The minimum value of a monotonic increasing function de-"rined on G partially ordered set S is assumed on the set of rninimai points of S. This observation is used to devise an efficient method for finding the m smallest functional values of monotonic functions defined on ordered pairs of positive integers. The method is easily extended to include monotonic functions defined on ordered n-tuples. Included is a FORTRAN program which was written to implement the procedure for a cert'oin important case. t ~, I n t roduei;iOil :\ general procedure is discussed for finding, in correct order, the m smallest values of a furietion defined on c,c&,rod pairs of positive integers when the given function .> ];i<:r('ash~g in each variable. Such functions al:id the need ~) ,:,rdor lheir vahies arise, Rir example, when differential :,igv svahie problems are solved by separation of variables ] 9 "'- .-,~. In tiffs ease tbe ordered functional vahies are the (,r(M'od eigenvalues of the problem. (:<mmionly used ordering methods of which the author is ~twarc: do not take advantage of the monotoMeity of the J'u<qclion but consist instead of calculating and comparing ,-:~, }arae number of functional values. If the first m values ~:r,:. needed, a guess must be made as to how many and wifich functional values will be needed to insure that the firsl, m values will be obtained. There are two obvious ob-{#,(:lio:~s to such nlethods. (1) A large nurnber of functional vahies nols among the jirsr m have to be calculated to insure that the smallest m :~:e obtained. Consequently, if the computation of the The research reported in this paper was sponsored by the De-~:~r,~ent of the Navy tinder Contract NOw-62-0604-e with the ~3~ire:tt.t of Naval Weapons. functional vahtes is con~plicated, there is a significant waste of computation time. (2) More serious is the fact that one does not know whether the sequence obtained front tile ordering procedure actually consists of tim m smallest values. That is, if more functional wflues had been considered, sonm values of the function less than certMn elements in the supposed list of the m smallest values might have been obtained. The procedure presented here answers both of these objections. In particular the ordered sequence obtained is correct; i.e. the sequence always yields the m snmllest values properly ordered. Furthermore there is little con> putation of values which are not, used. In Section 2 …


In 2020, McMaster University's students-as-partners (SaP) program shifted operations to a grant-funded model. To understand what, if any, influence this programmatic change had on student, staff, and faculty partners, we sought to critically evaluate this new model. Toward this aim, we conducted an institutional ethnography and survey of student, faculty, and staff partners who participated in the SaP program between May 2020 to August 2021. In this paper, we share the ways in which our analysis speaks to respect, reciprocity, and shared responsibility in partnerships, as well as the broader issue of sustainably supporting the growth of SaP projects. We conclude by offering recommendations for individuals at institutions of higher learning who are considering implementing a grant-award model to support SaP work.


The growth of device quality Al203 dielectric films by an indirect plasma-enhanced CVD technique is described. The films were grown on InP using trimethylaluminum and nitrous oxide reactants in the range of 230-300°C. Direct exposure of substrate to the d.c. generated plasma was minimized by a novel reactor configuration. For optimum deposition conditions, stoichiometric films with indices of refraction between 1.65-1.67 were obtained. InP-M0S capacitors consisting of 1000° thick Al203 dielectric films and Al-metal field plates showed interface state densities in the range of 3x 1011cm-2 eV-1.


While many countries, especially the U.S., have developed and implemented environmental education programs, little information exists concerning the major environmental issues to be communicated, concepts to be taught, or conceptual objectives to be interpreted. Environmental education research efforts concerned with documenting program effectiveness and demonstrating goal attainment, concept, acquisition, student belief and attitude shift, and skill acquisitions are reported. Methods for assessing environmental education program effectiveness are described. (22 references)


Commentary on : Vicente V, Svensson L, Wireklint Sundstrom B, et al. Randomised controlled trial of a prehospital decision system by emergency medical services to ensure optimal treatment for older adults in Sweden. J Am Geriatr Soc 2014;62:1281–7.[OpenUrl][1][CrossRef][2][PubMed][3]

The authors aimed at evaluating the feasibility and appropriateness of a prehospital system, allowing ambulance nurses to decide whether to transport older adults directly to geriatric care at a community-based hospital or to an emergency department (ED). …

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What kind of story could be conveyed about psychiatric patients and the practices of their confinement in the second half of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century? How could such an account be grounded? What theoretical tools and frameworks would allow for an apprehension of this situation, and within or across which disciplinary frameworks? Firmly situated in the field of rhetoric of science, Diagnosing Madness. The discursive construction of the psychiatric patient, 1850-1920 attempts such an account, "placing rhetorical analysis of the written word at the center of the web of cultural practices that made asylums possible in the nineteenth century"


The stall-keeper is an important community in the circulation of commodities of society.It plays in an important role in exchange and socio-economic development.However,the stall-keeper also brings about many problems.Like that it has a bad effect on economic order,social stability and urban construction.Since modern times,in order to restrain and limit the stall-keepers,local governments have also regulated market places in details while performing police system.Also,organizations such as guilds have taken their own measures to restrain the stall-keepers which is playing an important part.


The invention relates to a welding method of a vertically brazed joint of a stainless steel conduit. The method comprises the following steps: 1) preparation of the surface of the joint before brazing; 2) preparation of a brazing filler metal ring; 3) preparation of a sleeve; 4) assembling of parts; and 5) welding. In the welding method of the vertically brazed joint of the stainless steel conduit mainly, a method of replenishing the brazing filler metal ring for welding over the joint before welding is adopted; and the method can be used for reducing the defects of the vertically brazed joint and improving the quality of products.


The melanin plays an important role on animal black bone and body color formation.The research of recent years shows many genes are relevant to melanin.In this paper,we summarized the major genes influencing melanin and its research progress in domestic animal.


This article is about a Faroese conflict in the 1950ies between the majority of the citizens in Klaksvik and the authorities in Torshavn regarding the resignation of a Danish doctor at the hospital in Klaksvik. The doctor, Olaf Halvorsen, who had a Nazi past in Denmark during the Second World War came to the hospital in Torshavn in 1948 and was in April 1951 transferred to Klaksvik where he gained overwhelming support throughout the local population. In the meantime, however, Halvorsen was accused by the Danish doctoral community for having had Nazi sympathies during the Second World War. In 1949 the Danish doctor´s union arbitration gave him a reprimand for his ´national conditions` during the war. He was not sentenced any penalty, e.g. he was not excluded from the Doctor´s union, but the arbitration sentenced him to pay the courts costs, 601, 50 Danish Crowns, which he refused to do. This had the effect that Halvorsen lost his membership in the union, which was a precondition for practicing as a hospital doctor. Despite local support the authorities could not let him remain as a doctor at the hospital. Instead, a Faroese Doctor, attached to the leading family in Klaksvik, was employed at the local hospital. This apparently minor case developed into a widespread and longlasting conflict between the vast majority of the citizens in Klaksvik and the authorities in Torshavn and later also the Danish authorities in Copenhagen that e.g. involved Danish warships with large numbers of police officers at the harbour in Klaksvik, bombs exploding at the police station and gun shots at the Faroese prime minister. During this uprising, which lasted for more than two years, from 19531955, lawlessness was the rule in the second largest city in the Faroe Islands, until the Danish authorities at last restored law and order in the city. The sources behind the article are basically unpublished and so far unexploited primary material from both public archives and private collections in the Faroe Islands. While the main story is well known the analyses of the primary material in this article leads to revisions and new conclusions on the subject. On the analytical level a distinction will be made between the underlying historical and structural conditions behind the outbreak and development of the conflict and the primary actors in the conflict; and on the methodological level a comparison between the nonofficial governmental sourc es and the public sources will be used to reveal possible discrepancies between the authorities intentions regarding solutions of the conflict and the picture that the authorities – intentionally or unintentionally – gave the public. This article documents on the empirical level major discrepancies between the authorities real unofficial inten tions regarding a solution of the conflict and the picture that the authorities gave to the public. The argument in the article is that it was 1) developing tensions between the industrial capital Klaksvik in the North and the administrative capital Torshavn in the south, 2) socioeconomic conditions in Klaksvik, the real industrial capital in the Faroe Islands, and 3) later on also tensions between the strong Faroese separation movement and Danish authorities, which were the main content in this major rebellion. It was, however, the combination between some powerless Faroese homerule authorities and reluctant Danish authorities, which was the main reason for that this uprising developed into a real rebellion in Klaksvik. During the two years of lawlessness in Klaksvik the conditions could be and were used by rebels in Klaksvik and political parties in the Faroe Islands, which had other goals than to solve the problem. This exploitation of the conflict, which only was made possible by a powerless space in the Faroese political realm, escalated the conflict further, but in the end this was a rebellion without clear winners. In conclusion it was not as often argued a united village population (95%) that challenged the local Faroese and later on the Danish state authorities, but it was basically a divided population split across political as well as religious lines that afterwards had to face a troubled selfimage, which many were not proud of. In a broader context the conflict about the doctor can be interpreted as a rebellion against the new home rule system of 1948 and its attempt to centralize the new political and administrative power in Torshavn.


Abstract The Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB) is an important area for prospective mining for polymetallic nodules. However, little is known about the biodiversity or community structure of abyssal benthic assemblages in the area. The aim of this study was to investigate nematode assemblages inhabiting nodule fields in the CIOB in terms of species composition, diversity, density, biomass, size spectra and sex ratio. Samples were collected by box corer from a depth of 5000–5100 m during the 39th cruise of RV Akademik Boris Petrov in 2009. In total, 1066 individuals were examined from 4 stations and 16 samples. The total average density of nematodes recorded in the CIOB was considerably lower than reported from other deep-sea regions (27.17 ± 2.7 inds/10 cm2). Nematode diversity was comparable with that of other deep-sea regions and the composition of the dominant taxa was typical for oceanic basins. A total of 284 morphotypes belonging to 113 genera and 30 families were identified. Chromadoridae (29.6%), Xyalidae (19.3%), Oxystominidae (6.6%) and Desmoscolecidae (5.0%) were the dominant families. Among the genera, Acantholaimus (23.2%), Halalaimus (5.7%), Desmoscolex (4.8%), Theristus (3.5%) and Daptonema (3.4%) were the most numerous. The majority of specimens had a body length in the range of 1000–1500 µm, which is also in accordance with other deep-sea studies. Females were three times more abundant than males at all CIOB stations. Average total nematode biomass (52.39 ± 10.0 mg/m2) was comparable with macrofauna biomass from the same area.


