Abstract The democratisation of heritage through digital access is a well-documented aspiration. It has included innovative ways to manage interpretation, express heritage values, and create experiences through the 'decoding' of heritage. This decoding of heritage becomes democratised, more polyvocal than didactic exhibitions, and less dependent on experts. However, the decision of what 'heritage' is and what is commissioned for digitisation (the encoding) is not necessarily a part of this democratisation. This paper will consider how digitisation reinforces the Authorised Heritage Discourse through the lens of Stephen Lukes' three (increasingly subtle) dimensions of power: conflict resolution, control of expression and shaping of preferences. All three dimensions have an impact on how public values are represented in heritage contexts, but the introduction of digitisation requires more resources, expertise and training within established professional discourse. Social media may have a positive impact on the first two dimensions, but can reinforce hegemony. Alternatives are subject to epistemic populism. The role of digitisation and social media in the democratisation of heritage needs to be better understood. Questions regarding the nature and process of digital interaction, in terms of whose heritage is accessible, affect the very issues of democratisation digitisation appears to promote.


To date, scheduled, business and military aviation are well represented in the SESAR Concept. Low-end light GA is currently taken into account and integrated into SESAR to a far lesser extent. SESAR WP-E project ProGA aims to brid ge this gap and has as objective to study the feasibility o f a system that can continually and automatically predict the future GA aircraft's flight corridor or its volume of operati on. This paper describes the foreseen system's input, the approach to the prediction process and to the way the system can in teract with air traffic management. An important input for the prediction process is a statistic of historical flight paths a cquired by the system. The compiled flight path information can be used to describe standard GA behaviour and to predict the l ikely future flight corridor or volume of operation. This informa tion can be used by ATC as it gives additional data about aircra ft approaching controlled airspace and it triggers an alert in case of risks of airspace infringements. General aviation, flight corridor predictions, volume of operation predictions, SESAR.


Objective To compare the cholesterol effluxes and ATP-binding cassette transporter 1(ABCA1)protein expressions in macrophages of myocardial infarction patients with different promoter--565CT genotypes.Methods The macrophages were obtained by cultivation of human peripheral primary monocytes and acetyl-LDL inducement.The cholesterol efflux was measured by 3H label,and ABCA1protein expression was assayed by Western blot technique.Results(1)The primary monocytes were cultivated to become macrophages,which were induced by Ac-LDL to become foam cells.(2)The cholesterol efflux rate from foam macrophages of ABCA1-565CT TT type was lower than that from CT and CC type.(3)ABCA1 expression in TT typed cells was obviously lower than in CT and CC typed cells(P0.05).Conclusion The ABCA1 protein expression and cholesterol efflux in ABCA1-565 CT site TT genotype are lower than those in CC and CT genotype.The result suggests that TT genotype may influence the macrophage cholesterol efflux by inhibiting the ABCA1 expression so as to promote the occurrence and development of coronary heart disease.


Considerations of rotational invariance in one-dimensionally modulated systems such as smectics-A, necessitate nonlinearities in the free energy. The presence of these nonlinearities is critical for determining the layer configurations around defects. We generalize our recent construction for finding exact minima of an approximate nonlinear free energy to the full, rotationally invariant smectic free energy. Our construction exhibits the detailed connection between mean curvature, Gaussian curvature and layer spacing. For layers without Gaussian curvature, we reduce the Euler–Lagrange equation to an equation governing the evolution of a surface. As an example, we determine the layer profile and free energy of an edge dislocation.


Caner Bakır is Assistant Professor of International Political Economy at Koç University in Istanbul. He is a member of the editorial board of the International Encyclopaedia of Public Policy: Governance in a Global Age (Routledge, forthcoming). Recent articles have appeared in journals including Australian Journal of Political Science, Journal of Australian Political Economy, and Australian Journal of Politics and History.


TiNx films are deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering on Si substrate(100) at different substrate temperature.The crystallization,microstructure and composition of the films are characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electronic microscope(SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometer(EDS).The resistivity of TiNx films is measured by a four-probe instrument.The relation of the substrate temperature with the structure and resistivity of TiNx films is investigated.The results show that the diffraction peak intensity of(111) crystalline plane of TiNx films increases gradually as the substrate temperature increases from room temperature to 600 ℃ and it decreases when the temperature is above 500 ℃.The diffraction peak intensity of(200) crystalline plane of TiNx films is the strongest at 300 ℃,then it decreases.The crystal grain size of TiNx films increases as the substrate temperature increases and is up to the largest one about 80 nm in diameter at 300 ℃,then it decreases.The N/Ti atom ratio of TiNx films reduces as the substrate temperature increases and is 0.99 with the lowest ratio at 200 ℃,and after re-increased it is up to the highest ratio of 1.34 at 500 ℃.The resistivity of TiNx films has the obvious inverse relation with the N/Ti atom ratio of of TiNx films.


We investigate the effect of quantified statistical facial asymmetry as a biometric under expression variations. Our findings show that the facial asymmetry measures (AsymFaces) are computationally feasible, containing discriminative information and providing synergy when combined with Fisherface and Eigen-face methods on image data of two publically available face databases (Cohn-Kanade (T. Kanade et al., 1999) and Feret (P.J. Phillips et al., 1998)).


Accessory tricuspid valve is a rare congenital cardiac anomaly that it most frequently seen in children with complex congenital heart disease. Symptoms depend mostly on coexisting cardiac defects. We present an accessory tricuspid valve in an asymptomatic adult.


The aim of this paper is to present a two-dimensional simulation tool based on several mathematical models, visualizing the growth and development of a solid tumour in avascular growth phase, vascular growth phase and the progress of angiogenesis. The avascular tumour remains in a diffusion-limited state of a few millimeters in diameter, while during vascularized phase, tumour cell proliferating rapidly and being able to invade the surrounding host tissue and blood system. Tumour-induced angiogenesis, the growth of a capillary network of blood vessels from a pre-existing vasculature, provides the crucial link between the two stages. Under different molecular mechanisms, this discrete model demonstrates several important factors affecting tumour growth at each stage. The simulation results are presented in two-dimensional combined with quantitatively surveyed. The long-term goal of this work is to develop a multicellular engine for precisely simulating and visualizing the insight into cancer biology.


Copy of letter from Amon Carter to C.R. Smith, chairman of the board of American Airlines, regarding the sale of Beechcraft.


In this paper, the shear strength of small-area welded contacts was optimized. Using design of experiments (DoE) optimization techniques, copper power contacts with 4 mm2 feet were welded to both copper and nickel/gold-plated copper substrates where pressure, amplitude and deformation were the control factors. For the DoE, the setting combinations were chosen based on the concept of classical Screening Design. This design was best suited because it allowed an elementary exploration of interaction relationships for a wide range of factors. The pressure was varied from 1.4 to 1.8 bar, the amplitude from 90 to 100%, and the deformation from 0.06 to 0.1 mm. These limits were chosen based on prior welding experience with the equipment and similar parts. Each bond was optically inspected to confirm high-quality bonds. Using common shear techniques, over 200 bonds were sheared; strengths were recorded as the DoE dependent variable.
 The initial step found that pressure was the most significant factor. Pressure and deformation were also proven to affect strength inversely to each other. Interestingly, the planarity of the contacts had no measurable effect on the welding strength. Consistent bond strengths were achieved regardless of the bonds' place within the established bond order. For both copper-to-copper and copper-to-nickel/gold-plated bonds, the optimal settings were: pressure at 1.8 bar, amplitude at 90%, and deformation of 0.1 mm, while achieving shear strengths of 40.5 kgf and 39.1 kgf, respectively. This doubled the previous benchmark weld strengths.


This article discusses the content of the inscriptions commemorating Valerian Olszowski coat of arms Prus II. The tombstone is in the church of saint Lawrence in Stolec in the Renaissance style. The inscription has got several obvious advantages. Firstly, it informs about the political role of the family Olszowscy, both Valerian and his sons. This monument is also an excellent example of the use of epigraphic monuments in genealogical researches and accurately determines the cause of death of the title character. The article is also an attempt to resolve a heraldic program, which consists of coats of arms Prus II, Jastrzebiec, Ostoja, Topor. In addition to this, the author took the issues related to the origin of the family Olszowscy, which should be treated as a contribution to the history of this family in the Central Poland.


The stability constants of triiodide complexes (log K) and iodine solubility parameters (S) in aqueous solutions of amylose were studied by potentiometric titration and isothermal saturation with titrimetric indication at288.15, 298.15, 303.15, and 313.15 K. The logK and S values at 298.15 K were determined in a mixed water-dimethylsulfoxide solvent. The observed dependences of logK and S on the composition of solutions were explained in terms of solubility and complex formation theories taking into account the special features of reagent solvation in water and aqueous-organic solvents. Conclusions were drawn on the structure of iodine particles interacting with amylose.


Clients input their solicitations by entering a short succession of question terms, which are further deciphered via web crawlers keeping in mind the end goal to give pertinent answers .So client didn't get right expectations from the web search tools. This paper uses another approach of k-means bunching calculation .This makes web crawlers enter players in comprehension and naturally recognize the client aims and give the legitimate outcomes auto proficiently settling a huge number of questions. In this paper we utilizing k-implies bunching and an element rich portrayal for client goals distinguishing proof its used to cases are then used to consequently classify new questions by means of correct terms coordinating .Its perform managed learning is a machine learning errand of construing a capacity from marked preparing information from the client expectations.


It discloses a method for manufacturing the MOSFET and the MOSFET having a recessed channel and the abrupt junction. The method includes producing a source and a drain extension while the dummy gate is in place. The source / drain extension junction with the silicon substrate to produce diffusion. The method includes removing the dummy gate and etching a recess in the silicon substrate. The recess intersects at least a portion of said source and drain junctions. Then, the channel is formed by growing the silicon film to at least partially fill the recess. Not etched silicon channel with the source and drain junctions having steep, but remains below the junction with the channel having a diffusion of the source and drain. Thus, the MOSFET can be produced having two junction region (steep and diffusion) of the same transistor.


