An experiment was conducted at Horticulture Instructional Farm, C. P. College of Agriculture, Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University, Sardarkrushinagar (Gujarat), during Rabi season of 2012-13 to investigate the effect of methods of harvesting and time of curing on yield of Rabi onion after field and shade curing, where the onion bulbs were kept three months upto September under ambient conditions to assess the post-harvest losses. The results indicated that maximum yield per plot (24.434 kg), yield per hectare (363.61 q), marketable yield per plot (22.844 kg), marketable yield per hectare (339.95 q) were recorded with treatment (m1), whereas the minimum unmarketable yield per plot (0.792 kg), unmarketable yield per hectare (11.78 q) were recorded with m3 (Harvesting without irrigation). Maximum yield per plot (24.798 kg), yield per hectare (368.88 q), marketable yield per plot (22.922 kg and marketable yield per hectare (341.10 q) were recorded with c5 (No Curing). The minimum unmarketable yield per plot (0.707 kg), unmarketable yield per hectare (10.38 q) were recorded with c2 (Four days curing in field condition).


ABSTRACT The H.V. Howe stratigraphic collection of ostracodes at Louisiana State University consists of more than 2000 slides and samples processed from Mesozoic and Tertiary localities throughout the Gulf Coast. The sorted Jacksonian (Upper Eocene) material comprises approximately 70,000 specimens mounted on 121 prepared slides. All of the classic Jacksonian localities in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama are represented. The Jacksonian sediments yield prolific and diverse faunas. Specimens in the H. V. Howe collection show that eight species of ostracodes representing eight genera are common to abundant in all of the stratigraphic members of the Jackson Group in Louisiana, Mississippi, and the argillaceous and arenaceous facies in western Alabama. Five additional species are found in all members of the Jackson Group except for their absence in either the Shubuta clay or the Cocoa sand. The widespread association of the diagnostic species provide an easy and reliable method for recognizing Jacksonian deposits in the central Gulf Coast.


We describe the experimental construction of a single longitudinal mode Er-doped fibre ring laser incorporating a ring resonator filter. The system is designed to avoid mode hopping and may be frequency scanned for spectroscopic sensor applications.


Investments are an interesting area of personal finance; investment is to make your money work when you are not working but to master this art it requires for an individual to be aware of certain basic concepts of personal finance, such as savings, time of investment, avenues for investments, etc. these concepts are influenced by various other parameters such as risk appetite, income, awareness, etc., in India mutual funds as an investment option have been gaining importance of late, investors are slowly moving away from traditional investment avenues and moving towards new and innovative financial instruments, but however the roadblock here is that many investors are caught unaware of the various investment avenues available. This study aims to find out the level of awareness of mutual funds among academicians and suggestions to increase the same.


Objective To observe the effect of intensive lipid-lowering therapy on blood-fat and carotid atherosclerosis in patients with cerebral ischemic stroke.Methods 102 patients with dyslipidemia and carotid atherosclerosis were randomly divided into atorvastatin routine treatment group(20mg/d)and intensive lipid-lowering treatment group(40mg/d),51 cases patients in each group.Blood lipid was tested and the carotid intima-media thickness(CIMT)change was determined before and after 6 months respectively.Results 6 months after treatment,the two groups of total cholesterol(TC),low density lipoprotein(LDL-C),triglycerides(TG)levels were reduced,high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)were raised.Intensive lipid-lowering group compared with conventional lipid-lowering group,blood fat change was more obvious(P0.05 or P0.01).The CIMT and plaque area in Iintensive lipid-lowering group were lowerer than the conventional treatment group obviously(P0.05).The recurrence rate of ischemic cerebrovascular disease in intensive lipid-lowering group was lowerer than conventional group significantly(P0.05).Adverse reaction rate was no statistical significance in two groups.Conclusion Intensive lipid-lowering therapy can effectively improve blood lipid level,effectively delay and reverse carotid atherosclerotic plaques,and reduce ischemic cerebrovascular recurrence rate of the ischemic stroke patients with safety.


Parents of children with cerebral palsy experience anxiety, depression, guilt and low self-esteem, frustration, low matrimonial and personal satisfaction etc. While planning interventions for the child with cerebral palsy, physiotherapist should consider physical and psychological health of caregivers, influence of social support, family functioning etc. This study gives an overview of the procedure for development and validation of a Gujarati questionnaire to evaluate levels of awareness, acceptance, stress & expectations from physiotherapy services through two-stage process. At the 1st stage domain determination, item generation and instrument formation was done. In the 2nd stage, face and content validation was done using consensus method by a group of 10 experts. As a result, questionnaire having 9 dimensions and 84 items with acceptable levels of validity was developed.


The purpose of the Government Reference Architecture (GRA) was to define a modular, open systems architecture that fostered reuse and technology insertion refresh with modular components and product line variants. A graphical model-driven development (MDD) approach was chosen to support rapid design and development of work products that could be quickly leveraged by radio developers within existing development processes with commercial modeling tools. The GRA has matured its model driven methodology through recent efforts transforming the OSSIE-based GRA testbed from an executable UML™ Platform Independent Model (PIM) to an executable Software Communications Architecture (SCA) Platform Specific Model (PSM). In GRA Phase 2, IBM® Rational® Rhapsody® was used to develop the UML PIM model for the purpose of GRA interface validation. The third step in GRA Phase 3 was to demonstrate an executable PSM implementation by combining the PSM work in Rhapsody with additional tool capability for the SCA CORBA® model using the SCA domain specific MDD tool, PrismTech Spectra CX. Although gaps were identified in the path to an integrated, standards-based, automated GRA modeling tool chain, productivity gains around improved collaboration and code development accelerations were realized. Evolving the GRA through model-driven PIM and PSM development tools, including the tool chain integration process, will be described in detail in this paper, along with analysis of MDD productivity gains achieved with this integrated tool chain approach.


Nicolescu and Titchener showed that every finite string could be used to generate a unique recursively constructed variable-length code set belonging to the family of the T-codes. This paper proposes a conventional entropy function for the string that is defined as the Shannon entropy of the codeset generated by the string.


A detailed description of a new species of gastropod mollusc, Onchidiopsis kingmaruensis, is given. The specimen on which the description is based is the second of this genus to have been found in the western Atlantic region and was collected at Lake Harbour Fiord, Baffin Land, by Dr. John Oughton of the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ont. The species is compared with O. corys Balch.


ABSTRACT We utilize a within-group framework to understand the association between childcare type and the language-use and vocabulary of second-generation Latino immigrant children. The sample was drawn from a study of a suburban/rural immigrant community to study the role of home experiences on the early language and literacy of young Latino preschoolers (N = 77). We found that Latino families were more likely to use parental care (67%) than other types of childcare. We also found that children in parental care are more likely to spoken to in English by household member, and children in parental care had lower English and Spanish vocabulary scores on average than children attending other types of childcare setting. We highlight factors that situate the results within the experiences that families face as they navigate an early education context with limited community and institutional supports for children's Spanish language development within formal and informal care settings.


The paper presents a method for accelerating an exact arithmetic geometric algorithm. The exact arithmetic is one of the most promising approaches for making numerically robust geometric algorithms, because it enables us to always judge the topological structures of objects correctly and thus makes us free from inconsistency. However, exact arithmetic costs much more time than floating point arithmetic. In order to decrease this cost, the paper studies a hybrid method using both exact and floating point arithmetic. For each judgement in the algorithm, floating point arithmetic is first applied, and exact arithmetic is used only when the floating point computation is not reliable. This idea is applied to the construction of three dimensional convex hulls, and experiments show that 80/spl sim/95% of the computational cost can be saved.


Giant freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii De Man) embryos can be cultured in vitro to hatching in 15% (v/v) artificial seawater (ASW). This technique can be applied as a bioassay for testing toxicity or for the effects of various substances on embryo development and can be used as a simple and low-cost model for studying embryo development. The technique has been implemented for undergraduate biology laboratory investigations in a developmental biology course at Mahidol University, Thailand. To study the effects of salinity and age of embryo at culture initiation on embryo development, survival and hatching, embryos at 3.5 days and 6.5 days old were cultured in 0%, 15%, 30%, and 45% (v/v) of ASW. Embryos survived and developed normally in 15% or 30% ASW but not in 0% or 45% ASW. Likewise, hatching occurred normally at 18.5–19.5 days old in 15% or 30% ASW. Embryos introduced to culture at 3.5 days old were more sensitive to salinity than those started at 6.5 days old. Students in the class showed enthusiasm in laboratory activities, increased interest in developmental biology and positive attitudes towards further study.


The crystal structure of the title compound was determined from three-dimensional X-ray data by conventional Fourier methods. Crystals are triclinic, space group P, with Z= 2, and cell parameters a= 9.848(6), b= 14.25(1), c= 17.93(1)A, α= 36.28(4), β= 128.5(1), γ= 125.0(1)°. Least-squares refinement, based on 1 921 independent reflexions, reduced R to 0.078. Crystals consist of discrete molecules in which the iridium (I) atom has distorted trigonal-bipyramidal stereochemistry with the phenanthroline and cyclo-octenyl ligands both spanning axial and equatorial positions; the fumaronitrile molecule occupies the remaining equatorial position. The σ-bonded carbon atom of the cyclo-octenyl ligand is axial [Ir–C 2.13(3)A] and the two olefinic linkages are equatorial with the CC bonds practically coplanar with the metal atom.


Although most counselors offer their clients confidentiality as a condition of the counseling relationship, they are unable to guarantee the protection of privileged communication. Even when protected by statutory provision, counselors do not have total immunity from appearance in court and disclosure of confidential information. There are exceptions to privileged communications statutes that could produce severe conflicts between a counselor's ethical and legal duties, and similar problems can occur if the counselor is faced with a defamation or malpractice suit.


