On December 7, 1972, three human beings found themselves at a distance of some 45,000 kilometers from Earth. Eugene Cernan, Ronald Evans, and Jack Schmitt had left their planet that day at 05:33:00 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) in spaceship Apollo 17. Five hours and six minutes later, one of them took a photograph which was to become the most widely distributed photographic image of the Earth in the years to come. The Blue Marble, as the photograph was unofficially called (official designation AS17-148-22727), was the first clear image of a fully illuminated Earth. The South Pole, incidentally, was at the top of the photograph, which is how al-Idrisi (492-560/1099-1165) had drawn his famous Tabula Rogeriana in 1154. The Blue Marble tied to an image the ethos of the newly realized environmental crisis and the activism of the early 1970s and extended the range of human understanding of the planet. The Earth appears in extreme isolation in its full frailness and vulnerability in a vast galactic expanse. The already known fact that, out of the eight planets of the Solar System, the Earth is indeed the one and only planet where life is possible gained new meaning. Despite its importance and beauty, humanity did not need the Blue Marble to know that Earth is the only planet providing the delicate combination of water, the right temperature, and other parameters for life to be possible. The distance of the Earth from the Sun as well as its orbital eccentricity, the rate of its rotation and its axial tilt were already known to have been critically mapped to allow a sustainable atmosphere and a protective magnetic field for life to exist and flourish on this planet. It was also known that approximately 71 percent of Earth's 510,072,000 square kilometer surface is covered with salt water oceans; that its interior consists of a thick layer of a relatively solid mantle made up of a liquid outer core and a solid inner core about 2,890 kilometers thick; that the Earth interacts with other objects in space; that it orbits the Sun once for every 366.26 times it rotates about its axis; and that the axial rotation of the Earth, tilted at 23.4[degrees] away from the perpendicular to its orbital plane, produces seasonal variations on the planet's surface. This basic information about Earth is theoretically available to every one of the 6.8 billion human beings who now lives on this planet in 201 independent sovereign states. More than half of these men, women, and children now live in urban areas where the utilization of non-renewable resources leaves a very large environmental footprint. By 2030, the soaring cities of South America, Asia, and Africa are expected to become home to 81 percent of the population in those regions of the world. This means that the accumulated urban growth of that part of the Earth during the whole span of its history will be duplicated in a single generation! The UN forecasts that today's urban population of 3.2 billion will rise to nearly 5 billion by 2030, when three out of every five people will live in cities. This is a uniquely contemporary phenomenon: In 1800, only 3 percent of the 978 million people then living on Earth inhabited cities. By the end of the twentieth century, the world population had increased to 5.97 billion and 47 percent lived in cities. In 1950, there were 83 cities with populations exceeding one million; by 2007, this number had risen to 468. The emerging megacities are mostly in that part of the world where urban planning is at its lowest level of sophistication: Mumbai (33 million), Shanghai (27 million), Karachi (26.5 million), Dhaka (26 million) and Jakarta (24.9 million people). These cities contain hugely overpopulated slums and disease-ridden epicenters of suffering where every sixth person lives in unsanitary conditions. This was not the case prior to the emergence of the modern world. Baghdad, Cordoba, and many cities in Imperial China of previous centuries each had over a million inhabitants who lived surrounded by green pastures and orchards. …


The aim of present investigation is to study adsorption of acetic acid on Jute having botanical name Corchorus sp. The effect of certain parameters on adsorption has been studied. Applicability of Freundlich adsorption isotherm, Langmuir adsorption isotherm has been tested. Various thermodynamic parameters such as ∆G, ∆H, and ∆S are reported. The adsorption power of Jute is calculated the experiments are earned out using batch adsorption process.


: [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between fore- and hind-foot movement and knee valgus movement in the single-leg drop-landing. [Subjects] Thirteen healthy adult women participated in this study. [Methods] The subjects performed single-leg drop- landing from a 30-cm-high box. Motion analysis was used to obtain the knee valgus angle, forefoot pronation angle, hindfoot valgus angle, and arch height. Then, the correlations between knee valgus angle and each foot angle and arch height were examined. [Results] There was a poor correlation between forefoot pronation movement and knee valgus movement in single-leg drop-landing (r=−0.25). On the other hand, a significant positive correlation was observed for the hindfoot valgus angle and knee valgus movement (r=0.80). [Conclusion] The results of this study suggest that it is important to decrease the hindfoot valgus movement to prevent knee valgus movement in single-leg drop-landing.


Horticulture crops are propagated mainly by two methods viz. sexual (seed) and asexual (vegetative). The plants produced through former method do not produce seedlings true-to-type wherein, identical characters (true-to-type) are inherited from mother plant through asexual method of propagation. Budding is one of the important methods of asexual propagation. The plants produced through budding have uniform maturity along with quality fruit. Seedling plants are having long juvenile period and gigantic growth habit which hampers plant protection, crop management and harvesting operations. Seed propagation and budding method of asexual propagation with its type is reviewed and presented.


DEAR EDITOR, Unilateral naevoid telangiectasia (UNT) is characterized by telangiectasia distributed in a unilateral, dermatomal pattern, especially on the upper trunk and extremities. Even though the diagnosis is 'unilateral' naevoid telangiectasia, cases with bilateral distribution (bilateral naevoid telangiectasia, BNT) have been reported. However, no comparison has previously been made between the unilateral and bilateral forms of naevoid telangiectasia. Herein, we analyse the differences between the two groups and suggest different pathogeneses for each. Cases of 'unilateral' naevoid telangiectasia diagnosed clinically between January 2004 and August 2014 at Seoul National University Hospital and Seoul National University Boramae Hospital were divided into two groups, unilateral (Fig. 1a, b) and bilateral (Fig. 1c, d), based on actual clinical presentation. Biopsy specimens of five cases (four UNT, one BNT) were consistent with 'unilateral' naevoid telangiectasia. Twelve patients with UNT were compared with 12 patients with BNT. Between the two groups, we compared through chart review the age at visit, age of onset, underlying diseases and laboratory findings, including complete blood count, electrolytes, liver panel, serum glucose and hepatitis serology. Additionally, we combined our series with 44 previously reported cases (File S1; see Supporting Information) (31 UNT and 13 BNT) and performed analyses in the same manner. Analyses with Student's t-test, Fisher's exact test and the v-test were conducted using SPSS software, version 19 (IBM, Armonk, NY, U.S.A.). Missing data were not counted, and all P-values < 0 05 were considered to be statistically significant. The patients in our series with BNT were older than those with UNT at the initial visit (P < 0 001), and the age of onset was also much higher in BNT (P < 0 001) (Table 1). A definite difference in sex preponderance was detected (P = 0 001) (Table 1). Furthermore, there were marked differences in the prevalence of laboratory abnormalities and underlying dis-


Utilization of permselective membranes holds tremendous promise for retention of the electrode-active material in electrochemical devices that suffer from electrode instability issues. In a rechargeable Li–S battery—a strong contender to outperform the Li-ion technology—migration of lithium polysulfides from the sulfur cathode has been linked to rapid capacity fading and lower Coulombic efficiency. However, the current approaches for configuring Li–S cells with permselective membranes suffer from large ohmic polarization, resulting in low capacity and poor rate capability. To overcome these issues, we report the facile fabrication of a high-flux graphene oxide membrane directly onto the sulfur cathode by shear alignment of discotic nematic liquid crystals of graphene oxide (GO). In conjunction with a carbon-coated separator, the highly ordered structure of the thin (∼0.75 μm) membrane and its inherent surface charge retain a majority of the polysulfides, enabling the cells to deliver very high initial dis...


Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common chronic inflammatory disease characterized by arthritis of multiple joints. Although the use of corticosteroid and extra-articular complications may lead increased mortality of patients with RA and it have been confirmed by hundreds of studies, the prognosis of RA has improved over the past decades with the introduction of biologics disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs and treat-to-target strategy. Along with the increase of overall survival of RA, the needs for re-assessment of actual life expectancy in patients with RA have also been increased. Objectives: To investigate the cause and the risk of death of Korean patients with RA in a large RA cohort. Methods: We analyzed patients in Hanyang BAE RA cohort who fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology criteria. A total of 2,355 patients were enrolled from October 2001 to December 2015. Mortality data were derived by linking with data from the Korean National Statistical Office and date and cause death were identified. Standardized Mortality Ratio (SMR) was estimated by dividing the observed deaths by the expected number of deaths of age- and sex- matched general population. Confidence intervals were calculated based on the Poisson distribution.Table 1. Comparison of demographic and clinical characteristics of analyzed patients Total Died patients Survivors P value (n=2,355) (n=225) (n=2,130) Age at onset 41.8 ± 12.8 49.7 ± 12.7 41.0 ± 12.5 <0.001 Age at enrollment 50.8 ± 12.3 63.3 ± 9.4 49.5 ± 11.8 <0.001 Male 265 (11.3) 42 (18.7) 223 (10.5) <0.001 Disease duration 18.1 ± 10.4 20.7 ± 10.9 17.8 ± 10.3 <0.001 Observation period 9.0 ± 4.4 7.0 ± 3.6 9.2 ± 4.5 <0.001 Smoking <0.001  Never smoker 1,953 (83.9) 161 (74.9) 1,792 (84.8)  Former smoker 212 (9.1) 36 (16.7) 176 (8.3)  Current smoker 164 (7.0) 18 (8.4) 146 (6.9) Comorbidity  Hypertension 330 (14.0) 63 (28.0) 267 (12.5) <0.001  Diabetes mellitus 106 (4.5) 24 (10.7) 82 (3.9) <0.001 *Values are number (%) or mean ± standard deviation. ** Missing data were excluded from analysis. Results: Over the observation period, 225 deaths were reported. The age at enrollment was 50.8 ± 12.3 years and disease duration was 18.1 ± 10.4 years. The most common cause of death was malignancy (40 cases) followed by respiratory disease (38 cases), cardiovascular disease (32 cases) and musculoskeletal disease (21 cases). Total SMR was increased [1.7, 95% CI 1.5-2.0] but age- and sex- adjusted SMR was not increased [SMR 1.0, (95% CI 0.9-1.1)]. When we classify patients by age conduct subgroup analysis, sex-adjusted SMR was also similar with that of general population by all group: the adjusted SMR in patients aged 15-39, aged 40-59 and aged over 60 were 0.7 (observed death 1, expected death 1.5, 95% CI 0-2.0), 0.9 (observed death 29, expected death 32 95% CI 0.6-1.3), and 0.9 (observed death 195, expected death 221.0, 95% CI 0.8-1.0), respectively. Compared with survivors, patients who died were more likely to be male (18.7% vs. 10.5%, p<0.001) and they had an older age of onset of RA (49.7 years vs. 41.0 years, p<0.001). Died patients were more likely to be current smoker or ever smoker (25.1% vs. 15.2%, p<0.001) and accompanied by more comorbidities including hypertension (28.0% vs. 12.5%, p<0.001) and diabetes mellitus (10.7% vs. 3.9%, p<0.001). Conclusion: The overall age- and sex- matched SMR of patients with RA was similar with that of general population. However, compared with survivors, patients who died were more likely to be male, diagnosed with RA at older age, more likely to be smoker, and they have more hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Therefore, attention should be paid not only to RA itself but also managing comorbidities to improve the survival of patients with RA. Disclosure of Interests: None declared