The sovereignty struggle between philosophy, science and the relation which was accused of destroying the public area with its scholastic approaches is discussed. Author Dr. Adivar, analyzed his theory which he tried to prove with his work that is his intellectual approach that religion would not compromise with mind and science and the conflict between science and religion occurred since these two concepts were clung together, within the frame of the cultural history of the world.


Of all the crisises facing human beings,the most essential is the crisis of development,the essence of which is the split between man and the world-the split and conflict between man and nature,between man and man,and within man himself.The crisis of development is the primary crisis,the root cause lies in the split and confrontatoin of human reason and when reason evolved from overall and universal rationality to fragmentary and biased empricism or instrumental rationality.The uni-dimension of reason resulted in the unidimension of development,the uni-polarity of reason led to the determinism of development.The fundamental way out of the crisis of the legitimacy of development is to construct plural and multi-dimensional rationality,to build "the integrated man" and "the integrated world",to move towards harmonious rationality so as to build a universal basis for development.


Discharge chamber length is one of the factors in electron cyclotron resonance ion thruster performance optimization. It adjusts the distance between bulk plasma and grid system to change the plasma density upstream the screen grid, which will impact the ion beam current and focusing state to achieve optimization purpose. However, new evidence shows discharge chamber length play an important role in ionization during ion beam extraction, which means the effect of discharge chamber length on the performance of electron cyclotron resonance ion thruster should be renewed. After applying grid voltages, another high electron temperature region located upstream the screen grid is observed in the integrated simulation using particle-in-cell with Monte Carlo collision method, while traditional discharge chamber simulation has not seen that. The paper believed that the high electron temperature region exists objectively, because the Child-Langmuir sheath will repel electrons moving towards screen grid back to magnetic mirrors again. Those electrons will gain energy from microwave, and finally form a high electron temperature region along the Child-Langmuir sheath. This phenomenon implies that discharge chamber length can adjust the high electron temperature distribution upstream screen grid to impact the plasma generation. Therefore, the paper systematically studies the influence mechanism of discharge chamber length on discharge and ion beam performance of thruster by adopting the integrated simulation. In this paper, three ion thrusters with different discharge chamber length are simulated. Under the conditions of same magnetic field and operation parameters, the electron energy gain, plasma parameter distributions and ion beam current are compared. The results show that shorter discharge chamber length has higher electron energy gain, plasma density and voltage, but less ion beam current. This abnormal phenomenon also be seen in experiments. By analyzing the ionization rate inside the chamber, it can be seen that high-temperature electrons upstream screen grid make a significant contribution on ionization. And thus, a little bit longer discharge chamber length with lower plasma density inside the chamber has bigger ion beam current for having higher plasma density upstream the screen grid. According to this phenomenon, an electron heating mode is proposed:electrons gain energy by reciprocating through the electron cyclotron resonance layer between the Child-Langmuir sheath and magnetic mirrors. This heating mode can be used as a supplement to the electronic constraints outside the magnetic mirrors to improve the energy utilization efficiency of the thruster, which can provide a new idea for the electron cyclotron resonance ion thruster design in the future.


This work describes the development of a laser instrument for measuring very-short distances with a minimum sensor size. The absolute distance measurement is obtained through a modulated self-mixing interferometer, realized with a lens-less red VCSEL laser. In a range between 2 mm and 5 mm the sensor shows a resolution of 10 µm at 6.6 kHz of acquisition rate. The sensor size is limited to the laser chip and the contacts; therefore, it is applicable also in very demanding applications, such as the diameter measurement of a hole.


Stanislaw Rodzinski, a Krakow painter, as soon as during his studies wanted to stand up to works with a religious content, hallowed with the tradition of Christian iconography. He wanted to include his own personality and his experiences into his works. The experiences were enriched by his spiritual formation he had received in the university chaplaincy in the St Anne Church in Krakow, especially from Rev. Waclaw Świerzawski. The cyclical form of the painter's work in the area of religious art gave a number of paintings with the two subjects: Pieta or Lamentation over the Dead Christ. Into the traditional composition patterns new elements were woven – updating the paintings by referring to contemporary events: the death of Archbishop Romero, pain over the loss of his brother – Janusz, emotions over the body of one of the murdered miners from the Wujek mine, or over the body of the cruelly beaten Rev. Popieluszko. Rodzinski included modern history into his religious works; he presented old subjects by joining iconographic patterns with emotions stirred up by recent events. It was similar with Rodzinski's Crucifixions, with new techniques of painting and emotional expression of the works (Mary Magdalene's gesticulation at the foot of the Cross) and with the use of the inspiration of masters (Grunewald, Georges Rouault) and mystics of the Middle Ages (e.g. Hildegard of Bingen, Henry Suso) as well as later ones (Anne Catherine Emmerich). Rodzinski's works touch upon transcendent experiences; they are religious works (albeit they are not hung in churches); they make one muse. Veils of Veronica are similar canvases, as well as several works with the title De profundis . Paintings that have a sacred character are, among others, the following: Brother Albert , painted for the parish church in Wolka Podleśna, 7 cycles of Stations of the Cross, and a portrait of Blessed Julia Rodzinska (the artist's aunt). Stanislaw Rodzinski's religious and sacred works are a significant record of a contemporary interpretation of the traditional iconography, an attempt at updating it by including in it the painter's own experiences and reflections concerning the recent history of man.


Author(s): Roeland, Kimberly | Abstract: Urban runoff impacts both the quantity and quality of southern California watersheds. Within highly developed watersheds, the volume of urban runoff is magnified from increased surface area of impervious substrate. Chollas Creek, a small watershed located south of downtown San Diego, has been impacted by dense population and a history of development. Its current status as an impaired water body by the California Regional Water Quality Control Board reflects, in part, the impacts of urban runoff on water quality. Though the predominant condition of southern California watersheds is dry, management to improve water quality generally focuses on the loading that results from high volume flow from storm events. This report is intended to provide a summary of dry weather data within Chollas Creek, focusing on the amount of water discharged into San Diego Bay and the contaminants that are present in the dry weather discharge. This report also highlights the value and limitations in using micro-drainage basin maps to evaluate relationship between land use, human activities, and drainage area to the quantity and quality of urban runoff from the dry season.


The Sustainable Management Project (RSM) of Sanghe area, Rural Community (RC) of Notto Diobass, region of Thies in Senegal, is the implementation of control technologies against water erosion that is the main soil degradation in the rural community region. It affects about 80% of the area and, to address this degradation, extensive diagnostic recommendations made by the Senegalese Institute of Agricultural Research (ISRA) focus on comprehensive care of this deterioration through actions in trays, basins and crop areas. To do this, several meetings and site visits were conducted. They led to the concerted following decision: the first action will be used to apply treatment technologies to trays and secondly to slope sand areas of crops recovered. The present study aims mainly the second action that is to say, the technical study for the treatment of slopes and ravines of the Sanghe area.


This paper tells in general of the reasons for, and the advantages of, interconnection between power supply systems. It enumerates five essential factors which must be considered in successful operation of interconnected systems; namely, (1) dependable communication; (2) centralized authority and control over operations; (3) location and isolation of trouble; (4) voltage regulation and control over the entire system; and (5) frequency control. A description is given of the interconnections along the entire Pacific Coast.


Hearing protector fit-testing is a Best Practice for hearing loss prevention programs and is gaining acceptance among US employers. Fit-testing quantifies hearing protector attenuation achieved by individual workers and ensures that workers properly fit and receive adequate protection from their protectors. Employers may be reluctant to conduct fit-testing because of expenses associated with worker time away from the job, personnel to administer the testing, and acquisition of a fit-test system. During field and laboratory studies conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), timing data for the fit-test process with the NIOSH HPD Well-Fit™ system were analyzed. For workers completely naive to fit-testing, the tests were completed within 15–20 minutes. Unoccluded test times were less than 4 minutes and occluded tests required less than 3 minutes. A significant learning effect was seen for the psychoacoustic method of adjustment used by HPD Well-Fit, explaining the shorter...


This fifth workshop, discussing three-dimensional (3D) geological mapping for groundwater applications, is part of an ongoing series that began in 2001. A focus of all the workshops has been the development of techniques to optimize internal consistency and to fully integrate 3-D stratigraphic with hydrostratigraphic models that can be used directly for hydrogeologic modeling. Workshops have emphasized the need for high-quality data, the procedures for reconciling often disparate and plentiful archival data, and the obvious realization that the better the geological model, the greater the probability that subsequently derived groundwater flow models will be as accurate as possible.


Abstract Background: The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS prevalence in Botswana of 18.4% is the third highest in the world. Thus, the Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision strategy was rolled out with a target of 80% uptake by year 2016. The programme targets mainly young people (15–24 years) as they account for 40% of all new adult infections. We, therefore, aimed at identifying the factors associated with uptake of voluntary medical male circumcision among University of Botswana undergraduate male students as well as to establish the male circumcision prevalence among the same group so as measure the success of the male circumcision (MC) strategy. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted amongst 303 undergraduate male students. Data were collected through self-administered questionnaires using stratified sampling. Data were captured and analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 23, where adjusted odds ratios and p-values were calculated. Results: Uptake of male circumcision was 47.9%. Respondents' knowledge on male circumcision was high (88%). However, a large majority of those uncircumcised (52.1%) indicated unwillingness to get circumcised although they were knowledgeable about the benefits MC. Believing that there are no risks in MC surgery [AOR:1.02; 95% CI: 1.004–1.037] and knowing that an injection is given before undergoing surgery (AOR: 1.072; 95% CI: 1.057–1.087) were positively associated with circumcision status. The main reasons stated for being circumcised were hygiene (49.7%) and protection from HIV (22.1%). Conclusions: There is need for a combination of factors to induce motivation for students to be circumcised. Referent others need to be targeted as well as they are role models and able to positively influence their peers and children.


