10.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. A total of 296 individuals, 28 species and five subfamilies successfully collected. Galerucinae has the highest number of species and individuals with 14 and 154 respectively. Lower altitude has the highest individuals with 116  but  has  the  lowest number of species with only 11. Meanwhile, sampling on Jan 2017 has the highest abundance of 108 individuals and 17 species. However, t-test indicates that there is no significant different between all Shannon index either by altitude-wise (H' Higher = 1.80; Middle = 2.07; Lower = 1.95) or month-wise (H' Dec '16 = 2.36; Jan '17 = 2.46; Feb '17 = 2.32). Nevertheless, there is evidence showing that existence of species specificity towards altitude especially on the higher altitude which only one species that shared with middle altitude (Galerucinae sp. 1), while middle and lower shared more overlapped species. More intensive study must be done to view the distribution pattern more clear and detailed.


Reticumanone (1), a new chromanone, isolated from the leaves of Cinnamomum reticulatum Hay (Lauraceae), has been characterized as (S*)-2,7,8-trihydroxychroman-4-one, by means of spectroscopic methods.


We find that firms behave remarkably similarly to how their CEOs behave personally when it comes to leverage choices. We start our analysis by compiling a comprehensive sample of home purchases and financings among S&P 1,500 CEOs. Debt financing in a CEO's most recent home purchase is used as a revealed preference of the CEO's personal attitude towards debt. We find a robust positive relation between personal and corporate leverage. We also find that firms tend to hire CEOs with a similar personal attitude towards debt as the previous CEO. When the new and previous CEOs have different personal preferences, corporate leverage changes in the direction of the new CEO's personal leverage. These results support a model with endogenous matching of CEOs to firms. We also find that the positive relation between CEOs' personal leverage and corporate leverage is stronger in firms with poor governance, suggesting that CEOs imprint their personal preferences on the firms they manage when they are able to do so. These results suggest that heterogeneity in CEOs' personal attitudes towards debt partly explains differences in corporate capital structures, and suggest more generally that an analysis of CEOs' personalities and personal traits may provide important information about the financial policies of the firms they manage.


The book provides an overview of the sources of criminal law adopted within the Council of Europe and of the central case-law of the European Court of Human Rights related to criminal law.


The 848 km long North-South Expressway in Malaysia is one of the longest toll expressways in the world, under one concession. It runs along the western edge of peninsular Malaysia, from the Thai border in the north to the Singapore border in the south. It crosses low lying areas with soft marine clays and cuts across hills and mountains. The expressway has more than five thousand cut slopes and embankments. The slopes have been cut in various types of formations ranging from competent rocks to those weathered to various grades. The embankments have been built from materials generally excavated from nearby cuts and on foundations ranging from soft marine clays to competent rocks. With the annual average maximum rainfall of about 350 cm per year, these cut slopes and embankments require a high level of inspection and maintenance to keep them in good condition and to reduce or prevent costly failures. This paper gives a brief description of the organization structure developed to maintain this highway. The inspection and maintenance routines followed and classification of defects in terms of criticality are also discussed. A sample of the form utilized for inspection is given along with the guidelines adopted in filling up the form. It is then shown that the cost incurred in the regular inspection and maintenance of a given slope is very small compared to the cost of rehabilitation works, if failure was to occur. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E204151.


. Lightning discharges are composed of numerous different physical processes. The spectrum of these lightning discharge processes ranges from quasi-static electromagnetic fields ~1-4 Hz to micro-waves and from optical wavelengths up to gamma rays with energies ~40-100 MeV. This multi-scale nature of lightning discharges is impossible to measure in its entirety with nowadays technology. As a result, a specific physical process of the lightning discharge needs to be chosen for a given application. This choice determines the spectral range and the corresponding measurement technology for lightning detection. The most recent developments in lightning detection are discussed and promising areas of future research with a potential for novel discoveries are proposed.


Furthermore, I like to thank Andreas Ulrich for discussing this paper with me and Jenifer Cole for giving me very helpful comments for revising the paper. All remaining shortcomings are mine.


This paper presents the performance characteristics of an air‐suspended high‐Q MEM inductor that is characterized based on an open‐short deembedding scheme and used for accurate and reliable evaluation of the parasitic effects experienced from feed lines as well as contact pads. The validity and effectiveness of the de‐embedding method are proven with a fixed‐length MEM transmission line along with various feed‐line topologies. The measured inductances of the 20‐μm elevated transmission line provide consistent data, as compared to the simpler open de‐embedding method. For more realistic and complicated MEM inductors with 1.5 and 2.5 turns, the characterized inductance values agree very well with the calculated data, based on the Greenhouse algorithm. The measured and calculated inductances are within the 5% range. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 43: 355–358, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.20468


In this paper , we discuss the basic properties of BEI—algebras and study the localization of the commutative BEI—algebras with unit element 1.


Contends that effective e‐learning requires that the education content be written and delivered very differently than in the past. Proposes to cut through the complexity associated with adopting an e‐learning approach by highlighting 13 key questions that need to be asked in assessing the strengths, weaknesses, and applicability of different e‐learning offerings. Asserts that when properly answered, the 13 questions provide a solid basis for evaluating on‐line learning and education products, and for positioning a company's approach to e‐learning with an eye on the future instead of the past. Includes definitions that illustrate how e‐learning products are evolving.