One Multicast Implementation Issues.- 1 Multicast server architectures for supporting IP multicast over ATM.- 2 Center placement algorithms for large multicast groups.- Two Experimental Results.- 3 On the integration of the UMTS amd B-ISDN system.- 4 Measuring the behavior of a world-wide web server.- 5 A framework for ATM testing.- Three Multimedia Traffic.- 6 The effect of various ATM switch architectures on VBR video performance.- 7 Throughout optimization for multimedia applications over high speed networks.- 8 Issues in platform-independent support for multimedia desktop.- 9 Design and implementation of a flexible traffic controller for ATM connections.- Four Quality of Service.- 10 On routing with QoS constraints in ATM networks.- 11 Mobiware: QoS-aware middleware for mobile multimedia communications.- Five Fundamental Concepts.- 12 Enforcing quality of service for adaptive multimedia applications via fair queueing.- 13 Adaptive variation of reliability.- 14 On compartmental modelling of multi-service communication networks.- 15 Performance evaluations of partial order connections.- Six Architectural Issues.- 16 A performance model for integrated layer processing.- 17 An architecture for active networking.- 18 The strategy of traffic dispersion.- Seven Bandwidth Allocation.- 19 Dynamic bandwidth allocation for stored VBR video in ATM endsystems.- 20 Analysis of a new end-to-end proportional bandwidth allocation algorithm.- 21 A simulation study of a wireless bandwidth reservation multiple access protocol for multimedia traffic.- Index of contributors.- Keyword index.


We propose a novel parameterization of the dark energy density. It is particularly well suited to describe a non-negligible contribution of dark energy at early times and contains only three parameters, which are all physically meaningful: the fractional dark energy density today, the equation of state today and the fractional dark energy density at early times. As we parameterize Ωd(a) directly instead of the equation of state, we can give analytic expressions for the Hubble parameter, the conformal horizon today and at last scattering, the sound horizon at last scattering, and the acoustic scale as well as the luminosity distance. For an equation of state today w0<−1, our model crosses the cosmological constant boundary. We perform numerical studies to constrain the parameters of our model by using cosmic microwave background (CMB), large scale structure (LSS) and supernovae Ia (SNe Ia) data. At 95% confidence, we find that the fractional dark energy density at early times Ωde<0.06. This bound tightens considerably to Ωde<0.04 when the latest Boomerang data are included. We find that both the gold sample of Riess et al and the SNLS data of Astier et al when combined with CMB and LSS data mildly prefer w0<−1, but are well compatible with a cosmological constant.


This article addresses international librarianship from both the point of view of education for international librarianship and librarianship at the international level. It also addresses research in the field of librarianship, and describes a selection of international associations mostly from personal experience. The author adapted this article from a paper given at the Special Libraries Association Conference, held in Boston in June 1996.


Legal professional community,different from legal lawyers and legal professional stratum in terms of contents,constituent and development,is a conceptual formation featured by professionalism,publicity,autonomy and fluidity.Clarifying the concept and theoretical basis of legal professional community may contribute to China's legal professionalization in the transitional period and help to create a better judicial circumstance for preferable social effect.


One of the most striking features of Indian social history is the success of the Brahmin castes in promoting the ideal of Brahmins as model candidates for appointment to ministerial or administrative office. The Sanskrit literature on personal virtue and social norms (dharma-śāstra) offers a systematic argument for the notion that Brahmanically defined virtues are inculcated and exhibited through observance of particular ritual norms, and ideally embodied in virtuous Brahmins. Scholastic discussions of political science (artha-śāstra, nīti-śāstra) and kingly virtue (rāja-dharma) further suggest that Brahmins, and by extension other "twice-born" castes, viz. those eligible to observe Brahmanical ritual norms, and shaped by them) are best suited to high office, a policy often reflected in inscriptional records. Beginning from the conceit that the Brahmanical tradition offers an interesting contrast to the Platonic ideal of the "philosopher-king," this article analyzes a selection of data drawn from Indian inscriptions, read in light of (or against) the scholastic literature, to show the ways in which Brahmanical norms are reflected in actual records of public administration and statecraft in medieval India. It is observed that in inscriptions, Brahmins in public service were not explicitly identified as such, as were Brahmins who were recipients of endowments (where such caste and religious qualifications justified the grant). However there are indications that the virtues and ideals associated with Brahmin settlements, as well as the writing practices inculcated in them, made them a prime field for recruiting officials.


Calyptogena gallardoi sp. nov. is described from eight articulated and 15 separated valves collected by dredge at ∼760 m depth off the Bay of Concepción, central Chile (∼36°S). In general outline, C.gallardoi sp. nov. is close to C. pacifica and to a new species of Calyptogena from Peru, from which it differs in details of the shell shape and hinge margin. Bivalves of the genus Calyptogena are typical constituents of marine chemosynthesis-based communities, and are therefore indicators of reducing environments. In the area of occurrence, the presence of C. gallardoi sp. nov. is related to methane seepage, associated in turn with the extensive gas–hydrate fields recently reported for the Chilean margin along 35°S to 45°S. Gas-saturated sediments as well as fragments of other chemosynthetic endosymbiont-containing clams of the families Vesicomyidae, Lucinidae, Thyasiridae and Solemyidae were also retrieved in the area. Calyptogena gallardoi sp. nov. is the first species of Calyptogena s.s. and the second species of the family Vesicomyidae so far described for the south-eastern Pacific area.


The Optilume Urethral Drug Coated Balloon (DCB) is a novel endoscopic treatment for recurrent male anterior urethral strictures. An important topic of discussion with patients during counseling on treatment options includes the potential affect of treatment on sexual function and fertility. The ROBUST III study was a prospective, randomized study comparing standard of care endoscopic therapy against treatment with the Optilume DCB. Assessments included evaluation of sexual function and andrology parameters.

 The objective was to study the potential affect of treatment with the Optilume DCB on sexual function and, for younger patients, fertility.

 A total of 79 men were randomized to receive treatment with the Optilume DCB. Sexual function was assessed via the 15 item International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) questionnaire. Erectile function, orgasmic function, and overall satisfaction sub-domains were assessed at 3, 6, and 12 months after treatment in patients that were sexually active at baseline. Fifteen additional subjects were enrolled in a non-randomized pharmacokinetic sub-study that included assessments of paclitaxel concentration in semen and sperm quality parameters through 6 months post-treatment.

 Average erectile function and overall satisfaction scores improved from baseline to 12 months post-treatment, while orgasmic function was not changed (Figure). The improvement in satisfaction was statistically significant at 12 months (p=0.003). No adverse events of de novo erectile or ejaculatory dysfunction were reported. Average ejaculate sperm concentration did not change from baseline to 6 months (49 million/mL vs 46.6 million/mL, p=0.88), nor did total spermatozoa per ejaculate (107.2 million vs 104.0 million, p=0.94). Paclitaxel concentration in semen after treatment was maximal at 30 days (2.99 ng/mL) and was reduced near the limit of quantitation of the analytical method by 6 months (0.12 ng/mL).

 Treatment of male anterior urethral strictures with the Optilume DCB did not appear to have an impact on sexual function as measured by the IIEF and adverse event assessments. Average sperm quality parameters did not differ from baseline to 6 months post-treatment. Low levels of paclitaxel were detected in semen after treatment but were nearly undetectable by 6 months.

 Yes, this is sponsored by industry/sponsor: Urotronic Inc.

 Industry funding only - investigator initiated and executed study.
 Any of the authors act as a consultant, employee or shareholder of an industry for: Boston Sci, Coloplast, Medtronic USA Inc., PROCEPT BioRobotic Corporation, NeoTract Inc., Janssen Biotech Inc., Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc., Tolmar Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 180 Medical Inc., AbbVie Inc., Pfizer Inc., Bluewind Medical, Astellas Pharma US Inc., Antares Pharma Inc., Axonic Modulation Technologies Inc., Allergan Inc., Terumo Medical Corporation, Dendreon Pharmaceuticals llc, Blue Earth Diagnostics Limited, Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc., Olympus America Inc., Karl Storz Endoscopy-America, Clovis Oncology Inc., Dornier MedTech America Inc., Travere Therapeutics Inc., Valeant Pharmaceuticals North America LLC


The work reported in this paper is in the area of camera based Augmented Reality. The paper extends ARToolKits's usage for applications where the one camera can see multiple patterns at the same instant of time. The placement of these patterns can then be changed to convey different information. Thus, several messages can be created by simply changing the relationship among the patterns. As the same set of patterns are used to create a large amount of information, hence the term collage-of-patterns. This collage-ofpatterns can convey precise information over highly distributed wearable systems. As the message is directly related to the patterns used and their spatial relationship with each other in the collage, the intent could be only be deciphered by the sender and recipient which provides extra security which is always a concern. A larger number of messages can be created with small number of patterns. In future, the same collage-ofpatterns can be mapped to several native languages, this creating a means for sharing information among diversified different language. The paper describes the motivation behind our research, discusses our implementation showing feasibility of our idea, discussed the main results, and identifying future research directions. .