Hydrocarbon resources were very rich in the deep buried formation in Dongying Depression.By analyzing the origin and characteristics of condensate gas reservoirs,the key factors controlling the condensate gas reservoir formation in the northern abrupt slope belt of Dongying Depression were analyzed.Results show that the dark colored mudstone of the lower member of Es4 is the main source rock,formation temperature and pressure determines the generation and distribution of condensate gas;sedimentary facies influences the reservoir properties;well evaporate growth provides superior condition for condensate gas reservoirs.On the basis of above analysis,it would provide gas exploration orientation in Dongying Depression.


It is the key to set up a long-effect mechanism in keeping the forerunner's education of the communist party of China,so as to maintain the forerunner of communist party of China forever.College student CPC members is the reserves force of communist party of China,so it is important to set up and keep a long-effect mechanism of the forerunner of the communist party of China.The paper puts forward the measures and methods of setting up a long-effect mechanism of college student CPC members in learning and cultivation by interview and investigative questionnaire to college student CPC members,in order to form the important components on a long-effect mechanism of college student CPC members in the forerunner's education.


We investigate the behavior of the QCD evolution towards high energy, in the diffusive approximation, in the limit where the fluctuation contribution is large. Our solution for the equivalent stochastic Fisher equation predicts the amplitude as well as the whole set of correlators in the strong-noise limit. The speed of the front and the diffusion coefficient are obtained. We analyze the consequences on high-energy evolution in QCD.


A method of monitoring the two-phase flow, using a vortex flowmeter produces a signal showing the structure of a flow, measuring the phase state of the flow using the variation as a component of the signal.


A website is a collection of interconnected web pages that can be accessed by the public and share a single domain. Individuals, clubs, enterprises, and organizations can construct and maintain websites for a variety of objectives. The website offers an almost limitless number of options that may be used anywhere and at any time. One of them is in the field of education. SMA Harapan 1 Medan is one of the schools that use the internet as a source of information. However, according to the website administrator, the website (sma1.harapan.ac.id) continues to have issues with features, appearance, and insufficient information. The WEBUSE (Website Usability Evaluation Tools) method can be used to tackle the problem on the website. WEBUSE is a questionnaire-based usability evaluation approach for assessing the usability of a website. WEBUSE was chosen because website problems are categorized in WEBUSE, and it can assess usability across all types of websites and domains. The evaluation's findings will be examined using Importance Performance Analysis (IPA). The Importance Performance Analysis approach to determine the level of conformance and how satisfied users are with the website is also used to determine which parts need to be fixed or maintained. The results became insight to formulate improvement strategies. The analysis findings will be considered while creating the improvement plan.


We approach the study of sub-von Neumann algebras of the group von Neumann algebra $L\Gamma$ for countable groups $\Gamma$ from a dynamical perspective. It is shown that $L(\Gamma)$ admits a maximal invariant amenable subalgebra. The notion of invariant probability measures (IRAs) on the space of sub-algebras is introduced, analogous to the concept of Invariant Random Subgroups. And it is shown that amenable IRAs are supported on the maximal amenable invariant sub-algebra.


What began as a prediction about electron diffusion has spawned a rich variety of theories and experiments on the nature of the metal–insulator transition and the behavior of waves—from electromagnetic to seismic—in complex materials.


The simplified theory put forward in an earlier paper (***)‡ is extended and generalized to cover the case of the thermal creep buckling of prismatic two-member components such as reactor fuel elements, all phases of creep and elastic strains being considered. The tangent modulus approach is used and small deflections are assumed; it is shown that even with these assumptions a solution in closed form can be obtained only in the case of a single rod.Approximate methods of solution are then discussed, in which primary and secondary creep phases only are considered, but with certain simplifying assumptions. Throughout most of the analysis a modified form of Andrade's creep equation is used, namely e = αt1/3+βt+γt3, where α, β, and γ are functions of stress and temperature, e and t are creep strain and time.Typical curves are presented, based on data for an aluminium alloy, illustrating the contribution to buckling deflection likely to be expected from primary creep, for the single rod.


Writers active amid the sixteenth-century religious reformations focused much of their attention on the papacy. Protestants of the emergent confessions penned highly charged and inflammatory books, including the Magdeburg Centuries (published between 1559 and 1574). The latter work was a historical enterprise that sought to examine thirteen centuries of Christianity – ending in 1298 – from a Lutheran perspective that, among other things, traced the development of the Papal Antichrist. Despite its polemical nature, the Centuries were a historiographical innovation with Renaissance practices of source criticism and the scouring of geographically distant libraries at its core. Cesare Baronio's Ecclesiastical Annals (published 1588 and 1607) has traditionally been interpreted as the Catholic Reformation's delayed response to the Centuries. Baronio's thesis of the offices of Roman Church as 'always the same' (semper eadem) was contrapositive to that of the Centurions. But like his Lutheran adversaries, Baronio relied on uncovered documents and a discerning eye to bolster his argument with access abetted by his role as the Papal Librarian (1597–1607). The historiography on church history during the sixteenth century tended to examine the duelling narratives penned by the proponents of different reformations with the Centurions and Baronio being the subjects of scholarly consideration. The Papacy was at the heart of the Centuries and the Annals. Stefan Bauer in The Invention of Papal History challenges this traditional overview through the analysis of the Augustinian friar, Onofrio Panvinio (1530–1568), whose histories existed in a liminal intellectual and temporal space between the Centurions and Baronio. With a short book that packs a lot of punch, Bauer situates the writing of papal history between the Renaissance and Catholic Reform. The latter is a loaded term conjuring up the nineteenth-century cultural wars in Germany that sought to understand sixteenth-century Catholicism as having either reactive or intramural reformers. Thankfully sidestepping the minutiae of this debate, Bauer instead proffered a useful investigation into the philological methods used to understand the history of Christendom as well as the balancing act between history and theology. Its usefulness is further amplified with Panvinio's career overlapping the momentous Council of Trent (1545–1547; 1551–1552; 1562–1563) that assessed Catholic theology and practice. Not only was Panvinio active in a transitional period between Renaissance and Catholic Reform as seen in his proximity to Trent, he was contemporary to the Centuries at least those volumes published during his lifetime. The author begins Invention with a short introduction that argues about the novelty and significance of Panvinio and his historical method, while he outlines the book's place within the scholarship to date. With his knowledge of German and Italian, Bauer is well-suited to engage with the historiographies in each language as well as that in English, making for an excellent overview of the field. Despite Baronio's significance in the history of Catholic Reform and Catholic historiography, Bauer reminds us that the Annals remains underexplored (2). Here, the reader is introduced to Panvinio's works at the heart of Bauer's book,


The article gives introduction to the main functions of five-prevention block system of computers,and combining the need of specific operation of operating personnel in the plant,it gives a detailed analysis respectively of monitoring remote operations,in-place operation,delegate controlling of remote operation,maintenance operation,incident handling in order to assess the quality of a computer five-prevention block system and offer reference for power plants to choose five-prevention block system.


Simple Summary Throscidae is a relatively small lineage in the beetle superfamily Elateroidea. The Mesozoic fossil records of this family are sparse. Here we describe three new throscid species found in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber, all represented by well-preserved specimens. These newly discovered species suggest that Throscidae had a high diversity in the Cretaceous. Abstract Captopus depressicepsgen. et sp. nov., Electrothroscus yanpingaegen. et sp. nov. and Pseudopactopus robustus gen. et sp. nov. are reported from the mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. These new findings greatly extend the Mesozoic diversity of Throscidae, which implies a high degree of morphological disparity for this family in the Cretaceous.


A series of dialkyl and methyl alkyl carbonates has been synthesized and their reactivity investigated. The behavior of preferential leaving and entering groups for the newly synthesized carbonates has been accurately investigated. Both experimental and computational studies agreed that the scale of leaving groups follows the trend: PhCH2O–, MeO– ≥ EtO–, CH3(CH2)2O–, CH3(CH2)7O– > (CH3)2CHO– > (CH3)3CO–. Accordingly, the scale of the entering group has the same trend, with t-butoxide being the worst entering group. A preliminary attempt to rationalize the nucleofugality trends, limited to the (CH3)3CO– and CH3O– groups, has indicated that a likely origin of the observed trends lies in the different entropic contributions and solvation effects.


Measurements of the extraction of protactinium from hydrochloric acid solution by different dilutions of mixtures of di-isopropyl carbinol and ketone, in the inert diluent benzene, failed to provide conclusive evidence of an extraction complex containlng both carbinol and ketone. Benzene dilution of the carbinol showed that the complexes extracting from hydrochloric acid solutions containing trivalert gold and iron and pentavalent protactinium all contain the same number of molecules of carbinol. (auth)


Background—Epidemiological studies have demonstrated an inverse relationship between vitamin E intake and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. In contrast, randomized controlled trials have reported conflicting results as to whether vitamin E supplementation reduces atherosclerosis progression and CVD events. Methods and Results—The study population consisted of men and women ≥40 years old with an LDL cholesterol level ≥3.37 mmol/L (130 mg/dL) and no clinical signs or symptoms of CVD. Eligible participants were randomized to DL-&agr;-tocopherol 400 IU per day or placebo and followed every 3 months for an average of 3 years. The primary trial end point was the rate of change in the common carotid artery far-wall intima-media thickness (IMT) assessed by computer image-processed B-mode ultrasonograms. A mixed effects model using all determinations of IMT was used to test the hypothesis of treatment differences in IMT change rates. Compared with placebo, &agr;-tocopherol supplementation significantly raised plasma vitamin E levels (P <0.0001), reduced circulating oxidized LDL (P =0.03), and reduced LDL oxidative susceptibility (P <0.01). However, vitamin E supplementation did not reduce the progression of IMT over a 3-year period compared with subjects randomized to placebo. Conclusions—The results are consistent with previous randomized controlled trials and extend the null results of vitamin E supplementation to the progression of IMT in healthy men and women at low risk for CVD.