The article discusses the educational functions of Russian folk dance and raising the Patriotic consciousness of young people, members of the dance folk ensembles.


According to the theory of combined polyhedron and quoin summation,shells with 12 pentagons and several hexagons are derived.The ratio of side length of pentagons and radius of circumscribing sphere of pentagons is reckoned,and the fitting formula is worked out,the relative error of which isn't bigger than 4.07%.So the style of pentagons would be chose as the need of engineering.


Written by three UK librarians who have also worked as researchers, Providing Effective Library Services for Research attempts to answer the question of how libraries add value to the research process, especially in view of competing online information now readily available without libraries. The book presents a thoughtful, useful discourse on this topic, including worthwhile strategies for enhancing and preserving the value of all types of libraries, not just those serving researchers. Like many current writings, this book addresses library survival issues, however, with the unique perspective of service to the research community. As the authors suggest, libraries are no longer the primary resource that researchers consult, and most libraries do not even formulate or maintain special policies articulating means of support for researchers. The authors have gathered material for the book by examining past literature and interviewing researchers at all stages of their careers, thereby learning about their particular stressors and information-seeking practices.

Organized into three parts, the book's first section describes what it means to be a researcher and how researchers' interact with library services. The second part reviews the services and resources recommended to support research, including advice on collection management strategies. The last section is more reflective and covers the role of the library in addressing present and future challenges, with the final chapter summarizing key points.

The section on researchers, which includes some interesting investigator case studies, describes researchers' employment context and relationship with libraries. This content is based on UK realities, although it definitely has broader applicability. UK research structure may differ from that of the United States, but, in both countries, selectivity policies for research create continuing pressure on researchers to acquire a reputation in their field through publication and other presentation forms. This section demonstrates how this burden leads to the need for a culture of research support, involving extensive, highly integrated library services to make researchers feel more valued and motivated.

The book next addresses what libraries can do to effectively support researchers' scholarly activity. As in the United States, major drivers of UK library collections are the lack of budgetary and space resources to support collections, the need to exploit and promote what libraries do have, and the potential for technology and collaboration to address the first two items. This section provides good advice about collection development and emphasizes, as do other current sources like Beyond Survival: Managing Academic Libraries in Transition [1], the importance of continuing consultation with users to identify information needs and preferences. The authors rightfully contend that a "close partnership with key stakeholder groups is essential" (p. 80), and they provide a useful list of questions to ask in determining user needs. It is no surprise that "Most studies of researcher priorities confirm that journals are the key information resource" (p. 77), although the authors advise that "we must be careful not to overlook the importance of books" (p. 76). This section provides useful ideas on how to address the two main collection challenges: "staying relevant in the digital age; and maintaining access to scholarly knowledge when we cannot afford to buy and store everything" (p. 87).

When reviewing specific resources, the book gives excellent tips for enhancing service value. Underlying all of this is the idea that it is not possible to "provide a 'one size fits all' library and expect it to be successful: effective services rest on knowledge and empathy" (p. 91). The authors also correctly warn that once resources are provided, they might not be used and therefore must be promoted. Valuable marketing ideas are described, although for even more detailed information in this area, check Toolkit for Academic and Research Libraries (@ Your Library: The Campaign for America's Libraries) [2]. Providing Effective Services for Research does a good job outlining current and future library roles, as well as explaining the problems and opportunities created by changes in scholarly communication.

In the final sections of the book, the authors discuss future challenges and describe what they see as the ten key principles for providing effective library support to researchers. These final points nicely sum up this volume of material, which is well worth consulting if your library serves researchers of any kind. Although US readers may find the use of UK acronyms and examples a bit confusing, the content overall is a useful addition to the modern librarian's arsenal of tools for providing optimal service and staying relevant to research patrons.


There is described a driving method for operating a medical imaging examination apparatus having a plurality of subsystems and a control device, which coordinates the subsystems for performing a measurement sequence, comprising the steps of: - determining current environmental conditions, particularly in the measurement volume of the imaging medical examination apparatus, - storing the current environmental conditions in a global environmental condition parameter set, wherein the parameters of the environmental conditions parameter set describing the environment conditions, - starting a measurement by means of a selected measurement protocol, - transmitting of relevant for the selected measurement protocol sequence control data defining various functional sequences of a part associated with the measurement report measurement sequence, - assigning different effective volumes to each functional sub-sequence, - determining respective current partial areas in which associated with the current functional sequence part of the measurement sequence active volume in which the optimization is to take place, - calculating control signals for the measurement sequence based on the transmitted sequence control data of the global environmental conditions parameter set and the determined current partial areas of the effective volumes, such that the functional sub-sequences of the measurement sequence, at least locally optimized with respect to the current portion of its associated active volume.


Average biomass of intertidal zone around Zhejiang Province islands is 804.48 g/m2 ,density 698.89 d/m2.Biomass of crustaceans is larger than that of molluscs.Density of molluscs is the first one,of crustaceans second.The distribution of quantities is showing no difference from that of species.Quantities distribution is larger in the South sea areas than that of the North and the Middle.The biomass and density of crustaceans,molluscus and algae amount for more than 95 percent of the main biomass and density.The quantities of muddy and sandy beaches are fewer on the islands than the continental coast.The quantities of rocky shore are larger on the islands off continental coast than those near coast.The vertical,seasonal biomass and density distribution of tidal zone on rocky shores,sandy beaches and muddy beaches in the different sea areas are discussed.


ABSTRACT The SCAN (smallest canonical autocorrelation) method of Tsay and Tiao [17] is modified to become robust to heteroskedastic data with improved Bartlett's formula for the variance estimation of autocorrelations provided by Berlinet and Francq [3]. Data with ARCH[1] variances are typically emphasized in our simulation studies. Our simulation results show that the original SCAN method suffers from severe size distortion for heteroskedastic data, and the distortion is getting larger as sample size is. On the contrary, the modified SCAN method not only has appropriate empirical size but also empirical power for both homoskedastic and heteroskedastic data. Therefore, our modified SCAN method is suggested for identification of univariate time series models with heteroskedastic errors.


Background: We previously showed that mice homozygous for a hypomorphic c-myb allele with reduced c-Myb activity (hh) have low blood pressure (BP), are resistant to DOCA-salt hypertension, and show...