This paper presents a model of consciousness and self-awareness as a means of understanding the similarities between hypnotic phenomena and symptoms of conversion hysteria. Both experiences present paradoxically: behaviors are subjectively felt as real and involuntary while objectively appearing to be role-congruent enactments responsive to the manipulation of motivational factors, expectancy, and social influence. This paradox can be understood, in part, by reviewing neurophysiological and brain-imaging studies of hypnotically produced effects and conversion symptoms that implicate frontal cortical structures in moderating changes elsewhere in the brain, particularly the cingulate cortex. The presented model develops the idea of a central executive structure acting outside of awareness but at a late stage of information processing. This supervisory attentional system is thought to be directly influenced by both internal and external sources to produce both conversion symptoms and hypnotic phenomena. With both hypnosis and conversion disorder, the contents of self-awareness are manipulated in a manner that allows either external (hypnotist) or internal (dynamics and motivations) influences to alter the individual's consciousness system so that motivated behavior is experienced as involuntary. A further extension of this model leads to the proposal that symptoms of hysteria can be classified as either positive or negative symptoms of an auto-suggestive disorder. Thus, conversion disorder, dissociative disorders, and pain disorder could be reclassified under one heading, auto-suggestive disorder, which recognizes the common mechanism underlying these diverse problems (Moene, Hooguin, & Van Dyke, 1998).


Although Heisenberg's uncertainty principle is represented by a rigorously proven relation about intrinsic indeterminacy in quantum states, Heisenberg's error-disturbance relation (EDR) has been commonly believed as another aspect of the principle. However, recent developments of quantum measurement theory made Heisenberg's EDR testable to observe its violations. Here, we study the EDR for Stern-Gerlach measurements. In a previous report, it has been pointed out that their EDR is close to the theoretical optimal. The present letter reports that even the original Stern-Gerlach experiment in 1922, as the available experimental data show, violates Heisenberg's EDR. The results suggest that Heisenberg's EDR is more ubiquitously violated than it has long been supposed.


The methanotrophic bacteria Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath) and Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b convert methane to methanol using the enzyme, methane monooxygenase (MMO). These bacteria are able to express two distinct MMOs: a cytoplasmic or soluble form (sMMO) and a membrane‐bound or particulate form (pMMO). Differential expression of sMMO and pMMO is regulated by the amount of copper ions available to the cells; sMMO is expressed at low copper–biomass ratios, whereas pMMO is expressed at high copper–biomass ratios. In both methanotrophs, transcription of the sMMO gene cluster is negatively regulated by copper ions. Data suggest that transcription of the M. trichosporium OB3b sMMO gene cluster is directed from a σ54‐like and a σ70‐like promoter. The pMMO (pmo ) genes of M. capsulatus (Bath) are transcribed into a polycistronic mRNA of 3.3 kb. The synthesis of this mRNA was activated by copper ions. Activation of pmo transcription by copper ions was concomitant with repression of sMMO gene transcription in both methanotrophs. This suggests that a common regulatory pathway may be involved in the transcriptional switch between sMMO and pMMO gene expression.


Based on the MC1Rnucleotide and amino acid sequences of Canis familiaris,Vulpes vulpes,Alopex lagopus and Nyctereutes procyonoides published in GenBank,sequence variation and genetic evolution of MC1Rgene were analyzed by means of bioinformatics softwares.The results showed that,the length of Canidae family MC1Rgene coding sequence was 954 bp,the base composition was CGTA and the content of G+C was higher than that of A+T;A total of 20polymorphic sites,including 16single mutation sites and 4parsimony informative sites were detected from four Canidae familes.In addition, the base conversion was more than transversion types.There were higher similarity of nucleotide and amino acid between four Canidae families;The phylogenetic distance between the Vulpes vulpes and Alopex lagopus was shorter than that between Vulpes vulpes and Canis familiaris.The result was basically consistent in molecular phylogenetic tree constructed by three methods which were NJ,ME and UPGMA,the Vulpes vulpes was clustered together with Alopex lagopus,Nyctereutes procyonoides was earlier divergent than the other three Canidae families.


This study main to find out and to analize the influence between the asset structure, sales growth, profitability and liquidity to capital structure of manufacture in Indonesia Stock Exchange . This study also reviews the variables that are used because there are differences in the results of previous researches . The research was conducted in BEI period 2008-2011 with purposive sampling method is the sampling method based on certain criteria. The amount of sample are 76 manufacture company in Indonesian Stock Exchange. This study analyzed using multiple regressions. The results of the study shows that asset s tructure variable , sales growth and profitability influences positive to the capital structure, while liquidity didn't influence to the capital structure . Keywords: C apital structure , firm characteristics


Aimed at problem of brittle shear failure occurred in the plastic hinge zone of reinforced concrete bridge columns under seismic effect,the shear strength of the column were studied.The pseudo-static tests of 12 reinforced concrete short bridge column were conducted.Existing calculated equations for shear strength of the bridge column around the world were also compared with each other based on experimental results.Using pseudo-static test database of PEER reinforced concrete column,statistical analysis for influencing factor of concrete shear strength in plastic hinge zone under seismic effect was carried out.Finally,according to relative code and research outcome,a calculated equation for shear strength of bridge column in the plastic hinge zone was proposed.Results show that the short bridge columns satisfied with minimum stirrup ratios of current seismic design code in China may suffer shear failure in plastic hinge zone which should pay more attention in the design.


An internal combustion engine is equipped with an exhaust gas turbocharger (2) with a compressor (5) in the suction line (6) and an exhaust gas turbine (3) in the circuit exhaust gas (4), and a compound recovery turbine (11) coupled to the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine (1) .A system for recycling exhaust gas (10) is provided upstream of the exhaust gas turbine (3). The ratio of magnitudes between the exhaust gas turbine (3) and the compound recovery turbine (11) is defined by means of the absorption capacity of each turbine, in which case the maximum absorption capacity of the compound recovery turbine (11) is greater than that of the exhaust gas turbine (3).


This study investigates the ability of wavelet group method of data handling (WGMDH) conjunction model in the estimation of flood quantiles in ungauged sites in Peninsular Malaysia. The conjunction method was obtained by combining two methods, discrete wavelet transform and group method of data handling . Comparison between the WGMDH model, group method of data handling model (GMDH), wavelet regression (WR) model and linear regression (LR) model were done. To assess the effectiveness of this model, 70 catchments in the province of Peninsular Malaysia were used as case studies. The performance of WGMDH model was compared with the conventional LR, GMDH and WR models using various statistical measures such as the mean absolute error, root mean square error and Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient of efficiency. Jackknife procedure was required for the evaluation of the performance of the four approaches. The jackknife procedure was needed to simulate the ungauged sites. The results of the comparison indicate that the WGMDH model was more accurate and perform better than the traditional LR, GMDH and WR models. Thus, WGMDH model is a promising new method for estimation of flood quantiles in ungauged sites.


Abstract : An improvement is described in the specification of transducer velocity distributions which are used in the analysis of dome-transducer interactions. The mathematical model used in these studies consists of a circular cylinder and concentric shell.


An intelligent control system of a spreader is one adopting CAN bus EPEC mirocomputer controller and GRAF pattern display to monitor and control a spreader. The system can smoothly realize travel, direction changing forward and backward functions and constant spreading travel and super low consumtant speed contrl. The system applies Chinese words display, which is direct and straight. It can design and modifying spreading travel speed and turn-over radius and monitor actual travel speed and turn-over radius. It can monitor engines, and over alloperation parameters instead of part conventional instruments, makes routine maintenance prompt and mointor and alarm including over high water temperature, over low engine oil pressure and calibrate and rectify part parameters at site.


Organic spin valve array, with vertically oriented methanofullerene [6, 6]-phenyl C61- butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) nanotubes as spacer, has been prepared by combining an electrochemical self-assembly with a recently developed fixed angle centrifuge-assisted organic nanowire growth technique. The PCBM nanotubes are ∼325 nm long, have outer shell diameter of ∼70 nm, and inner shell diameter of ∼ 45 nm. In spite of the relatively long channel length, these devices exhibit an inverse spin valve effect, which persists even at room temperature. Spin relaxation length in PCBM nanotubes is relatively temperature-independent and its lower limit is estimated to be ∼50 nm at room temperature. This is the largest room-temperature spin relaxation length in organic nanowire systems, including carbon nanotubes reported to date, and identifies PCBM as a promising material for room temperature organic nanospintronics. Observation of spin valve signals in these devices is due to efficient spin selective transmission a...


Today, China Labor Watch has released another report on the labor conditions of a Reebok contractor. We are now focusing our demands on several points the workers believe Reebok contractors should fulfill. We hope you will take the time to write to Reebok to support these Chinese workers. The email address of Reebok's Human Rights Office is email@example.com. The demands we have put forward are listed as follows.


The N.A.C.A. has developed a simple pressure-level meter for the measurement of sound-pressure levels above 70 db. The instrument employs a carbon microphone but has no amplification. The source of power is five flashlight batteries. Measurements may be made up to the threshold of feeling with an accuracy of plus or minus 2 db; band analysis of complex spectra may be made if desired.