ABSTRACT Reference frames provide structure for spatial cognition and support spatial knowledge development across different scales. This study sheds light on the relationship between geographic scale, defined as the spatial extent visually accessible from a single viewpoint, and the preferential use of different reference frames (egocentric vs. allocentric) for environmental learning. Participants learned target locations by teleporting through a virtual maze. Leveraging the flexibility and potential of immersive technologies, we manipulated geographic scale using two perspectives, a ground-level view and a pseudo-aerial view, to examine how reference frame proclivity (determined by an established test) affects spatial learning at each scale. The results of a pointing task show that participants who preferred an allocentric reference frame benefited from the pseudo-aerial perspective, whereas participants who preferred an egocentric reference frame made more efficient use of the ground perspective. A fine-grained behavioral and cognitive analysis provides concrete explanations for differences in task performance and offers evidence for the existence of egocentric survey representations. The results are essential for understanding how immersive technologies change spatial learning.


Social skills are an aspect that is no less important than cognitive aspects. This aspect must also receive equal priority in the educational environment. For this reason, this study aims to investigate the level of validity and effectiveness of the Quantum teaching-based Islamic Religious Education learning model to improve students' social skills. This research is part of research and development conducted at SMA Negeri 19 Makassar, Indonesia, involving 42 students and 5 experts. The instruments used in this study were validation sheets and social skills questionnaires which were then analyzed quantitatively. Data from the validation process were analyzed to determine the average score while the data from the social skills questionnaire were analyzed with the help of SPSS 20.00 software by running a t-test. The results of the study indicate that this learning model has a high level of validity based on the assessment of experts on the content validity test. In addition, this quantum teaching-based the Islamic education (PAI) learning model has also proven effective in improving students' social skills based on the results of the t-test by comparing the scores of pretests and posttest. With these results, this learning model can be used for a broader range of users.


Aims: This study investigated the effect of gamma irradiation on the bacteriological and sensory qualities as well as some physicochemical properties of peanut butter irradiated at different doses. Methodology: Peanut butter samples were pre-packaged and sealed in plastic jars with each jar containing 500 g of peanut butter. The samples were exposed to 0, 2, 3, 4 and 5 kGy absorbed doses of gamma radiation and bacteriological, sensory and physicochemical qualities were evaluated. Results: The TVC of the irradiated peanut butter ranged between 3.33 and 2.0 cfu/g and Staphylococcus aureus count ranged between 2.63 cfu/g to below detection limit. A dose of 2 kGy Original Research Article Torgby-Tetteh resulted in a 0.93 log reduction whilst maximum dose of 5 kGy used resulted in a 1.33 log reduction in the total viable counts of the irradiated samples. E. coli and Salmonella sp were not detected in both the irradiated and unirradiated peanut butter. No significant effect was observed in the sensory properties of the irradiated peanut butter. Peroxide value (PV) and Malonialdehyde (MDA) content were observed to range between 42.00±2.83-44.00±0.00 (meq/kg) and 6.89 x 10 -7 ± 2.26x10 -8 -1.12x10 -6 ±5.44x10 -8 (M) respectively. Conclusion: The MDA concentration increased significantly with increasing dose though no significant differences were observed between the measured values for doses of 2 and 3 kGy as well as 4 and 5 kGy. Gamma irradiation proved effective in reducing microbial load in the peanut butter without significantly affecting the sensory attributes as well as the peroxide value.


Purpose – In this introduction of the special issue "Trust, conflict and cooperative behaviour" the focus of the special issue is introduced: because al lot of attitudinal and behavioural employees' outcomes are based on reciprocity, they should be examined as a characteristic of relationships instead of a characteristic of employees.Design/methodology approach – On a theoretical level reciprocity within organizations is considered by means of the social embeddedness approach and by means of leader member exchange.Findings – Although reciprocity in relationships is well recognised in the academic literature seemingly little empirical work has been conducted on reciprocity in manager‐subordinate and subordinate‐subordinate relationships.Originality/value – In this special issue, we try to fill in this gap and focus on the reciprocity within relationships to explain trust, conflict and cooperative behaviour within organisations.


The proposed abstraction framework manipulates the visual-features from low-illuminated and underexposed images while retaining the prominent structural, medium scale details, tonal information, and suppresses the superfluous details like noise, complexity, and irregular gradient. The significant image features are refined at every stage of the work by comprehensively integrating a series of AnshuTMO and NPR filters through rigorous experiments. The work effectively preserves the structural features in the foreground of an image and diminishes the background content of an image. Effectiveness of the work has been validated by conducting experiments on the standard datasets such as Mould, Wang, and many other interesting datasets and the obtained results are compared with similar contemporary work cited in the literature. In addition, user visual feedback and the quality assessment techniques were used to evaluate the work. Image abstraction and stylization applications, constraints, challenges, and future work in the fields of NPR domain are also envisaged in this paper.


: Nowadays, the world is experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic. Iron deficiency anemia and vitamin D deficiency are two of the world's most prevalent health problems. Severe COVID-19 patients were found with elevated serum ferritin and decreased vitamin D levels. There is a need to investigate the possible roles of micronutrients in the severity and mortality of COVID-19. This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 437 COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized from April to August 2020. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data of the patients were collected. Medical experts determined the severity of the infection based on the severity of the clinical symptoms and the extent and degree of the lung infection. The data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software Version 16. The mean age of the participants was 60.74 ± 16.70 years old, and the most common comorbidities were diabetes type II (15.1%) and hypertension (12%). Shortness of breath (58.6%), anosmia (55.1%), and ageusia (45.1%) were the most common presenting symptoms. The mean serum vitamin D level was 28.86 ± 15.69 ng/mL, and vitamin D deficiency was found in 53% of patients. The mean serum ferritin level was 125.32 ± 97.99 for males and 302 ± 73.6 for females. Significant correlations were observed between serum vitamin D levels, lower oxygen saturation rate, and COVID–19 severity. A significant relationship was found between the serum ferritin levels and hospitalization duration (P < 0.05). Our findings indicated that COVID-19 patients treated in the hospital had a high prevalence of hypovitaminosis D. The severity of the disease was increased in patients with vitamin D deficiency and elevated serum ferritin levels.


An elementary proof for the equivalence of two open questions for Hilbert-space operators is established: every contraction that does not belong to the class C 00 has a nontrivial invariant subspace if and only if every contraction which is a quasiaane transform of a unitary operator has a nontrivial invariant subspace.


This machinery manufacture company discussed here is a machining enterprise which provides Benxi Steel with spare parts and is confronted with the market competition.The paper expounds the whole process of managemant,which comppises planning the information system of production management,systematic analysing,designing and realizing in accordance with the method of software engineering.


By using the relational grade analysis of grey system theory,the relational gray coefficient and grade on leaf net photosynthetic rate of sungold apricot grown in sunlight greenhouse and main ecological factors(CO2 concentration of atmosphere,photosynthesis active radiation,transpiration,the atmospheric temperature,leaf temperature,relative humidity)were analyzed.The result showed that the factors which seriously influenced leaf net photosynthetic rate of sungold apricot were photosynthesis active radiation and transpiration in sunlight greenhouse,the next were the atmospheric temperature and relative humidity,the last factor was atmospheric CO2 concentration of atmosphere.


1. CONTENTS (1) RESEARCH OBJECTIVES The purpose of this paper is to forecast the real estate market by analyzing House Purchasing Price Composite Index(HPPCI) and economic indicators and to empirically investigate the impact of economic index on the real estate price. (2) RESEARCH METHOD The research is based on annual data of HPCCI and main index over the past 29 years and monthly data of HPCCI and main index for the past 345 months. The research conducts multiple regression analysis to determine the effect of index on HPCCI performance. 본 논문은 한국부동산학회의 2015년 후반기 전국학술대회에서 발표, 집중토론을 거쳐 완성도를 높였습니다. * 주 저 자 : 성결대학교 도시계획/부동산학부 교수, 경영학박사, firstname.lastname@example.com ** 교신저자 : 성결대학교 경영학부 교수, 경영학박사, email@example.com ▷ 접수일(2015년 11월 12일), 수정일(1차:2015년 12월 8일, 2차:2015년 12월 10일, 3차:2016년 1월 15일), 게재확정일(2016년 2월 12일) 242 주택매매가격종합지수 및 주요 경제지표들의 상승률 동향과 관련성 분석 (3) RESEARCH FINDINGS After analyzing monthly data of HPCCI and main index from 1987, the results indicate that the price of Seoul Apartment had the largest correlation coefficient, while HPCCI has a low correlation with Korea Composite Stock Price Index, Interest rate, Consumer Price Index. In the case of Japan, the population growth is highly correlated with HPCCI. 2. RESULTS In Japan, the correlation coefficient between the population growth in the age group of 40s and 50s and HPCCI is 0.984, indicating a strong positive correlation. Therefore, it can be reasonably deduced that real estate market in South Korea could have been influenced by the population growth in the age group of 40s and 50s. 3.