The dimensions of the roots of the human permanent dentition as a guide to the selection of optimal orthodontic forces Brian Lee Bonnet Hill, Tasmania, Australia Background: The dimensions of the roots of the teeth are important in the assessment of orthodontic anchorage and to estimate the forces to be used during orthodontic tooth movement. Aims: To investigate the relations between the lengths, widths and projected areas of the roots of the permanent teeth. Methods: Intact, extracted human permanent teeth were photographed and the lengths, widths and projected areas of selected surfaces measured. Descriptive statistics and associations between selected linear dimensions and root areas were calculated. Results: The data showed significant kurtosis and skewness. Neither exponential nor polynomial transformations improved the goodness of fit, and there was no a priori reason to use other than linear regression. When the lengths of all teeth were multiplied by the respective widths of the mesial, distal and lingual surfaces, the correlations between the product of length and width and area improved in 28 out of 30 surfaces. In the lower arch the correlation coefficients ranged from r = .343 (mesial surface first premolar) to r = .845 (mesial surface of the canine). The correlations in the upper arch ranged from r = .201 (mesial surface of the second molar) to r = .847 (mesial surface lateral incisor). Conclusions: For clinical purposes, root length may be an acceptable indicator of root area. Low correlations were attributed to variations in root shape. Appendix: Additional data (Excel spreadsheet 1 Mb) (Aust Orthod J 2010; 26: 1–9) Received for publication: January 2009 Accepted: February 2010 Brian Lee: firstname.lastname@example.com Amorphous calcium phosphate-containing orthodontic composites. Do they prevent demineralisation around orthodontic brackets? Tancan Uysal,* Mihri Amasyali,† Alp Erdin Koyuturk,+ Suat Ozcan,± and Deniz Sagdic† Department of Orthodontics, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey and King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,* Department of Orthodontics, Gülhane Military Medical Academy, Ankara, Turkey,† Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Ondokuz Mayis University, Samsun, Turkey,+ and the Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey± Background: A preliminary study using laser fluorescence suggested that amorphous phosphate-containing orthodontic composites may prevent demineralisation around bonded orthodontic brackets. Objective: To compare the microhardness of the enamel around brackets bonded with an amorphous calcium phosphate containing orthodontic composite (ACPcontaining) with the microhardness of the enamel around brackets bonded with a conventional composite resin. Methods: Forty extracted upper premolars were used. Orthodontic brackets were bonded to the teeth with either an ACPcontaining composite resin (N = 20) or a conventional composite resin (N = 20). The latter were used as the control. The crowns of all teeth were painted with an acid resistant varnish, leaving a 2 mm ring of exposed enamel around the brackets. The teeth were then subjected to a daily cycle of demineralisation for 6 hours and remineralisation for 18 hours for 21 days. Each tooth was sectioned and the microhardness of the enamel determined 25, 50, 75, 100 and 150 μm from the surface. Results: The enamel was significantly harder 25 μm (p = 0.000) and 50 μm (p = 0.001) from the enamel surface in the teeth with brackets bonded with the ACPcontaining composite resin as compared with the control teeth. Conclusion: ACP-containing orthodontic composite resins may reduce the enamel decalcification found in patients with poor oral hygiene. (Aust Orthod J 2010; 26: 10–15) Received for publication: April 2009 Accepted: July 2009 Tancan Uysal: email@example.com Mihri Amasyali: firstname.lastname@example.com Alp Koyuturk: firstname.lastname@example.com Suat Ozcan: email@example.com Deniz Sagdic: firstname.lastname@example.com Cytotoxicity of orthodontic separating elastics Matheus Melo Pithon, Rogério Lacerda dos Santos, Fernanda Otaviano Martins, Maria Teresa Villela Romanos and Mônica Tirre de Souza Arau ́jo Federal University of Rio de Janeiro-UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Background: Separating elastics may be cytotoxic to the interdental gingival tissues. Both latex and non-latex separating elastics are widely used and both types should be biocompatible. Objective: To determine if latex and non-latex orthodontic separating elastics are cytotoxic. Methods: The cytotoxicity of natural latex (Groups A, D and O) and non-latex (Group M) orthodontic separating elastics were determined by incubating 15 elastics of each type in Eagle's essential medium (MEM), removing the supernatant after 24, 48, 72 and 168 hours and adding it to cultures of L-929 mouse fibroblasts in growth medium (MEM plus glutamine, garamicine, fungizone, sodium bicarbonate, buffered saline and foetal calf serum). To verify the cell response in extreme situations, three additional groups were included: Group CC (cell control), consisting of L-929 cells not exposed to supernatants from the maintenance medium with the elastics; Group C+ (positive control), consisting of Tween 80; Group C(negative control), consisting of phosphate buffered saline solution. The positive and negative controls were incubated in MEM maintenance medium for 24, 48, 72 and 168 hours and the extracted elutes were added to L-929 line cells incubated in the growth medium. The viability of the cells was determined with neutral red (dyeuptake method) at 24, 48, 72 and 168 hours. The data were analysed with the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's multiple comparison test. The significance level was p ≤ 0.05. Results: The elastics in Groups A, D and O induced greater cell lysis at 72 hours compared to the other experimental times. There were statistically significant differences between the cytotoxicity of the elastics in Groups A, D and O in relation to Group CC for experimental times of 24, 48, 72 and 168 hours (p > 0.05). There was not, however, a statistically significant difference between Groups D and CC at 24 hours. Conclusion: The latex and non-latex orthodontic separating elastics tested were considered to be biocompatible. (Aust Orthod J 2010; 26: 16–20) Received for publication: June 2009 Accepted: August 2009 Matheus Melo Pithon: email@example.com Rogério Lacerda dos Santos: firstname.lastname@example.com Fernanda Otaviano Martins: email@example.com Maria Teresa Villela Romanos: firstname.lastname@example.com Mônica Tirre de Souza Araújo: email@example.com Porcelain brackets during initial alignment: are self-ligating cosmetic brackets more efficient? Peter Miles* and Robert Weyant† Private practice, Caloundra, Queensland, Australia* and the Division of Pediatric and Developmental Dental Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, U.S.A.† Objective: To compare the effectiveness of a self-ligating (SL) porcelain bracket with a conventional porcelain (CP) bracket tied with ligatures for initial alignment in the upper arch, to compare the discomfort of both bracket – archwire combinations and to compare the times taken (both assisted and unassisted) to untie and ligate both bracket – archwire combinations. Methods: Sixty nonextraction patients were randomly assigned to either a group with CP brackets on the upper six anterior teeth and conventional metal brackets on the premolars and first molars, or a group with SL porcelain brackets on the anterior teeth and SL metal brackets on the posterior teeth. The CP brackets were tied with coated ligatures. The irregularity index was measured at the start of treatment and at the first recall 10.7 weeks later. Discomfort was recorded over the first week with a Likert scale and the times to untie and ligate the six anterior porcelain brackets (assisted and unassisted) were recorded. Results: There were no differences in irregularities at the start of treatment (p = 0.91) or 10.7 weeks later (p = 0.12). No significant difference in discomfort was found between the bracket types (p = 0.90). The porcelain SL brackets were significantly faster (p < 0.001) to untie and ligate than the CP brackets with ligatures. Conclusion: Porcelain SL brackets were faster to untie and ligate by 22 seconds per bracket, but there were no significant differences in the alignment achieved or discomfort experienced. (Aust Orthod J 2010; 26: 21–26) Received for publication: September 2009 Accepted: October 2009 Peter Miles: firstname.lastname@example.com Robert Weyant: email@example.com Display of the incisors as functions of age and gender Andrea Fonseca Jardim da Motta,* Margareth Maria Gomes de Souza,* Ana Maria Bolognese,* Clarice Júlia Guerra† and José Nelson Mucha† Department of Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro* and the Department of Clinical Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Fluminense Federal University,† Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Background: Older subjects usually show less of their upper incisors and more of their lower incisors than younger subjects. Objectives: To determine how much of the upper and lower central incisor crowns are visible in Brazilian subjects with their lips at rest. Methods: The subjects were 240 white Brazilian subjects divided into four age groups: Group 1, 12 to 15 years of age; Group 2, 20 to 30 years of age; Group 3, 31 to 50 years of age and Group 4, 51 years of age and older. Each group contained 30 males and 30 females. The vertical display of the incisors was measured in millimetres from the midpoints of the incisal edges of the upper and lower central incisors to the borders of the upper and lower lips. Results: In females, the mean upper central incisor display reduced from 4.45 mm in Group 1 to 1.32 mm in Group 4, and in males it reduced from 3.35 mm in Group 1 to 0.57 mm in Group 4. Less of the lower central incisor crowns we


Dynamic optimization problems are usually solved by transforming them to nonlinear programming (NLP) problems with either sequential or simultaneous approaches. However, both approaches can still be inefficient to tackle complex problems. In addition, many problems in chemical engineering have unstable components which lead to unstable intermediate profiles during the solution procedure. If the numerical algorithm chosen utilizes an initial value formulation, the error from decomposition or integration can accumulate and the Newton iterations then fail as a result of ill-conditioned constraint matrix. On the other hand, by using suitable decomposition, through multiple shooting or simultaneous collocation, the author's algorithm has favorable numerical characteristics for both stable and unstable problems; by exploiting the structure of the resulting system, a stable and efficient decomposition algorithm results. In the paper, the new algorithm for solving dynamic optimization is developed. This algorithm is based on the nonlinear programming (NLP) formulation coupled with a stable decomposition of the collocation equations. Solution of this NLP formulation is considered through a reduced Hessian successive quadratic programming (SQP) approach. The routine chosen for the decomposition of the system equations is COLDAE, in which the stable collocation scheme is implemented. To address the mesh selection, we will introduce a new bilevel framework that will decouple the element placement from the optimal control procedure. We also provide a proof for the connection of the algorithm and the calculus of variations


Towards the effort of reducing the dependency on petroleum fuel, one of the solutions is to use gaseous fuel as a partial supplement of liquid petrol fuel. In this experiment, four cylinder SI engine was tested with petrol as a fuel and petrol with partial substitution of biogas as fuel. Different percentages of biogas substitution in petrol were tested like B10 (90% Petrol +10% biogas), B20(80% Petrol +20% Biogas), B40(60%Petrol +40% Biogas). Test was conducted to study and compare the performance, emission and combustion characteristic of the engine for both the modes of engine operation. Biogas production was carried out using kitchen waste as a feedstock. Results clearly revealed that performance of the engine improved with the increases in amount of the gas substitution. Bsfc and brake thermal efficiency were found to improve. However emissions increased with the increases in the amount of gas substitution.


In this paper we deal with active control of shock in a collision problem between two objects. In order to make it clear how the deformation of the shock-receiving object can be maximized while minimizing the deformation of the shock-giving object and how energy can be transmitted unilaterally, the relationships among contact stiffness, deformation time, deformation ratio and energy balance are discussed. The final-state control is applied to obtain a feedforward input to deform the shock-receiving object by a desired amount in a predetermined time. Thus, the energy balance and the energy efficiency are verified. Furthermore we examine the conditions necessary to realize a 'dynamical diode' that can transmit energy unilaterally from the shock-giving object to the shock-receiving object. It is demonstrated experimentally that the appropriate feedforward input can be obtained by final-state control under specified conditions of contact stiffness and deformation time.Copyright © 2005 by ASME


Haemostasiogram tests were analyzed in 129 patients (with acute appendicitis, cholecystitis, pancreatitis). Haemostasiograms are believed to allow timely detection of the disturbed haemostasis and selection of the correcting therapy.


The results showed that RST degeneration terminations had connections with HRP labeled cellbodies and dendrities which came from original cells (spinal border cells; Clarke^s collumn cells), but most of the degeneration buttons covered the surface of unlabeled bodies and proximal dendrities, and most of buttons were connected with dendrites. Two types of the degeneration buttons (dark and light) of the RST which contained mixed vesicles could be seen under the EM. These buttons mainly belonged to dark types which contained spherical vesicles.


This study aims to see the process of conversing the clan of adopted children by the community in Tumbak Village Posumaen District and the reasons they adopt children and to analyze them in terms of Islamic law. This research method is field research in Tumbak Village using interview analysis to the actors of the clan conversion and their biological parents.
The results of the study revealed that parents conversed their clan after adopting a child to make the adopted child feel like their biological child and, most of the local people adopted a child because the couple had no children. However, in this incident, it turned out that there was a change in the name or surname of the adopted children since the adoptive parents intent to make them feel truly like biological offspring.
Islam considers this a wrong affair. Even though the child is being cared for by adoptive parents, they are still not allowed to forget the biological parents, because this will have an impact on the inheritance and guardianship matters of the adopted child.