An overview of child trafficking in the UK explores the nature and methods of this abuse, as well as the treatment and protection afforded to these particularly vulnerable children. It highlights the shortcomings and inconsistent standards of local authorities, the lack of specialist protection and the uncertainty of a trafficked child's immigration status, combining to make these children vulnerable to further harm and at risk from the influence of their traffickers. A stark consequence of this has been the disappearance without trace of many children from local authority care and the mental health issues of trafficked children going undetected and untreated. For the sake of clarity some of the terms used in this paper are defined as: (i) child: the definition of a child is of someone up to 18-years of age as set down by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989 and UK legislation including the Children Act, 1989 and 2004. (ii) separated child: this term is used instead of 'unaccompanied asylum-seeking minor/child'. A separated child is one separated from her/his parents or primary guardian. This definition is more useful because not all trafficked children who seek asylum are unaccompanied on arrival and not all trafficked children apply for asylum.


Many readers, over their careers, will have shared my experience of initiating some really "innovative" work, only to learn that it had been done, and done better, thirty years earlier. That is one key attraction of research on intellectual property rights (IPRs) for plants and animals; they are, in the main, very recent, so whatever one does cannot have a direct antecedent. Indeed, to date, little economic research has been completed on the implications of expanding IPR protection for living agricultural inputs. Protection in the United States for asexually propagated plants has been available since 1930 (1990 in Canada), for sexually propagated plants for over twenty-five years, and for patented plants for a dozen years (see below). However, only in the last year has significant acreage of patented bioengineered plants (some 2.5 + million in total) been planted, with higher levels going in the ground in the United States and Canada as this paper is being drafted. Those crops are primarily herbicide-resistant beans, canola, and corn; Bt-producing corn, cotton, and potatoes; and virus-resistant squash (James and Krattiger). Only one livestock application (to my knowledge) has been patented (a pig in Australia with a controllable growth hormone), but as yet it is not a commercial product. What has been explored extensively in the literature are expressed concerns about IPRs on farm structure, ethics, university/industry relationships, information exchange, and related matters (see, e.g., Kloppenburg). Nor is the debate limited to the United States or developed countries. The international enhancement of


Introduction : Hospitalized patients are at risk of unrecognized clinical deterioration that may lead to adverse events.Context : Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) exist around the world as a strategy to improve patient safety.Objective : To explore how RRTs work, their characteristics, impacts, and methods of implementation.Design : Literature review.Method : Consultation of the databases CINAHL, MEDLINE, PUBMED, COCHRANE library, SCOPUS, and PROQUEST Dissertations and Theses. Keywords : "health care team" and "rapid response team".Results : 121 articles were included. The collected data were divided into five categories : 1) composition and operation of RRTs, 2) benefits and limitations of RRTs, 3) perceptions of RRTs by health care teams, organizations, and patients, 4) implementation strategies, and 5) facilitators and barriers to implementation.Discussion : Although there are many articles related to RRTs, it appears that : 1) few studies analyze the difference in outcomes in hospitalized patients related to the composition of RRTs, 2) few studies describe how RRTs should work, 3) more studies are needed on the impacts of RRTs on hospitalized patients, 4) organizations' and patients' perceptions of RRTs are not well studied, and 5) more studies are needed on the best way to implement an RRT.Conclusion : The results show that there is a lack of studies on the difference in outcomes in hospitalized patients related to the composition of RRTs, on how RRTs should work, on the impacts of RRTs on hospitalized patients, on organizations' and patients' perceptions of RRTs, and on the factors that influence the success or failure of the implementation of an RRT.


Summary: A prospective randomised controlled trial was performed to compare the efficacy and safety of intrav‐aginal misoprostol to that of intravaginal dinoprostone when used for cervical priming prior to the induction of labour; 126 women were recruited to the study and randomised to receive either intravaginal dinoprostone (n = 63) or misoprostol (n = 63) for cervical priming prior to induction of labour. The mean time from insertion of the priming agent to vaginal delivery was significantly shorter in the misoprostol group (925.8 versus 1577.6 minutes), the mean duration of the active length of labour was significantly shorter in the misoprostol group (353.7 versus 496.8 minutes) and more women in the misoprostol group delivered in less than 12 hours (92% versus 76.5%).


Development of strategy of social and economic development of the Voronezh region till 2035 requires the careful analysis of a condition of all activities of the region, their interaction and interference. The special role in this process belongs to the higher school as the engine of knowledge, information and innovations. In case of all conservatism of an education system its task not only to give estimates and forecasts of the future, but also to serve as a leader of changes in all industries. The models realizing these tasks are a possibility of receipt of the effective instrument of increase in innovation of potential of economy of the region, forming of the environment which is adequately reflecting scientific and technical and economic challenges of modern realities and also developments of processes and technologies of transition of economy of the region to the principles of digital economy. Direct task of the higher school are increase in the amount of knowledge which is saved up by society, handling and transformation of information to knowledge, generation of new information and new knowledge, forming of the competitive specialist. In article approaches to an impact assessment of changes in the higher school on processes of social and economic development of the region, to classification of straight lines and side effects (spillover-effects) in the conditions of development of programs of a strategic development of the region are considered, the model of development of the higher school taking into account spillover-effect based on the principles of digital economy is offered. For the purpose of an impact assessment of changes in the higher school on processes of social and economic development in the region the task is set to analyse influence of various factors at each other, and also on basic factors of economic growth of the region.


