Objective To explore the ultrasonic appearance and diagnosis experiences of foetus truncus arteriosus persistens and to increase the antepartum detection rate.Methods The clinical data of 11 cases of foetus truncus arteriosus persistens diagnosed by antenatal sonography and pathology between October 2007 and October 2009 at Shenyang Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital were analyzed retrospectively.Characteristcs of ultrasound cardiography on every cross sections of heart were summarized.Results Eleven cases of foetus truncus arteriosus persistens detected by antenatal sonography were confirmed by pathology.Among them,4 cases were simple truncus arteriosus persistens and 7 cases were complicated with intra and/or extra heart abnormity.Conclusion Echocardiography is a reliable antenatal diagnosis method for foetus truncus arteriosus persistens with important clinical significance.


Objectives: This study was made to determine the positive rate of IgG and IgM, and their titer among renal allograft transplant recipient. Also it aimed to study attributing factors which may affect the prevalence rate as country of operation, age, sex, donor relation and nationality, and immunosuppressive drugs used by the patients. Methods: This cross sectional study was carried out in Al-Thawra General Hospital, National Center of Public Health Laboratories, Sana׳a, for one year starting from June 2008 till June 2009, Two hundred Yemeni patients who had renal allograft were included in this study. The patients were divided in two groups: (group I) 100 patients on Cyclosporine-based immunosuppressive regimen, and (group II) 100 patients on Tacrolimus-based immunosuppressive regimen. Blood samples were collected in vacationer (plain) tubes. Sera were separated and tested for IgG and IgM antibodies of HCMV. The individual's data were collected in a pre-designed questionnaire including; demographic data, allograft data and symptoms data. Result: The prevalence of IgG among different sex was 100%, whereas The prevalence of IgM was 22.5%. Male comprised 131 (65.5%) while female comprised 69 (34.5%) of the total. Concerning the marital statues, 74% were married, whereas 26% were single. With respect to place of operation the most frequent place was Egypt, followed by Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Pakistan, finally, other countries. Regarding the time intervals between the transplantation and the test performance, the most frequent time interval was 1-3 years with a percentage of 51.5%, while the least frequent time interval was ≥10 years with a percentage of 4%. According to the general characteristics of donor, starting with their sex, 84% were male and 16% were female. Regarding the relation of the donor to the recipient, 56% of donors were relative, while 44% were not relative. There were many different nationalities of the donors, hence 68.5% were Yemenis, 10.5% were Egyptian, 1.5% was Pakistani, also, 1.5% was Chinese, and 18% were from other nationality. In terms of the symptoms and sings among renal allograft patients. The majority of renal allograft patients suffered from muscle ache, followed by tiredness, headache, fever, chills, after that retinitis and skin rash, Anemia, pneumonia, jaundice, finally swollen gland. Concerning the age group of renal allograft patients in relation to IgM positive results, the highest positive results were found in the age group 21-30 years, followed by the age group 31-40 years, the age group of 41-50 years, then the age group 16-20 years and finally, the age group of >50. The relationship between occurrence of symptoms and sings and the positivity of IgM HCMV antibodies. Swollen gland represented the highest percentage, followed by pneumonia, anemia, after that retinitis and skin rash, chills, fever, muscle ache, headache, tiredness and finally jaundice. The relationship between occurrences of symptoms and sings and type of immunosuppressive drugs used Cyclosporine. The most frequent clinical signs and symptoms that found in renal allograft patients who used cyclosporine was pneumonia, followed by jaundice, skin rash, chills, retinitis, headache, muscle ache, tiredness, fever, anemia , and finally, swollen gland. The relationship between occurrence of symptoms and sings and type of immunosuppressive drugs used Tacrolimus. The most frequent clinical signs and symptoms that found in renal allograft patients who used tacrolimus was swollen gland, followed by fever, anemia, tiredness, headache, muscle ache, retinitis, chills, skin rash, pneumonia, and finally, jaundice. The relationship between immunosuppressive drugs used and occurrence of recent active infection of HCMV indicated by IgM positively. 30% of renal allograft recipients who use Cyclosporine were IgM positive, and 15% who use Tacrolimus were IgM positive, 24% who use Cellcept were IgM positive, 85.4% who use Prednisone were IgM positive, and 100% who use others were IgM positive. Conclusion: This study revealed that the HCMV is highly endemic in our population where the prevalence of IgG among the renal allograft patients was 100%, and the prevalence of IgM was 22.5%, thus HCMV should be considered as a possible cause of morbidity and