Lappaconitin e was isolated from the root of Aconitum sinomantanum Nakai which has been used as an anodyne in the northwestern part of China. In this paper, the analgesic effects of lappaconitine were demonstrated by using the mice hot plate method and the rat tail-flick test after intraperitoneal injection of 6 mg/kg. Assayed with the writhing method, the median analgesic dose (ED_(50)) of lappaconitine in mice was found tO be 3.5 mg/kg. In the 2-day test, no jumping was observed in mice treated with lappaconitine and then challenged with nalorphine. The single dose suppression test was applied to estimate addiction liability of lappaconitine in morphine-treated rats, the change in body weightwas not significantly different from that seen in the control after given lappaconitine at doses of 8 mg/kg. In three morphine-dependent monkeys, lappaconitine at doses of 2 mg/kg, which was the maximal tolerated dose, did not suppress the withdrawal symptoms evoked by sudden morphine withdrawal or by subcutaneous injection of nalorphine (0.5 mg/kg). In three monkeys, lappaconitine were administrated for 53-92 days, and the physical dependence was determined. During this period no physical dependence was observed. No withdrawal symptoms were observed when challenged with nalorphine at doses of 4-8 mg/kg.Anaesthesia test on rabbit cornea showed that the surface anaesthetic potency of lappaconitine was eight times stronger than that of cocaine. Its local anesthetic activities on sciatic nerve block in mice and intracutaneous wheal test in guinea pig were found to be 5 times and about the same, respectively, as active as cocaine.Iappaconitine was shown to have antithermic effect in normothermic and pyrexial mice after intraperitoneal injection of 3 mg/kg. In rats, after intraperitoneal injection lappaconitine 4 mg/kg qd × 7 days, a marked reduction in formaldehydeinduced edema of the hind paw was noted.


Sustainability is a major global concern and there has been increased pressure on organizations from the stakeholders to broaden the focus of business performance beyond financial performance. Companies should have a balance among financial, social and environmental performance in order to be competitive and survive in the long term. Committed employees are the key asset of every organization and organizations can engage employees in improving their sustainable performance. This paper aims to provide empirical evidence of the associations between organizational environmental support and organizational sustainable performance with the mediating role of employee green behaviour within the selected commercial banks in the Batticaloa Region of Sri Lanka. Data collection was made from 173 employees who are working in commercial banks in the Batticaloa Region of Sri Lanka. Univariate, bivariate, and multi-step mediation analyses have been used to analyze the data. The results indicate that there is a significant positive association between organizational


The paper discusses the application of VSP multiple analysis technique to guide multiple removal procedures in surface seismic and 3D VSP data processing. The results of the VSP multiple analysis from two wells in the Arabian Gulf helped explain the variability in the quality of the well-to-seismic ties across the OBC survey and optimize de-multiple workflows during the surface seismic data processing.


We observed frequency multiplication of 65-GHz radiation up to the fifth harmonic (325 GHz; wavelength 0.9 mm) in a superlattice with negative differential conductance at room temperature. The efficiency of multiplication depended strongly on both the strength of a static field and the strength of the 65-GHz field. An analysis of the results shows that the nonlinear current, responsible for the frequency multiplication, was governed by the Esaki-Tsu current-voltage characteristic that describes the transport of carriers in large-miniband superlattices.


Description Parthenogenetic grasshoppers confound predictions by showing no signs of decline In most animal species, only half of the population—the females—invest resources in producing offspring. But some species consist entirely of females that can produce offspring without mating, a process known as parthenogenesis. Parthenogenesis looks like the more efficient system: A parthenogenetic species seemingly ought to out-reproduce and thus outcompete a similar species that reproduces sexually. And yet the overwhelming majority of species are sexual. Why? This counterintuitive trend implies that sexually produced offspring must have some advantage over parthenogenetically produced ones, but what exactly is this advantage? On page 1110 of this issue, Kearney et al. (1) report an exhaustive search for such an advantage in Australian grasshoppers. Their negative result suggests that the advantage may not be something discoverable by studying present-day populations. It may play out on longer time scales, in the patterns of origin and extinction of whole lineages.


ABSTRACT Jeffrey Donaldson, the DUP MP for Lagan Valley, told Westminster on June 26th, 2014: "The future of Ireland was shaped not on the streets of Dublin in 1916, but on the muddy, blood-soaked battlefields of the Western front." Two years later, Brexit negotiations started. These two seemingly unrelated events have strong implications for the definition of Britishness in the 21st century since the "Brexit question" provided the backdrop for the centenary of World War One. In Northern Ireland, the memory of the conflict has been deeply sensitive, and the question of the nationalist "amnesia" regarding the Irish soldiers involved alongside the British forces has been only recently addressed. May 1st, 2013 marked the start of the Decade of Commemorations in Ireland. This opportune time was supposed to be marked by inclusiveness and openness. This article aims to explore how discourse on Britishness as an overarching identity can accommodate co-existing nationalist narratives while preserving a common historical heritage. Comparing political commemorative speeches in Northern Ireland and in the rest of the United Kingdom, with a special emphasis on Scotland (where the Great War commemorations coincided with the referendum on independence), should provide an insight into the modern definition of Britishness.


This paper presents a loosely-coupled distributed network management architecture. The architecture connects multiple loosely-coupled systems by using XML/SOAP, in order to manage large-sized networks. In addition , its implementation techniques are discussed.


Identification of genetic regulatory networks and genetic signal transduction pathways from gene expression data is one of the key problems in computational molecular biology. Boolean networks offer a discrete time Boolean model of gene expression. In this model, each gene can be in one of two states (on or off) at any given time, and the expression of a given gene at time t " 1 can be modeled by a Boolean function of the expression of at most k genes at time t. Typically k # n, where n is the total number of genes under consideration. This paper motivates and introduces a generalization of the Boolean network model to address dependencies among activity of genes that span for more than one unit of time. The resulting model, called the temporal Boolean network or the TBN(n, k, T) model, allows the expression of each gene to be controlled by a Boolean function of the expression levels of at most k genes at times in $t . . . t % (T % 1)&. We apply an adaptation of a popular machine learning algorithm for decision tree induction for inference of a TBN(n, k, T) network from artificially generated gene expression data. Preliminary experiments with synthetic gene expression data generated from known TBN(n, k, T) networks demonstrate the feasibility of this approach. We conclude with a discussion of some of the limitations of the proposed approach and some directions for further research.


This paper proposes a hybrid heuristic aiming the reduction of the average bandwidth of sparse matrices. The proposed heuristic combines a greedy selection of rows and columns to be interchanged with an approach based on a genetic-inspired crossover. Several ideas of limiting the search tree are also investigated. Preliminary numerical experiments illustrate the fact that the proposed heuristic leads to better results with respect to the average bandwidth than the classical Cuthill-McKee algorithm. 1. The Matrix Bandwidth Reduction Problem Reducing the bandwidth of sparse matrices is important in solving large linear systems of equations and is especially useful in designing efficient parallel implementation of the solving procedures. The bandwidth of a matrix is related to the concentration of nonzero elements around the main diagonal and can be measured in different ways. The most frequently used bandwidth measure is the maximum of the absolute value of the difference between the row and column indices of nonzero elements, i.e. bw = max{|i−j|; aij 6= 0, i = 1, n, j = 1, n} for a square matrix A of size n. However, the bw measure does not provide too much information about the grouping pattern of non-zero elements around the main diagonal, which is particularly important in balancing the load on different processors in the case of parallel implementations [1]. This motivates the interest in defining and using other measures of the compactness of the non-zero elements around the main diagonal. In this work we use the average bandwidth proposed in [8] and defined by Eq. (1), where m Received by the editors: April 10, 2011. 2010 Mathematics Subject Classification. 68T20, 65F30. 1998 CR Categories and Descriptors. I.2.8 [Artificial Intelligence]: Problem Solving, Control Methods, and Search – Heuristic Methods; G.1.3 [Numerical Analysis]: Numerical Linear Algebra – Sparse, structured, and very large systems (direct and iterative methods).


Objective To analyze the image findings of pigmented villonodular synovitis(PVNS) and evaluate the merits and demerits of various imaging diagnostic methods. Methods MRI, X-ray and CT findings in 10 cases with PVNS were analyzed retrospectively. MRI signal features, the involvement of intra-and extra-articulars and bony erosion were evaluated. Results Of 10 cases, iso-low singal on T1WI and T2WI,typical for hemosiderin deposition, was seen in 8 cases. Bony erosion, involvement of intra-articular cartilage and ligament, and the invasion of extra-articular structures, which were hard to be displayed on plain film and CT, were well demonstrated on MRI. Conclusion MRI is of great value in diagnosing of PVNS and can substitute for arthroscopy. MRI can precisely evaluate intra-and extra-articular invasion, which is very important in guiding surgery and avoiding recurrence.


This is a study of the information evolution of complex systems through a geometrical consideration. We look at chaotic systems evolving in fractal phase space. The entropy change in time due to the fractal geometry is assimilated to the information growth through the scale refinement. Due to the incompleteness of the information calculation in fractal support at any scale, the incomplete normaliza-tion i p q i = 1 is applied throughout the paper. It is shown that the information growth is nonadditive and is proportional to the trace-form i p i − i p q i so that it can be connected to several nonadditive entropies. This information growth can be extremized to give, for non-equilibrium systems, power law distributions of evolving stationary state. This trace-form information can also be used for the study of the thermodynamics of nonadditive systems each having its own q. It is argued that, within this thermodynamics, the Stefan-Boltzmann law of blackbody radiation can be preserved.