«Institute of Mining», Soligorsk A structural-phenomenological approach based on a hierarchical model of averaging mechanical characteristics for calculating the stress-strain state of various fragments of the Earth's strata is proposed. The distinctive feature of the equations of state of a rock within the framework of the elasticity theory is the absence of a known connection between the effective shear modulus, Young's modulus, and Poisson's ratio. A method for a theoretical evaluation of linearized mechanical properties of rocks or soils for three independent parameters (soil Young's modulus, shear modulus, Poisson's ratio) is proposed. The effective equations of rock dynamics in displacements were obtained on the basis of elastic equations of state in an average isotropic medium with three independent effective modules having the same values in all three directions. The structure of the equations is completely preserved the same as in the homogeneous case with up to the replacement of deformations, stresses and displacements with averaged values over the representative volume of the rock or soil. As the averaged elastic characteristics is necessary to use independently obtained Hill's average values on the of the Young's modulus, shear modulus, Poisson's ratio and density. The theoretical definition of the effective wave velocity in the rocks or soils significantly depends on all three parameters (effective Young modulus, shear modulus, and Poisson's ratio). The studies allow us to determine the effective properties of rocks and soils based on the results of selection of values of the Young's modulus of a rock or soil for displacements


Objective To investigate the relationship between the slow acetylator genotype induced by the genetic polymorphism of N acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) gene and the early onset Parkinson disease. Methods Polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR RFLP) method was used and three mutant alleles M1, M2 and M3 of NAT2 were studied in 126 patients with idiopathic early onset Parkinson disease and 122 age matched randomly selected controls. Results The frequencies of alleles M1, M2 and M3 of NAT2 in patients were 8 7%,26 6% and 13 1%,respectively,however,there were 2 9%,19 7% and 14 8% in controls, respectively The difference in frequency of allele M1 was statistically significant( P =0 005) The frequency of slow acetylator genotype was higher in patients (23 0%) than in controls (10 7%), showing an OR of 2 507( P =0 009). Conclusion Our study suggests that the slow acetylator genotype of N acetyltransferase 2 might be associated with the occurrence of the idiopathic early onset Parkinson′s disease


Abstract Based on the principle of presumption Rechmatiq / Praesumptio iustae causa that the decision of the State Administrative (KTUN) should be considered legal until there is a court decision stating the contrary, it is in order that the task of the government is viable in particular to provide protection, public services and welfare for people, but as a counterweight to provide legal protection to the interests of the plaintiff, the judge may issue a suspension in the implementation. Stipulation is a legal product that was originated from the requests (no dispute) but in this case there is a dispute over the State Administration, but the judge may issue a stipulation of the suspension. Keywords: Implementation Suspension of State Administrative Decisions lead to law situation/condition (rechtstoestand) back to the former state or position (restitutio in integrum) prior to the decision of the State Administrative being disputed.


The state of soil fertility in the basic tobacco fields of Luoyang at different altitudes were evaluated based on the analysis of 105 soil samples.The results showed that:pH of soil were between 5.5~7.6 above 300 m of atitude,which were suitable to produce high quality tobacco leaves;the content of soil organic matter decreased with the increasing of elevation and it was the highest under 300 m of atitude.The content of soil organic matter was low and it had not significant differences above 500 m of atitude;the content of nitrogen and phosphorus in soil had small changes with elevation and had not significant laws;the content of slowly available potassiun increased evidently with the increasing of altitude,and the available potassiun in soil were slightly higher than that of the upper limit of producing high quality tobacco;the boron was microelement in soil had small changes with elevation,which were in a medium low condition,and the available copper decreased with the increasing of elevation,which all belonged to the middle high level;the soil available manganese and iron increased with the altitude increasing,and their contents were richer;the soil available zinc increased with the increasing of elevation above 300 m;the contents of lead and cadmium had conformed to the standards 2 of soil environment quality at each altitude;the contents of water-soluble chlorine in soil which was suitable to tobacco growing were between 4.83~5.52 mg/kg,and there were little differences with changes of elevation.


The creation of a universal, economical and high-tech way of increasing the life of both worn and new parts has become an urgent task. Such methods include nanostructuring of surface coatings, which can be performed by electric spark alloying. (Research purpose) The research purpose is studying the possibilities of electric spark alloying in the nanostructuring of the surface layer of carbon steels. (Materials and methods) The authors conducted study of the surface layer of 35-carbon steel with coatings obtained by electric spark alloying on the BIG-1 installation with different materials (Cu, Zn, W and WC) and at different modes. To study the surface layer, the elemental content was studied by x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, the surface profile was studied by profiling, metallographic studies and microhardness measurements. (Results and discussion) The authors revealed that the chemical composition of the alloying electrode and treatment modes have a direct impact on the saturation of the surface layer with alloying elements, the parameters of the profile of the treated surface, the continuity and mechanical properties of the coating. It was found that harder processing modes increase productivity, but reduce mechanical properties. It was also found that the modified structure of the base material contains nanostructured elements because of electroscopic alloying. A sharp increase in the mechanical properties of the coating material allows suggesting that elements of the nanostructural range are present in the coating. (Conclusion) The conducted research shows that the method of electroscopic alloying can be used for nanostructuring of the surface layer of carbon steels.


Consequences of osteoporotic hip fractures are significant in terms of lives lost and the associated negative impacts on patients' functioning and quality of life. Treatment options for patients with hip fracture depend on the location and pattern of the fracture, patient characteristics, and available osteoporotic medications. This report shows the efficacy of daily PTH 1-34 injection for the treatment of osteoporotic hip fracture nonuion in a patient who did not respond to osteoporotic medication after surgery.


A plant extract composition used for preventing and treating lipid metabolism disorder, comprising total Radix Notoginseng saponin extract and total Rhizoma Coptidis alkaloid extract. The preparative method of the composition comprises: extracting Radix Notoginseng with C 1-3 alcohol, combining extracts and concentrating to obtain concentrated liquid, removing non-saponin component from the concentrated liquid to obtain total Radix Notoginseng saponin extract; adding C 1-3 alcohol into Rhizoma Coptidis, refluxing and extracting, retrieving C 1-3 alcohol, concentrating to obtain concentrated liquid, dissolving the concentrated liquid in acid, and performing alkali precipitation and recrystallization to obtain total Rhizoma Coptidis alkaloid extract; mixing the total Radix Notoginseng saponin extract and the total Rhizoma Coptidis alkaloid extract to obtain the composition.


Although Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) often increase usability, those with physical disabilitie s may be unable to use a mouse and keyboard to interact with a GUI. Fo r such users, a Vocal User Interface (VUI) may be a viable alternat ive. There are existing vocal tools (e.g., the generic Vocal Joyst ick) that can be integrated into software applications; however, mos t applications require tedious and manual adaptation to integrate an assistive technology into a legacy application. Furthermore, the challenges are much deeper for an application whose GUI change s dynamically at run-time. This paper provides a disc u sion of challenges that we have observed while mapping a GU I to a VUI. We present three categories of dynamic interface ch anges, document the specific challenges, and discuss the s olution that we have investigated followed by an evaluation. The pa per uses examples from our Myna project, which provides a VU I mapping to the GUI of the Scratch programming environment, whi c enables "Programming by Voice." Keywords—voice user interface; design; speech recog nition.


The application of a letter processing system is expected to provide an advantage for a company. In designing a letter processing application, you can use the Levenshtein Distance method, where two strings of Levenshtein distance are the minimum number of operations needed to convert a string to another string. Levenshtein distance is also used to measure the value of similarity or similarity between two words (strings). So that it can simplify the process of finding mail archives. An example of the word used is sirat as the source word and letter as the target word, selling as the source word and submission as the target word, trading as the source and travel word as the target word. The results of the comparison of the word sirat and letters get the results of the distance comparison 1. While the word sales and submission has a distance comparison result 4. And in the word trade and travel has a distance comparison result 3. Keywords: Information Systems, Letter Archiving, Levenshtein Distance Algorithms


The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact not only on healthcare systems and economic threats but also on relationships. Due to the massive measures of the Movement Control Order, such as social distancing, strictly limited physical activities, and making adjustments to working from home—merged with the pandemic's fear—romantic partners may face challenges that affect the quality of their relationships. The purpose of this study was to (i) identify stressors experienced by participants during the COVID-19 lockdown, (ii) evaluate participants'psychological well-being before and during the lockdown, and (iii) see if participants' perceived relationship quality differed before and during the lockdown. An online self-report questionnaire was used to recruit 334 adults (58.1 percent female, 41.9 percent male) with partners (married = 304, engaged = 12, and in committed relationships = 17). Participants were asked about stressors they encountered as a result of COVID-19 using an open-ended question. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) were used to assess mental health, and the Perceived Relationship Quality Component (PRQC) Inventory was used to assess relationship quality. According to the findings, the top three common stressors reported by participants were financial problems, restricted movement, and fear of COVID-19 infection. Participants reported significantly higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression during the lockdown than before. The findings also revealed that participants' relationship quality improved during the lockdown compared to before the lockdown. The current study contributes by providing information on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and the quality of couples' relationships during the pandemic.


This paper is part of a research project titled Modelling wash -assessing fuel consumption and erosivity, which is financed by Trafikverket, Swedish Transport Administration. The project aims at de ...


Adenosine deaminase (ADA) is an enzyme which is essential for the differentiation of lymphoid cells, especially T-cells and ADA plays a role in the maturation of monocyte to macrophage. Therefore ADA levels are related to stimulation of cellular immunity. We have investigated the measurement of ADA activity in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of the patients with active and inactive pulmonary tuberculosis and control group. The results obtained are as follows: 1) The ADA activity and corrected ADA activity from the BAL fluid in active tuberculosis group (Total Lavage ADA; , Total Lavage ADA/Albumin; ) were increased when compared with those in inactive tuberculosis (TL-ADA; , TL-ADA/Alb; ) and control (TL-ADA; , TL-ADA/Alb; ) groups. 2) The ADA activity and lavage ADA/serum ADA activity ratio in BAL fluid from the lesion site (TL-ADA; , L-ADA/S-ADA; ) were increased when compared with those from the non-lesion site (TL-ADA; , L-ADA/S-ADA; )and normal side (TL-ADA; , L-ADA/S-ADA; ) in active tuberculosis group. 3) The ADA activity in BAL fluid from far advanced group (TL-ADA; ) was increased when compared with those from the mild group (TL-ADA; ) and moderate advanced group (TL-ADA; ) in active tuberculosis. 4) The albumin level from the BAL fluid was correlated with the ADA activity (R=0.89). 5) The ADA activity recovered from the BAL fluid was correlated with the recovered lymphocyte percentage (R=0.60). In conclusion, the ADA activity from the BAL fluid in active tuberculosis group was increased when compared with that in inactive tuberculosis and control groups, especially from the lesion site. To evaluated the specificity of ADA determination for diagnosis of active tuberculosis, BAL must be done at lesion site of the diseased lung and the proper correcting material other than albumin must be chosen to correct the dilution factor of lavage fluid.