Chapter 1: Introduction To Sport Public Relations Chapter 2: Public Relations And Strategic Management Chapter 3: Public Relations Campaigns Chapter 4: History and Evolution of Media-Sport Relationships Chapter 5: Managing the Media/Organization Relationship Chapter 6: Information Services Chapter 7: Interviews and News Conferences Chapter 8: Organizational Media Chapter 9: Crisis Communications Chapter 10: Direct Contact Initiatives Chapter 11: Charitable Programs Chapter 12: Sport Public Relations and the Web Chapter 13: Internal Publics Chapter 14: External Publics Chapter 15: Legal And Ethical Considerations.


Modular design is a common approach for dealing with complex tasks in modern cryptology. The critical of this approach is that designing a secure hybrid protocol. In this paper, we study password-based key exchange in the three-party setting within the UC framework and design a hybrid protocol that UC-securely realizes such task. That is, we firstly define an appropriate ideal functionality F3-pwKE for password-based three-party key exchange. Next we partition the task into two sub-tasks, three-party key distribution and password-based two-party key exchange, and propose relevant two ideal functionalities, F3-KD, FpwKE. Finally, we present a (F3-KD, FpwKE) -hybrid protocol for password-based three-party key exchange that is proved to be UC-secure with respect to nonadaptive party corruption. Keywords—Password-based, Universally composable, Key exchange, Three-party setting, Hybrid protocol


Multiple surveys by different geophysical methods define upper channel boundaries and a fracture set in a sequence of stacked, fluvial-deltaic channels of Pennsylvanian age. Borehole lithology logs show that ground penetrating radar and seismic refraction profiles image the same boundary between two sandstone channels. 3-D dip filtering and coherence of a migrated 3-D radar survey map clearly a channel boundary between a depth of 2 and 6 m. Depth slices of instantaneous frequency for this 3-D survey show a prominent fracture set that correlates with the orientation of fractures measured in a nearby highway cut.


Power transformers are usually very reliable and durable components. Their performance is often taken for granted and they are overlooked until a problem occurs. Unfortunately, when a fault occurs in a transformer, it can develop catastrophically and failures are usually very expensive if not uneconomic to repair. As the largest power utility in Hong Kong, CLP Power proactively explore the opportunity and manage the threat in order to provide a highly reliable supply of electricity and excellent customer services to over 6 million people in Kowloon, the New Territories, Lantau and most of the outlaying islands of Hong Kong. (8 pages)


Abstract With the assumption of a polytropic evolution for the lifting gas, the response of an ascending open atmospheric balloon to a monochromatic gravity wave is specified among other parameters by the heat balance with the surrounding air. If one considers the bubble of gas inside the open balloon as a thermodynamic system in contact through the balloon skin with a uniform thermal source (isothermic atmosphere), a relationship between the skin thermal conductivity and the polytropic index for the lifting gas [hydrogen (H2) or helium (He)] may be found. The results for both gases are extended to the case of a typical tropospheric linearly decreasing temperature profile. Constant and variable balloon skin thicknesses are studied for both background temperature profiles. The polytropic index is found to be lower for the changing skin and shows a sensitive difference between the two temperature profiles. The relationship between the thermal conductivity and polytropic index becomes abrupt only when the la...


To study the organization of the contractile apparatus in smooth muscle and its behavior during shortening, the movement of dense bodies in contracting saponin skinned, isolated cells was analyzed from digital images collected at fixed time intervals. These cells were optically lucent so that punctate structures, identified immunocytochemically as dense bodies, were visible in them with the phase contrast microscope. Methods were adapted and developed to track the bodies and to study their relative motion. Analysis of their tracks or trajectories indicated that the bodies did not move passively as cells shortened and that nearby bodies often had similar patterns of motion. Analysis of the relative motion of the bodies indicated that some bodies were structurally linked to one another or constrained so that the distance between them remained relatively constant during contraction. Such bodies tended to fall into laterally oriented, semirigid groups found at •6-/xm intervals along the cell axis. Other dense bodies moved rapidly toward one another axially during contraction. Such bodies were often members of separate semirigid groups. This suggests that the semirigid groups of dense bodies in smooth muscle cells may provide a framework for the attachment of the contractile structures to the cytoskeleton and the cell surface and indicates that smooth muscle may be more well-ordered than previously thought. The methods described here for the analysis of the motion of intracellular structures should be directly applicable to the study of motion in other cell types. major goal of cell biology is to understand the organization of living cells, how various structures and organelles within cells interact with one another, and how these interactions change with time. In the case of motile or contractile cells it is of particular importance to understand the structure and dynamics of the cellular elements responsible for producing motion or generating force and to understand how these elements are integrated into the overall architecture of the cell. To accomplish this it is necessary to have both spatial and temporal information about cell organization. Although there is an increasing interest in obtaining and analyzing temporal information (see, for example, Webb and Gross, 1986; Jacobson et al., 1989) to date, most research effort has been devoted to obtaining spatial information at a fixed time point and, while this may be adequate for predicting the temporal behavior of structures in some cases, in many instances it is insufficient. It is therefore important that methods be developed to study and analyze the motion of structural elements and organelles within cells. The goals of the work we present here are to develop and adapt such methods for the study of the contractile process in smooth muscle. The well-ordered contractile apparatus in skeletal and cardiac muscle has proven amenable to study with the light and electron microscope and from such studies it has been P. H. Cooke's present address is USDA-ARS-ERRC, 600 East Mermaid Lane, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19118. possible to directly observe or infer information about the contractile process itself. In smooth muscle cells, however, such order is not readily apparent and these approaches have revealed much less information about the overall organization of the contractile system (see the recent review by Bagby, 1986) and little can be inferred about the dynamics of contraction at the structural level. It is not known, for example, in what directions forces act within cells during contraction, how the force generating elements are arranged with respect to one another, how this arrangement changes during shortening, how these elements are linked to the cell surface and cytoskeleton, and how force is transmitted from cell to cell within smooth muscle tissue. Although the structural and biochemical evidence that is available has led to the suggestion that a sliding filament mechanism is responsible for the development of tension in smooth muscle, even this hypothesis must remain somewhat tentative because of the paucity of direct evidence about the organization of living contracting cells. The development of a skinned single cell preparation in our laboratory (Kargacin and Fay, 1987) has provided us with a unique opportunity to directly study the motion of structures in smooth muscle cells during shortening. The skinned cells are highly permeable so that their shortening can be precisely controlled by the Ca ++ and ATP added to the bathing medium. Moreover, the cells are optically lucent so that dense bodies are visible within them under the phase © The Rockefeller University Press, 0021-9525/89/04/1465/11 $2.00 The Journal of Cell Biology, Volume 108, April 1989 1465-1475 1465 on July 4, 2008 w w w .jc.org D ow nladed fom Published April 1, 1989


Abstract A new property called Pβ-connectedness is introduced which is stronger than connectedness and equivalent to pre-connectedness. The properties of this notion are explored and its relationship with other forms of connectedness, for example hyperconnectedness etc. are discussed. Locally pre-indiscrete spaces are defined as the spaces in which pre-open sets are closed. In such spaces connectedness becomes equivalent to pre-connectedness and hence to Pβ-connectedness, and semi-connectedness becomes equivalent to Pβ- connectedness. The notion of locally Pβ-connected space is introduced. The behavior of Pβ-connectedness under several types of mappings is investigated. An intermediate value theorem is obtained.


Characterization of film homogeneity and mechanical strength of the film itself are important aspects in engineering materials for back-end of line (BEOL) semiconductor processes [1]. It is a challenge to optimize such materials both for low density and for a mechanically strong structure. In terms of device integration, thickness and composition change must be minimized during high temperature process steps [2]. These factors are especially pronounced in case of bonded wafers for 3D device structures. Such stacked plates consist of Si and glass wafers molded to each other. The bow of the constituing glass wafer can be engineered by depositing stressful SiO2 which can be modified depending on the conditions of the deposition steps, type of precursors, or type of deposition tool. Since glass exhibits half of the modulus of Si, it can easily respond to a stressful film deposited on it. With the SiO2 stress as well as variation in thickness, the amount of bow can be calculated to be engineered on the glass that would even out the total bow when these are used as carriers. Such characteristic samples are measured, tendencies and conclusions are drawn and will be presented.


This paper presents and analyses suggested strategies to arrest pre-and postelectoral violence dynamics in Zimbabwe. The suggestions were gathered from the 20 provincial party chairpersons of the two major political parties in Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) and Movement for Democratic Change-Tsvangirai (MDC - T). The suggestions of five representatives of the major civil society organizations that are based in Harare are also included in this write up. The research was carried out using indepth interviews. The period under synthesis is from 1999 when the MDC was formed up to depose Mugabe by the New Dispensation in November 2017. The sole aim of this research is to contribute to strategies for sustainable, peaceful, free and fair elections in Zimbabwe. To achieve this aim, the research gathered and analysed data from some of the key players in Zimbabwe elections who offered various insights into what needs to be done to arrest electoral violence dynamics that persistently plague the country's electoral landscape. Findings that emerge from the research as strategies to arrest pre- and postelectoral violence dynamics are repeal of draconian legislation, demilitarization of elections, observation of elections by the UN and AU, the SADC disallowing Mugabe to steal elections, presence of observers on the ground well before and after elections, preaching of peace by party leaders and reform of electoral bodies. This paper concludes that for Zimbabwe to have sustainable, peaceful, free and fair elections in future, the strategies raised in this research should be adopted in their entirety.


Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) comprises a wide spectrum of liver damage ranging from simple,uncomplicated steatosis to steatohepatitis to advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis,which mostly attributes to cryptogenic cirrhosis.Insulin resistance and truncal obesity play a critical role in the pathogenesis of NAFLD.Abdominal obesity,type 2 diabetes,insulin resistance,hypertension and dyslipidaemia——the typical components of the metabolic syndrome(MS) are risk factors for cardiovascular disease(CVD).Nowadays,more and more study supports the notion that NAFLD may be the hepatic manifestation of the MS.Therefore,NAFLD as a component of the MS,might not only be a marker but also an early mediator of CVD.


The present invention provides a semiconductor light emitting device was prepared in the current diffusion layer, the method comprising the steps of: S11, providing a wafer carrier of the current diffusion layer, ITO-heating evaporation source is deposited by a DC electron gun on the epitaxial wafer an ITO thin film layer; S12, while the finished film deposition 85-90% ITO layer thickness by a pulse current electron gun doped ZnO heating evaporation source, controlling the duty ratio of the pulse current, the thin film is deposited on the ITO layer doped ZnO film layer arranged intermittently, the deposition rate of the doped ZnO film is greater than the deposition rate of the ITO film layer; S13, while the complete deposition of the thin film layer doped ZnO, ITO was evaporated by direct heating was continued for an electron gun deposition ITO film layer, a ZnO film doped buried layer is an ITO thin film layer. The present invention further provides a method for preparing a semiconductor light-emitting device. The present invention achieves in situ method for roughening, production cost savings; simultaneously, without the use of an etching solution, to provide security.


Deblurring of X-rays digital images has always been a problem of crucial interest. A specific solution to the problem of image restoration is generally determined by the nature of degradation phenomena. So, it is highly dependent on the nature of the noise present there. In this work Lucy Richardson algorithm (LRA) is implemented on the X-ray image and deblurring is processes is observed. Deblurring is an important step of image processing especially when the diagnosis needs to be classified based on the result of X-ray image. LRA is an iterative procedure in which the pixels of the observed image are represented using the PSF. Image restoration is an emerging field of image processing in which the focus is on recovering an original image from a degraded image. The blurred image can be a result of a known degradation or unknown degradation. Hence image deblurring can be defined as a process of recovering a sharp image from a degraded image which is blurred by a degradation function, commonly by a Point Spread Function (PSF). The Point Spread Function describes the response of an imaging system to a point source or point object.


With the extensive application of digital products and the existence of a huge commercial value,the security of its content has become an issue of particular concern.Digital watermarking technology is created to protect the copyright of digital content.It will directly embed a number of landmark information into the content of digital product as a basis for the ownership of digital products.Watermark embedding algorithms are more common,this paper aims to design a DCT-based robust watermarking.The experimental results show that,DCT domain watermark embedding is easy to hidden and has good robustness.


The leakage areas of the engine compartment are located essentially at the junctions between the hood and the front end, the sides, the lights, and the windshield. The present study concerns the impact of these leakage zones on the engine compartment temperatures. The study synthesizes thermal measurements carried out on a real vehicle in the wind tunnel S4 of Saint-Cyr l'Ecole France. The engine compartment is instrumented with 80 surface and air thermocouples. Measurements are carried out for three different thermal functioning points with the front wheels of the vehicle positioned on a dynamometer and driven by the engine of the car. Five configurations of leakages closing are tested.


Counterterrorism and counterinsurgency have altered the make-up and doctrinal practices of many Allied militaries. As a result, and also because the US has reduced its European military presence since the Cold War, defence planners have had to develop innovative solutions for deterring potential adversaries who have spent the 'Global War on Terrorism' recapitalising their own militaries for conventional operations. One such adaptation was the Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) – a set of four multinational, battalion-sized Battlegroups created by NATO to bolster deterrence and defence against Russia. Alexander Lanoszka and Michael A Hunzeker evaluate this military adaptation against the vulnerabilities and challenges highlighted by observers around the time of its inception. Although measuring deterrence success remains elusive, the eFP has not experienced many of the anticipated difficulties thanks to the efforts made by participating countries.◼


When a DNS (domain name system) client needs to look up a name, it queries DNS servers to resolve the name on the Internet. The query information from the client was passed through one or more DNS servers. While useful, in the whole query transmission, we say it can leak potentially sensitive information: what a client wants to connect to, or what the client is always paying attention to. From the definition, the privacy problem is to prove that none of the private data can be inferred from the information which is made public. We first analyzed the complete DNS query process now in use; then, from each step of the DNS query process, we discussed the privacy disclosure problem in each step of the query: client side, query transmission process and DNS server side. Finally, we proposed a simple and flexible privacy-preserving query scheme "range query", which could maximally decrease privacy disclosure in the whole DNS query process. And we also discuss efficiency and implementation on the range query.


The ramie fabric was treated with weak acid celiulase before and after dyeing with reactive dyes respectively and simultaneous dyeing and celiulase treatment of the fabric were performed. Suitable process was found, processing time shortened, productivity enhanced, and production cost lowered, the treatment way has definite values.


We studied the coastal zooplankton community structure of six waterbodies of Mathbaria and Bakerganj from January 2008 to June 2009. In total 35 zooplankton species were identified under 26 genera under 20 families under 8 orders from Mathbaria. Among them 6 were protozoans, 24 were rotifers, 3 were copepods, 1 was cladocerans and 1 was ostracods. From Bakergonj a total of 42 zooplankton species were identified under 23 genera under 17 Families under 7 orders. Among them 3 were protozoans, 25 were rotifers, 7 were copepods, 6 were cladocerans and 1 was ostracods. Results showed that abundance of rotifera group from both area was higher in Mathbaria (64.86%) and Bakerganj (60.98%) than other groups while abundance of ostracoda of Bakerganj area was lowest. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jasbs.v38i1.15326 J. Asiat. Soc. Bangladesh, Sci. 38(1): 111-117, June 2012


Particulate damage and erosion of ductile metals are today plaguing design and field engineers in diverse fields of engineering and technology. It was found that too many models and theories were proposed leading to much speculation from debris analysis and failure mechanism postulations. Most theories of solid particle erosion are based on material removal models which do not fully represent the actual physical processes of material removal. The various mechanisms proposed thus far are: melting, low-cycle fatigue, extrusion, delamination, shear localization, adhesive material transfer, etc. The experimental data on different materials highlighting the observed failure modes of the deformation and cutting wear processes using optical and scanning electron microscopy are presented. The most important mechanisms proved from the experimental observations of the specimens exposed to both spherical and angular particles are addressed, and the validity of the earlier theories discussed. Both the initial stages of damage and advanced stages of erosion were studied to gain a fundamental understanding of the process.


Purpose – Employee turnover is a significant challenge for human resource management (HRM) strategies and organisational performance. This study seeks to present findings drawn from an extensive survey of labour turnover in the Australian accommodation sector. A particular focus is placed on turnover rates and costs.Design/methodology/approach – Based on labour turnover literature and an industry panel, an online survey was designed and distributed to four‐ and five‐star hotels across Australia. Human resource managers from 64 hotels participated in the survey, providing a representative sample and a response rate of 29 percent.Findings – The research shows that the major costs are attributed to labour turnover. These are costs that both the industry and individual operators should examine closely, as they impact substantially on hotel operating costs and profitability. It also indicates that the levels of service, consumer experience and value may be impacted.Research limitations/implications – A limitat...


Dielectrics are ubiquitous in electrical systems and, as technology progresses, the demands placed upon these materials increase. This paper suggests that increasing material requirements require a particular approach to the design of dielectrics. While, in some circumstances, the cost of synthesizing bespoke molecules will be justifiable, given the added value they bring and the low volumes required, in many others, this will not be the case. Then, optimal systems will need to be formulated from bulk commodity materials that were manufactured with very different end uses in mind. An excellent example of this is the continuing interest in nanodielectrics, where combinations of generic materials can bring added value. But, whatever the route, be it molecular engineering or composite/blend production, the linkages between micro- and nanoscopic material features and macroscopic physical properties need to be securely understood if materials are to function reliably in the intended application. Again, nanodielectrics provide an excellent example of this, in that a lack of fundamental understanding manifests itself in considerable variability in material performance, even from nominally equivalent systems. This paper considers examples, in both the liquid and solid dielectrics fields, of how the adoption of a fundamental approach can bring valuable insights that have real-world consequences.


Plague was introduced into Queensland from Sydney in 1900, and every subsequent year has been marked by an outbreak in Brisbane. In both towns the authorities are unsparing in their efforts to eradicate the factors contributing to its maintenance, but in both places the infection of the rats and their haunts is so extensive that the disease may now be looked upon as endemic in the two cities. The probabilities are, however, that the pest will be harder to eradicate in Sydney, where the buildings are substantially built, and not as in Brisbane light structures of wood which more easily lend themselves to treatment and are comparatively temporary in their character.


1.Five consecutive cases of unilobar tuberculosis treated by lobectomy are presented with follow-up data. 2.The classification of patients with minimal lesions into different groups is mentioned. The value of careful selection of patients for lobectomy is considered and the criteria for this selection outlined. 3.The possible advantage of lobectomy in selected cases is discussed and compared with other methods of treatment. 4.It is felt that lobectomy has a place in the treatment of early tuberculosis, although a larger series of cases will be required to substantiate this fully.


Objective To compare quality of life for HIV infected people or AIDS patients and their family members of noninfected people in two counties (Zizhong and Zhaojue) with high AIDS morbidity and high HIV infective rates.Methods The quality of life for HIV infected people or AIDS patients and 162 of their family members and 97 people noninfected HIV/AIDS was measured by a questionnaire containing the generic quality of life inventory 74 (GQOLI-74) and the social support scale (SSS). Data were analyzed with SPSS. Results Total GQOLI-74 scores and each of the four dimensionality scores were significantly lower for HIV/AIDS people and their family members compared with noninfected people (total score for HIV/AIDS people 52.20 \; family members 60.46 \; noninfected people 66.36 \ (P0.01)). Scores for each of the disease status (physical function, psychological function, social function and material status) were all lower compared with noninfected people (all comparisons P0.01). GQOLI-74 scores of HIV/AIDS people were significantly correlated with disease status and social support, but age, education level and substance abuse did not show significantly correlation. Conclusions The quality of life for HIV infected people or AIDS patients and their families is significantly lower than the general population, and this is particularly related to the severity of their disease and lack of social support.