This article and companion code is an update to Blanc (2017b) which provided a tool to use statistical emulators of global gridded crop models described in Blanc and Sultan (2015) and Blanc (2017) and aggregated the projections at the regional level. This new version includes, in addition to rainfed yields of maize, rice, soybean and wheat, irrigated crops yields as well as associated irrigation water requirements as estimated in Blanc (2020).


Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a non-communicable disease and a major public health issue in Indonesia and around the world. Proteinuria caused by diabetes in the blood vessels can cause kidney damage. Diabetes can also cause nerve damage in the body. This can make urinating difficult. The pressure caused by a full bladder can harm the kidneys. If urine remains in the bladder for a longer duration, it can cause an infection due to the rapid growth of bacteria in urine with a high sugar level, even if the presence of protein in the urine has been tested in a laboratory. Objective: The study aimed to determine the difference in the results of urine protein examination with the dipstick method with the 6% acetic acid method in DM patients in the working area of Puskesmas (Public Health Center) Baturraden II. Methods: The research design used was analytic observational with a cross-sectional study. Thirty urine samples were used with purposive sampling as the sampling technique. Chi-Square Test was employed for Statistical Analysis. The results of the tests produced a significant value of 0.000 (P 0,0 5), indicating that the p-value was lower in relation to the degree of error. It could be concluded that the results of urine protein examination using the dipstick method and the 6% acetic acid method differed in DM patients.


In this study, we propose a Genetic Extended-fiber Network (GEN) separately stretched over microbridges for DNA fiber applications. The microbridges are rapidly and easily fabricated by directly spin-coating a thick negative photoresist on a metal mask patterned glass substrate and exposing it twice from the backside of the substrate for two different exposure angles. The GEN constructed over microbridge array by centrifugal stretching can achieve high throughput stretching-and-positioning of DNA fibers and individually accessible platform for DNA fibers, on which spatial relationships of DNA fibers can be quantitatively analyzed by accurate compartmentalization.


A hydroponics cultivation experiment was conducted using celery,to find the variety of the nitrates auumulated,at different developmental stages,different organ tissues and different harvest. The results indicated that,the nitrate content of celery varied both with organ tissues and haruest,meanwhile,the grow power had positive effects on it.


With the wide application of Web technology,Web technology has greatly changed people's lives.Web security is also facing unprecedented challenges,Web penetration testing technology has become an important means of Web security protection.In order to improve the success rate of Web penetration testing,this paper increase the information-gathering stage in Web penetration testing process.


were detected in the large tumour in the case under consideration, I am* bound to express the opinion, derived from a long study and opportunities of examining a large number of red fibroids, that this change is not due to micro-organisms, but to mechanical interference with the circulation. The sharply defined area of red-softening in the large tumour resembled an infarction, and, if this be the case, the presence of staphylococci is in all probability an epiphenomenon. Two other fibroids with red degeneration, one from a gravid and the other from a non-gravid uterus, have come to hand since the tumour which is the subject of this communication was investigated, but we failed to find micro-organisms in their tissues after the most painstaking bacteriological examination.


This chapter discusses well-established animal models used to study the basic mechanisms of ictogenesis (i.e., models of seizures) and those developed to investigate the process of epileptogenesis (models of chronic epilepsy). For genetic models (▶Genetic Animal Models of Epileptic Seizures) animal models have recently been extensively described and critically revised (Pitkanen 2006), and are further analyzed in other chapters of the Atlas.


The suggestion by several authors that the solar differential rotation is caused by a large scale instability of the basic convective state is examined. We find that the proposed mean-field models are unstable to a Rayleigh-Benard type instability, but argue that this cannot explain the differential rotation of the Sun, because such a flow would become nonaxisymmetric. We discuss the applicability of the mean-field equations to the problem


Amounts of lithium-containing salt lake brine resources are widely distributed in the four provinces named Qinghai,Tibet,Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang province,especially the salt lakes in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are abundant of


Since the early part of the twentieth century, African ethnologists (EvansPritchard i93i; Goody I973; Gray I960; Radcliffe-Brown I95o; Schneider 1957) have periodically re-examined bridewealth. The present paper considers the culturally adaptive possibilities of bridewealth as a factor in adjusting domestic structure to changing climatic conditions among the Barma, an ethnic group who were politically dominant in the emirate of Baguirmi in Chad.


In health care applications portable electroencephalogram (EEG) systems are frequently used to record and process the brain signals due to easy of use and low cost. Electrooculogram (EOG) is the major high amplitude low frequency artifact eye blink signal, which misleads the diagnosis activity of decease. Hence there is demand for artifact remove techniques in portable single EEG devices. In this work presented automatic extraction of EOG artifact by integrating Fluctuation based Dispersion Entropy (FDispEn) with Singular Spectral Analysis (SSA) and Adaptive noise canceller(ANC). The proposed model successfully identifies artifact signal component based on entropy values at different SNR and remove it with ANC for better performance. This method avoid the dependency on threshold to identify artifact subspace unlike previous existed DWT,SSA and Adaptive SSA methods combined with ANC. Proposed method is evaluated on synthetic data and real EEG data set and eliminate eyeblink artifact by preserving the low frequency EEG content. The performance of proposed method shows superiority in performance metrics over existing algorithms.


Understanding non-work and recreational travel is becoming fundamental due to its growing importance upon people's lives and the whole transportation system. This paper reports on efforts to demonstrate a methodological approach to modelling non-work trip generation and distribution on Italian motorways and major roads. The main purpose of the work is to implement and analyse the application of classic traffic modelling schemes to nonsystematic phenomena such as holiday trips. Traditional trip generation models for systematic trips have almost always excluded the impact of non-work trips (Lockwood and Demetsky, 1994; Polzin et al., 1998), due to the complexity of finding useful data and treating them for calibrating models. Furthermore, it is very difficult to evaluate the connection between a non-systematic phenomenon and mathematical variables. Our challenge is to fully understand the structure of recreational trips by investigating their relationship with social, demographic and economic variables.


Objective To investigate the factors related to postoperative recurrence of breast cancer. Methods The clinic data of 71 cases with breast cancer postoperative local recurrence were analyzed retrospectively, multiple linear stepwise regression was performed between recurrence time(dependent variable)and 8 possible factors (independent variable) related to recurrence. Result The state of metastasis of axillary nodes、the size of tumor、age and the cell differentiation were entered equation. The regression coefficients were : -13.98、-9.33、4.49、-11.27;The standardized regression cofficients were: -0.37、-0.31、0.18、-0.16. F value of equation was 189.18, P0.05;The determination coefficient was 0.92;The multiple correlation coefficient was 0.96.Conclosion The state of metastasis of axillary nodes、the size of tumor、age and the cell differentiation influence the postoperative recurrence time of breast cancer.


In this study, bio-oil upgrading using deoxygenation of acetic acid with heterogeneous solid catalyst via reactive distillation was studied. Two types of solid catalysts were used in the experiments comprising of acid-doped raschig ring and Amberlyst IR 120 H+. The experiments were carried out in a pilot semi-batch reactive distillation column with temperature at reboiler and condenser of around 120 C and 55 C. The experimental results showed that, operated with Amberlyst IR 120 H+, the esterification reaction reached 79.5 percent of acetic conversion and purity of methyl acetate from top stage was 72 mole percent. With acid-doped raschig ring, the purity of methyl acetate from the top stage was 68 mole percent. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of the Research Center in Energy and Environment, Thaksin University.


The ultrasonography is a rutinary technique used in the gestation evaluation due to its harmlessness and diagnostic value. Latest technologies, as the 4-D ultrasonography or the improvement in the image quality, allow us to diagnose fetal anomalies that were previously ignored because of technical limitations and the absence of viable therapeutic measures. A clear example is the emerging number of publications about the prenatal diagnosis of fetal genital anomalies. There are an increasing number of reported cases about underdiagnosed entities whose identification and management remain as a clinical challenge. There is a lack of clinical trials who afford clinicians to implement a guideline on the ultrasonographic diagnosis of genital anomalies.


Magnetic and magnetotransport properties of two perovskite manganite samples of La0.7Ca0.3Mn0.9Zn0.1O3 and La0.7Ca0.3Mn0.95Cu0.05O3 prepared by conventional solid-state reaction have been studied in detail. Experimental results revealed that the temperature dependences of magnetization and resistance varied strongly around the phase-transition temperature. Maximum magnetoresistance (MR) values of La0.7Ca0.3Mn0.9Zn0.1O3 and La0.7Ca0.3Mn0.95Cu0.05O3 under an applied field of 400 Oe were about 21.4 % and 11.0 %, respectively. The maximum magnetic-entropy change (ΔSM) was 2.73 J/kg.K for La0.7Ca0.3Mn0.9Zn0.1O3, and 3.34 J/kg.K for La0.7Ca0.3Mn0.95Cu0.05O3 when the applied field was 45 kOe. Both the MR and ΔSM values obtained from two samples were smaller than those of the parent compound La0.7Ca0.3MnO3. This was due to the change in the Mn3+/Mn4+ ratio caused by Zn and Cu dopants, which led to a change in the type of the ferromagneticparamagnetic phase transition.


Ladders And Snakes learning media is part of cooperative learning that gives students experience to share knowledge both in groups and in other groups. The purpose of this study is to analyze whether there is an effect of Ladders And Snakes learning media on learning outcomes of Akidah Akhlak at MI Muhammadiyah 19 Sidokumpul Paciran Lamongan. The type of research is quantitative research with parametric statistical tests.
The research location was at MI Muhammadiyah 19 Sidokumpul Paciran Lamongan. The population in this research were all students of class IV, consisted of 20 people with sample of 20 people taken using a sensus sampling technic. Data collection techniques in this study using observation, documentation and tests. The data analysis technique used is the T-test.
Based on the results of hypothesis testing using a significance test (t-test) obtained t_count 5,104, then compared with t_table for a significant level of 5% (0.05) using a two-party test with dk = n-2 = 18 then obtained t_table of 2.101. it is known that t_count (5,105) > t_table (2,101), then Ho is rejected and Ha is accepted. It can be concluded that the Ladders And Snakes learning media (Ladders And Snakes) has a significant influence on the learning outcomes of Akidah Akhlak kleas IV MI Muhammadiyah 19 Sidukumpul Paciran Lamongan for the 2020/2021 academic year.