As part of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) activities, it is envisaged that the System Wide Information Management (SWIM) program will provide key functionality allowing for a network enabled agile National Air Space (NAS). SWIM seeks to provision Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) based capabilities for various NAS programs, thus allowing various applications and programs (e.g., Aeronautical Information Management (AIM), NextGen Network Enabled Weather (NNEW)) to provide and consume data through information services made transparent with respect to the underlying platform implementation.


The purpose of this cross-sectional descriptive study was to examine relations between parental acceptance-rejection and behavioral control among 106 Korean American families in the Midwest. Independent self-report data were gathered from adolescents, mothers, and fathers, and analyzed with descriptive statistics, analyses of variance, analyses of covariance, and Pearson correlations. Both Korean American adolescents and their parents (mothers and fathers) reported the parents as warm and loving, as well as moderate to firm in their behavioral control. Nonetheless, within these ranges, results indicated that both adolescents' and mothers' reports of maternal behavioral control were positively correlated with less overall acceptance. Correlational results for fathers, however, showed that the more behaviorally controlling they reported themselves to be (within the moderate to firm range), the warmer and more affectionate they reported themselves to be—but also the more hostile and aggressive they reported themselves to be. This apparent contradiction seems to be explainable in the context of Korean American adaptation to mainstream American cultural ideology.


low income and diverse but largely minority community could learn how to advocate for themselves, hold decision makers and their own leadership accountable, and participate directly in the public decision making processes that impact their lives. The producers fail to ask, far less answer, what may be the most important questions. Does DSNI have an educational strategy for putting these organizing and advocacy skills into the hands of more and more residents, or does it rely on a small core of activist leaders? Does DSNI have a mobilization strategy for engaging more and more residents in the political process, or does it rely on elite level access to the centers of political power? Are neighborhood residents involved in developing the criteria by which DSNI deŽnes success, or are these criteria externally generated? The answers to these questions would tell us whether or not the Dudley Street experience will prove to be an innovative model for practitioners and whether or not it will add signiŽcantly to the public discourse on community power and revitalization.


Objective: To study the effects of Porphyromonas gingivalis(P.g) stains with different fimA genotypes on the proteolysis of cellular adherence junction components of epithelial KB cells.Methods: KB cells were challenged by P.g stains for different time periods and cell extracts were collected.Proteolysis of cellular adherence junction components,N-cadherin and β-Catenin were assayed by western-blots.Results: Degradation of N-cadherin and β-Catenin was detected after incubation of KB cells with different fimA genotypes of P.g,while the stain with type Ⅱ fimA genotype showed the most potent effect.Conclusion: P.g may impair the integrity of epithelium.P.g with type Ⅱ genotype has the most efficient ability to degrade the adherence junction components of epithelial cells.


The securities of some specific areas are important. This paper depicts an intelligent security guard scheduling system. The main purpose of this paper is to demonstrate a security guard system associated with study module performing better than the one with fixed patrol path. The main components of this system are two levels heat map with evaporation mechanism and a saltatory path constructor. They work together to assist system scheduler in defining the patrol paths. The performance of the solution is calculated by our designed formula. In the content, the problem definition, the framework, and the comparison result are discussed in this paper.