A kinetic mixing term, which generalizes the duality symmetry of Dirac, is studied in a theory with two photons (visible and hidden). This theory can be either CP conserving or CP violating depending on the transformation of fields in the hidden sector. However if CP is violated, it necessarily occurs in the hidden sector. This opens up an interesting possibility of new sources of CP violation.


This study is designed to investigate aspects affecting individual risk appetite.  The study is limmited on the psycho-demographyc aspects such as personality, education level, age and gender of an individual.  There are three kinds of personality discovered:  Friendly, perfectionist, and curiousy.  Friendly person are tend to risk taker.  They are easily get along with other people, easily adjust to a new environment, and energetic.  However, they are the person who are easily translate intention into behavior and tend to increase accident in the work place.  Age, education, and gender are not found to related with risk appetite of a person.  Certain job that require risk averse person - those people that are careful with what they are doing, should be careful given to a friendly person.  For finance institution in selecting creditors, careful must be given to a friendly person since ability in assesing risk appetite of the creditors improve the prediction of credit default.


Selected references to family-centered practices are included in this bibliography. The particular sources of information are ones that provide a foundation for understanding the characteristics and consequences of helpgiving that builds parent and family capacity and strengthens parent and family functioning. This CASEmakers bibliography includes selected references to different conceptual and operational features of family-centered practices. The particular approach to family-centered practices constituting the focus of attention is one component of an integrated model for practicing early childhood intervention and family support (Dunst, 2000, 2004). Family-centered practices place families in central and pivotal roles in decisionmaking regarding needed supports and resources (information, advice, material assistance, parenting guidance, etc.) and their active involvement in procuring and obtaining resources and supports having positive benefi ts and consequences. The Prescription for Practice lists four articles that readers should fi nd helpful in order to fully appreciate the characteristics and consequences of family-centered practices. Family-Centered Practices


The invention relates to a biomass straw mulch, comprising the components according to parts by weight: 120-150 parts of rice straw, 40-50 parts of methyl cellulose, 20-40 parts of water, 5-10 parts of carrageenan, 20-30 parts of isopropyl alcohol, 8-15 parts of titanium dioxide, 15-35 parts of urea, 1-10 parts of sodium citrate, 20-25 parts of biological organic fertilizer powder, 50-60 parts of diacetone acrylamide, 25-30 parts of polyurethane resin, 5-15 parts of methyl methacrylate, 13-21 parts of cyclopentadien, 1-6 parts of starch, 2-6 parts of sodium dodecyl sulfate, and 4-8 parts of polyethylene glycol. A production method of the biomass straw mulch is also provided, the problem of weeding and white pollution in crop cultivation is solved, and the problem of rice straw combustion is also solved.


Essential factors for the design of transient upset monitors for computers are discussed. The upset is a system level event that is software dependent. It can occur in the program flow, the opcode set, the opcode address domain, the read address domain, and the write address domain. Most upsets are in the program flow. It is shown that simple, external monitors functioning transparently relative to the system operations can be built if a detailed accounting is made of the characteristics of the faults that can happen. Sample applications are provided for different states of the Z-80 and 8085 based system.


Abstract: The national economic structure is affected by the means of tax growth, the structure of tax revenue, thestructure of tax categories and the structure of tax burdens. And the strucbe Of our present tax system is disadanta-geons to our eeonomic growth and economic structure. So som soggestions are made to adjust the optimization of theproduct structure, industrv structure, regional economic structure and the ownership structure.


I N 1940, Gwatkin and Moore (1) reported an indication of the presence of virus in a group of brains of Richardson ground squirrels (Citellus richardsoni) examined during the summer of 1939. The brains of 127 of these animals were examined in lots of from 3 to 8 by intracerebral inoculation of guinea pigs with a 1:20 suspension. Two lots, consisting of 10 brains, were contaminated and resulted in the death of the injected animals. With one exception, all the other lots were negative. One lot showed evidence of virus. A suspension of these brains injected by the intracerebral route produced temperature reactions in 2 guinea pigs and these animals were found to be immune to a heavy challenge inoculation of Western virus by the same route three weeks later. Two other guinea pigs died following injection with this material and post-mortem and bacteriological examinations of these were negative. The brains of these two animals, however, did not give rise to symptoms in guinea pigs injected with them, nor did the injected animals develop any resistance to subsequent challenge inoculation. insects and skins for


The paper considers a new class of small size, single substrate layer, double frequency printed antennas for multi-mode PC card systems. A 2.4/5 GHz fabricated antenna exhibits a matching of 16 dB and 5 dB and a gain of 5 dB and 3 dB, respectively. On the other hand a 17.4/23.4 GHz fabricated antenna presents a matching of, respectively, 16 dB and 12 dB and a gain of 5.1 dB and 4.7 dB.


Configuration tuning is vital to achieving high performance for a database management system (DBMS). Recently, automatic tuning methods using Reinforcement Learning (RL) have been explored to find better configurations compared with database administrators (DBAs) and heuristics. However, existing RL-based methods still have several limitations: (1) Excessive overhead due to reliance on cloned databases; (2) trial-and-error strategy may produce dangerous configurations that lead to database failure; (3) lack the ability to handle dynamic workload. To address the above challenges, a fast and stable RL-based database tuning system, FASTune, is proposed. A virtual environment is proposed to evaluate configurations which is an equivalent yet more efficient scheme than the cloned database. To ensure stability during tuning, FASTune adopts an environment proxy to avoid dangerous configurations. In addition, a Multi-State Soft Actor–Critic (MS-SAC) model is proposed to handle dynamic workloads, which utilizes the soft actor–critic network to tune the database according to workload and database states. The experimental results indicate that, compared with the state-of-the-art methods, FASTune can achieve improvements in performance while maintaining stability in the tuning.