Interference between beams of a multiple-beam phased array can be minimized by reducing the sidelobes of each beam in the overlap area. The sidelobe reduction can be accomplished by adjusting the phase and/or amplitude distribution across the face of the array. Since changing the amplitude distribution reduces the efficiency of the array, changing phase-only has been investigated. The algorithm presented numerically solves for the phase on each antenna element required to minimize the beam interference under the constraint where some elements have failed.<<ETX>>


Two α-amylase inhibitors (KAI and FAI) were purified to apparent homogeneity from the respective seeds of Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv Kintoki and P. vulgaris L. cv Fukushirokintoki, and their properties and subunit structure were examined. Isoelectric points of KAI and FAI were 4.6 and 4.5, respectively, and each inhibitor was found to be a glycoprotein with a molecular weight of about 45 000. Amino acid compositions of the inhibitors were similar to each other and characterized by no cysteine content. SDS-PAGE of each inhibitor showed at least four kinds of polypeptide bands corresponding to molecular weights between 14000 and 20000. On the other hand, size-exclusion HPLC indicated that each inhibitor was separated into two protein peaks, I and II under a denaturing condition. Amino acid compositions of I and II of KAI were very similar to those of I and II of FAI, respectively. N-terminal 20 amino acid sequences of I and II of KAI were the same as those of the correspondings of FAI. Comparison of I and II of each inhibitor exhibited that they were different from each other in their amino acid compositions and sequences. These findings suggest that each of KAI and FAI is composed of two protein subunits, which showed heterogeneity in molecular size due to different degrees of glycosylation. (Received Apr. 19, 2001; Accepted Jun. 19, 2001)


The Pilot Learning Platform with contents for Nanotechnology learning applying e-learning guidelines (Nanolearnproject) is a Research and Development project (R+D) for the learning of Nanotechnology in college level for the Faculty of Engineering in Universidad Distrital Francisco Jose de Caldas in Bogota Colombia. The project show the need to build a prototype of course in Nanotechnology that contains learning objects based in 2D and 3D materials that allow the integration of contents through the Virtual Learning Platform (VLE) using this kind of new technologies, following a series of specific guidelines and a set of specifications for develop E-learning contents, and different studies and analysis to implementation of Knowledge Management Model for learning objects that allow the generation and improvement of this kind of activities in learning environments. This is a pilot project, developed following some parameters, guidelines and research lines oriented to develop, methodologies and e-learning strategies, this project pretends are a base for the formulation of new proposals for grade and research projects to be ended. Nanolearnproject can be visited on the web site www.nanolearnproject.com KeywordsNanotechnology, e-Learning, Virtual Learning Enviroment, Sloodle, Moodle, Second Life.


Ensemble integrations of three general circulation models (Center for Ocean‐Land‐Atmosphere Studies, NCAR, and NCEP) have been performed over five different boreal summer seasons (June through September of 1986‐88 and 1993‐94) with prescribed observed sea surface temperature to assess the predictability of seasonal climate during the boreal summer. Beyond some inconsistent initialization of soil wetness among the models, there is no land surface contribution to predictability that can be assessed. The models show a rapid degradation of skill in global terrestrial surface temperature after the first month, and no skill in precipitation over land. Potential predictability is assessed by examining in tandem the models' skill as measured by their anomaly correlation coefficients, and the models' signal-to-noise ratio (essentially interannual versus intraensemble variance) as a measure of confidence in the results. Collocation of skill in anomaly simulation and a robust signal is a strong indicator of potential predictability. Predictability of interannual climate variations is found to be low outside the deep Tropics, and nil over land. With only SST as a driving boundary condition, the poor performance of these models during summer may indicate that one must turn to the land surface in order to harvest potential predictability.


Block ramps are a cost-effective assembly in river restoration projects to sustain river morphology. This experimental study determines the various energy dissipation factors with uniform and non-uniform (NU) configuration of boulders, with the objective to translate the dissipation of excess energy in the flow to minimize river bed aggradation or degradation. Semi-hemispherical blocks of 5 sizes representing boulders in staggered pattern is adopted on 3ramp slopes as it was established that this arrangement is more effective in energy dissolution than the row or random arrangements. Energy dissipation increases as the spacing decreases for various sets of uniform arrangements. NU configuration of the boulders has been so far not investigated by previous researchers. This study incorporates experiments on the NU configuration and it was found that energy dissipation is greater in NU configuration than uniform arrangement in majority of the test conditions and that alternate spacing inherits the flow accordingly producing quantitative loss of energy due to increased localized energy dissipation. An empirical relation has been developed incorporating the uniform and non-uniform configurations for evaluating the relative energy dissipation, in terms of length of ramp, ramp height, critical flow depth, boulder concentration, and coefficients representing the relative boulder configuration. The relation is found to hold good within the ± 5% deviation and may be conservatively used for formulation of design guidelines that can aid water resources engineers in practical applications of boulder block ramps for stream restoration works.


Objective We evaluated the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in the antenatal patients attending North Middlesex University Hospital between March 2008 and March 2009. Study design A prospective study of maternal levels of vitamin D at booking. Results The prevalence of both deficient and insufficient levels of 25[OH]D was 87.6% across all included patients. Conclusion There is a high prevalence of asymptomatic vitamin D deficiency in the antenatal booking population.


A thermistor type adiabatic calorimeter has been designed with the capability of measuring the heat of wetting of high surface area solids in organic liquids. Since the primary source of error in this type of experiment is trace water in the organic liquid, a method has been devised for introducing freshly distilled liquids directly into the calorimeter vessel and for maintaining dry conditions while introducing additional sample bulbs for measurements. The main feature in the design of the calorimeter vessel is the arrangement for removing the sample and readmitting a new sample under a positive pressure of dry nitrogen. This design allows this single‐bulb calorimeter to achieve the advantages of a multibulb calorimeter for detecting the presence and effects of trace water in the organic wetting liquid. The sensitivity of the calorimeter, which contains a volume of 50–100 ml, was found to have an experimental uncertainty of ±0.03 cal. A series of heat of immersion experiments of NiO in organic liquids, w...


The initial growth mechanism of AlAs‐on‐Si(111) substrate was investigated. The suppression of three‐dimensional growth was successfully realized at the initial growth stage, which is difficult in the growth of GaAs on Si. The initial growth process was clarified, in which the lattice relaxation proceeded gradually. It took about 30 ML to relax the lattice completely at the growth temperature of 400 °C. GaAs was grown in the two‐dimensional mode on the completely relaxed AlAs on the Si(111) substrate.


I conducted a thematic content analysis of key adult films in order to explore patterns and trends occurring in US adult film industry production and development between 1972 and 2005. Insights from grounded theory informed my consideration of a systematic sampling of 26 films. Emergent patterns and trends include: (1) content consistency across eras; (2) shifts in the form of sex depiction presentation; (3) continuous industry mainstreaming; and (4) changes in women talents' (actors') aesthetics. These patterns and trends reveal some tensions existing between the adult film industry and wider society, highlight symbiotic developments in what has been and what is currently considered 'pornographic', and illustrate the continued presence of dualistic power-based relationships in shaping persons' social-sexual interactions.


While liberalisation is designed to help growth and alleviate poverty by removing impediments that stop people and regions from specialising and trading, the process known as Core liberalisation (CL) has three components: it frees markets in goods and services, land, capital, and labour; phases out non-market influences on prices; and clarifies property rights. In the case of China, CL accompanied rapid, robust economic growth and reduction in poverty. However, from the mid-1980s, inequality – among regions, between city and village, and within rural communities – soared, leaving stubborn poverty increasingly concentrated in 'rural poverty islands' (RPIs). By 2001, almost 40 per cent of China's poor – but only about a fifth of the population – lived in these RPIs. This paper analyses evidence of liberalisation in China, factors limiting the gains from CL for poor people and regions, and provides policy recommendations.


This paper focuses the video coding for real time applications and its transmission over synchronous or asynchronous networks, with special interest in ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) switching and multiplexing. Video coders compress the information of a sequence producing a bit stream whose rate, in real time applications, should be controlled to fit the transmission resources. In this work we analyze the main control proposals from a general and comprehensive point of view, pointing out the observed variables, the prediction mechanisms, the action and periodicity of the control. The control action is to switch between different quantization modes. Actually, the coder must decide before coding a unit. A prediction of the data volume to be generated is helpful to avoid ungraceful degradation. The tradeoff in the periodicity of the action is the other key point. We propose a general strategy, compatible with MPEG standards, that is the real buffer evolution shaping. We observe the real buffer and impose a desired level variation. The buffer shaping unit can be a frame, slice, or macroblock. A method of prediction of the data volume to be produced in a unit is proposed. Using the proposed approach we study constant quality and variable bit rate coding, well suited for asynchronous networks. We compare the buffer evolution and the quality of coding under different strategies. In ATM environments the policing functions are taken into account as restrictions to be respected. methods to adapt coding with known policing functions are proposed.


Sixty‐three hyperthyroid patients received ablative dosages of radio iodine. The efficacy of this treatment and the follow‐up were assessed one to two and a half years later from case records and general practitioners. Fifty‐seven percent of patients were hypothyroid at six months and 65% at one year; 4.8% had failed to become euthyroid within one year; 68.2% of patients were on thyroxine at the time of survey. Two patients had not been seen by their doctor for follow‐up and one patient stopped her thyroxine. Most general practitioners preferred patients to be returned to their care once thyroxine treatment was stabilised. Rapid responses and predictable outcome are important advantages of this form of therapy over established methods of management. Intentional ablation is particularly convenient in situations where clinical and biochemical follow‐up may be difficult. Good communications and a computer‐controlled recall system should ensure effective follow‐up.


The study aimed to develop a digital kilowatt-hour meter that shows the amount of daily and monthly consumption of energy. This device would guide the consumers on how to budget their energy consumption and prepare for their upcoming electric bill. Results revealed that putting a price indicator in every kilowatt-hour meter will help the consumers budget their energy consumption. Knowing the cost of their energy consumption, consumers will learn to limit and control the use of their electricity. The study also included a keypad for entering the price per kilowatt in case of price increase or roll back, LCD to display results and view previous readings for the past four days, and a real time clock for data recovering during power interruptions.