Color change is an important event during fruit maturation in blueberry, usually depending on chlorophyll degradation and anthocyanin accumulation. miR156/SPL modules are an important group of regulatory hubs involved in the regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis. However, little is known regarding the roles of miR156/SPLs in blueberry and chlorophyll metabolism during color change. In this study, a MIR156 gene (VcMIR156a) was experimentally identified in blueberry. Overexpression of VcMIR156a in tomato enhanced anthocyanin biosynthesis and chlorophyll degradation in the stem via altering pigment-associated gene expression. Further investigation indicated that the VcSPL12 transcript could be targeted by miR156, and they showed the reverse accumulation patterns during blueberry fruit development and maturation. Noticeably, VcSPL12 was highly expressed at green fruit stages, while VcMIR156a transcripts mainly accumulated at the white fruit stage when VcSPL12 was dramatically decreased, implying that VcMIR156a/VcSPL12 is a key regulatory hub during fruit coloration. Moreover, VcSPL12 decreased the expression of several anthocyanin biosynthetic and regulatory genes, and a Y2H assay indicated that VcSPL12 interacted with VcMYBPA1. Intriguingly, VcSPL12 significantly enhanced chlorophyll accumulation and altered the expression of several chlorophyll-associated genes. Additionally, the chloroplast ultrastructure was altered by VcMIR156a and VcSPL12. These findings provide a novel insight into the functional roles of miR156/SPLs in plants, especially blueberry fruit coloration.


For every Tikhonov space X the free abelian topological group A(X) and the free locally convex vector space L(X) admit a topologically faithful unitary representation. For compact spaces X this is due to Jorge Galindo.


Breast cancer is a rare disease in men; the female: male ratio is around 100:1 (Treves, 1954; Haagensen, 1986). Aetiological factors in male breast cancer are obscure. A marked increase in its incidence has been reported in Klinefelter's syndrome, a condition associated with diminished testosterone levels and an increased incidence of gynecomastia (Rosen et al, 1976; Erlichman et al, 1984). Paget's disease of the nipple is an early presentation of breast cancer (Nance et al, 1970). In this report, we describe a case in a 74-year-old patient. Since carcinoma of the male breast is a relatively rare malignancy, it is reasonable that the management of this disease should be based on the knowledge available for carcinoma of the female breast. Breast conserving treatment in females has been demonstrated to be equivalent to radical surgery. Therefore, we suggest that radiation therapy is the treatment of choice also in male patients with Paget's disease, as was done in the case reported. A 74-year-old man notice...


Background: Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is associated with disturbances in brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) serum levels. Therefore, the objective of this study is to illustrate the potential effects of atorvastatin and rosuvastatin on BNP in patients with AIS. Methods: A total of 88 patients with AIS with or without statins therapy compared with 22 healthy controls were recruited. The patients with AIS were divided into: Group A: Patients with AIS on statins therapy (atorvastatin or rosuvastatin), (n = 44) and Group B: Patients with AIS not were on statins therapy (n = 22). Body mass index, blood pressure profile, lipid profile, and serum levels of human BNP were measured. As well, stroke risk score (SRS) was assessed in all involved patients and healthy volunteers. Results: BNP serum level was higher in patients with AIS compared with healthy controls (P = 0.0006). It was higher in patients with AIS not were on statins therapy (29.96 ± 17.21 μg/dL) as compared with patients with AIS on statins therapy (21.66 ± 14.22 μg/dL), P < 0.001. However, BNP serum level was (20.33 ± 6.05 μg/dL) in AIS patients on atorvastatin and (21.51 ± 6.82 μg/dL) AIS patients on rosuvastatin, which was not significantly differed (P = 0.54). Moreover, BNP serum levels were correlated with SRS in patients with AIS on statins therapy (r = 0.42, P= 0.03), but it was highly correlated with SRS in patients with AIS not were on statins therapy (r = 0.89, P < 0.001). Conclusion: BNP serum level is elevated in patients with AIS and correlated significantly with SRS. Statins therapy mainly atorvastatin and rosuvastatin are effective anti-inflammatory agents in the management of AIS through the reduction of BNP serum levels. However, there is no significant difference between the two statins.


Design study of 200 MWth Gas Cooled Fast Reactor with UN-PuN fuel long life without refueling has been done. GFR is one type reactor in Generation IV reactor system. It uses helium coolant and fast neutron spectrum. Helium is chemical inert, single phase and low neutron moderation. In this study the calculations are performed by using SRAC code with PIJ calculation for the fuel pin cell calculation and CITATION calculation for core calculation. The data libraries use JENDL 3.2. The variation fuel fractions are 50% until 60%. The diameter active core is 150 cm and the height active core is 100 cm. The reflector radial-axial width is 50 cm. The variation of the powers are 100 MWth up to 500 MWth. The high power causes the high k-eff value. The optimum design is reached when the power is 200 MWth, variation percentage Plutonium for fuel F1:F2:F3=9%:11%:13%. The comparation of fuel:cladding:coolant fraction = 55%:10%:35%. The cooling down time of Plutonium is nine months. The optimum k-eff value is 1.0142 with excess reactivity value 1.403%. The decay of Plutonium decrease k-eff value in the beginning of burn up.


The global machinery industry is composed of a diverse array of end markets and products, including construction and earth-moving equipment, farm machinery, heavy duty trucks, pumps, valves, motors, compressors, hydraulics, filtration, industrial controls, and automation systems—as well as machine tools for cutting, stamping, and forming metal. In this comprehensive examination of the industry, the author gives an overview of its structure and primary economic drivers and provides practical guidance for effective analysis of the industry's most prominent companies.


Both good ontology development and ontology engineering are considered to be advanced topics in computing curricula. They draw on knowledge from different specialisations and need to strike a balance between theory and skills. This may cause a steep learning curve, but one where tools may assist with the learning process. This work-in-progress demo paper, presents the ongoing development of a set of in-house developed tools that assist in the various learning activities in different ways. They were motivated in part by the ontology engineering course taught by the author and cover a spectrum of tasks for learning about ontology development.


Do you ever wonder why some note combinations sound pleasing to our ears, while others make us cringe? When we create a sound, such as playing a cello, the strings vibrate back and forth. This causes energy to travel through the air, in waves. The number of times per second these waves hit our ear is called the frequency, which is measured in Hertz (Hz). The more waves per second that are created the higher the pitch. One example is the middle C note at about 262 Hz, and the A note, which is below middle C, at 220 Hz. To explain why some notes sound well together, we look at a chord, such as the frequencies of the notes in a C Major chord: C − 261.6 Hz


1a. What is the difference between the advertised window and the congestion window in TCP? b. Explain the Fair Queuing mechanism for congestion control at a router. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this scheme? c. Explain the differences between slow start, fast retransmit and fast recovery in TCP. 2a. Explain RED. b. Discuss the parameters and the normal parameter settings initially suggested by Sally Floyd. c. What were the significant conclusions of the " RED Tuning " paper? 3a. Describe and explain CSFQ, AVQ and XCP. b. Explain the difference between the efficiently and fairness controllers in XCP. c. Discuss three performance measures that can be used to compare these three congestion control strategies. d. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of these mechanisms with respect to handling Web traffic, UDP traffic, and traffic with specific Quality of Service requirements. 4a. Explain why drop tail routers are unfair to Mice as compared to Elephants. b. Explain the RIO-PS scheme. c. Discuss the key strategy proposed in the " Mice and Elephants " paper. d. How does this improve performance? e. In what circumstances could the proposed strategy not improve performance? 5a. What does it mean for a flow to be TCP-Friendly, and why is this important in the Internet today? b. Explain the concept of unresponsive flows. c. Explain two forms of congestion collapse. d. What techniques can be used to determine disproportionate bandwidths? 6a. Discuss the assumptions of Firoiu and Borden in their model of the n-flow feedback system for a network of TCP flows. b. Explain how the queue function G(p) and the control function H(q) are used to establish an equilibrium point for RED. c. Are the recommendations for configuring the RED control function practical? Explain why or why not. 7a. Explain the processes involved when a Mobile Host [MH] switches cells. b. Discuss the differences in throughput that depends on whether a MH is moving between overlapping or non-overlapping cells. c. Explain the concept of triggering a fast retransmit upon a cell crossing.


The catalytic activity of activated carbon-based catalysts containing up to 25 % of zinc acetate was investigated by studying the reaction of acetic acid and acetylene to give vinyl acetate. The physicochemical properties of the catalysts are given. A differential reactor operating at atmospheric pressure between 155 and 200°C was used to obtain the reaction rate for different partial pressure combinations of the reaction components. Hougen and Watson types of rate equations derived from the LangmuirHinshelwood mechanism were examined by using non-linear estimation. A statistically best rate expression was determined from the experimental data. ...


With the improvement of living conditions,people pay more attention to food sanitation,following which the incidence rate of food allergy is higher and higher.Food allergy threatens public health seriously.It is caused mainly by dominance of T helper type 2-based immune responses,which breaks the dynamic balance of Th1/Th2 immune responses and resultes in over secreting of IL-4,IL-5 and IL-13,production of specific antibody IgE,degranulation of mast cells,alteration of intestinal microflora and so on.At present,a lot of investigations have been reported,of which the probiotics therapy attracted more attention.As the indigenous flora,probiotics could not only prevent and treat food allergy but could also modulate immune responses and recover the dynamic balance of it via secreation of cytokines such as IFN-γ,IL-10,TGF-β.