Non-degenerate resonances in a photonic crystal slab that are uncoupled in a symmetric structure are excited in a mirror symmetry lacking structure. The coupling to these resonances is controlled by the degree of asymmetry.


Motivated by the recursive partitioning algorithm of Evans [2], we present a new algorithm for inverting tridiagonal matrices. Our derivation of the algorithm is different but elementary. The present algorithm has potential for its vector and parallel implementation.


The consequences of accelerated ovum transport in the mammal are reviewed. Reports of accelerated or retarded transport generally relate to experimental situations such as treatment with estrogens. Passage of egg movememnt through the oviduct is neither continuous nor uniform. There is generall agreement that the timing of the eggs entry into the uterus is critical. The egg transfer technique allows the most precise timing to be achieved in simulating accelerated transport. Until now observations on egg transfer to the uterus before at or shortly following ovulation were available for only the rabbit mouse rat and ferret and these observations are reviewed. This researcher investigated the effect of time elapsing from ovulation on retention of eggs within the uterus of the rabbit. A total of 450 eggs were transferred to the uteri of 43 recipients at fixed times between 24 and 84 hours after giving an ovulation injection of 30 i.u. chorionic gonadotropins. After 24 hours recovery of the eggs was attempted at autopsy. The vagina was ligated prior to egg transfer. It was only from about 60 hours onwards that 80% or more of the eggs were retained in utero. These findings clarify why transfers to the very early luteal-phase uterus have proved unsuccessful. Possibly the most dramatic way of realizing accelerated ovum transport is by transplating an ovary into the uterine cavity. The operation of W. L. Estes in 1904-1905 consisted of bilateral salpingectomy and unilateral oophorectomy followed by implantation of the cut surface of the remaining ovary into the resected stump of 1 oviduct and portion of uterine horm. Although case histories are incomplete the odds of becoming pregnant after Esters operation could be as low as 1 in 177 or 6.78/100 woman years.


Little information has been contributed to the mechanisms of biological degradation of polycyclic hydrocarbons. The oxidation of naphthalene has received the most attention. Strawinski and Stone (1943, 1954) reported the isolation of substantial amounts of salicylic acid ("most" of the 2.9 mg per ml medium of ether extractable product) from the breakdown of naphthalene by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Salicylic acid has been verified as an intermediate in naphthalene oxidation by Treccani (1953), Walker and Wiltshire (1953), and Murphy and Stone (1955). These latter systems were not entirely satisfactory for intermediary studies. Either the intermediate compound (salicylate) was recovered in small amounts; i.e., 23 mg from 2 L culture medium (Walker and Wiltshire, 1953), 0.6 mg per ml medium (Murphy and Stone, 1955), or the organism employed was incapable of growth when subcultured continuously in medium containing naphthalene as sole carbon source (Murphy, 1953; Murphy and Stone, 1955). The present study was undertaken in order to isolate a naphthalene-oxidizing system which would be useful for investigating the mechanism of oxidation of polycyclic hydrocarbons. A procedure for isolating such a system and certain physiological factors concerned with the accumulation of the intermediate product, salicylic acid, are described.


PURPOSE:To obtain a satisfactory finished surface by incorporating a visual sensor so as to control a tool in accordance with removal shape data concerning a surface of a part to be removed and making direct contact with the tool during machining, when the tool is to be controlled in accordance with recognized data as to the removal shape of the workpiece. CONSTITUTION:In the case of application to a deburring process for a casting, surface shape data delivered from a visual sensor 2 attached to the hand tip of a robot 1 is a lower grade computer 5 for determining deburring parameters in accordance with a detection signal, and then the data is transmitted to a robot control device 8. Further, the robot 1 is maneuvered so as to deburr a workpiece 9 while control is made such that a predetermined pushing pressure can be obtained in accordance with a value delivered from a force sensor 3. In this phase, the robot is maneuvered in accordance with a maneuvering locus of the robot during visual recognition which is generated from CAD data of the workpiece 9, so as to carry out deburring shape recognition. Thus, a deburring schedule is prepared in accordance with the deburring shape data and the CAD data of the workpiece.


The relevance of the study of methodological problems is due to the growing interest in the search for appropriate tools that meet the requirements of the validity and suitability of its application to specific objects of research practice. This article proposes to discuss the model of convergence of philosophical and general scientific approaches in social and humanitarian knowledge, formed on the principles of methodological pluralism, dialogue and synthesis. Based on the results of the analysis of the evolution of social and humanitarian knowledge, correlations were established between the content of social theories and the system-deterministic, structural-functional, system-activity, situational and synergetic approaches. It was determined that the use of synthetic methodology contributed to the consideration of social phenomena in various cognitive planes, consistently forming the idea of objects of social reality: as deterministic systems, the vital activity of which is based on the main subsystem; as systems consisting of elements that perform important functions, which ensures the integrity of their structure; as reflexive-activity systems that react to the acts of the subjects of social interaction; as self-organizing systems in the process of continuous formation.