This paper presents an equivalent circuit model for a dumbbell-shaped defected ground structure (DGS) in a microstrip line. The effects of equivalent circuit elements of a dumbbell-shaped DGS and their magnetic coupling to the host transmission line are modeled as a simple lumped-element circuit. In addition, simple approximate expressions to determine the main circuit parameters for this model are presented. The transfer characteristic calculated by the proposed circuit model is compared with the results of EM simulation and measurement.


Aim: Breast hamartomas are uncommon benign lesions that constitute 4.8% of benign breast tumors; they consist of mammary ducts and lobules, fatty tissue, and fibrous tissue. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical and pathological characteristics of breast hamartomas diagnosed by surgical resection and to examine the accompanying lesions. Material and Methods: Patients who underwent breast surgery between January 2013 and January 2018 at Konya Education and Research Hospital and who were diagnosed as having breast hamartomas were reviewed retrospectively. Results: Seven breast hamartomas were identified. All of them were female. The mean age was 45 years. The mean tumor size was 3.9 cm. Most of the lesions were located in the right breast (57.1%). All the hamartomas appeared in the upper part of the breast. Five of the seven cases were admitted with a painless palpable mass in the breast (71.4%). Three of the seven cases were myoid hamartomas. The type of lesion most commonly associated with breast hamartomas is cyst formation. Pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia, columnar cell hyperplasia, and ductal epithelial hyperplasia are also common. Ductal epithelial hyperplasia and columnar cell hyperplasia were observed in all the myoid hamartomas. Ductal carcinoma in situ was detected in one case; it was also a myoid hamartoma. Conclusions: Breast hamartomas are accompanied by many types of lesions such as fibrocystic changes, adenosis, ductal epithelial hyperplasia, and pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia. In addition to these lesions, columnar cell hyperplasia was also identified. Malignancies are rarely detected in breast hamartomas; however, one case of ductal carcinoma in situ in a myoid hamartoma was detected.


Abstract:  The National Firearms Forensic Intelligence Database (NFFID © Crown Copyright 2003‐2008) was developed by The Forensic Science Service (FSS) as an investigative tool for collating and comparing information from items submitted to the FSS to provide intelligence reports for the police and relevant government agencies. The purpose of these intelligence reports was to highlight current firearm and ammunition trends and their distribution within the country. This study reviews all the trends that have been highlighted by NFFID between September 2003 and September 2008. A total of 8887 guns of all types have been submitted to the FSS over the last 5 years, where an average of 21% of annual submissions are converted weapons. The makes, models, and modes of conversion of these weapons are described in detail. The number of trends identified by NFFID shows that this has been a valuable tool in the analysis of firearms‐related crime.


Summary
Bacteriological studies, carried out on 358 single fecal samples from persons residing in three geographically different locations in the Yemen, indicate that both Salmonella and Shigella infections occur commonly at all these locations. Scrological studies, using Salmonella nonspecific H and S. typhi O antigens, suggest that both typhoid and paratyphoid fevers are highly endemic.
Brucella melitensis agglutination reactions on the serum of 260 persons in Ta'izz and San'a show that brucellosis is fairly prevalent in these localities, over 3 per cent having serum agglutinin titers of 1:40 or greater.
Standard Kahn tests were done on 260 sera collected at Ta'izz and San'a. Over 50 per cent of the sera were positive in all age groups included in the survey series.
Weil-Felix and complement fixation reactions on sera collected from persons residing in the mountainous districts of the Yemen indicate that both murine and epidemic forms of typhus are highly endemic in this section of the country. Positive OX-K agglutination reactions on the sera collected at Ta'izz raise the possibility that some form of mite typhus may be present.


In this paper, we propose amplify-and-forward-based multihop non-line-of-sight (NLOS) ultraviolet (UV) communication with subcarrier intensity modulation to mitigate turbulence-induced fading. Atmospheric turbulence is one of the main impairments in the performance of UV links, as it causes random fluctuation of the received signal. An aggregated UV channel model of both path loss and turbulence-induced gamma–gamma fading is considered. We derive the probability density function (PDF) of the end-to-end received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). With this PDF and the random coding error exponent, an exact solution to the optimal number of hops in the proposed multihop UV system is presented. Over the turbulence-induced gamma–gamma fading channel, a closed-form expression for the moment-generating function (MGF) of the inverse of the instantaneous received SNR is also derived. Based on the derived MGF, two closed-form analytical expressions of average bit error rate and outage probability are further derived, together with an upper bound of the ergodic capacity of the proposed system. From the analytical expressions derived, the proposed multihop NLOS UV system is analyzed. Simulation results show that the proposed UV system can effectively mitigate the turbulence-induced fading, thus resulting in an increased coverage distance of the UV system without sacrificing important performance criteria such as the outage probability and the average bit error rate. It is also found that the optimal number of hops decreases with an increasing data rate.


Increasing egg production is a necessary demand for silkworm rearing continuity in Egypt. Flaxseed plant has a compound that mimics estrogen hormone in vertebrates. Emulsions contain micro particles prepared from flaxseed oil were used in the present study as an exogenous source of phyto-estrogen. Micro particles size were measured by Zeta sizer and ranging from 1053 to 4087 nm with percentages 33.4 and 66.6 %, respectively. Fifth instar larvae were topically applied with flaxseed micro particles emulsion with three concentrations (0.25, 1 and 3 %) in addition to control every 48 hrs. The present study clarify that, 0.25% concentration have a tremendous effect on egg production and cocoon characters. As well as observations related to insect performance revealed maximum larval weight, effective rate of rearing (ERR), pupation percentage, pupal weight comparing with controls. On the other hand, deleterious effect was observed for concentrations (1 and 3%). Antioxidant activities were estimated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhryl free radical (DPPH) scavenging activity reagent and the highest activity was recorded for 1 % treatment 36.947 %.


A twelve week experiment was conducted to compare the effects of diets with plant-based and animal-based ingredients on growth and gonad development of Clarias gariepinus. One hundred and 12 sub-adult C. gariepinus with an average weight of 205 ± 5.09 g, were stocked in six concrete tanks (9  4  2 m 3 ) containing 20 fish each. Experiment had 3 replicates and animals fed daily at 5% body weights. There was no significant difference (P < 0.05) in proximate compositions of the two experimental feeds and controls. Fecundity, gonad weight and gonasomatic index were higher in fish fed diet B than A and C. Similarly, growth indices were higher in fish fed diet B than in A and C. Histology of gonads showed a faster development of oocytes of eggs in fish fed animal-based ingredients than plant-based and combined plant and animal diets. Although there were slight differences in growth parameters and gonad development in favor of feed with animal-based ingredients, plant-based feed compared favorably in the growth and gonad development of C. gariepinus. Plant-based ingredients are recommended on the basis of affordability and availability as substitute for animal-based ingredients in C. gariepinus feed.


Different impacts of water deficiency on water relation and CO2 gas exchange in grapevine leaves were studied on two varieties belonging to two different ecogeographical groups. Fourteen-year-old vines of Vitis vinifera L. varieties 'Furmint' (autochthonous) and 'Sauvignon blanc' were investigated in a non-irrigated vineyard on the Mecsek Hills in Hungary (latitude: 46o07' N; longitude: 18o17' E, 230 m a.s.l.). The varieties were studied under drought conditions and well-watered status in the year 2013. In practice, it was well known that drought tolerance of 'Furmint' is weaker compared to other varieties. According to pressure-volume analysis, osmotic potential at full turgor ІІ100) in stressed 'Sauvignon blanc' vines was lower compared to the control variants. Drought stress resulted in increasing 'e' values ('e'> 9 MPa) with 'Furmint', indicating decreased cell wall elasticity. Values of Ci and PN showed a positive exponential correlation; Ci values increased parallel with increasing net CO2 assimilation in well-watered and stressed vines. In each variety, intrinsic water use efficiency (WUEi) increased at reduced stomatal conductance. WUEi was significantly (P<0.05) higher in drought stressed vines compared to the control variants in both varieties irrespective of the different ecogeographical origins.


Theory and research suggest that preservice techers' personal teaching efficacy and their ethnic attributions contribute to their behavioral interactions with International children. Theoretical research contributions pertaining to personal teaching efficacy, causal attributions, and child‐teacher interaction are reviewed and are included as conceptual components for a model of teacher‐child interaction. Practical implications of this model are suggested for faculty and staff supervisors of teacher preparation programs.


Article are presents the results of features of gametogenesis and its seasonal dynamics in Esperiana esperi (Ferussac, 1823). In Ukraine, these rheophilic mollusks are common in the coastal stretches of large rivers that form part of the hydroelectric network of its Right Bank. The populations of these animals belong to the category of polycyclic, that is, consisting of individuals of several generations, with a maximum life expectancy of about two years. The study found that gametogenesis in E. esperi is a synchronous process that occurs under the same environmental conditions during spermatogenesis and ovogenesis. Examination of the histological sections of the sex glands of these mollusks revealed that it is a stage process that involves five stages of maturity of the gonads: the beginning of gametogenesis, active gametogenesis, pre-spawning, spawning and post-spawning stages, which are characteristic for certain seasons of the year. According to the analysis, there is a direct correlation between the stages of gametogenesis and the temperature conditions of the environment. Accordingly, gametogenesis in southern mollusk populations has been found to occur earlier than northern populations. The number of mature oocytes determines the time of occurrence of fertility peaks, which occur mainly in July for northern populations and for June for the same southern populations of molluscs, indicating a different temperature optimum. According to the latter, the highest levels of stability are characterized by southern populations of the species studied. Generalized information on the number of oocytes also characterizes the duration of periods of E. esperi life cycles from the northern and southern territories of the habitat in Ukraine under current climatic conditions. These molluscs are found to have the longest reproduction period, which lasts about a year. Reproduction takes only 3.5 months, and post-reproduction takes 1-3 (as an extreme rarity - up to 7 months in northern populations).