A report on the Labouring Feminism and Working Class History Conference, which was held on 29 September, 2005 at Munk Centre for International Affairs at the University of Toronto, is presented. The breadth of topics and approaches drawn together demonstrated the vitality and depth of research undertaken. The presentation of stories of union-organising campaigns across different industries and time periods demonstrated the effect on the lives of working women, whether they worked in laundries, casinos or call centres.


According to current guidelines, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is currently the most important parameter for primary prevention of sudden cardiac death in patients with structural heart disease. Unfortunately, LVEF has low sensitivity in detecting arrhythmic events and presents a significant intra- and inter-operator variability. For these reasons, alternative predictors in patients with structural heart disease are being sought. Among those, speckle-tracking derived parameters such as global longitudinal strain (GLS), mechanical dispersion (MD), and delta contraction duration (DCD) have been proposed as better alternatives.

 To assess speckle-tracking derived parameters as predictors of first and subsequent arrhythmic events in implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) patients with structural heart disease, and to compare their performance with LVEF.

 Prospective, observational study enrolling all consecutive patients with structural heart disease admitted for an ICD implant. Patients not followed by a home-monitoring system were excluded. 2D speckle-tracking analysis was used to derive GLS, MD, and DCD of all patients at enrolment. Home monitoring was checked weekly in order to detect all ventricular arrhythmias (VA) and ICD therapies. A recurrent-event statistical approach (Prentice, Williams, and Peterson model) was applied in order to evaluate subsequent events after the first ones.

 Two-hundred-and-three patients were consecutively enrolled and followed-up for a median follow-up of 2.2 years. Kaplan-Meier curves showed an increased risk of ATP or shock (Log-rank p=0.003) and VAs (Log-rank p=0.001) associated with lower quartiles of GLS (Figure 1). An impaired GLS was independently associated with an increased risk for the first ICD therapy (HR 1.94; 95% CI 1.30–2.91; p=0.001), and for the first VA (HR 1.42; 95% CI 1.01–1.98; p=0.04). GLS impairment was not significantly associated with an increased risk of recurrent ICD therapies or VAs. LVEF, MD and DCD were not associated with an increased risk of first, second and third ICD therapy or VA.

 Impaired GLS is associated with an increased risk of VAs and appropriate ICD therapies in a consecutive, "real-world", unselected population of remote-monitored patients with structural heart disease, although it does not seem reliable in predicting further arrhythmic event after the first one. LVEF, MD, and DCD do not predict first or subsequent arrhythmic events in ICD patients with structural heart disease.

 Marche Polytechnic University


The article touches upon the questions of a choice of strategy of increase of efficiency of investment-investment activity of the enterprise on the basis of calculation of economic value added, defined main stages of the selection strategy


Design of a wireless sensor network for monitoring temperature and humidity is introduced.Principle of temperature and humidity measure,power characteristics and communication model of sensor nodes are discussed.This is a stable and efficient system.It can be widely used in environment monitoring.


In a recent editorial, we suggested that more data are required to determine if metabolic syndrome is associated with progressive chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the absence of overt diabetes ([1][1]). This is clearly an important issue; metabolic syndrome, characterized by abdominal obesity,


It is well known that the movements of final exertion play an important role in the technique of throwing events. They are completed by the organism in the operation of multiple resultant of forces. In the past the analysis of throwing technique was basically limited in the study of the plane. There were few studies of three dimensional analysis by applying biomechanics. The final exertion movements of the trunk in throwing events were studied, compared and analyzed. The forms and the characteristics of the three dimensional movements of the trunk round the frontal axis, the vertical axis and the sagittal axis during the final exertion was expounded. It is of certain guiding significance in improving the teaching results of throwing technique and in perfecting the concept of technical movements.


MCNP code was used to simulate the detection efficiencies for different γ-ray energies at different source positions.The widely used expression on radial variation of HPGe detector's γ-ray efficiency for point source proposed by Masayasu et al.[1] was amended and a new expression was proposed.A comparison between calculated and measured results indicates that the newly extracted expression brings about an obvious improvement.The expression in this work and the MCNP simulation method are both conducive to the study on HPGe detector's γ-ray efficiency measurement and calculation for bulky sources.


This study aims to explore employers' and educators' perception of the relevance of hospitality management degree programmes to the industry after the introduction of tuition fee increase in the UK Universities. More specifically, it investigates whether or not undergraduate hospitality degree courses in the UK are providing relevant employability skills to work in the hotel industry and the level of practical skills expected from graduates from an employer's perspective. This study also seeks to assess the awareness of the notion of co-creation in higher education curricular and how hospitality degree courses embed employability skills into the curriculum design to provide learner value for money.


Some characteristics are reported of a triple-crystal diffractometer with a (+, −, +) setting of Si(220) using mirage diffraction. The advantages of this diffractometer are that its setup is easy, its structure is simple, the divergence angle from the second crystal is small and the energy resolution of the third crystal is very high.


Uranium(IV) complexes with Schiff bases obtained by condensing 2-aminopyridine with various substituted salicylaldehydes, o-hydroxyacetophenone and 2-hydroxynaphthalidene have been prepared. A coordination number of eightis suggested for these complexes.


Once again the Doha Round negotiators are struggling to reach an agreement, this time by mid-December 2011 on a "plan B" package that would give increased market access to the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) under simplified rules of origin (RoO). We argue that in spite of some simplifying reforms by the EU and the US, administrative costs associated with establishing origin will continue to be sizeable, approximately equal to the effective market access left under "plan B". Given the reluctance in the past for OECD countries to simplify their RoO, the note concludes that the meeting the December package is unlikely.


INTRODUCTION The absorption cycle is a process by which refrigeration effect is produced through the use of two fluids and some quantity of heat input, rather than electrical input as in the more familiar vapor compression cycle. Both vapor compression and absorption refrigeration cycles accomplish the removal of heat through the evaporation of a refrigerant at a low pressure and the rejection of heat through the condensation of the refrigerant at a higher pressure. The method of creating the pressure difference and circulating the refrigerant is the primary difference between the two cycles. The vapor compression cycle employs a mechanical compressor to create the pressure differences necessary to circulate the refrigerant. In the absorption system, a secondary fluid or absorbent is used to circulate the refrigerant. Because the temperature requirements for the cycle fall into the low-to-moderate temperature range, and there is significant potential for electrical energy savings, absorption would seem to be a good prospect for geothermal application. Absorption machines are commercially available today in two basic configurations. For applications above 32F (primarily air conditioning), the cycle uses lithium bromide as the absorbent and water as the refrigerant. For applications below 32F, an ammonia/water cycle is employed with ammonia as the refrigerant and water as the absorbent.


Continuous Friedel–Crafts alkylation of mesitylene, C6H3Me3, and anisole, C6H5OMe, with propene or propan-2-ol has been carried out in supercritical propene or CO2 using a heterogeneous polysiloxane-supported solid acid Deloxan® catalyst in a small fixed bed reactor (10 ml volume); 100% selectivity for mono-alkylated products with 50% conversion could be obtained by adjusting the reaction parameters, e.g. temperature, pressure, flow rates, etc.


Component-based Software Development (CBD) has gradually become the main of the embedded software development methods.It will develop componented of the many advantages (such as lower development costs,increase development efficiency,reduce time to market,etc.) to bring them to embedded software development.A good embedded software component model plays a crucial role to the development follow-up.This paper presented a model of embedded software component ——ESCM.It has provided strong support for the retrieval of embedded software components,assembly and integration testing .


A number of medicinal plants have been used in tra ditional system of medicine all over the world since the beginning of human civilisation, ai ming to maintain health and to cure diseases. Oxidative stress has emerged as a key role player i n the pathophysiology of several diseases in humans as well as in experimental animal models. Plants can represent a source of novel compounds wi th promising antioxidant activity since they produce a lot of antioxidants. In recent days there has been an increasing interest worldwide to identify antioxida nt compounds that are pharmacologically active with less or no side effects. In the present study the p hytochemical screening and in vitro antioxidant activity of Asparagus racemosus Root Extract, Isoprinosine and Shatavari Syrup was assessed. To assess the antioxidant potential, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydraz yl (DPPH) Radical Scavenging assay, 2, 2-azinobis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) ra dical scavenging assay, Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power assay and Total Antioxidant Capa city were carried out. The findings of the present study indicate that ethanolic Shatavari syrup and Asparagus racemosus root extract are excellent freeradical scavengers and potent natural antioxidant.


Whenever a research topic which has developed in one field spreads to new disciplines, there is the potential benefit of new perspectives and new tools opening unexplored avenues, and there is the potential danger of re-learning the old lessons of the originating discipline. The spread of auction theory and, more generally, mechanism design to computer science, operations research, and related fields is certainly no exception. On one hand, important practical issues such as the computability of equilibria have long been ignored by the economics profession. On the other hand, computer scientists and operations researchers have focused almost exclusively on the dominant strategy mechanisms developed in the 1970s with no attention to the vast and elegant implementation literature of the 1980s and 1990s, much of which was developed with the focus of finding continually better mechanisms. Fortunately, cross-disciplinary discussions such as this can help both sides reap the benefits of progress without incurring the costs of repetition. My hope is that Michael Rothkopf's critique of the VCG mechanism will lead non-economists interested in mechanism design to explore the implementation literature and to use new tools to generate additional useful insights. Much of the renewed interest in mechanism design has focused narrowly on auction design, which is certainly due to the simultaneous rise in online auction participation and in research on e-commerce platforms. Similarly, Rothkopf's critiques are aimed only at the VCG mechanism's use in auction environments. The more general definition of the VCG mechanism, however, extends to a very broad class of social choice and allocation problems. Unfortunately, the impossibility results obtained in the more general environments imply that the VCG mechanism is necessarily inefficient; and it is this inefficiency, among other concerns, that led to the development of the implementation literature. Hopefully non-economists, seeing related deficiencies in dominant strategy mechanisms, will continue to follow this path. The following describes the fundamental difficulty with the VCG mechanism. Suppose we want a mechanism for some very general setting, and we want our agents always to have a dominant strategy that results in a Pareto optimal outcome. Immediately we are faced with the impossibility results of Gibbard (1973) and Satterthwaite (1975), which tells us that if every possible preference is admissible, and if the mechanism must always have a dominant strategy, then the outcomes that must be chosen must be exactly those chosen by simply assigning one agent to be a dictator. The easiest escape from this dead-end is to get rid of the assumption that every possible preference is admissible. For example, we could proceed by assuming agents' preferences are of the quasilinear form vi (y) +mi where y is the allocation decision and mi represents holdings of some numeraire


This paper and the accompanying demonstration video show our use case of WALL-ET, a social, cognitive, mobile robot platform with a height-adjustable table unit, which assists workers in warehouses or supermarkets when performing unergonomic tasks. With the help of Augmented Reality-glasses and a camera-based activity detection, the system can infer a worker's intention of lifting boxes from a specified shelf region.