S EPIDEMICS of white mold of snap bean {Phaseolus vulgaris L.), caused by Whetzelinia (=Sclerotinia) sclerotiorum (Lib) Korf and Dumont, have occurred repeatedly in central and western New York State in recent years. The disease has caused significant economic losses, especially during prolonged periods of wet weather-. White mold epidemics in New York are initiated by ascospores produced mainly outside bean fields by sclerotia of the fungus'. Ascospores do not directly infect bean tissues in the prebloom stage, since blossoms are needed as an energy source for germination and infection '•'-. A prolonged period of wet soil is required for the production of ascospores, and 48-72 hours of continuous moisture is required for initiation of infection''. The fungus completely colonizes mature and senescent blossoms in 2-3 days. These infected blossoms then serve as an efficient source of inoculum when in contact with leaf, stem, and pod tissues. Chemical control of this disease with benomyl has been successful ', but its relatively high cost, the rigidity of the spray program, and the threat of the development of a benomyl-resistant strain of the pathogen have stimulated the search for sources of resistance in P. vulgaris and other Phaseolus species. A large number of cultivars, breeding lines, and plant introductions were evaluated using an inoculation technique and conditions that simulated natural infection (Abawi et al.; Abawi et al., unpublished data). All the accessions of P. vulgaris were susceptible, although a few plants of some lines appeared to be tolerant. However, a high degree of resistance was found in selections of P. coccineus, including a white-flowered line, B-3749, a selection of P.I. 175829. This line and other accessions of P. coccineus had been found resistant to white mold by Adams et al. using a different inoculation procedure. Recently, Coyne et al. reported that Black Turtle Soup was the most resistant dry bean germplasm to the white mold fungus under natural inoculation conditions in western Nebraska. This paper reports the inheritance of resistance in line B-3749 to W. sclerotiorum and the progress made in transferring the resistance to two commercial snap bean cultivars.


The aerodynamic design of a new aircraft concept was investigated through subsonic wind-tunnel testing using 1:28-scale powered models. The aircraft configuration integrates a box-wing layout with engines located at the rear part of the fuselage. Measurements involved a back-to-back comparison between two aircraft models: a podded version whose engines were assembled on pylons and a boundary-layer ingestion (BLI) version that provided several system-level benefits. The flowfield was investigated through the power balance method and a variety of pressure flowfield and inlet flow distortion metrics. The results proved that the BLI configuration enhances the propulsive efficiency by reducing both the electrical power coefficient and the kinetic energy waste due to lower jet velocities. Furthermore, there was a reduction of the total pressure recovery due to pressure gradients inside the duct, thereby causing high distortion. Overall, this research highlights the importance of wind-tunnel testing to bring any aerodynamic technology to a sufficient level of maturity and to enable future new aircraft concepts.


The invention relates to porcelain and a manufacturing method thereof, in particular to huai Ru matt porcelain with body materials and glaze improved and a manufacturing method thereof. The huai Ru matt porcelain is manufactured by forming the body materials and biscuiting the body materials to obtain the green bodies, glazing the green bodies and firing the green bodies in the kiln. The body material comprises the following components in percentage by mass: 30-38% of Puyun Zijin clay, 21-25% of Mudai porcelain clay, 10-18% of alumina, 26-33% of kaolin and 3-9% of Lianligen porcelain clay. The glaze comprises the following components in percentage by mass: 25-32% of Puyun Zijin clay, 17-23% of kaolin, 12-17% of potash feldspar, 23-27% of Baoxi glaze clay and 13-16% of limestone. The invention not only maintains the characteristic of obtaining the huai Ru matt glaze by the original method but also solves the original technical problem, elevates the yield of the huai Ru matt glaze from 40-50% to 90-95% and greatly improves the yield and the quality of the product.


This project reviewed current assessment practice across a School at a large University in Melbourne through analysis of student Course Experience Surveys (CES), desktop analysis of course guides, teacher interviews and student focus groups. Based on the findings, targeted resources were designed and professional development activities delivered to teachers to improve assessment and feedback processes in an environment of changing educational technology contexts. Analysis of qualitative CES data identified the most significant issues with assessment design and implementation, and this was used as a reference point and in communication with teachers to promote an understanding that assessment design impacts student learning and achievement.
The development of resources and delivery of professional development activities to improve assessment design were undertaken during a period of significant technological change at the University. A new Learning Management System (LMS) was implemented and all courses were required to have an online presence and comply with a set of guidelines. The impact of this significant change on academics and students was examined to determine whether institutional technology implementation facilitates or hinders efforts to improve assessment and feedback processes in the context of learning and teaching practice.


Self-incompatibility(SI)is a genetically determined system for specific recognition and rejection of self-pollen and(pollen) from closely related plants.Recognition specificity is controlled by the S-locus.S-RNase-based gametophytic SI appears to be the most phylogenetically widespread form of SI found in the angiosperms,having been studied extensively in the Solanaceae,Rosaceae,and Scrophulariaceae.Rejection of self-pollen has been shown to be mediated by a highly polymorphic series of ribonucleases,S-RNase,in the pistil and a recently identified F-box containing protein,SLF/SFB,in the pollen.We review our(present) knowledge concerning the identification of female and male S-determinant,S-RNase and SLF/SFB,respectively,as well as other components implicated in SI.In addition we discuss the working models of SI response in the light of recent advances and put forward future works in SI studies.


Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Master of Applied Science An Efficient Wi-Fi RSS Indoor Positioning System and Its Client-Server Implementation


The conventional Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model considers Decision Making Units (DMUs) as a black box, meaning that these models do not consider the connection and the inner structures of DMUs. Moreover, these models consider that the activities of DMUs in each time are independent of other times, but in the real world, the inner structures of DMUs are complicated, and the activities of DMUs are dependent on other times. Therefore, in this chapter, the authors consider DMUs with network structure and the activity of each DMU in each time dependent to activity of other times, so they call this structure a dynamic network. To this end, in this chapter, models are suggested to evaluate the dynamic network efficiency based on the SBM model, which is a non-radial model of three types with respect to orientation: input-oriented, output-oriented, and non-oriented.


The work analyzes the factors influencing the development of excess, deficiency, or imbalance of macro-and microelements in the organism of 7-10-year-old children living in a large industrial city. Based on a questionnaire survey, it was revealed that the development of natural exogenous microelementosis associated with a lack of B, Mo, Zn, Mn, Se in the soil is subject to more than 80 % of respondents, iodine deficiency - 30 %. The risks of acquiring technogenic microelementosis by the population are possible as a result of the increased content of Pb, Cu, Sn, Cr, Co in the soil, Ni, Sn, Zr, Cr, Cu, Co in the production of meadow and agrophytocenoses, Fe and Mn in the water. More than 40 % of children consume tap water without preliminary preparation, 4 % of families periodically use water from wells. The development of natural endogenous microelementosis is possible in 12-58 % cases, iatrogenic microelementosis - in more than 6 % cases.


Trade dress offers perpetual protection to product and packaging design features that can help consumers identify a product's source. These design features might be valued by consumers not only because of their source identifying function, but also because consumers find the design or package features beautiful, independent of the goodwill of the producer. Thus manufacturers who produce red-soled shoes or whiskey with a red melted-wax seal might gain what courts have called a "non-reputation-related" competitive advantage if consumers find these features to be aesthetically functional. This Article argues that courts, in assessing questions of aesthetic functionality, should give particular weight to surveys asking consumers whether they would be better off if competitors were allowed to use a protected trade dress feature in their own products. Just as, under the doctrine of genericide, consumers are able to "expropriate" trademarks if consumers find it more beneficial to associate the language feature of the trademark with competitors' products, consumers should also be able to "expropriate" trade dress rights of a particular manufacturer if they find it more beneficial to have these design and packaging features available to be associated with competitors' products. The law of trade dress, like that of trademark, should be tailored to further consumer welfare; creating a genericide analog for cancelation of trade dress can further this central goal. This Article reports "proof of concept" results of our proposed consumer surveys with regard to seven different forms of existing trade dress – including not only Louboutin's red-soled shoes and Maker's Mark's red-drip wax seal, but also Gucci's famous "diamond motif" and Emeco's Navy chair. We implement our surveys as a between-subject randomized experiment that allows us to causally estimate the intensity of consumer preferences as well as the impact of "guiding" subjects on the likely consequences of forgoing trade dress protection. Our subjects reported markedly different preferences to protect the different species of trade dress. For example, a strong statistical-majority of market consumers favored continued protection of the famous Gucci "diamond motif," but a statically-significant majority indicated they would be better off if other manufacturers were allowed to produce Emeco's Navy chair design. *William K. Townsend Professor, Yale Law School. firstname.lastname@example.com **Assistant Professor of Law, University of California, Los Angeles (January 2020). Pranav Bhandarkar and Zachary Shelley provided excellent research assistance. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 2 I. OBTAINING AND LOSING PRODUCT DESIGN PROTECTION ........................................................ 4 A. Obtaining Trademark Protection for Product Designs .................................................... 4 B. Losing Protection................................................................................................................. 7 1. Functionality ...................................................................................................................... 7 2. Aesthetic Functionality ................................................................................................. 8 3. Who Decides (relying on what types of evidence)? .................................................... 10 4. The Genericide Analogy ................................................................................................... 13 II. OUR PROPOSAL ..................................................................................................................... 15 A. A Revealed-Preference Standard for Aesthetic Functionality ....................................... 16 B. Survey Implementation..................................................................................................... 19 1. Who ............................................................................................................................. 19 2. What ............................................................................................................................ 20 3. When ........................................................................................................................... 21 III. AN EMPIRICAL TEST CONSUMER PREFERENCES REGARDING CONTINUED PROTECTION OF SEVEN EXISTING TRADE DRESSES ................................................................................................. 21 A. Experimental Design ......................................................................................................... 24 1. Blocking and Balance ...................................................................................................... 28 2. Representativeness of Experimental Subjects and Interpretation Caveats ...................... 28 B. Results ................................................................................................................................ 30 1. All-or-nothing Protection Preferences ............................................................................ 30 2. Treatment Effects ............................................................................................................. 32 3. Unforced No-Protection Preferences .............................................................................. 34 4. Demographic Effects ........................................................................................................ 36 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................................. 38


A hydrophosphination reaction that is free of base, acid and catalyst, using only 2-methyltetrahydrofuran as additive has been performed. A new family of mono-, di-, tri- and tetra-phosphines compounds are obtained in good to excellent yields by adding diphenylphosphine to alkenes, mono- and polyfunctional acrylics (based on acrylate and methacrylate motifs) and acrylamide substrates. Addition of four equivalent of bio-mass derived 2-MeTHF into the reaction media improves both conversion and time of the reaction and reduces the sensitivity of the reactants over oxidation. This simple, straightforward and atom-economic method respects the principles of Green Chemistry. Furthermore, in each case this transformation shows an exclusive regioselectivity towards the anti-Markovnikov products.