We present an innovative approach for providing end-to-end quality of service (QoS) guarantees in a distributed multimedia setting. Quality of perception (QoP) is a term which encompasses not only a user's satisfaction with the quality of multimedia presentations, but also his/her ability to analyse, synthesise and assimilate the informational content of multimedia displays. The basics of a mapping linking QoP to QoS are then presented and the case for including it in an adaptable protocol is made. A proof of concept implementation based on the Dynamically Reconfigurable Protocol Stacks (DRoPS) project show that such applications can be used to improve QoP, especially in the case of dynamic and complex sequences.


Soil-borne fungal and bacterial root pathogens can cause serious loss es to agricultural crops. The enhancement of disease suppressive properties of soils will limit disease development, thus, being of great importance for sustainable agriculture as well as organic farming systems.The aim of the present study is to isolate, identify and to select indigenous bacterial strains with antifungal activity from the potato and wheat rhizospheres.111 bacterial strains were obtained in the preliminary screening, from the antagonism test plates, 50 from potato and 61 from wheat. About 55% were Gram + and


The problems of interaction on the three parts: local authorities, students and teaching staff of Tomsk Technological Institute have been considered in the period of the First Russian Revolution. The most attention is concentrated on position of the Technological Institute Committee, managing to stand for autonomy of the higher school and requirements for civil rights in the country in the condition of both the authority and students' pressure.


The United States Coast Guard (USCG) reserve is a force of trained, qualified personnel. Reservists can be mobilized for immediate surge capabilities over an extended period of time without leaving a gap within the sending unit and can also supplement a sending unit's daily operations. A USCG reserve-specific training plan does not exist, so reserve readiness planning varies according to unit. The author provides an overview of the unique approach USCG Sector New York has taken to manage and train its reserve unit for mobilization, which will benefit marine environmental response preparedness and other missions. In 2007, the sector's reserve was divided into four drilling sections. The goal of this was to shape each section into a self-sustaining, deployable unit. All four units would be identical in capability and could be managed, trained, and activated far more efficiently than if arranged by conventional active duty divisions. An overview of reservist training, which includes two weeks of active duty and twelve weekends of inactive duty, is given. Using the Sector New York system as a model would theoretically allow force managers to meet demand for reservists by directing specific sectors to dispatch reserve sections, based on capability, to satisfy the response needs. Each section would deploy with its accompanying support crew and required optional skills sets, and could be transported together as a unit. Reserve section rotations in and out of the incident response could take place over weeks and months, which would result in minimal impact on daily supplying unit operations and leave active duty divisions intact.


To evaluate the low-temperature performance of epoxy asphalt concrete,the indirect tensile test,three-point flexural bending test,single-edge notched flexural bending test,thermal stress retained specimen test and coefficient of thermal contraction test are conducted in this research.Test results show that indirect tensile strength and fracture toughness of epoxy asphalt concrete are 13.0 MPa and 2.02 MPa·m1/2,and the fracture temperature and transition temperature are-28.4℃ and-27.8℃,respectively.The thermal contraction coefficient of epoxy asphalt concrete is 1.40×10-5℃-1 when the temperature ranges from 0℃ to-20℃.The finding from this research shows that the low-temperature performance of epoxy asphalt concrete is qualified for the low-temperature design of pavement on most of steel deck bridges in China,due to its high strength,good fracture performance,stable deformability and excellent deformation compliance at the low temperature.


The utility model relates to a warp stopping device of a jet-propelled loom. The device comprises a warp stopping frame base, warp stopping bar frames, warp stopping bars, warp stopping sheets, a rolling shaft and an abutting-connecting frame, wherein the warp stopping bars are erected on the top of the left end and the top of the right end of the wrap stopping frame base; the warp stopping bars are erected between the two warp stopping frames in parallel; the warp stopping sheets are insert into the warp stopping bars and can move vertically; the rolling shaft is connected between the two warp stopping bar frames in a pivoted mode; the abutting-connecting frame is arranged below the warp stopping sheets. The warp stopping device of the jet-propelled loom has the advantages of being simple in structure, stable in performance, high in sensitivity and the like, the warp breakage condition can be effectively detected, and therefore the quality of woven cloth can be improved.


Trust is a crucial prerequisite for peer-to-peer rental and sharing. Therefore, platform operators such as Airbnb have implemented a host of trust-building mechanisms, user interface (UI) artefacts, and reputation systems. While the role of reputation systems for establishing trust is well-understood, little is known about how reputation actually translates into tangible economic value. In this paper, we thus consider the economic value of trust artefacts on Airbnb by quantifying price effects of common reputation features from a signalling theory perspective. Our analysis is based on a large-scale dataset from 86 German cities and hedonic price modelling. We find that index signals such as the hosts' rating scores, duration of membership, and Superhost status provide economic value. Moreover, also conventional signals such as accommodation photographs consistently translate into price premiums. We discuss implications for platform operators, users, and the general design of IS artefacts intended to facilitate peer-to-peer platform interactions. Our results suggest that the trust and reputation attributes by Airbnb constitute economic value. As we hypothesized, average rating score (H 1 ), duration of membership (H 3 ), Superhost status (H 5 ), and photos (H 6 ) are positively associated with listing price. We did not find a consistent effect of ID verification (H 4 ). In contrast to our hypothesis, a high number of reviews is negatively associated with price (H 2 ).


During an advanced persistent threat (APT), an attacker group usually establish more than one C&C server and these C&C servers will change their domain names and corresponding IP addresses over time to be unseen by anti-virus software or intrusion prevention systems. For this reason, discovering and catching C&C sites becomes a big challenge in information security. Based on our observations and deductions, a malware tends to contain a fixed user agent string, and the connection behaviors generated by a malware is different from that by a benign service or a normal user. This paper proposed a new method comprising filtering and clustering methods to detect C&C servers with a relatively higher coverage rate. The experiments revealed that the proposed method can successfully detect C&C Servers, and the can provide an important clue for detecting APT.


The long-latency electrical response of the brain stem evoked by stimulation of the cortex of freely moving monkeys is modified by a change of attention. The modification may be either suppression or augmentation, according to the background activity prior to the shift of attention.


Are the effects of hurricanes spatially mitigated or propagated by firms through their internal network of establishments? This paper quantifies the indirect spatial impacts of hurricanes by examining linkages that arise between disrupted and undisrupted regions via plant ties within firms. For a typical county hit by a hurricane in the United States, for every manufacturing job lost upon exposure, I estimate that an additional 0.19 to 0.25 manufacturing jobs are lost across undisrupted distant regions due to spatial propagation within multi-plant firms. The spatial propagation is consistent with mechanisms of resource-constraints and managerial distraction within the firm. Overall, the results indicate that we potentially underestimate the effects of hurricanes by ignoring inter-regional linkages emerging from firms' internal networks. ∗Any opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Census Bureau. All results have been reviewed to ensure that no confidential information is disclosed. I'm deeply indebted to Nicholas Bloom, Shai Bernstein, Pete Klenow and Lawrence Goulder for their support and guidance with this project. This paper has also been greatly benefited by comments from Jose Barrerro, Steve Davis, Xavier Giroud, Caroline Hoxby, Brian Lucking, Megha Patnaik, Luigi Pistaferri, Cian Ruane, Isaac Sorkin, Stephen Teng Sun, and seminar participants at Stanford University. Financial support is gratefully acknowledged from the Stanford Graduate Fellowship through Stanford University's Vice Provost for Graduate Education; and the Bradley Graduate and Post Graduate Fellowship through a grant to the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research. †Charles River Associates. email@example.com


8 A review of the literature is presented, showing that the mixed model 9 analogues of models employed in the analysis of multi-environment trials in 10 plant breeding are directly applicable to genotype × environment and related 11 problems in animal breeding. In particular, the so-called 'additive main effect, 12 multiplicative interaction' or 'bi-linear' models accommodate heterogeneity 13 of variance and are characterised by a factor-analytic covariance structure. 14 While this can be implemented by imposing such structure on the genetic 15 covariance matrix in a multi-trait model, an equivalent model is to fit the ge16 netic common factors and specific effects separately. This increases the total 17 number of equations in the model. However, as both common factors and 18 specific effects for an individual are uncorrelated, the coefficient matrix in 19 the pertaining mixed model equations is sparse, with dramatically reduced 20 non-zero off-diagonal elements. Using international genetic evaluation as an 21 example, it is shown that such 'extended' factor analytic model can substan22 tially reduce computational requirements of genetic evaluation schemes, in 23 addition to providing a parameterisation which is of interest in its own right. 24 Cases investigated include simulated data for a trait recorded in 8, 12 or 16 25 countries, and data on weaning weight in beef cattle, including those from 26 a current feasibility study for a world-wide genetic evaluation in Hereford. 27 Results suggest that with judicious implementation, reductions in computing 28 time of 50% or more are feasible. 29 factor analysis / genotype x environment interaction / genetic evaluation / 30 mixed model /multivariate 31


Delivery of multicast video services over fourth generation (4G) networks such as 3GPP Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A) is gaining momentum. In this paper, we address the issue of efficiently multicasting layered video services by defining a novel resource allocation framework that aims to maximize the service coverage whilst keeping the radio resource footprint low. A key point in the proposed system mode is that the reliability of multicast video services is ensured by means of an Unequal Error Protection implementation of the Network Coding (UEP-NC) scheme. In addition, both the communication parameters and the UEP-NC scheme are jointly optimized by the proposed resource allocation framework. Numerical results show that the proposed allocation framework can significantly increase the service coverage when compared to a conventional Multi-rate Transmission (MrT) strategy.