: At the beginning of the 21st century, multiple diasporic processes that sha-ped the history of our world express various relationships of ontological and epistemic violence. These relationships, which combine the emergence of alterity with inferiority, underlies the power-knowledge relationship among knowledges, at the core of the modern colonial-capitalist structures. This relationship operates through the permanent imposition of an abyssal thought characterized by a deep epistemic and ontological rift. Assuming the concept of diaspora as elastic and inclusive, it is difficult to compare and translate between various diasporic and non-dias-poric realities and experiences. This article, inspired by the Epistemologies of the South, seeks, on the one hand, to draw an analytical cartography of the experiences of struggles against the conditions of oppression that shape our times, addressing issues of power, economics, politics and culture and how these elements continue to reproduce the colonial relationship -capitalist. On the other hand, assuming that the epistemological diversity of the world is infinite, it seeks to create conditions to recognize, in a deeper way, the diversity of knowledges anchored in the experiences of struggle of social groups that have experienced multiple and systematic situa-tions of injustice, oppression and the destruction. This approach aims to contri-bute towards the decolonization of knowledge, debating in a constructive way the experiences advanced by a diversity of diasporic and non-diasporic communities, deepening the dialogues in the global South, a condition for social and political transformations beyond the colonial-capitalist abyssal thinking.


Electromagnetic resonant absorption phenomena in a microwave frequency range have recently been studied in the single-crystalline high-temperature superconductor ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}{\mathrm{CaCu}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{8+\ensuremath{\delta}}$ in magnetic fields. Using a rectangular microwave cavity resonator technique with ${\mathrm{TE}}_{102}$ mode this absorption is unambiguously identified to be the collective longitudinal Josephson plasma excitation. Since the superconducting state is a state with a broken phase symmetry, the ordered state should be accompanied by the collective excitation (Nambu-Goldstone mode). This excitation has long been thought not to be observable, because of the formation of the large Coulomb gap (Anderson-Higgs-Kibble mechanism), above which strong damping mechanisms of excited plasma are presumably present. However, this Coulomb gap can be very small in the case of anisotropic layered system such as ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}{\mathrm{CaCu}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{8+\ensuremath{\delta}},$ and the plasma mode may lie in a microwave frequency region. Using characteristic dispersion relations, which enables us to separate out the longitudinal mode from the transverse one, the microwave absorption observed in ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}{\mathrm{CaCu}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{8+\ensuremath{\delta}}$ is unambiguously attributed to the longitudinal excitations. We believe that this is the first and the direct experimental evidence of the Nambu-Goldstone mode in a superconductor and provides a direct proof that the Anderson-Higgs-Kibble (AHK) mechanism within the concept of spontaneously breaking symmetry is indeed valid in the case of superconducting phase transition. Since the finite plasma frequency observed here signifies formation of the finite mass of the plasma (phason) due to the AHK mechanism in the relativistic sense, the above-mentioned scenario in a superconductor corresponds to a direct mapping from the unified gauge-field theory of weak interaction and electromagnetic interaction shown by Weinberg and Salam.


Objective To analyse glomus tumor's etiopathogenesis,clincal manifestation,misdiagnosis and treatment.Methods The Clinical manifestations,the time and rasons of misdiagnosis,error treatment were analysed in 28 case with glomus tumor demonstrated by pathological examination after operation.Results Lack of knowledge about glomus tumor,unspecialized doctors misdiagnosed and error-treated the disease.High Frequency Color Ultrasound has such high-resolution power to locate tumor and to show the figure of tumor and the blood vessel around tumor that the located diagnosis,quantitative diagnosis,quality diagnosis may be made.X-Ray examination is the one of effective methods in diagnosing the disease.X-Ray examination can not only find the finger distal hypertrophy of soft tissue but also find phalangeal tuberositas slimming even vanishing and that there were ring shaped clear zones caused by bone defect in phalanges.Conclusion Glomus tumor is often misdiagnosed for a number of reasons.We should inprove our knowledge about glumos tumor.Color Ultrasound and X-Ray are the useful and effective methods through which we can accurately diagnose glomus tumor and decrease misdiagnosis rate.Resection is the only effective treatment for glomus tumor.


Corina Grace creatively explores how psychoanalytic and group analytic theory might illuminate the group dynamics of organizations in the context of mergers and acquisitions (M&As). In doing so, she highlights a neglected area of organizational life in leadership practice—that of emotional experience, specifically in relation to the change and loss that is a feature of M&As. I will structure my response in three parts: Firstly, while it is of value for the emotional to be more foregrounded in both leadership and consultancy work, I will suggest that the binary of 'rational' and 'emotional' is rife in conventional organizational discourse and is in itself problematic, potentially inviting the very states of fragmentation, loss and incoherence, that we might be attempting to avoid as consultants. Secondly, developing Grace's thinking about social defences and basic assumptions in the face of loss and change, I will offer narrative and pattern structures that facilitate the management of the consultant's meaning making and action. Thirdly, Grace observes the significance of 'dynamic administration' in both leadership and consultancy and I will offer an extended account of the potential that this group analytic commitment holds for leadership and consultancy containment of the difficult experiences that are associated with loss and change. 649359 GAQ0010.1177/0533316416649359Group AnalysisOliver: Response research-article2016


This study investigated the micro area of cell tissue through synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence and high-performance liquid chromatography–atomic fluorescence spectrometry to indicate the effect of exogenous phosphorus (P) on the distribution of arsenic (As) absorption and the formation of As content in Panax notoginseng. Results showed that distributions of relative contents of As and P are the same in roots of P. notoginseng. Treatment with As50mg/l+P100mg/l resulted in the decrease of As content in P. notoginseng. From stems and leaves of arsenic fluorescence distribution can be seen that arsenic into P. notoginseng plant and part of the trend of the transport to the ground, therefore rise to arsenic in the blade also is relatively small, mainly concentrated in the stem. Exogenous P treatment can effectively reduce the root's absorption and accumulation of As, thereby reducing the harmful effect of As on P. notoginseng.


The invention provides an energy consumption metering system supporting two-way communication. The system comprises a two-way metering socket, a display terminal and a two-way communication electric energy meter, wherein the two-way metering socket and the display terminal are in wireless communication connection; the display terminal and the two-way communication electric energy meter are in wireless communication connection; and the two-way metering socket and the two-way communication electric energy meter are in power line connection. The invention is used for realizing the metering and management supporting multiple communication systems and supporting electric energy and other domestic energy consumption besides the electric energy.


Abstract : The report considers the capability of three autopilots, with varying dependency or inertial navigation inputs, to perform the automatic landing task in the presence of ILS beam anomalies. Three sets of pitch and roll axis control laws for a commercial jet transport were analyzed and flight tested to determine their comparative advantages and limitations. Conventional autopilots with only minor or no reliance on inertial inputs are sensitive to ILS beam imperfections. It is shown that complementary filtering of ILS position information with INS- derived acceleration and velocity results in a very marked attenuation of airplane response to beam bends, noise, and overflight interference. A set of equations is derived by which the acceptability of system performance during an automatic approach can be assessed. The capability of the three autopilots to provide acceptance on Category 1 and 2 ILS beams is investigated.


Abstract  The contact reliability issue in ohmic radio frequency microelectromechanical system switches is particularly challenging due to their low actuation force (the contact/restoring force is typically on the scale of 100 μN or less) and small device geometry (the typical dimensions are from 1 to 100s μm). As a result of the low actuation force, the breaking surface adsorbed film becomes difficult; thus, the contact resistance is extremely sensitive to surface condition in the contact area. In addition, a low restoring force during switch operation could cause stiction issue, especially for pure gold microcontacts. In addition, due to the fundamental scaling law, the risk of applying current or voltage to microswitches becomes much larger due to worsened heat constriction and enhanced electrical field in the microscale structures. In this article, we review recent experimental efforts to address these issues so that an improved understanding of the contact reliability in ohmic microelectromechanical system switches can be achieved.


Over the years, the authors have conducted molecular dynamics (MD) simulation to study the ablation process with ultrafast laser irradiation. The MD method has been modified to simulate the laser ablation of metals by updating heat conduction effect by free electrons at each calculation time step. In this study, the previously modified MD is further extended to elucidate the laser ablation phenomena from the viewpoint of phase transformation. In particularly, pulse width dependences of damage threshold fluence, evaporation process and temperature profile in the material, are investigated. The main results are summarized.