Summary The aim of this paper is to infer conclusions about the temporality of the physical world from central features of the measurement of time. In order to do so it makes a distinction between the passage of time and the measurement of the passage of time. Whilst the passage of time can be experienced on the basis of, say, chaotic processes, the measurement of the passage of time requires certain physical regularities. But regularity is not sufficient and it is important to highlight the connection between time, regularity and invariance in the measurement of time, especially with respect to classical physics, the Special theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. It is only after this connection has been clarified that the paper considers the dispute on whether the physical world is static or dynamic. As there are clearly both time-symmetric physical laws and time-asymmetric physical processes, the question is empirically underdetermined because the evidence is at present compatible with two incompatible views about the temporality of the physical world.


Introduction: Experimental evidence suggests sedentary time (ST), in part, contributes to cardiovascular disease risk by eliciting detrimental hemodynamic changes (blood pooling, turbulent blood fl...


Distance Geometry and Applications Antonio Mucherino and Douglas S. Goncalves GSI17, Paris November 8th 2017 A. Mucherino and D.S. Goncalves session of GSI17 Distance Geometry and Applications 1 An Approach to Dynamical Distance Geometry 2 Distance Geometry in Linearizable Norms 3 Self-Similar Geometry for Ad-Hoc Wireless Networks: Hyperfractals 4 Information Distances in Stochastic Resolution Analysis 5 k-Means Clustering with Holder Divergences 6 Real Hypersurfaces in the Complex Quadric with Certain Condition of Normal Jacobi Operator Two hours =⇒ 20 minutes each, including questions! A. Mucherino and D.S. Goncalves session of GSI17 Distance Geometry and Applications 1 An Approach to Dynamical Distance Geometry 2 Distance Geometry in Linearizable Norms 3 Self-Similar Geometry for Ad-Hoc Wireless Networks: Hyperfractals 4 Information Distances in Stochastic Resolution Analysis 5 k-Means Clustering with Holder Divergences 6 Real Hypersurfaces in the Complex Quadric with Certain Condition of Normal Jacobi Operator Two hours =⇒ 20 minutes each, including questions! A. Mucherino and D.S. Goncalves session of GSI17 special issue of Optimization Letters Distance Geometry and


Supply chain alliance is a new form of organization that can benefit from the ability to effectively raise nodes. Joining enterprises and raising the competitive edge of domestic enterprises is an effective means to counter the foreign giants. The analysis of domestic enterprises is on the basis of the necessity of alliance-building in light of the factors affecting stability Union, that the contract for domestic enterprises is through the establishment of dynamic link, and making full use of information technology and network technology synergies.


Anomalous origin of the circumflex coronary artery from the proximal right coronary artery or right sinus of Valsalva was recognized in 20 of 2996 patients undergoing selective coronary arteriography (0.67%). The relative frequency of this anomaly demands a high level of anticipation during the performance of selective coronary arteriography to assure that an adequate study has been obtained. Failure to recognize and properly demonstrate the anomaly can be hazardous to patient management.Two angiographic signs have proved reliable in recognizing the anomalous artery before its selective demonstration. These signs are a profile view of the artery behind the aortic root during left ventriculography (the "aortic root sign") and recognition of absent arterial inflow to a significant area of the posterior lateral left ventricle during selective injections of the main left coronary artery (the "sign of non-perfused myocardium"). These angiographic signs are described and the clinical implications of proper demonstration of the anomalous circumflex coronary artery are discussed.


A cross-cultural study of the effects of several aspects of marriage and kinship institutions on fertility through their influence on intermediate variables is presented. The study focuses on nonindustrial societies where modern contraceptives are not generally used. Relevant anthropological sociological and demographic literature is studied. The relationship between fertility and the following aspects of marriage is discussed: 1) types of union i.e. legal common-law and visiting; 2) family type i.e. extended or nuclear; 3) nature of descent group i.e. corporate unilinear or not; and 4) form of marriage i.e. monogamous or polygamous. Difficulties with and limitations of these studies are discussed. Results of the fertility-form of marriage studies are contradictory and inconclusive; evidence is that polygynously married women have lower fertility than monogamously married women. Fertility is lowest in unions of highest instabilty. All of these aspects of marriage are found to be affected by as well as to affect fertility.


In situ conservation of agrobiodiversity, or on-farm conservation, involves the maintenance of traditional crop cultivars or landraces and farming systems by farmers within traditional agricultural systems (Hodgkin et al., 1993; Jarvis, 1999). This method of conservation has been gaining importance in recent years, though farmers have been using it for centuries (Sthapit and Joshi, 1996). In the evolution of diversity on-farm, the effects of growers practices are of paramount importance, the baseline diversity being the one that is determined by the local adaptation of the genotype. On-farm conservation programmes must benefit local communities. Management by local communities can be developed to effectively link conservation and use (McNeely, 1996; Sthapit and Jarvis, 1999). In addition, it is important to consider indigenous knowledge (IK), people's participation and cooperation between local people, researcher and conservationists and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Several efforts by IPGRI are in progress (Jarvis, 1999). On-farm conservation is a major component in any conservation strategy, however, at the commencement of the TaroGen project in 1998 there was little experience in Pacific Island countries on this method of conservation of taro or any other crop. This paper describes efforts by the TaroGen project to gain a better understanding of the role of on-farm conservation of taro in the Pacific region.


The given BPI Challenge 2017 provides a case study based on a reallife event log from the financial industry. In the present report we explore the applicability of diverse process mining and predictive analytics techniques and tools in the context of a loan application process in order to provide insightful information to the process owner. These techniques include process discovery, process similarity measures, a novel approach for clustering process data to get process fragments, deep learning based approaches for predictive process monitoring, feature correlation and ranking analysis. For each technique, we describe the general approach, experimental settings and a reporting on the results. These results are then used to answer and discuss the specific questions asked in BPI Challenge 2017.


This article deals with telemedicine and in particular with telesonography. Telesonography is real-time video collaboration for remote ultrasound examinations. We present here an interactive videoconferencing system that supports the various fields of ultrasound expertise, utilizing multimedia technologies. The work here focuses on integrating such a system in the demanding environment of ultrasound examinations, including integration of multimedia tools and support for a graphical user interface.

We introduce an original logical model for telesonography and detail its architecture. Special emphasis is given to describing the multimedia technologies utilized in the architecture layers. This design was implemented in the TeleUS prototype, tested in a series of simulations and experiments, and proved adequate. We elaborate on this work and the conclusions reached, throughout the article.


Gottfried Niedhart contains great number of facts and new information. However, the structure of the chapter is not clear and author changes focus of the text too quickly. Very opposite in style is the second chapter by Bernd Schaefer. Clearly structured and well-written text is effectively complemented by next chapters focused on the economic aspects of the Ostpolitik (by Werner D. Lippert) and the domestic discussions in the Western Germany political environment (Ronald J. Granieri). The first part of the volume offers insight into the development and process of Ostpolitik and shows courage and political skills of Willy Brandt and his team. The book The strained alliance is full of excellent studies on transatlantic relations and international politics; however, I would like to highlight two of them. The first is named The Politics of Planes and Engines: Anglo-American Relations during the Rolls-Royce Lockheed Crisis, 197


Abstract : The objective of this work is to develop high power, high temperature semiconductor injection mid-infrared lasers through the growth and characterization of Sb-based strained layer superlattice (SLS) laser structures at 4 microns operating in continuous wave mode at room temperature. Our approach is to use lasers employing strained layer superlattice active regions made from InAs/InAsSb, InAsSb/InAsSb and InAsP/InAsSb alloys. Single step MOCVD growth has been used for the growth of the lasers. The quality of the InAsSbP based materials has been appraised by structural, optical and electrical characterization techniques. Lasers structures based on the InAsSbP material system have been grown, fabricated and tested. Lasers fabricated with the InAsP/InAsSb superlattice alloy produced laser oscillation at ?=4.0 microns with output powers as high as 546 mW and 94 mW in pulsed and cw modes respectively. The InAs/InAsSb superlattice alloy also has been used for the active region of lasers with ? = 3.8-4.0. At low temperature, these lasers emit with very high power: up to 1.0 W with ? 3.8 microns and 842 mW with ? = 4.0 microns. Finally, InAsSb/InAsSb superlattice lasers have also been employed and have demonstrated a wide range of emission flexibility. Laser oscillation between 4.2 and 4.8 microns have been measured with powers as high as 460 mW.


Dance can be said to be a universal practice all over the world, but what may not readily be agreed upon is whether dance communicates the same meaning universally. Every society has her dance pattern, rhythm and even movements. These define the nature of indigenous dance in African society. The study attempts to give symbolism and forms to the traditional dance among the Okobo people of Akwa Ibom State. Using a library research method, the study brings out the following findings that dance can communicate the following: Spirituality, Vocation, Identity, uniqueness, and Social Cohesion

https://iiardjournals.org/get/RJMCIT/VOL. 8 NO. 1 2022/The Communicativeness.pdf


Abstract : A model is formulated for a dynamic system characterized by the reuse of its resource after rehabilitation. A specific application is considered for a nation's mobilization effort. The criterion of performance is a functional of benefits, rehabilitation costs, and system expansion costs. The maximum principle is applied to determine the optimal control policy to change the capacity of the system. (Author)


ABSTRACT This article explores the notion that narrativity is a form of miscegenation in Zoë Wicomb's David's story (2001). Narrative miscegenation destabilizes the notion of unequivocal authorial authority by positing a dialogic relationship between the many "authors" of a text. The article, therefore, draws on the theories of Mikhail Bakhtin to show the ways in which the novel invokes a web of responsibility for authorship. Especially important is the way in which David's story self-reflexively anticipates and invokes the reader as constitutive of the text, so as to show that all texts – including "master narratives," such as history and the discourse of "shame" associated with miscegenation and coloured identity – are "authored" by us all. Finally this article argues that these master narratives are therefore open to dialogic re-negotiation of meaning and purpose.