Purpose: Progress of the novel carbon ion radiotherapy (CIRT) in the treatment of cancers has created the need for a method to accurately evaluate the response. We investigated whether L-[ 11 C] methyl-methionine ( 11 C-methionine) uptake at pre- and post-CIRT could be an early response predictor in patients with pelvic recurrence of rectal cancer. Procedures: 11 C-Methionine-positron emission tomography (PET) was performed prospectively in 53patientswithpelvicrecurrenceofrectalcancerbeforeCIRT,and48patientswereperformed 11 Cmethionine PET at 1 month after CIRT. 11 C-Methionine tumor uptake was measured by the tumor to muscle ratio (T/M ratio). The T/M ratios were evaluated in relation to clinical outcomes such as local re-recurrence, distant metastasis, and survival. The response to CIRT was also judged by computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). 11 C-Methionine PET judgment was compared with CT/MRI judgment regarding the relevance to clinical outcome. Results: Baseline T/M ratio was 5.27±1.90 (mean ± SD) in patients without developing local rerecurrence and 7.66±3.17 in patients with local re-recurrence (p=0.023, Mann–Whitney U test). Post-CIRT T/M ratios were 3.10±1.28 in patients without local re-recurrence and 6.15±2.98 in patients with local re-recurrence (p=0.006, Mann–Whitney U test). By Kaplan–Meier analysis with log-rank test, patients with a baseline T/M ratio of ≦7.6 or a post-CIRT T/M ratio of ≦5.0 had significant lower pelvic re-recurrence rate. However, the percent change (reduction rate) from baseline to post-CIRT T/M ratio did not have significant relation to pelvic re-recurrence. There were no significant differences between 11 C-methionine results (baseline T/M ratio, post-CIRT T/M ratio and percent change) and other clinical parameters (distant metastasis and survival). Conclusion: 11 C-methionine-PET can be used for early prediction of local re-recurrence after CIRT.


Thanks to the development of Belt and Road Initiative economic policy, there are exchanges between countries and countries from the aspects of science and technology, economic, political and cultural. English as the most popular language in the world, has been playing a vital role in the international community. The main purpose of this article is to study the current situation, and analyze similarities and differences between the Audiolingual Method and Total Physical Response (TPR) to improve the efficiency of college students English learning. Keywords—the Audiolingual Method; TPR; language


Abstract : Twenty-seven lenses of various dye combinations were received for testing from Uvex Corp. A previous contract from Uvex for Natick had failed the 240-hour Weatherometer test and this study was to determine which dye or which combination of dyes was responsible for this degradation. Dyes from different suppliers were incorporated into Uvex polycarbonate lenses. These dyes were laser blocking dyes obtained from Gentex, Polaroid, Barnes, Steadfast and Epolin (a Uvex dye) and used in various combinations within the lenses. These lenses were evaluated for optical density, visual transmittance, laser saturation, and solarization. Some of the lenses were tested in the weatherometer only.


Objectives : Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved in a wide spectrum of diseases including chronic inflammation and cancer. In this study, we investigated the antioxidant activities and anti-inflammatory effects of the extracts from the herbal teas such as Lonicera japonica Thunberg (L. japonica), Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat (C. morifolium), Mentha arvensis L. (M. arvensis), and P.rhizoma. Methods : Anti-oxidant activity was evaluated using DPPH radical scavenging assay and Fe2+ chelating assay. And DNA cleavage assay was performed to evaluate an anti-oxidative effect. Anti-inflammatory effect was performed using NO generation assay and western blot in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cell line. Results : L. japonica scavenged DPPH radical by 9.8% at 12.5 μg/ml, 24.8% at 25 μg/ml, 34.3% at 50 μg/ml, 61.1% at 100 μg/ml and 75.8% at 200 μg/ml, respectively. In addition, C. morifolium and M. arvensis removed DPPH radical by 15.6% and 10.4% at 12.5 μg/ml, 34.8% and 22.8% at 25 μg/ml, 66.9% and 43.3% at 50 μg/ml, 87.4% and 69.1% at 100 μg/ml, and 92.1% and 73.2% at 200 μg/ml, respectively. However, P. rhizoma did not affect on DPPH radical scavenging. The Fe2+ chelating activity was highest in L. japonica, but lowest in P. rhizoma among the herbal teas. In addition, the extracts from L. japonica, C. morifolium and M. arvensis inhibited oxidative DNA damage via its anti-oxidant activity. In anti-inflammatory effect, the extracts from C. morifolium inhibited NO production. In addition, it suppressed the NF-κB signaling pathway in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Conclusions : Together, this study indicates that L. japonica, M. arvensis and C. morifolium possess the protective effect against the oxidative DNA damage. Furthermore, C. morifolium exerts an anti-inflammatory effect.


We show that in homojunction p-n diodes made of semiconductors with unequal electron and hole effective masses, Zener tunneling is approximately universal, but not perfectly universal, as a function of effective tunneling width, where the effective tunneling width takes the effects of band curvature into account. We find that the curvature correction (CC), which is applied to obtain the approximate universality of tunneling, is by itself not universal but show that (1−CC)∕N2 is universal as a function of the tunneling width for a given material, where N is the doping density.


The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for performing the path changes the target state of the powertrain. A method for controlling a powertrain system including a transmission performing a single source shortest path from the initial state of seeking to find and finally powertrain system preferably changes the path target power state, in which a single source shortest path finding using unique transition cost and the cost of the case this variation is preferably used to find the path. It is preferably performed to achieve a target path change powertrain states.


MgFe2O4 nanoparticleswere synthesized by a solution combustion technique, taking precursor nitrate and fuel in appropriate ratio and TiO2 nanoparticles are prepared by wet grinding technique and the composition of MgFe2O4/TiO2 nanoceramic prepared by mechano chemical synthesis and are taken in equal wt%, x=0.5. The process was a simple, convenient, environment friendly, inexpensive and efficient method for synthesis of MgFe2O4/TiO2 nanoceramic than the other preparation methods, controls particle size properties of materials. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by XRD, TGA, FTIR, UV-Visible, PSD, SEM, the material exhibits more optical and thermal properties which was suitable for the pigmentation property and also as environment friendly nano paint. Copyright © IJNST, all rights reserved. Keyword: Nanostructure MgFe2O4, Anatase TiO2, Optical and Thermal properties, SEM.


A tow of carbon fibres was coated with copper, nickel and cobalt by the cementation process. Conditions were optimized to obtain continuous, uniform and adherent coatings on three types of carbon fibres. The surface of the carbon fibres was activated by heating' in vacuum at 7000 C for about 15 min. The fibres were suspended in an aqueous solution of metal (Cu, Ni, Co) salt which also contained glacial acetic acid. To the solution a displacing agent such as Mg, AI, Zn or Fe was added. The metal was displaced from the solution and plated onto carbon. The thickness of the coating was dependent on the metal salt solution concentration and concentration of the surface activator (glacial acetic acid) in the solution. The appearance (dullness or brightness) of the metal coating was dependent on the concentration of the activator and the amount of displacer metal added. Mechanical testing of the single fibres indicated that the strength and modulus of the coated fibres was dependent on the coating thickness. In general, an increase in the coating thickness decreased the mechanical properties of the coated fibres. The coated fibres were introduced into an aluminium matrix successfully by the vacuum-infiltration technique to obtain composites with a uniform distribution of ~ibres.


Enhancing the capacity of allied health professionals to engage in research is central to improving healthcare delivery. Psychologists have research skills given their training focus that emphasises the scientist‐practitioner model. We aimed to investigate among psychologists the link between individual research capacity and their current level of research activity, how this compares with other allied health professions, and the role of team and organisation research capacity. Psychologists (n = 60) working in clinical roles in a large metropolitan public health setting completed an online survey consisting of the validated Research Capacity and Culture tool, and questions related to current research activities, barriers, and motivators. The results indicated that psychologists reported relatively high individual research capacity, higher than both team and organisation levels, and greater individual research capacity compared with studies of dietitians and a mixed group of allied health. Preliminary findings suggested that team research capacity mediated the link between individual research capacity and the level of current research activity. Finally, barriers and motivators to research activity were similar compared with studies of other allied health professions. Overall, a multi‐strategy approach that focuses on and facilitates practice‐based and interdisciplinary research, and enhances the leadership skills of psychologists in research, as well as broader efforts from an organisational perspective to build a strong and sustainable research culture, may contribute to the rapid use of research skills in clinical practice and improve health and healthcare delivery.


In Guicheng town, the non-public economy and the tertiary sector which is drawn by the realty business, take the big proportion of the whole industry. It is via environment protection and information development that the economy of the Guicheng town gained the rapid development. To continue this trend, what the Guicheng town should do is to develop the non-public economy continuously, adjust the industrial structure, focus on the development of tertiary sector and guarantee the sustainable development of the township economy.


Around 1949 Maria Kuncewiczowa worked on the project of 'world citizenship' – a remedy for those writers whom circumstances made stateless. In her view, the category of 'world citizenship' allowed to see one's country from the perspective of the world. She also argued that knowledge of a foreign language was a promising way of opening up national, regional and doctrinal 'ghettos'. Following her ideas, the article presents selftranslation as a phenomenon that exceeds one national context and creates a discursive space in which literature denies clear linguistic and cultural borders. After a brief outline of self-translation in the 20th-century Polish literature, the article analyses Kuncewiczowa's self-translation of the play Thank You for the Rose (1950–1960) and Janusz Głowacki's assisted self-translation of the play Antygona w Nowym Jorku (1992). In discussing the two case studies, the article pays particular attention to the idea of 'world citizenship' in relation to the concept of national literature.