Repair and maintenance haunt the margins of ICT and development ('ICTD') and broader information school scholarship, but have rarely received central theoretical or empirical attention in the field. This paper attempts to fill this gap. Theoretically, it explores ideas from the growing but scattered body of social science work around infrastructure, maintenance and repair, and argues for maintenance and repair as key sites of difference, innovation, power, and sustainability in ICTD settings. Empirically, the paper examines patterns and tensions in maintenance and repair in Rundu and the wider Kavango region in northeastern Namibia. We conclude with key findings and lessons for future ICTD and iSchool scholarship.


The sickle-cell disease is the most common and clinically important disease of the hereditary hemolytic anemia's spread in countries of hot climate. Integration of the modem world and the increasing migration processes make the disease more rampant. The clinical manifestations of the disease are caused by two main pathological processes: hemolisis and thrombosis, stipulated by the presence and properties of the anomalous HbS. Thromboses can be found in vessels of different organs and tissues, which makes the disease more diverse.


This article reviews fundamental principles related to ethics and patient care, with an emphasis on neurological disorders. The respect of the principle of autonomy is essential for patients. This principle is now recognized as one of the fundamental rights of patients, not only in the legal field but also in the moral field. In ethics, other principles favour patients in their specific relationships with their physicians such as the principles of beneficence, non-maleficence and equity. Within the framework of their customary practice, doctors must also respect other ethical principles including proportionality, truthfulness and precaution. However, for patients with cerebral damage, respect for the principle of autonomy must be subordinate to effective legal competences. Otherwise, the decisions could be made by third parties such as families or doctors, at the risk of drifting from the patient's own demands. A number of clinical situations may result in dilemmas or conflicts between the therapists or the nursing staffs and patients or their close relatives. Some specificities of Belgian law are discussed.


OBJECTIVES
To analyze the postoperative complications of patients who have undergone surgical repair of femoral pseudoaneurysm after cardiac catheterization.

DESIGN
Prospective study.

MATERIALS
Cardiovascular risk factors, related to surgery and cardiac catheterization were collected prospectively in 79 patients from 2003 to 2006 in Valladolid University Hospital. The indications of surgery included necrosis of adjacent soft tissue, rapid growth, infection, bleeding, hemodynamic instability or failure of the percutaneous treatment (US-guided compression and US-guided percutaneous thrombin injection).

METHODS
Patient and management related predictors for 30-day outcome were analyzed.

RESULTS
Fifty-six patients (56/79, 71%) experienced some type of postoperative complication, the most frequent being the need for a transfusion. Infection (15/79, 19%) and dehiscence of the surgical wound (10/79, 12.7%) were the other two most common complications. The mortality related to the intervention was 3.8% (3/79). The mean hospital stay was 32.5 days (+/-28.4 days). Significant risk factors in logistic regression model were gender (P=0.023, OR=9.66), 70 years old (P=0.049, OR=0.15) and the concurrent use of anticoagulation or antiplatelet therapy after the cardiac catheterization (P=0.005, OR=0.03).

CONCLUSION
Patients who undergo surgical treatment of femoral pseudoaneurysm post-cardiac catheterization experience a high postoperative morbidity and hospital stay. Factors such as female gender, age over 70 years and treatment with anticoagulants or antiplatelets increase the postoperative morbidity. A seasonal influence was appreciated, with a higher frequency during the summer period.


Telling the media about environmental risk may be the least pleasant part of a decision maker's work, but it needn't be. Once you understand the media—what they cover, how they cover it, and what they will report—you will be able to communicate wwith reporters more easily. By improving your own performance as a source, you can bring about a real improvement in media coverage of environmental risk.


Spenser's dedicatory sonnet addressed to the Earl of Ormond has become an important touchstone in studies of The Faerie Queene's relationship with its Irish context. In his A View of the Present State of Ireland, Spenser indicates that Ormond and Spenser's patron, Lord Grey, were political enemies, but he also seems to indicate that a reconciliation occurred between the two. Speculating on a working relationship between Ormond and Spenser, Christopher Highley has argued that the sonnet to Ormond was intended by Spenser to "exploit" Ormond's "reputation as a patron of bards." However, I offer evidence that Spenser's attitude toward Ormond in the View is more antagonistic than is usually thought. I also argue that this antagonism complicates the immediately positive elements of the dedicatory sonnet—they can be read as a cover for an attack upon Ormond's Gaelicized households at Kilkenny and Carrick in The Faerie Queene's House of Pride episode. The attack is signaled in the episode chiefly by Spenser's reference to the House of Pride's "many Bardes" (I.iv.3.6).


The expression of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is multidimensional. Disease heterogeneity in patients with CRS remains poorly understood. This study aimed to identify endotypes of CRS using cluster analysis by integrating multidimensional characteristics and to explore their association with treatment outcomes.


Abstract The article examines colour (sight) marketing as one of the element of sensory marketing highlighting the importance of its perception and use in marketing decisions. Theoretical studies reveal that seeking to influence consumer behaviour, colour is used in setting linkages with characteristics of the product, as well as defining product packaging, advertising, point of sale, and brand communication.


The paper analyzes the rudiments and development of pragmatism in the United States,and illustrates the profound influence of the reciprocal principles on the American cultural values,along with which the American society has been promoted.


Heavy rainfall resulted in major flooding in the Meramec River Basin in eastern Missouri during late December 2015 through early January 2016. Cumulative rainfall from December 14 to 29, 2015, ranged from 7.6 to 12.3 inches at selected precipitation stations in the basin with flooding driven by the heaviest precipitation (3.9–9.7 inches) between December 27 and 29, 2015 (National Centers for Environmental Information, 2016). Financial losses from flooding included damage to homes and other structures, damage to roads, and debris removal. Eight of 11 counties in the basin were declared a Federal Disaster Area (Nelson, 2016). The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District, operates multiple streamgages along the Meramec River and its primary tributaries including the Bourbeuse River and Big River (fig. 1). The period of record for streamflow at streamgages in the basin included in this report ranges from 24 to 102 years (table 1). Instrumentation in a streamgage shelter automatically makes observations of stage using a variety of methods (submersible pressure transducer, non-submersible pressure transducer, or non-contact radar). These observations are recorded autonomously at a predetermined programmed frequency (typically either 15 or 30 minutes) dependent on drainage-area size and concomitant flashiness of the stream. Although stage data are important, streamflow data are equally or more important for streamflow forecasting, water-quality constituent loads computation, flood-frequency analysis, and flood mitigation planning. Streamflows are computed from recorded stage data using an empirically determined relation between stage and streamflow termed a "rating." Development and verification of the rating requires periodic onsite discrete measurements of streamflow throughout time and over the range of stages to define local hydraulic conditions. The purpose of this report is to examine characteristics of flooding that occurred in the Meramec River Basin in December 2015–January 2016 including peak stages, peak streamflows, and the flood-frequency statistics associated with the peak flows. A comparison between the December 2015–January 2016 flood and a similar flood in December 1982 in the Meramec River Basin also is included.


Objective:To investigate the effect of Yangxue Gushen Decoction,a Chinese herbal compound,on the pain score and bone mineral density(BMD) of women with postmenopausal osteoporosis.Methods:Ninety patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis were equally randomized into western medicine group,Yangxue Gushen Decoction group and combination treatment group.The course of treatment lasted 6 months.Before and after treatment,the changes of pain score and BMD were observed.Results:In each group,there were significant differences of pain score(VAS score) before and after treatment(P 0.05).However,there were no significant differences of VAS score among the three groups after treatment(P 0.05).Hip BMD and general BMD were increased to various degrees in the three groups after treatment(P 0.05 or P 0.01 compared with those before treatment).The results of inter-group one-factor analysis of variance showed that the three kinds of therapy had an effect on BMD(P 0.05).The results of LSD-t test showed that no significant difference of BMD between western medicine group and Yangxue Gushen Decoction group(P 0.05).However,the differences of western medicine group vs combination treatment group,and of Yangxue Gushen Decoction group vs combination treatment group were significant(P 0.05).Conclusion:Yangxue Gushen Decoction has significant effect on women with postmenopausal osteoporosis,and the effect will be better if used together with western medicine.


In the wake of the Asian financial crisis, there has been much discussion on improving corporate governance in Asia, including enhancement of mechanisms for securities class actions. This article examines how Taiwan tries to simulate the securities class actions prevalent elsewhere like, say, the United States. Taiwan is a Civil Law jurisdiction as well as a strong economy with a robust capital market not much affected by the Asian financial crisis. These two features make it more interesting to examine Taiwan's case because, like Japan and Korea, traditionally Taiwan has not been strong on corporate laws. Unlike the distressed Asian economies, it is not susceptible to as much external pressure to enhance shareholders protection. Taiwan's case is also most interesting and relevant to China, which shares the same cultural affinity and has shown a strong (albeit quiet) interest in Taiwan as a model for reforms to strengthen economic legal infrastructure, including corporate laws.


In terms of increased speed and density of traffic, the risk of traffic accidents increases, and in this respect the losses in the economy. Latest statistics on traffic accidents in the European Union suggest the need for increased scientific research and evaluation of previous activities in this area. Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) can significantly improve national traffic safety. According to estimates, ITS effects on traffic safety range up to 40%. ITS devices and equipment can prevent the occurrence of an accident or reduce its consequences, and with help of ITS it is possible to make a better and safer decision. ITS and associated technologies are not a substitute for the human brain and its ability of processing complex information, decision-making and taking appropriate actions, but may be a good supplement in terms of reducing the space for mistakes and lowered attention of traffic participants. Developing countries, such as Croatia, should monitor the development of ITS technologies in the world. By doing that, they have a certain advantage because they do not have to spend money on research. The paper describes practical examples of ITS contributions to road safety, primarily speed limits (the main cause of traffic accidents in Croatia), keeping the distance between vehicles to prevent rear-end collision, lane keeping system, etc. Also some possibilities of ITS in the increase of pedestrian traffic safety are shown. ITS potential is not used completely because of the technological, organizational, institutional, financial and other problems.