We observed the time evolution of dune fields in a water tank experiment and simulated it by using a simple model without taking complex fluid dynamics into account. The initial sand bed changed its form to transverse ripples, that is, dunes with straight crest lines perpendicular to the flow direction. Then crescentic dunes, called barchans, evolved from transverse ripples.


Serum and dialysate levels of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25-0HD3), 1,25 dihydrox ycholecalciferol (1,25(0H)2D3), and vitamin-D-binding protein (DBP) were measured in 14 patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). Serum levels of 25-0HD3 and DBP were within normal range (29.1 ± 22.9 nmollL and 5.9 ± 1.1 μmol/L, respectively). Serum levels of 1,25-(0H)2D3 were subnormal in all «16 pmol/L) but one. In 5 patients, dialysate concentrations of 25-0HD3 were 2.3 ± 0.9 nmol/L, the rest had levels <1.0 nmol/L. Small quantities of 1,25-(0H)2D3 were found in the dialysate effluents. DBP could be detected in the dialysate in all patients (0.24 ± 0.06 μmol/L). Mass transfer (MT) of 25-0HD3 and DBP were respectively -10.4 ± 8.3 nmol/24 h and -1.46 ± 0.46 μmol/24 h. Peritoneal clearances of 25-0HD3 and DBP were low (0.40 ± 0.37 mL/min and 0.18 ± 0.06 mL/ min, respectively. We conclude that CAPD leads to losses of 25-0HD3 and DBP. However, the peritoneal loss of DBP is well compensated and does not result in serum deficiency. Serum 25-0HD3 levels did not correlate with time on CAPD.


The objective of the research is to discover the profiles of Mathematics communication abilities of students with high GPA score and students with medium GPA score and its comparison. The research was conducted by revealing the students' Mathematics communication abilities through Mathematics communication ability test with group problem. Based on the test results, the students then interviewed to confirm the students' answers and to obtain deeper data. The research was qualitative research with descriptive approach. The subjects of the research were the students of academic year 2014 of Mathematics Education Program at FKIP Untad, consisted of two students with high GPA score and two students with medium GPA score. The results of the research reveal that: (1) the students with high GPA score (MIT) have Mathematics communication abilities in solving group problem: Representing the intention of the question by writing information which was known and asked in a form of point by point by using short sentence and able to make symbol in accordance with the information. The two subject writing the answer to solve group problem question quite complete started from known and asked information from the question until the stages of problem solving. However, the two subjects had difference in writing reason in the stages of group problem solving answer. Subject MIT1 was quite consistent in writing the reasons in several stages of solving which the subject made but subject MIT2 tended to not writing the reason in most of the answer stage of question solving, using all the symbols which often used in group material in solving test question, re-explaining the answer of question solving stage by stage according to the answer which the subject wrote. The subject explained each solving stage with reasons from the stage; (2) the students with medium GPA score (MIS) had Mathematics communication abilities in solving group problem. Subject MIS1 tended to write the information which was known and asked in one sentence, while subject MIS2 wrote information which was known and asked through point by point. The two subjects were able to make symbols in accordance with the information which was known from the question, the two subject writing the answer of group problem solving incompletely in the stages, able to write the reason in several stage of solving answer, very lack in using symbols which usually used in group material, even several sentences which could be written in from of Mathematics symbol were not written in from of symbol by the subjects. Subject MIS1 re-explaining the answer of test question shortly and not in details in the stages, while subject MIS2 re-explaining the answer of test question through stages by stages in accordance with the answer which the subject had written and explained each reason in the steps


The development of radio and later television brought a new dimension to news and events coverage in Nigeria. In 1993 the monopoly of government was broken to allow private participation.  This gave the broadcast audience multiple choices of media. The advanced technology in the broadcast media and the development of internet and social media networks further exposed the society to alternative mediums of information. The pervasiveness of these websites in our everyday lives is today changing the face of broadcasting globally and in particular the Nigerian broadcast industry. This paper therefore examines the implication of Internet and social media on broadcast journalism in Nigeria. Keywords: Imperative, Internet, social media, broadcast Journalism, Nigeria


Nanorod ZnO and spherical nano ZnO for gas sensors were prepared by hydrothermal reaction method and hydrazine method, respectively. The nano-ZnO gas sensors were fabricated by a screen printing method on alumina substrates. The gas sensing properties were investigated for hydrocarbon gas. The effects of Co concentration on the structural and morphological properties of the nano ZnO:Co were investigated by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope (SEM), respectively. XRD patterns revealed that nanorod and spherical ZnO:Co with a wurtzite structure were grown with (1 0 0), (0 0 2), (1 0 1) peaks. The sensitivity of nanorod and spherical ZnO:Co sensors was measured for 5 ppm CH4 and CH3CH2CH3 gas at room temperature by comparing the resistance in air with that in target gases. The highest sensitivity to the CH4 and CH3CH2CH3 gas of spherical nano ZnO:Co sensors was observed at Co 6 wt%. The spherical nano ZnO:Co sensor exhibited a higher sensitivity to hydrocarbon gas than nanorod ZnO.


Aims and Objectives: Trace elements may have a role in progression of hyperthyroidism. We planned to estimate the serum zinc, copper and ceruloplasmin in hyperthyroids. Materials and Methods: 41 hyperthyroid patients and 32 control subjects were taken for the study. Serum T4,TSH ,zinc, copper and ceruloplasmin were estimated in them. T4 and TSH were estimated by ELISA method. Zinc and copper were estimated by colorimetric method. Serum ceruloplasmin were estimated by  Ravins method. Results: Significant decrease of TSH (p<0.0001)and zinc(p<0.0001) were found in hyperthyroids in comparision to controls. Serum copper and ceruloplasmin were significantly  elevated(p<0.0001) in them. Significant positive correlation  between TSH and zinc was observed in case group. Conclusion:  Zinc defficiency may contribute to the worsening of hyperthyroidism. Zinc supplementation may improve the condition. Asian Journal of Medical Sciences Vol.7(1) 2015 66-69


In the present paper we describe a newly developed PCR-RFLP test that offers the possibility of identifying porcine β-casein G allele.
Following the sequencing of porcine β-casein cDNA, in order to characterize a previously described polymorphism (Şuteu et al., 2009), we have identified a new allele at this locus. The sequence was deposited in GenBank and received the following accession number: GU827390. Because of the guanine in position 252 differentiating the newly found allele from all other previous sequences we have chosen to name this allele "G". Also the guanine from the above mentioned position creates a restriction site for the enzyme Hpa II, which allowed us to set up a PCR-RFLP test that is able to distinguish this allele.


The gonad development in the red-throat emperor Lethrinus miniatus is described and the first detailed evidence for protogyny in this species provided. The identification of transitional individuals, bimodal sex-specific size-frequency distributions and female biased sex ratios suggest that L. miniatus is most likely a protogynous hermaphrodite. Transitional L. miniatus gonadswere characterized by the concurrent degeneration of all oocytes and the proliferation of spermatocysts near the edge of the lamellae, an increase in blood vessels along strands of stromal tissuewithin the lamellae and the formation of multiple sperm sinuses.The sites of oocyte degeneration and proliferationof spermatocysts were spatially segregated. An increase in blood vessels along strands of stromal tissue within the lamellae of transitional phase gonads is likely to assist in the breakdown of oocytes and the proliferation of spermatocysts. Mostmature resting females containing spermatocysts occurred within the transitional size-frequency distribution, suggesting that the presence of spermatocysts in these femalesmay be an early sign of sex change. Oocyteswithin female gonads were interrupted by filamentous strands of stromal tissue within the lamellae. The testis contained a remanent ovarian lumen but no residual oocytes. Three characteristics of transitional L.miniatus gonads were found to be unusual and described for few other species of coral reef fishes. These included the absence ofoocyteswithin testes, increased numbers of blood vessels, and the presence of strands of stromal tissuewithin the lamellae.


We are living in the world where we are surrounded by electronic gadgets with the expectation for more compact size and performance. The NAND flash memory is one of the key components in those aspects. NAND flash provides higher density & faster operations moreover its array structure is bit complex, which demands an efficient controlling. In this paper we presented a generic NAND flash controller with the AXI host interface & Open NAND Flash Interface (ONFI). On the host side we use local interface which provides the flexibility to use different host protocols. While the ONFI is the standard interface which supports almost all vendors' NAND flash memory & adopts new NAND products. Presented design of controller can supports up to 32 Gb memory with one die & one channel. Design works on Single Data Rate (SDR) & supports basic memory operations. Error Correcting Code (ECC) is also added in design for data integrity. Moreover the design is configurable so that in future one can add more functionality. The design is verified with unit based verification.


Objective To observe the efficacy and safety of Yin-xie capsule combined with acitretin capsule in the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris.Methods A randomized,parallel comparative clinical observation was performed in 80 patients with psoriasis vulgaris.They were divided into two groups,experimental group and control group.The 40 cases in experimental group of was treated with Yin-xie capsule(3 capsules,tid) and acitretin capsule(20mg,qd),and the 40 cases in control group were given acitretin capsule(20mg,qd) only.The response was evaluated at the end of 8 weeks.Results The total effective rate of the experimental group was 87.18% and in the control group was 63.16%.There was a significant difference between the two groups' side effect rate(P 0.05).The side effect rate of the experimental group was 47.50% and 50.00% in the control group.There was no significant difference between them(P 0.05).The side effects in two groups were mild and tolerated.Conclusion It is effective and safety of Yin-xie capsule combined with acitretin capsule for psoriasis vulgaris.