ABSTRACT This paper proposes a dynamic vehicle count estimation method for signalized links using license plate recognition (LPR) data considering the recognition errors. The framework contains three sub-components. First, travel time probability density function is estimated based on the kernel density model using the LPR data of matched vehicles; Second, the expected travel time is estimated for unmatched vehicles based on the travel time probability distribution; Third, with the complete arrival and departure information, the cumulative arrival-departure curve of the link is reconstructed, and the link dynamic vehicle count (LDVC) can be calculated correspondingly. To explore how different recognition errors affect LDVC estimation performance, the proposed model is validated through an empirical case of a real LPR dataset and a simulation case with different levels of matched rate. The results show that the model has a high level of estimation accuracy in different levels of matched rate of LPR data.


Effect of the addition of carbon on phase formations in AlxCoCrFeNiCu (x = 0.3, 1.5, 2.8) high-entropy alloys (HEAs) was studied. Free diffusion of carbon from graphite crucible resulted in the partitioning of the entire Cr from the matrix and the formation of the (Cr,Fe)23C6 phase in all HEAs. No other metal-carbide phase was detected. The formation of (Cr,Fe)23C6 enhanced the overall hardness of the HEAs. By increasing the amount of Al, the Cr amount decreased resulting in the reduction of carbon diffusion and volume fraction of the (Cr,Fe)23C6 phase in HEAs. The hardness of matrix phases and the overall hardness of HEAs increased with an increase in the amount of Al. Impact statement The detailed phase analysis reveals that C addition to AlxCoCrFeNiCu HEAs leads to the formation of the (Cr,Fe)23C6 phase. The overall hardness can be controlled by the amount of C and/or Al. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT


in the functional magnetic resonance images (fMRI) are transient or do they become permanent with exces-sive exposure; whether the age of the child is critical; whether the function is different between normal children and those with neuropsychiatric problems; whether there a difference in the function of the frontal lobes between viewing violent video games and TV programs, and 'regular TV programming'; and does disruption of the frontal lobe function alter executive func-tioning and thus adversely effect long term academic performance?


The object of the invention is to provide novel formula sulphinyl esters of the formula: ## STR2 ## where N denotes 0 or a number from 1 to 6 and X and Y denotes each 0 or 1. XY SUM MUST BE AT LEAST 1, AND PREPARATION THEREOF. THESE COMPOUNDS MAY BE USED AS AUXILIARY DYE OR TANNING PRODUCTS OR FOR PHYTOSANITARY COMPOSITIONS.


Objective To study the value of color Doppler ultrasonography and thermography in the diagnosis of breast cancer.Methods Three hundred cases of breast mass were divided into two groups,each group composed of 150 cases.GroupⅠwas examined with color Doppler ultrasonography,groupⅡwas examined with color Doppler ultrasonography and thermography synchronously.Results The average pixel density in color blood flow of breast cancer was 22%,while the density of benign masses was 12%.The average temperature difference of breast cancer with thermography was 2.1 ℃,while that of benign mass was 1.5 ℃.The statistical difference existed between the benign mass and the breast cancer (P 0.001 ). The accuracy of diagnosis in group Ⅰ was 92.7% , and that in group Ⅱ was 98.7% (P 0.05 ).The sensitivity,specificity and accuracy of diagnosis in group Ⅰ and group Ⅱ were separately 90%,100%, 92.7% and 100%, 94.1% , 98.7% .Conclusions The use of color Doppler ultrasonography and thermography could improve significantly the accuracy in the detection and diagnosis of breast cancer.


Health Education England (HEE) has introduced whistleblowing protection for junior doctors. The organisation said that this provided a new legal route to allow trainees to make legal claims against HEE if they believe that it has caused detriment to their career.1

The BMA, which campaigned for the change, said that this would close a loophole in which HEE, the body responsible for training junior doctors, was exempt from any legal responsibility for whistleblowers because it is not technically an employer. HEE said that this was not something the organisation itself could change.

The UK government promised to look at the loophole in whistleblower protection for junior doctors, after a judgment of the …


Patientsremain undiagnosed and untreated until a veryadvanced stage of disease, due to poverty,ignorance and inadequate health careinfrastructure and health insurance.We present the management of a patient withsevere MV disease, who developed a state ofrefractory pulmonary oedema and cardiogenicshock, soon after admission to the hospital, and hadno palpable pulses, even in the major vessels, foralmost two hours. The patient was salvaged withan emergency percutaneous transvenous mitralcommissurotomy (PTMC) and needed mechanicalventilation for 3 days, but survived withneurological deficit.


To determine the prevalence of helicobacter pylori (H. Pylori) infection in patients with gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Material and Methods: Samples from 95 (69 males, 26 females) consecutive patients who had undergone surgery for gastric cancer were included in this study. Histologic examination of tumor obtained at the time of surgery yielded the diagnosis and then the specimens were stained with haematoxylin and eosin and Giemsa for the assessment of tumor and H.pylori infection. All patients did H.pylori immunologic and urease test. Results: From 95 patients with gastric cancer, 83 patients (87.36%) were positive for H. pylori infection. Histologic type of tumors was intestinal in 61 patients and diffuse in 7 patients. The prevalence of H. pylori was 93.2% in intestinal type carcinoma and 28.5% in diffuse type (P- value=0.0002). No significant difference was found in sex, smoking and staging between H.pylori positive gastric cancer and H.pylori negative cases. Conclusion: This study reconfirmed a high prevalence of H. pylori infection in patients suffering from gastric cancer and provided that evaluation for H. pylori infection might confer additional benefit in identifying the population that is at greater risk for this tumor.