Objective: Systolic blood pressure (SBP) at rest is strongly associated with cardiovascular (CV) mortality, while data on exercise BP have been conflicting. We have previously found peak systolic BP at a workload of 100 Watt (SBP100) to predict CV mortality after a follow-up of up to 21 years. We now aimed to investigate this association after 35 years. Design and Methods: 2014 apparently healthy men aged 40 to 59 were included after an extensive examination program including a bicycle exercise test in the years 1972 to 1975. 1999 men achieved a workload of more than 100 W. The association between SBP 100, SBP and CV mortality was analyzed among these men, first in separate models and then in the same model using Cox proportional hazard and adjusted for age, smoking and total cholesterol. Results: Kaplan-Meier plots illustrate CV mortality in different quartiles of SBP100. Cox models were performed using 1 standard deviation (SD). An increase of 1 SD (24.2 mmHg) in SBP100 was associated with a 1.29 (CI 1.19–1.40, p < 0.001) fold increased risk of CV mortality; corresponding for SBP was 1.27 (CI 1.17–1.38, p < 0.001) fold increased risk of CV mortality was found per 1 SD (17.9 mmHg). Both SBP and SBP100 were independently associated with CV mortality when tested in the same model. Conclusion: Our data suggest that exercise systolic blood pressure at the moderate ergometer load of 100 Watt is an independent predictor of long term cardiovascular mortality in healthy middle aged men and that the strength of this association is of the same magnitude as for resting systolic blood pressure. Figure 1. No caption available.


The water gas shift reaction (WGSR) plays a major role in increasing the hydrogen production from fossil fuels. However, the enhanced hydrogen production is limited by thermodynamic constrains posed by equilibrium limitations of WGSR. This project aims at using a mesoporous, tailored, highly reactive calcium based sorbent system for incessantly removing the CO{sub 2} product which drives the equilibrium limited WGSR forward. In addition, a pure sequestration ready CO{sub 2} stream is produced simultaneously. A detailed project vision with the description of integration of this concept with an existing coal gasification process for hydrogen production is presented. Conceptual reactor designs for investigating the simultaneous water gas shift and the CaO carbonation reactions are presented. In addition, the options for conducting in-situ sorbent regeneration under vacuum or steam are also reported. Preliminary, water gas shift reactions using high temperature shift catalyst and without any sorbent confirmed the equilibrium limitation beyond 600 C demonstrating a carbon monoxide conversion of about 80%. From detailed thermodynamic analyses performed for fuel gas streams from typical gasifiers the optimal operating temperature range to prevent CaO hydration and to effect its carbonation is between 575-830 C.


Summary Twenty g/100 ml of glucose or fructose solutions at a dose of 2 g/kg were injected into the fetal circulation of pregnant sheep over a gestational age range from 110 days to term. Fourteen fructose injections and 8 glucose injections were carried out in a total of eight fetuses. Fetal plasma insulin concentrations increased significantly after either fructose or glucose injections. After glucose injection, the rise in fetal plasma insulin concentration was most marked and fructose concentrations in the fetal circulation increased.


A review of the world literature shows that about one-third of patients who are undergoing LASIK already suffer from dry eye, and the proportion affected after surgery is similar. In most cases, however, dry eye does not appear to affect postoperative vision and satisfaction outcomes adversely. Identification of patients at risk and pre-treating may reduce the postoperative incidence of dry eye.


A comprehensive study was conducted to investigate the failure mechanism of the lithium metal anode (LMA) in air. Simultaneously, an effective reactivation strategy was developed using halogen regulation. Specifically, iodine treatment converts the passivation layer of the exposed Li into LiI with fast Li+ transport ability, thereby improving the electrochemical performance.


The recovery of olive stones for biofuel is becoming increasingly widespread in olive milling plants. In this study we look at the economic and energetic benefits of using a de-stoner machine in a small-to-medium sized oil milling plant. The performance of the olive stone recovery system was evaluated over a full olive oil production season. The energetic viability of the de-stoner was assessed using a Life Cycle Assessment approach, and the break-even point was achieved when about 56 tons of olives had been processed, which is less than the annual production of the mill in question. Similarly, in economic terms, the machine covered its costs after about a quarter of its technical life.


Extraadrenal paragangliomas are usually located in the head and neck region, with 90% arising in the carotid body or glomus jugulare (1) . These tumors have also been located in a number of other areas, including, rarely , the spinal canal (1-7). Previously reported intraspinal paragangliomas have all been located in the intradural compartment in the region of the cauda equina, with the exception of three epidural thoracic lesions (1 , 2). We now report what we believe is the first case of a purely intradural thoracic region paraganglioma.


Major Caucasus within Azerbaijan covers Cuba Khachmaz, Sheki-Zagatala, Chamakhi, Gobustan and Absheron natural areas. The Major Caucasus within Azerbaijan in the forests of the family of bears found 35 species of butterflies. Of these, 12 species belong to the subfamily Litosiinae , 25 species of the subfamily Arctiinae. Species of the subfamily Litosiinae eat moss and lichen on forest trees (oak, chestnut, beech, pine, and others), in fruit trees (apple, pear, turn, and others) and on the rocks. Caterpillar species of the subfamily Arctiinae primarily feed on weeds. 3 spaces  (Spilosoma urticae Esp., S. menthastri, Hyphantria cunea) are seriously, plant pest. In 1984  by introducing in Azerbaijan was imported American white butterfly (Hyphantria cunea). This species is abundant  in the area Cuba -Khachmaz zone and Absheron penninsula, seriously, does harm to fruit and forest trees.


W hen using tank mixtures and pesticides in chemical crop protection systems there exists danger of simultaneous or sequential action of ingredients. It was established that the combined potential risk of the harmful effects of Torero SC preparation on workers is 0.11-0.30 arb.units, Switch 62.5 WG – 0.054-0,065 arb.units, tank mixture 1 – 0.26-0.51 arb.units, tank mixture 2 – 0.26-0.49 arb.units correspondently and does not exceed the allowable value of risk (<1). The combined risk in sequential application of components of chemical protection system o f strawberr y exceeds allowable values of risk and is 0.954-2.02 arb.units. Ways of occupational risk decrease were proposed and regulations of safe application of tank mixtures and pesticides in chemical protection of strawberr y were substantiated.


The theme of this research was the need to contribute to the construction of a significant educational process in the subsequent modality of Professional and Technological Education (PTE), because this is strongly marked by technicality and pragmatism. For this purpose, the "Guia Didatico da Sala de Aula Invertida para a Educacao Profissional e Tecnologica na Modalidade Subsequente" (Didactic Guide of the Flipped Classroom for Professional and Technological Education in the Subsequent Modality) was developed and applied through a didactic sequence for a volunteer teacher in a class of the Technical Course in Chemistry, in the Campus Aracaju of the Instituto Federal de Sergipe (IFS) aiming to analyze the contribution of this methodology to the significant learning in a real teaching context. This paper discusses the history and legal foundation of EPT in Brazil, the active methodologies, the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in education, Hybrid teaching and the Flipped Classroom. Methodologically, this research has an applied nature, of the descriptive type, based on a qualitative-quantitative approach. The procedure used corresponds to the single case study, in which participant observation, questionnaires and interviewing were used as instruments for data collection. As for the methodology of analysis of the data collected, we used synthetic techniques, descriptive analysis and content. The results of this research point out that the use of the Flipped Classroom methodology contributed to the construction of a meaningful learning by the students who actively participated in the proposed activities during the application of this methodological strategy, as well as facilitated a greater interaction among the teacher, the students and the contents. It was also verified that the use of ICT in the educational process made possible the use of materials in different formats and facilitated access to them, and among the virtual environments used, a preference was found for a formal educational platform (Google Classroom) a virtual social network (Facebook), in the context of the methodology analyzed.


Medical image segmentation is an essential task to dissect the infected portion present in the raw medical images. Gliomas are the most widespread and abrasive form of brain tumour, resulting in a very short expected lifespan in their most severe form. As a matter of fact, diagnosis preparation is a vital step in enhancing the overall eminence of lifespan of cancer patients. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a popular scanning method for examining these tumours, but the large volume of information generated by MRI precludes manual segmentation in an acceptable time period, restricting the utilization of concise quantitative assessments in medical practice. Gliomas and their intra-tumoral structures must be precisely dissected not just to make clinical judgement as well as for further investigations. Moreover, it is a difficult task because the form, structure, and site of these anomalies vary significantly. As a result, fully automated and reliable dissection methods are desired; moreover, the wide structural and spatial diversity between brain tumours makes automatic delineation a tough problem. This work reviews some recent researches on glioma identification and segmentation and also discussed about the performance metrics.


never exercise violence against women, or children, or animals, because this is not an equal context; there could be no joy or honor in it Our son is named Wolf. Kim and I each knew at the moment of conception that Wolf would be his name. We probably chose the name, though, for different if complimenting reasons. Kim thought of the beauty and nobility of wolves. What I thought came to me in a dream: I walked to the edge of a brook in. deep woods, looked up, and saw a wolflooking back at me. I looked down at our reflections in the water. There, on the bottom of the brook, was a rusted musket. Together, with Kim's help, the Wolf and I will seek a new path for men and wolves, a path where we can be brave and strong without harming one another.


From the Departments of Family Medicine and Pediatrics, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Hartford, and University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington (H.M.F.); Microbiology Laboratory, Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO (B.J.B.J.); Lyme Borreliosis Unit, Health Protection Agency Microbiology Laboratory, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, United Kingdom (S.O.); Departments of Pediatrics and Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT (E.D.S.); Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston (A.C.S.); and the Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, New York Medical College, Valhalla (G.P.W.) Address reprint requests to Dr. Feder at the Departments of Family Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT 06030, or at hfeder@ nso2.uchc.edu.