AgCl and NaCl have the same rock-salt crystal structure, but they exhibit different mechanical properties at low temperatures. In NaCl, only the primary slip system of {110}<110> is activated, whereas multiple slip systems on the {001}, {011} and {111} planes are activated in AgCl [1]. Therefore, AgCl is more ductile than NaCl. Such a difference cannot be explained from a simple ionic picture of interatomic bonding, and thus should be closely related to the atomic structures at the dislocation cores. In this study, atomic structures of dislocation cores in both crystals were investigated in a firstprinciples manner. Especially, self-energies of edge dislocations for the slip system of {001}<110> in the two crystals were evaluated, and were compared with those from an isotropic elastic theory. All the calculations were performed on the basis of the projector augmented wave (PAW) method in the framework of the density functional theory (DFT) as implemented in the VASP code [2]. The generalized gradient approximation (GGA) was selected for the exchange correlation potential [3]. As an initial structure, a pair of edge dislocations with opposite signs of the Burgers vectors was introduced to the triclinic supercell for DFT calculations. Structure optimizations was performed until residual forces on atoms were less than 0.01 eV/Ǻ. The distance between adjacent dislocations was taken about 3.4 nm in the supercells. In this case, a self-energy ( ) of a single dislocation per angstrom is given by , (1)


This paper examines the relationship between visitors` perception towards tourism impacts and post-perception behavior in Horizon Festival of Donghae City, one of the regional ocean festivals. In this paper the post-perception behaviors (related to one`s intention of revisiting the ocean festival) and tourism impacts are both independent variables in the research model. The hypothesis advanced are identified as follows: Firstly, the economic impacts of tourism have a positive affect on post-perception behavior. Secondly, environment impacts of tourism also have positive affects on post-perception behavior. Thirdly, socio-cultural impacts of tourism have both a negative and positive affect on post-perception behavior in. That is to say that visitors who have positive tourism impacts will intend to visit to ocean festival and famous tour sites near by while people with negative tourism impacts are less likely to visit the festival and regional destinations. Therefore, the festival manager and tourism marketer should in first hand examine the visitors` tendency towards tourism impacts and based on the examination, build marketing strategies for attracting visitors.


Hyperglycemia caused by diabetes mellitus contributes to complications such as diabetic neuropathy (DN), and its high prevalence and consequent economic costs make developing alternative therapies crucial. Given this scenario, this...


This research was undertaken to evaluate the bleaching response of Eucalyptus camaldulensis in different Totally Chlorine Free (TCF) bleaching sequences. The goal was to compare bleaching sequences, which include a peroxy acid stage – either peracetic acid (Paa) or Caro's acid (Caa) –, to simple hydrogen peroxide bleaching. The E. camaldulensis kraft pulp sample was obtained from a South Asian pulp mill. Its kappa number was 11 and viscosity 1020 mL/g, respectively. According to the results, peracetic acid and Caro's acid proved to be potential additional alternatives for hydrogen peroxide alone. Both of these bleaching agents can be used between oxygen delignification and the final hydrogen peroxide stage for improved brightness stability, as well as reduced hydrogen peroxide consumption. Moreover, they can be used in a bleaching sequence without any major capital investment.


This study set out to investigate the kinds of learning difficulties encountered by the Malaysian students and how they actually coped with online learning. The modified Online Learning Environment Survey (OLES) instrument was used to collect data from the sample of 40 Malaysian students at a university in Brisbane, Australia. A controlled group of 35 Australian students was also included for comparison purposes. Contrary to assumptions from previous researches, the findings revealed that there were only a few differences between the international Asian and Australian students with regards to their perceptions of online learning. Recommendations based on the findings of this research study were applicable for Australian universities which have Asian international students enrolled to study online.


This article addresses the sustainable traceability issue in the food supply chain from the sourcing perspective in which consumer willingness to pay for traceability is considered. There are two supplier types: traceable suppliers, which are costly but can carry a precise recall in food safety events, and non-traceable suppliers, which are less expensive but may suffer a higher cost in food safety events. A portion of consumers display traceability consciousness, and are willing to pay a premium for traceable food products. Four possible strategies in a transparent food supply chain and three sourcing strategies in a nontransparent food supply chain are identified and we determine when each strategy is optimal. We show that efforts to improve traceability that focus on consumers, by increasing their willingness to pay for traceability or expanding the portion of traceability consciousness consumers, may lead to an unintended consequence, such as a decrease in the provision of traceable food products. However, efforts that focus on revealing and penalizing the buyer always lead to a higher provision of traceable food products. We further find that efforts focusing on eliminating the information asymmetry may not be helpful for sustainable traceability in the food supply chain.


Abstract : The photodegradation and photooxidation of polymers are interrelated processes which occur simultaneously during the photoaging of polymers in the air. Only under laboratory conditions can one distinguish photodegradation from photooxidation by conducting reactions in an oxygen-free atmosphere. Polymers synthesized on an industrial scale are contaminated with various low-molecular compounds derived from the technological process (initiators, inhibitors, moderators, solvents, etc.). In addition, when such processes are carried out in an atmosphere of air, numerous carbonyl, carboxyl, hydroxyl, etc. groups form along the polymer chain. It is quite difficult and sometimes downright impossible to eliminate these impurities. For this reason, an examination of the issue of polymer photoaging should be multilateral.


The discourse of medical encounters is deemed to be an excellent example of
 both institutional talk and discourse of power. Asking questions is probably
 the most prominent characteristic of doctor- patient interaction and this
 paper deals with tag questions as one of the question types that can be
 found in almost every medical encounter. We will explore tag questions by
 reviewing current research results in the field of medical discourse and by
 comparing and discussing examples from transcribed medical encounters in
 English and Serbian. It will be discussed how often tag questions are used
 in both corpora, whether doctors and patients use them in the same way and
 what role these questions have in a medical encounter. Finally, having in
 mind that getting to ask any question in institutional talk requires a
 certain amount of power, we will also try to determine if using tag
 questions affects doctor and patient?s positions in a medical encounter.


Sample reactivity experiments on the uncertainty analyses of Pb nuclear data are carried out by substituting Al plates for Pb ones at the Kyoto University Critical Assembly, as part of basic research on Pb–Bi for the coolant. Numerical simulations of sample reactivity experiments are performed with the Monte Carlo calculation code MCNP6.1 together with four nuclear data libraries JENDL-3.3, JENDL-4.0, ENDF/B-VII.0 and JEFF-3.1, to examine the accuracy of cross-section uncertainties of Pb isotopes by comparing measured and calculated sample reactivities. A library update from JENDL-3.3 to JENDL-4.0 is demonstrated by the fact that the difference between Pb isotopes of the two JENDL libraries is dominant in the comparative study, through the experimental analyses of sample reactivity by the MCNP approach. In addition, JENDL-4.0 reveals a slight difference from ENDF/B-VII.0 in all Pb isotopes and 27Al, and from JEFF-3.1 in 238U and 27Al. Based on these results, further experiments are needed to investigate the uncertainties of Bi isotopes with the use of the Pb–Bi and Bi plates.


Abstract.
 Arthropod assemblages living in tree canopies in two habitat types — a rich woodland and poor parkland were studied in 2003–2005 as a background for describing the dynamics of caterpillars; the study system was located in central Poland. Caterpillars, the optimal food of breeding tits, varied in abundance between both habitats and years. The peak abundance of caterpillars was at least 3 times higher in the woodland than in the parkland habitat. There were also pronounced differences in caterpillar production between years, with every consecutive year during 2003–2005 being trophically worse than the previous one. The Blue Tits' timing of breeding coincided roughly with the timing of caterpillar abundance in particular years. Mean clutch size corresponded strictly to the inter-habitat and inter-year pattern of variation in caterpillar availability, suggesting adaptive responses in Blue Tit reproduction to food resources.


This dissertation examines the role and actions of the Roman Catholic clergy from Britain who served as military chaplains during the First World War, including the external influences and pressures that may have contributed to their behaviour. In doing so it looks at international themes relating to the Catholic Church as a transnational body as well as the more national and parochial issues that were unique to the status of the faith in the different combatant nations included in the study. While Catholicism was very much a minority religion in the British Isles during the 1914-1919 war, it has been argued that the faith came out of the conflict with its reputation enhanced. This has often been put down to the actions of the Catholic chaplains at the 'sharp end', or most dangerous part, of the battlefield. This dissertation re-examines a number of the themes that have been presented in previous academic works as having provided the evidence for such an assertion. While finding substantive evidence to support a number of the claims (including the advantages bestowed on the RC chaplains by the nature of the Catholic landscape in many of the key battlegrounds, as well as the importance of the delivery of the Sacraments), it also argues that the more aggressive attitude and role of the 'home' clergy in France and Belgium was to have a significant influence on the British chaplains. Furthermore, it is argued that some of the reasons previously given for the behaviour of the RC chaplains, and particularly those with regard to their class and ethnicity, are misleading and in need of further serious examination.