The Miravalles Geothermal Field has been producing electric energy since March 1994. It has provided steam for Unit 1 (55 MWe) since 1994, a Wellhead Unit (5 MWe) installed in 1995, Unit 2 (55 MWe) in 1998, Unit 3 (29 MWe) in 2000, and Unit 5 (19 MWe, a binary plant) in the year 2004. During the first production tests of wells in the field, it was found that the reservoir fluids are oversaturated with respect to calcium carbonate at the flashing zone, causing deposition of this mineral and obstruction of the production casing within few days. A test conducted in 1989 proved that systematic chemical inhibition inside the production wells could prevent the formation of calcite scale. All the inhibitors tested in the field are described in this article. Since 1994, the inhibition system has been used successfully in the production wells that supply steam to the generating Units. Experience has indicated that the injection of an appropriate dose of inhibitor makes it possible to produce the geothermal wells with little or no deposition of calcium carbonate, and it is less expensive than performing mechanical cleanouts.


The horizontal well has gradually become the main well type of oilfield development.Laying the horizontal section at the best part of reservoir to maximize single-well production and benefits is the pursuit of all oil workers.PeriScope drilling boundary measuring instrument could provide 360°directional measurement,overcoming the influence of unfavorable factors such as structural uncertainty,reservoir heterogeneity,and unknown contact between oil and water in horizontal well assignments.The timely application of PeriScope instrument and technology to A and B oilfields in the Bohai Sea has achieved remarkable results.


ABSTRACT The objective of this study is to analyse the surface finish achieved during turning of AISI 4340 cylindrical steel components in three machining conditions namely, flooded, near-dry and dry conditions with three separate CNMG 431-PF 4325 800 diamond finish Titanium Nitride (TiN) coated carbide cutting tool. The machining parameters considered in this study are cutting velocity, feed rate and depth of cut. The surface roughness of the machined components is measured using a surface roughness tester and subsequently, a mathematical model is developed for the average surface roughness values through regression analysis. The significance of the selected machining parameters and their levels on surface roughness is found by analysis of variance (ANOVA) and F-test. The results revealed that machining under near-dry condition provides better product surface quality in equivalence with the machined product surface quality under flooded condition.


The cytochalasins, a group of fungal metabolites with unusual biological properties, were first isolated by Aldridge and colleagues.1 Cytochalasins A and B (CA and CB) produced from Helminthosporium dermatioideiirn are identical with 5-dehydrophomin and phomin, respectively.2 Many studies on the action of CB on cultures of mammalian cells have been r e p ~ r t e d . ~ ~ The observed results include the following: 1. cytoplasmic cleavage is inhibited by CB, whereas nuclear division proceeds normally. 2. CB decreases cell motility and cytokinesis. 3. CB disturbs microfilament and microtubular function. 4. CB rapidly inhibits the incorporation of glucosamine into mucopolysaccharide and glycoproteins, but not leucine into protein. 5. CB is a potent, reversible inhibitor of the transport of glucose, 2-deoxyglucose, and glucosamine across the plasma membrane. Although CA inhibits sugar uptake in chick embryo fibroblasts, the inhibition was markedly less potent and not as readily reversible as that produced by C E 5 The antimicrobial activities of the cytochalasins have received little attention. Growth, cell division, and flagellar movement of Escherichia coli were reported to be insensitive to CB.'sR Conversely, CA inhibited the growth of Bacillus subtilis and E. coli and stimulated the motility of the latter. High concentrations of CA or cytochalasin D induced branching and swelling of hyphal tips in Botrytis cinerea.s We have been studying the synthesis of exoenzymes (especially invertase) by yeast and yeast pro top last^.^-^^ Several antimicrobial agents, that is, 2deoxyglucose, the polyenic antifungals, lomofungin, and the cytochalasins, have been examined to provide insight into the factors that control the production and secretion of glycoprotein enzymes. In this paper, we report recent work with CA that was designed to relate its inhibition of invertase formation to concurrent metabolic changes.


Dust exists almost everywhere in the universe, except in its very early hot phase. It is produced by cool stars and constitutes an important component of the interstellar medium, and some of the dust even gets into intergalactic space. Dust also plays an extremely important role in the star and planet formation taking place in the huge dusty molecular clouds. The surface of dust grains is the place where some key chemical reactions in space occur, and in the end we ourselves are made of stardust. To many astronomers dust is a nuisance since it obscures some of the more interesting places in the universe, such as the center of our Galaxy or the sites of star formation. On the other hand, the properties of dust reflect the complex processes of cosmic evolution, which change and recycle matter. And last but not least, the reddening and absorption of light by dust is very useful for many diagnostic purposes, in particular determining the distances to cosmic objects. There are many different ways to investigate cosmic dust. The paper by Peter Predehl and Jürgen Schmitt on "X-raying the interstellar medium: ROSAT observations of dust-scattering halos" combines X-ray measurements of interstellar absorption and of dust scattering halos with measurements of interstellar reddening, using a sample of bright X-ray sources. The correlations between these three quantities are extremely useful for many astrophysicists dealing with problems of source distances or spectra, as well as with the physics of the interstellar medium. This is so obvious, while being underpinned by the large number of citations, that I will refrain from discussing the subject in any more detail. Instead I sketch the prehistory of this work and the scientific environment provided for it at the Max-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik (MPE).


Strength, fracture toughness, and elastic modulus data for bulk high-temperature superconductors, commercial 99.9% Ag, and a 1.2 at.% Mg/Ag alloy have been collected. These data have been used to calculate fracture strains for bulk conductors. The calculations indicate that the superconducting cores of clad tapes should begin to fracture at strains below 0.2%. In addition, residual strains in Ag-clad (Bi,Pb)/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/Ca/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub x/ tapes have been measured by neutron diffraction. An explanation is offered for why many tapes appear to be able to tolerate large strains before exhibiting a reduction in current transport.


In vitro selection of drought-tolerant mutants in sweetpotato cv. Lizixiang was studied by using PEG6000 as selection stress. Embryogenic suspension cultures were cultured in MS medium containing 0-35% PEG6000 and 2 mg L-1 2, 4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2, 4-D). The results indicated that 30%PEG6000 can be used for the optimal selection stress of drought-tolerance. Embryogenic suspension cultures irradiated with 80 Gy gamma-ray were cultured in MS medium containing 30 % PEG6000 and 2 mg L-1 2,4-D and 20 drought-tolerant cell aggregates were obtained. These cell aggregates were transferred to solid MS medium supplemented with 2 mg L-1 2,4-D and formed embryogenic callus with somatic embryos. The embryogenic callus with somatic embryos was further transferred to MS medium supplemented with 1 mg L-1 abscisic acid (ABA), resulting in the germination of somatic embryos. In this study a total of 18 regenerated plants were obtained. The regenerated plants were transplanted in a greenhouse and 11 lines were formed. The analysis on drought treatment of seedlings, water retaining capacity of leaves and coefficient of drought-tolerance showed that 3 lines had significant drought-tolerance in comparison with the control plants.


This paper reports on the first phase of a study investigating how digital technologies are influencing the engagement of non-traditional and under-represented students whilst studying at university. It aims to build understanding of these students' experiences in university and of future strategies that might be used to support them. Higher education institutions have a responsibility to support the students they admit under a widening participation (WP) brief as Tinto suggests, "access without support is not opportunity" (Tinto 2008). Whilst there are many university-led support mechanisms, far less is understood about how informal networks and interactions amongst peers might contribute to WP students' integration and successful participation in Higher Education.


A low cost, chemically stable with enhanced electrocatalytic activity counter electrodes based on reduced graphene oxide (RGO) coating was easily deposited on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate was developed for CdS QDSSCs. Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) was used as a binder for the coating to increase the mechanical stability of RGO counter electrode through increasing its adhesion on the FTO substrate. The structure and morphology of RGO powder were analysed by UV-visible, FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and SEM microscopy. The electrocatalytic activity of RGO counter electrodes were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The QDSSCs assembled using RGO counter electrode shows a high short circuit current reaches to a value of 2.843 mA\ cm 2 and yields power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 0.52%. An enhancement 46.3% in the fill factor (FF) also was achieved with RGO as a counter electrode when compared to expensive traditional Pt thin film counter electrode. The unique electrocatalytic activity of the tailored RGO electrode was discussed in terms of its high electrical conductivity and large surface area.


Terrorism an eminent threat to the people of the world, not exceptionally Indonesia as a state and nation. The experience in dealing with the Bali bombing case in 2002 has given an important lesson for Indonesia, especially for the police. The notable lesson is that it is necessary for, not only having a concern on investigation process of the terrorism cases, but also on de-radicalization efforts to deradicalise the perpetrator.Preventive action terrorism act is more meaningful, compared to the ability of police to punish terrorists who did bombings and killed dozens or hundreds of people. Thus, the question is who are those who needs to be involved in deradicalization programme.


The VLT/UT1 telescope has been used with its fa- cility near-IR camera ISAAC to obtain 1-2.5 m wavelength images at 0: 4 spatial resolution of six southern young low lu- minosity sources associated with extended reflection nebulos- ity. Two are in the Chamaeleon I dark cloud (Cha IR nebula, Cederblad 110 IRS4), and the other four in the Gum Nebula (HH 46/47, CG 30, Re 4, Re 5). Complex structure is seen, in- cluding in most cases bipolar blue and red scattering lobes likely due to the illumination of outflow cavities by the central star(s), hidden by a flattened circumstellar disk or envelope. In one ob- ject (Re 4), a double jet appears to be emanating from the central source, suggestive of a binary system with nearly aligned disks. These images, when supplemented by polarimetry maps, will help determine the structure and geometry of the young stel- lar objects, and will also be compared to 3D radiative transfer models to match both the surface brightness distribution of the extended emission and the spectral energy distribution of the central source. Applied to a series of such objects, these anal- yses will lead to an improved evolutionary sequence for the formation of solar system analogues.