At the beginning of process for urban development in China , as an one of the plans for the advancement of urbanization, most of the older buildings were torn down and replaced by modern construction. This kind of development brought about the reduced distintiveness of each cities' traditional features and historic ones, thus facing the characteristic crisis of `all the cities looking alike`. In the 2000s, in order to respond to this situation, the Chinese government tried to search for the cultural value of the unused space adjacent to street such as neglected factories and residence in the city, and reuse them under the theme of 'cultural street', 'cultural park', which contributed to the promotion of local identity and the cultural life of citizens. The unused space adjacent to street is not only an intermediary space that connects surrounding area in geographical situation , but also links the past and the modern to the future as a space that responds to the memory of the past and human needs. It is a community space in which visitors and residents can interact with each other and the unused space of adjacent street occupies an important place in the urban context. Therefore, the research is about 'eastern suburb memory (동교기억문화단지)', a good example of the unused space of adjacent street which is revitalized by reused for culture space. The aim of this study is learning about the characteristics about this town and suggesting the desirable way to go


The fixed oil of Piper guineese and Xylopia aethiopica are rich in b-carotene, phospholipids and plant sterols. Mycotoxins are absent. Key Words: Piper guineese, Xylopia aethiopica, fixed oils. Nig. J. Nat. Prod. And Med. Vol.1 1997: 41-43


With enrollment expansion of Colleges and the reform of graduates' employment system,increasingly serious employment situation makes many college students feel confused and even pessimistic about their job hunting.Looking for work is easy to produce serious anxiety,of which if one long time in the state would produce negative effect on their physical and mental health and employment.This study attempts to develop a set of employment anxiety counseling program according to the actual situation of university graduates' employment anxiety from the angle of occupation guidance in the form of psychological group counseling.I hope to be able to put forward an effective intervention method to alleviate the majority of graduates' employment anxiety,which would promote the mental health of college students.


In this paper we analyze the performance of the French economy in light of the labour market regulations that prevail in this country. We argue that, due to such regulation, the French economy is locked at a high unemployment trap with low labour mobility and low sectorial reallocation.


This study examined teachers' utilization of instructional materials for effective teaching of business studies in junior secondary schools in Delta State. The study was guide by three research questions. The study employed the descriptive survey research design. Population for the study consisted of 665 business studies teachers in the 448 public junior secondary schools in Delta State. The proportionate stratified random sampling technique was used to select a sample size of 50% of 333 out from 665 business studies teachers from 224 public junior secondary schools in Delta State. A questionnaire titled: Teachers' Utilization of Instructional Materials for Teaching Business Studies Questionnaire (TUIMTBSQ), containing 38 items was used in conducting the study. Both the validity and reliability of the research instrument were established. Data were analyzed using mean score at 2.50 rating and standard deviation. Findings of the study revealed among others that business studies teachers' utilization of instructional materials such as printed and non-printed materials for effective teaching of the subject in junior secondary schools in Delta State was to a low extent, which was minimal. The study recommended among others that: State Government and State Education Board should support teachers' utilization of printed and non-printed instructional materials in business studies through adequate funding and procurement of materials needed in teaching business studies in the junior secondary schools in Delta State. Principals should also improvise the required printed and non-printed instructional materials for business studies teachers in the school. This must be accorded with constant supervision and continuous staff training and retraining programmes that will improve teachers' utilization of printed and non-printed technological devices that will aid effective teaching in the classroom.


Underground mining in coal mines causes strong disturbance to geological structures and releases a large amount of elastic strain energy. When the roof is a hard and thick rock layer, it is easy to cause dynamic disasters such as rock burst. To analyze the impact of a deep thick and hard roof fracture on the safe mining of thick coal seams, this paper studied the dynamic evolution process of the stress field, displacement field, energy field, and plastic zone of the coal seam and overlying strata during the mining process using FLAC3D numerical simulation. The results show that as the working face continues to be mined, the concentrated stress in the overlying strata first increases and then decreases, and the support pressure in front of the working face continues to increase. When it advances to 100 m, collapse occurs, and the stress increases sharply; the bottom plate undergoes plastic failure, resulting in floor heave. The overlying strata mass in the top plate exhibits downward vertical displacement, while the rock mass in the bottom plate exhibits upward vertical displacement, with a maximum subsidence of 4.51 m; energy concentration areas are generated around the working face roadway, forming an inverted "U" shape. When collapse occurs, the energy density decreases slightly; the direction of the plastic zone changes from "saddle shaped" to complete failure of the upper rock layer, and the overlying strata is mainly shear failure, which expands with the increase in mining distance. The research results have important practical significance for guiding the safe mining of deep thick and hard roof working faces.


Abstract Changing wine preferences by American consumers are producing significant changes in the Finger Lakes viticultural area of New York State. Decline, as measured by grape acreage and number of growers, has been widespread since the mid‐1970s, especially within the traditional core area around Keuka and Canandaigua Lakes, where sweet and fortified wines made from native American grapes have been the long time staples of large corporate producers. At the same time, many new small wineries specialising in the production of drier‐style table wines made from vinifera and French‐American hybrid vines have come into existence around Seneca and Cayuga Lakes. Image problems, coupled with small volume output and limited financial resources, however, make their futures uncertain.