【This study was aimed to find an optimum amount of jujube paste to ice flour for the preparation of Daechupyun(jujube rice cake). The moisture content of Daechupyun added with jujube paste was 40∼42%. The more jujube paste was added, the L-value and b-value were decreased, and a-value of Daechupyun was increased. In the mechanical evaluation of Dachupyun, the hardness was the lowest in the samples with 12% jujube paste after 12-hour storage. The adhesiveness and springiness were not significantly different by adding jujube paste after 24-hour storage. The cohesiveness was increased with the increase of added jujube paste at 12, 36 and 48 hours of storage. The gumminess was the lowest in the samples with 12% jujube paste during storage. In the sensory evaluation of Daechupyun, the acceptance for the softness and chewiness war the best in the samples with 12% jujube paste. Daechupyun with 12-16% of jujube paste to rice flour was found to be the best recipe based on the sensory qualities of softness, chewiness and overall acceptability.】


Abstract : Methods are described for the ceramic fabrication of ferrite toroids of up to eight inches length, and ferrite substrates of four square inch area. These parts exhibit intrinsic technical properties and as-fired mechanical tolerances suitable for the construction of certain latching ferrite microwave phasers and microstrip ferrimagnetic devices. Further, the minimization of machining to obtain useable mechanical tolerances for ferrite devices of the latching and microstrip classes provides for a substantial cost reduction of the ferrite parts. A pressing method was developed which yields an eight inch toroid of uniform green density. Firing methods were developed which result in close control of mechanical tolerances of both substrates and toroids. The beneficial effects of using manganese to reduce magnetostriction and improve remanent flux density are discussed. Employment of high dielectric constant (>20) inserts in the ferrite toroids to increase microwave phase shift and reduce the size of the ferrite toroid are described. Finally, measurement techniques for economic quality control procedures relative to mass production of toroids are suggested. (Author)


The main question discussed in this paper is whether students need to learn how to read mathematical texts. I describe and analyze the results from different types of studies about mathematical tex ...


ABSTRACT A peptidase gene expressingl-proline-β-naphthylamide-hydrolyzing activity was cloned from a gene library of Lactobacillus rhamnosus 1/6 isolated from cheese. Peptidase-expressing activity was localized in a 1.5-kbSacI fragment. A sequence analysis of the SacI fragment revealed the presence of one complete open reading frame (ORF1) that was 903 nucleotides long. The ORF1-encoded 34.2-kDa protein exhibited 68% identity with the PepR protein from Lactobacillus helveticus. Additional sequencing revealed the presence of another open reading frame (ORF2) following pepR; this open reading frame was 459 bp long. Northern (RNA) and primer extension analyses indicated that pepR is expressed both as a monocistronic transcriptional unit and as a dicistronic transcriptional unit with ORF2. Gene replacement was used to construct a PepR-negative strain of L. rhamnosus. PepR was shown to be the primary enzyme capable of hydrolyzing Pro-Leu in L. rhamnosus. However, the PepR-negative mutant did not differ from the wild type in its ability to grow and produce acid in milk. The clonedpepR expressed activity against dipeptides with N-terminal proline residues. Also, Met-Ala, Leu-Leu, and Leu-Gly-Gly and the chromogenic substrates l-leucine-β-naphthylamide andl-phenylalanine-β-naphthylamide were hydrolyzed by the PepR of L. rhamnosus.


Yang Ho Lee SO Joon-Hong An SO Gyunghyun ChoiDepartment of Industrial Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, 133-791 In this paper, we propose a mathematical optimization model with a suitable algorithm to determine delivery and backlogging quantities by minimizing the total cost including the penalty costs for delay. The system has fixed transshipment costs and demands are fulfilled by some delivery units that represent the volume of delivery amount to be shipped in a single time period. Since, backlogging is allowed, demands could be delivered later at the expense of some penalty costs. The model provides the optimal decisions on when and how much to be delivered while minimizing the total costs. To solve the problem, we propose an algorithm that uses the Lagrangian dual in conjunction with some primal heuristic techniques that exploit the special structure of the problem. Finally, we present some computational test results along with comments on the further study.Keywords : delivery unit, backlog, lagrangian dual, subgradient optimization, primal heuristic


Solar Combi+ systems are thermal systems used for satisfy the thermal loads for DHW, heating and cooling using solar thermal energy. They are normally complex systems made of an elevate number of components. These components are required to operate correctly and harmoniously in order to achieve high system performance. The traditional design process of these applications is based on numerical simulations, which are used for understanding the performance of the system with respect to different parameters (geometrical dimensions, thermal capacity, orientation) or boundary conditions (thermal loads or climatic data considered). At the same time, the optimization of the control strategy is developed using the same models that, in order to represent the reality, need to be validated with monitoring data or laboratory tests. The process of numerical model validation, sensitivity analysis and optimization of the control is a time consuming process.
In order to explore the possibility of reducing the simulation effort, an alternative approach has been developed in this thesis based on another approach. In the beginning, a rough numerical model is created and used for the design of the controller without undergoing the model validation steps. The fine-tuning of the controller, instead, is done directly on field where the control parameters are optimized using an appropriate learning methodology. Following this new approach, time saving are realized because the optimization of the control is fast and the validation of the model components is skipped. This makes the control optimization process more high-level without requiring access to monitoring data, laboratory test or deep knowledge of the system. Moreover, the selection of the software adopted for the development of the controller (LabVIEW) allow to share the same code for real-time control implementation as well as the numerical simulation. A direct connection with the software that simulate the energy fluxes between different components (Trnsys) and the software of the controller (LabVIEW) has been developed. Two innovative control methodologies are discussed in the thesis. The first one is related to the design of the controller using the fuzzy logic (Fuzzy controller) the other one is relative to the ability of the controllers to optimize themselves from the actual data taken from the field (Q-learning). These two methods can be efficiently connected each other allowing for a robust model-free learning approach able to find the best operative point of the fuzzy controller.
Following this path, the thesis here presented is composed by a the first chapter where an introduction of the solar thermal systems from the simple configuration (only for DHW demand) to the more complex systems (solar Combi+) is given. In the end of the chapter a review on the logic used in the control of such a systems is reported. In the second chapter the numerical models adopted are presented, with a focus on the boundary conditions considered and the effects on the system loads. The third chapter is devoted to present the methodology of validation developed and its application to the models used in the simulation. In the fourth chapter a Solar Combi+ system for residential application is presented with a focus on the control structure, the sensitivity analysis and the traditional control optimization process. Finally in the fifth chapter the advanced control logic methodologies are presented with an introduction on Fuzzy Logic and on Reinforcement Learning. The chapter continues with a focus on the Fuzzy logic controller and the Q-learning controller algorithm description. In the final part of the thesis this methodology is applied to a simple well known solar system to show the characteristics, the operation and the potential application on the other components of the Solar Combi+ system.


THE CASE: A 5-year-old black girl, who was originally from Sudan, was seen by her general pediatrician after her parents noted intermittent bright red blood staining her underwear. She did not report abdominal pain, constipation, dysuria, incontinence or fever. She was not taking any medications and


Abstract This is the official guideline endorsed by the specialty associations involved in the care of head and neck cancer patients in the UK. Radiotherapy is one of the key treatment modalities used in head and neck cancer management. This paper summarises the current role and some of the recent advances in radiotherapy in head and neck cancer management.


The utility model relates to a chain tension measuring instrument which belongs to the field of measuring instruments. The utility model is composed of a sensor and a data acquisition processor, wherein the shape of the sensor is similar to a chain piece, and the sensor is attached with four resistor strain gauges which are connected in series with a chain during measurement; the data acquisition processor is composed of an amplifier, a voltage frequency converter, a memory, a printing apparatus, a 232 serial interface apparatus, a control section and a power supply transformation section. The chain tension measuring instrument can accurately measure the tension value of the chain and the change law thereof, and the speed of data acquisition is between 10 times/second and 50 times/second. Besides, the utility model can simultaneously measure four paths of signals and data can be stored for a long time.


Intensive research has been directed at MgB2 since its discovery in 2001, focusing first on the material properties and conductor development and recently also on coil demonstrations. The relatively cheap and easy fabrication makes MgB2 a tempting material for superconducting applications. It can also be operated in the vicinity of 20 K, at which the commercial LTS materials are still in the normal state. However, commercial breakthrough requires practical applications and demonstrations. Therefore, we built a solenoidal react-and-wind MgB2 coil consisting of 46 m of commercially available MgB2 /Ni/Fe/Cu tape manufactured by Columbus Superconductors. We tested the coil in a cryogen-free environment and measured the effect of repeated cooldowns and current ramp rate on the coil critical current. Also, temperature homogeneity in the winding was studied. Based on the test results we point out features which should be checked when cryogen-free magnet systems are designed or their performance is discussed. For example, the coil critical current and n value can depend notably on the current ramp rate.


S UMMARY . Purple firespike ( Odontonema callistachyum ), native to Central America, has potential for use as a new flowering potted plant. The effects of number of pinches (zero, one, or two) and number of cuttings (one, two, or three) per 6-inch pot were evaluated on the control of plant height. Plant height was suppressed as the pinch number increased. The greatest reduction was recorded with one cutting per pot and twopinches.The maximumnumberofbranchesperpotwasrecordedwith twopinches and three cuttings per pot. In a second experiment, plant growth regulators (PGR) were also tested for efficacy of height control; 2 weeks after pinching, foliar sprays of paclobutrazol, flurprimidol, daminozide, chlormequat, and a tank-mix of daminozide D chlormequat or media drenches of paclobutrazol, uniconazole, or flurprimidol were applied. Plant height, leaf area, and leaf dry weight were recorded at 3, 6, and 9 weeks after PGR application. Maximum height control was obtained with uniconazole drench at 8 ppm, resulting in plants 22 cm tall, 61% shorter than the untreated control (56 cm); however, it resulted in severe leaf distortion. Plant height was 56% and 46% shorter than the control using drenches of paclobutrazol at 30 ppm and flurprimidol at 15 ppm, respectively. Daminozide spray at 2000 ppm and tank-mix of daminozide D chlormequat at 4500/1500 ppm suppressed stem elongation by 20.3% and 19%, respectively. Plants treated with paclobutrazol drench at 30 ppm reduced leaf area and leaf dry weight compared with other PGRs. Chlormequat spray at tested concentra- tions was ineffective for controlling firespike plant growth. The most attractive potted plants were produced using a drench application of paclobutrazol at 10 or 15 ppm.