We aimed to estimate the effects of overweight and obesity on carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), and to assess whether sex modifies the associations. Literature searches were conducted in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar and ResearchGate databases from 1953 to February 2015. Fifty‐eight studies consisting of 1,379,372 individuals qualified for a meta‐analysis. We used a random‐effects meta‐analysis, assessed heterogeneity and publication bias, and performed sensitivity analyses. Overweight increased the risk of CTS or carpal tunnel release 1.5‐fold (pooled confounder‐adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.47, 95% CI 1.37–1.57, N = 1,279,546) and obesity twofold (adjusted OR = 2.02, 95% CI 1.92–2.13, N = 1,362,207). Each one‐unit increase in body mass index increased the risk of CTS by 7.4% (adjusted OR = 1.074, 95% CI 1.071–1.077, N = 1,258,578). Overweight and obesity had stronger effects on carpal tunnel release than CTS. The associations did not differ between men and women, and they were independent of study design. Moreover, the associations were not due to bias or confounding. Excess body mass markedly increases the risk of CTS. As the prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing globally, overweight‐related CTS is expected to increase. Future studies should investigate whether a square‐shaped wrist and exposure to physical workload factors potentiate the adverse effect of obesity on the median nerve.


Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound and angiography are all important imaging techniques that medical science has begun to employ extensively in the human in the last few decades. Their uses in studies of the developing nervous system, however, still have some limitations despite the continually improving design of the technology. In this volume, we present reviews as well as new findings on the usage of these techniques in the fetal and neonatal human and in animal models. Papers in this volume review aspects of normal development [Xu et al.; Yang et al.; Ying et al.] as well as abnormal changes [Tao and Yew; Ying et al.]. The basics of MRI are elucidated in a short review by Shi et al., including examples of functional MRI (fMRI) studies in animals. The review by Wilke and Holland presents the issues and opportunities of MRI. Another review by Antonio et al. outlines various types of MRI techniques and demonstrates that MRI can be used to decipher the complexities of neuronal pathways, thus solving the greatest difficulties for anatomists in the past: serial sections and reconstruction. Two papers review nervous system malformations [Salman; Tao and Yew], which will likely be further explored extensively by imaging in the days to come. Functional MRI on both human and animal nervous systems is reviewed by other papers in this volume, with particular focus on the developmental stages. It is hoped that this volume will prove useful to further the interest of scientists and physicians actively engaged in the field, and arouse the curiosity of those embarking on the research and clinical applications which are now made possible by MRI, ultrasound and angiography. D.T. Yew W.Y. Chan Published online: August 19, 2008


Objective To study the distribution characteristics and ultrastructural changes of residual cochlera spiral ganlion cells after blast exposure. Methods Guinea pig ear blast injury models were made. The cochlear spiral ganlion cell counting and ultrastructural observation were carried out in two groups of animals after 3d and 21d of blast exposure. Results The number of spiral ganlion cells in blast group was less than that in normal control group after 2Id of blast exposure. Significant mito-chondria swollen was observed after 3d of blast exposure and abnormal mitochondria was still observed after 21d of blast exposure. There was no abnormality in normal control group. Conclusions After blast exposure. there were ultrastructural as well as reduction of the number of cochlear spiral ganlion cells in the experimental animals.


Background: Chronic Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are gastrointestinal disorders under the influence of a complex genetic basis. One hundred sixty-three predisposition loci were identified by genome-wide association (GWAS) studies, refocusing the pathogenesis of IBD on immunity genes. Autophagy is a fundamental mechanism in the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis. Failures of this mechanism appear to be a major risk factor in the setting up of chronic intestinal inflammation. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within two genes, were selected namely (rs2241880 AaG) for ATG16L1 and (rs10065172 CaT) for IRGM.These two genes are both involved in the autophagy mechanism. We investigated these two SNP in an Algerian cohort for the first time since no previous association studies between IBD and the two studied genes were available for the Algerian population.
Methods: A case-control study was performed on a cohort including 95 Algerian patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis versus 116 Controls. Genotyping of the cohort involved allelic discrimination by TaqMan SNP Genotyping Assay.
Results: A statistically significant association of the rs2241880 AaGmutation of the ATG16L1 gene was demonstrated in IBD (p = 0.04) and, more particularly in Crohn's disease (p = 0.03).The presence of this mutation would increase the risk of Crohn's disease by a factor of 2 in its GG homozygous mutated form (OR = 2.11 95% CI (1.07-4.16)). No significant associations were found for the rs10065172 CaT mutation of the IRGM gene.
Conclusion: Our data highlight the involvement of the ATG16L1 gene in the genesis and/or evolution of IBD cases, notably Crohn's disease, indicating the impact that deregulation of the autophagy mechanism could have on the Algerian population. Nevertheless, it would be interesting to expand the sampling and carry out the functional studies to elucidate the impact of the deregulation of the ATG16L1 gene in IBD.


Passive optical networks (PONs) have recently emerged to be a promising approach to enhance the penetration of fiber towards the subscriber side, thus further enables delivery of higher data-rate services to the subscribers. They feature easy network maintenance as there is no active component at the remote node (RN). However, in conventional PONs, both upstream and downstream bandwidths have to be time-shared among all optical network units (ONUs). By applying WDM technique to PONs, the total system capacity can be further enhanced. Each ONU enjoys a dedicated bandwidth and resolves the ranging problem as in PONs. In both conventional PON and WDM-PON, little work has been done to offer protection capability though fiber fault detection methods have been extensively studied. We propose a novel network architecture for WDM-PON which offers 1:1 protection capability. In case of any fiber cut between remote node and ONUs, the affected ONU can re-route the wavelength channels via the adjacent ONU and can still maintain normal bidirectional traffic.


The fracture growth is one of primary causes which the refractory of ladle destroys. We have carried on the computation and the analysis to the ladle temperature field and the stress field coupling by he finite-element method. Attributes the crack state-of-art stress strain field using the J-integral, has established in the ladle refractory in the thermal load and under the molten steel load function its crack secure relations, and obtained the crack security change rule. These results have provided the support rationale to the equipment safe operation.


Objective: The assessment of practices conducted in leisure time and daily life is fundamental to improving lifestyle behavior and community health. The purpose of this study was to examine lifestyle and its correlation with the pattern of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) among adult Saudis. Material and Methods: In total, 150 adult Saudis (ages 15–22 years) participated in this study. The participants were personally interviewed to gather information regarding sociodemographics, physical activity (PA) patterns [denoted as metabolic equivalents (METs)] determined using the Global Physical Activity questionnaire (GPAQ), and lifestyle factors (assessed using the Stevan Cordas Stress Questionnaire). Cronbach's coefficient alpha (α), Pearson's r, and Spearman's rho statistics were evaluated to determine the test–retest reliability of the stress questionnaire among the participants. Results: The median total LTPA was 7333 METs-min/week for both genders. Males had a higher LPTA versus females (3945 METs vs. 3387 METs, respectively). Using a cutoff of 600 METs-min/day or 150 min each day for 5 days/week of moderate PA, only 38.0% of participants reported no leisure activity, 62.0% reported high PA, and 72% reported moderate PA. In participants with moderate to high PA, there were correlations between a decrease in body mass index, lifestyle, and an increase in diet and calcium intake (p<0.001). Correlation analysis showed that being a male with moderate PA was related to activity to a greater extent than this relationship in females. Conclusion: Nearly 38% of the sampled population did not achieve the recommended LTPA level for beneficial health effects. The highly active participants comprised 62% of the total sampled population, and substantially more of these were males (60.0% vs. 2.0% females). These data suggest that Saudi adults should change their lifestyle by increasing food intake and PA to achieve optimal health status.


A new theory-independent noncontextuality inequality is presented [Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 110403 (2015)] based on Kochen-Specker (KS) set without imposing the assumption of determinism. By proposing novel noncontextuality inequalities, we show that such result can be generalized from KS set to the noncontextuality inequalities not only for state-independent but also for state-dependent scenario. The YO-13 ray and $n$ cycle ray are considered as examples.


Traditional competition between cities appears to transit to a "smart" competition and to this end smart city ownership, organization and evolution are questioned. In this paper, a worldwide smart city classification is performed in order to address the preferred organization and the technological evolution of smart city. This classification's findings illustrate that State-Owned-Enterprise appears to be the preferred organization in most of the examined cases, while smart cities struggle in a niche international market arena.


Advancement of additive manufacturing is driving a need for design tools that exploit the increasing fabrication freedom. Multimaterial, three-dimensional (3D) printing allows for the fabrication of components from multiple materials with different thermal, mechanical, and "active" behavior that can be spatially arranged in 3D with a resolution on the order of tens of microns. This can be exploited to incorporate shape changing features into additively manufactured structures. 3D printing with a downstream shape change in response to an external stimulus such as temperature, humidity, or light is referred to as four-dimensional (4D) printing. In this paper, a design methodology to determine the material layout of 4D printed materials with internal, programmable strains is introduced to create active structures that undergo large deformation and assume a desired target displacement upon heat activation. A level set (LS) approach together with the extended finite element method (XFEM) is combined with density-based topology optimization to describe the evolving multimaterial design problem in the optimization process. A finite deformation hyperelastic thermomechanical model is used together with an higher-order XFEM scheme to accurately predict the behavior of nonlinear slender structures during the design evolution. Examples are presented to demonstrate the unique capabilities of the proposed framework. Numerical predictions of optimized shape-changing structures are compared to 4D printed physical specimen and good agreement is achieved. Overall, a systematic design approach for creating 4D printed active structures with geometrically nonlinear behavior is presented which yields nonintuitive material layouts and geometries to achieve target deformations of various complexities.