Summary form only given. Recently, Hu and Nuss demonstrated an imaging system using THz transients generated by standard optoelectronic methods. We have used this system to measure spatial inhomogeneities in the doping density of epitaxial GaAs films. The absorption of THz radiation by doped semiconductors is a strong function of the conductivity, and as a result we are able to detect small variations in the level of doping with 250-/spl mu/m spatial resolution. Such information is not easily obtainable by any other method, and this demonstration could lead to improved quality control in the growth of doped semiconductor wafers.


The University of Missouri-Columbia is developing a compact pulsed power system to condition the high current signal from a flux compression generator (FCG) to the high voltage, high frequency signal required for many pulsed power applications. The system consists of a non-magnetic core, spiral-wound transformer, series exploding wire fuse, and an oscillating mesoband source. The flux compression generator is being built by Texas Tech Univ. and is designed to drive inductive loads on the order of microhenries rather than a nanohenry load often driven by FCGs.


The basic theory of EEMD and Hilbert-Huang transform are briefly introduced,then based on curvature mode in the structure,a damage identification method of structures is presented by EEMD.The curvature mode curves are transformed by multi-scale decomposition of EEMD.The damage feature is then defined using the results of EEMD and the definition of the instantaneous amplitude.The structural damage feature can be used to determine the existence,location and degree of the damage.And the method has been verified by the numerical simulation in a simple supported beam.Results indicate that the method is effective.


Abstract The term quality of life (QOL) generally refers to the overall evaluation of an individual's life condition, on both objective and subjective dimensions. Quality of life research has focused on global evaluations of life satisfaction in adults. The life quality of adolescents and the performance of central life domains have largely been ignored. This study describes the psychometric properties of the Comprehensive Quality of Life Scale (ComQol) with an adolescent sample. In line with recent conceptualisations of QOL, ComQol assesses subjective and objective QOL on seven life domains. ComQol was administered along with two other self-report instruments (measuring fear and anxiety) to a sample of 264 school-based adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years. The scale yielded life satisfaction data that lay within the normative range for adults. Test-retest reliability and internal consistency analyses indicated that the scale has adequate reliability. In support of convergent validity, fear and anxiety were generally found to be significantly associated with lower levels of life quality. The present study supports the psychometric adequacy of ComQol as an instrument to measure the life quality of adolescents.


The immune system has the ability to specifically identify and eliminate tumors, but the underlying mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon are not fully understood. A study published in this issue of the European Journal of Immunology now provides new insights into this important problem. Joncker et al. [Eur. J. Immunol. 2016. 46: 609‐618] show that the timely mobilization of tumor antigen‐bearing dendritic cells (DCs) from the periphery to the lymph nodes is critical for effective antitumor T‐cell immunity, and that DCs present tumor antigens much more efficiently when encountered in the skin rather than in the subcutaneous tissues.


Feronia limonia Swing. is a medicinal herb, the leaves are aromatic, carminative and also used for treatment of indigestion and minor bowel infections of children. This work describes the antioxidant, antimicrobial activities and chemical constituents of essential oil from F. limonia Swing. leaves. The leaves of F. limonia Swing. were isolated by hydrodistillation and the chemical constituents were analysed by a combination of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The essential oil obtained in 0.10 % yield as pale yellow liquid. Eleven compounds were identified as follows : sabinene (67.486%), 4-terpineol (10.675%), gamma-terpinene (3.872%), l-alpha-pinene (2.485%), trans-caryophyllene (1.535%), dl-limonene (1.508%), l-beta-pinene (1.443%), beta-myrcene (1.819%), (-)-caryophyllene oxide (1.437%), alphaterpinolene (1.401%) and alpha-thujene (1.092%) respectively, most of them are terpenes. The antioxidant activity of the essential oil was determined by scavenging effect on 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radicals (DPPH•). The results were compared with three standard antioxidants: trolox, ascorbic acid and quercetin. The results showed IC 50 = 0.19 gmL-1. Preliminary studies of antibacterial and antifungal activities using agar diffusion method, the essential exhibited antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (13 mm), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (17 mm) and Staphylococcus aureus (12 mm), using gentamicin as reference standard. It also showed antifungal activity against Candida albicans (20 mm), Aspergillus flavas (13 mm) and Trichophyton mentagophyte (28 mm), using ketoconazole as reference standard.


Wavefront sensorless schemes for correction of aberrations induced by biological specimens require a time invariant property of an image as a measure of fitness. Image intensity cannot be used as a metric for Single Molecule Localization (SML) microscopy because the intensity of blinking fluorophores follows exponential statistics. Therefore a robust intensity-independent metric is required. We previously reported a Fourier Metric (FM) that is relatively intensity independent. The Fourier metric has been successfully tested on two machine learning algorithms, a Genetic Algorithm and Particle Swarm Optimization, for wavefront correction about 50 μm deep inside the Central Nervous System (CNS) of Drosophila. However, since the spatial frequencies that need to be optimized fall into regions of the Optical Transfer Function (OTF) that are more susceptible to noise, adding a level of denoising can improve performance. Here we present wavelet-based approaches to lower the noise level and produce a more consistent metric. We compare performance of different wavelets such as Daubechies, Bi-Orthogonal, and reverse Bi-orthogonal of different degrees and orders for pre-processing of images.


Trump's ban from social media, while gaining significant media attention, does not represent an isolated case. Preventing individuals from accessing social media platforms or parts of them is a common phenomenon today that we can call 'social media exclusion'. In a recent article, former HIIG Fellow Edoardo Celesteexplains that without social media one cannot enjoy her fundamental rights to such an enhanced level as has become standard in recent years. For this reason, curtailing the possibility of accessing social media should be subject to minimal constitutional safeguards. A series of doubts must therefore be reserved in relation to the permanent nature of Donald Trump's ban from Twitter and Facebook. Trump's digital punishment is capital and potentially irreversible: a social media death penalty. Does banning Trump permanently represent a proportionate solution considering the other interests at stake?


May 2019 will mark the third birthday of Church, Communication and Culture. We are proud to be able to say, using the motto of a famous Scotch whiskey, 'Keep walking!'. Of course, we are still far from reaching the long – and successful – history of Johnny Walker, but we promise to keep walking. Since the beginning, we have been motivated by the idea of promoting a cultural and fruitful debate in the academic environment, in which – we are convinced – religion plays a vital role. In our opinion, this debate should be framed by three concepts of particular importance: freedom of expression, dialogue and respect.


When Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) is applied to face recognition, the Small Sample Size Problem often occurs because the number of training samples is far smaller than the dimensionality of training samples, which leads to a singular within-class scatter matrix Sw and an ill-posed eigenvalue problem. In this paper, mathematical tools are used to explore the nature of this phenomenon. Moreover, a Single-Parameter-Regularized method is proposed to solve the Small Sample Size Problem. This method is to find an invertible matrix Srw to estimate the singular within-class scatter matrix Sw based on tr(Srw)=tr(Sw). After the dimensionality-reduction pre-process of human face images using wavelet transform, the proposed method is compared with the traditional LDA experimentally. Experiment results show that the proposed method improves the recognition performance of LDA greatly.


Correlated approaches (as in title) have been used to aBsess mechanisms of metal- 01' metalloid-induced cell injury following in vivo (usually rat) exposure to these agents. Relationships have been studied between indium- and thallium-induced perturbations of hepatic haem metabolism and associated changes in e.r. * and mitochond rial membrane structure. Seemingly such structural changes largely mediate the inhibitions of cytochrome P-450-dependent enzyme activi ties observed following acute administration of various metals. With these techniques we have also examined quantitative relationships between formation of lead-induced intranuclear inclusion bodies in kidney proximal tubule cells, alterations in their organelle systems, and changes in renal gene expression. The apparently rever sible formation of these inclusion bodies seems to be associated with highly specific changes in gene expression following a lead dose which does not produce cellular necrosis 01' overt structural changes in the organelles. These results accord with already postulated mediation of the initial intranuclear movement of lead by high-affinity receptor-like proteins, target tissue-specific, which regulate lead effects on sensitive target molecules, e.g. ALA hydratase. Arsenicals administered chronically have reported hepatic effects (e.g. on respiration and ultrastructure) which have now been studied by 31p_NMR in vivo, in an attempt to delineate the temporal relation ships between mitochondrial swelling and decreases in hepatic ATP, NAD and phosphorylation of other chemical species. Tentatively it appears that mitochondrial structural damage in periportal areas may play an important early role in subsequent loss of biochemical functionality.


Usually students consume learning material and write an exam at the end of the lecture. Such a process follows a summative learning pattern, which can be considered a standard approach at universities. Studies in educational theory indicate, however, that active involvement–instead of passive consumption–should be fostered in learning since active learning proved to be superior to passive learning. To benefit from active learning arrangements, we implemented an active involvement of students into the exam preparation for an introduction to Information Systems course at the University of Cologne. Students were asked to design exercises and provide solutions to selected topics. Subsequently, they received feedback to their submissions, which supports the self-assessment on the subject. An empirical evaluation shows general agreement for such active involvement of students and also indicates that students participating in the task creation are more likely to pass an exam than students denying the participation. This paper presents our crowdsourcing-based learning approach and discusses challenges for its implementation.