The purpose of the present investigation was to determine the role of visual and verbal feedback on golf putting accuracy. The putting accuracy of 12, visually-normal, inexperienced golfers (range 23-66 years, mean=42 years) was assessed for small (3cm) and large (12cm) targets located 6 feet away. After a brief practice interval, subjects performed the task: under either normal viewing conditions ("control"); behind a large cardboard baffle that eliminated most of their central and peripheral visual field ("no visual or verbal feedback"); or behind the same baffle but with verbal knowledge of putt accuracy ("verbal feedback only"). There was no significant difference between any condition for both the 3cm and 12cm target. The difference in putting percentage accuracy between the three conditions ranged from 2.1%-4.6% for the 3cm target and from 0.4%-2.9% for the 12cm target. Comparison of the first 10 shots to the last 10 shots for each condition revealed no significant differences in putting performance. These findings are consistent with earlier studies demonstrating a reduced reliance on visual feedback for certain simple, repetitive, and fixed sensorimotor activities. In such tasks, visual information appears to be of less importance, once the proper forcedistance paradigm has been incorporated into motor memory. Further, motor memory does not appear to dissipate with the withdrawal of visual feedback, at least in the short term.


ARJ-R caissons are based on the "long-circuit" concept (Medina et al, 2016) that allows the extension of the destructive wave interference mechanism to mitigate low frequency oscillations without enlarging the width of the caisson. The performance of the ARJ-R caissons is referred to its reflection coefficient (Cr) which was obtained through large-scale physical model tests (Gonzalez-Escriva et al, 2018). In this paper, the effectiveness of Anti-Reflective Jarlan-type structures for Port Resonance mitigation (ARJ-R) has been assessed numerically for the port of Denia (Spain). ARJ-R structures are constructible, with similar dimensions as conventional vertical quay caissons and with a similar cost (15percent more than conventional vertical caisson).Recorded Presentation from the vICCE (YouTube Link): https://youtu.be/LomQEVpvjik


Background and Methods: Vaccination is currently considered the most successful strategy for combating the SARS-CoV-2 virus. According to short-term clinical trials, protection against infection is estimated to reach up to 95% after complete vaccination (≥14 days after receipt of all recommended COVID-19 vaccine doses). Nevertheless, infections despite vaccination, so-called breakthrough infections, are documented. Even though they are more likely to have a milder or even asymptomatic course, the assessment of further transmission is highly relevant for successful containment. Therefore, we calculated the real-world transmission risk from fully vaccinated patients (vaccination group, VG) to their close contacts (CP) compared with the risk from unvaccinated reference persons matched according to age, sex, and virus type (control group = CG) utilizing data from Cologne's health department. Results: A total of 357 breakthrough infections occurred among Cologne residents between 27 December 2020 (the date of the first vaccination in Cologne) and 6 August 2021. Of the 979 CPs in VG, 99 (10.1%) became infected. In CG, 303 of 802 CPs (37.8%) became infected. Factors promoting transmission included non-vaccinated status (β = 0.237; p < 0.001), male sex (β = 0.079; p = 0.049), the presence of symptoms (β = −0.125; p = 0.005), and lower cycle threshold value (β = −0.125; p = 0.032). This model explained 14.0% of the variance (corr. R2). Conclusion: The number of transmissions from unvaccinated controls was three times higher than from fully vaccinated patients. These real-world data underscore the importance of vaccination in enabling the relaxation of stringent and restrictive general pandemic control measures.


Ejector for a movable furniture part, in particular a rotatable door, a piece of furniture having a furniture body (1) having at least one wall (2) or more walls (2 to 6), characterized in that the ejection device comprises a movable by a drive device actuator releasably attachable to or in a Aktuatorelementaufnahme.


Hidden away in the bush and scrub at Cawarral in central Queensland is a refuge for servicemen and women. A place for them to sit, relax, and remember their mates.


We have systematically investigated the influence of sapphire substrate misorientation on the structural and optical properties of GaN-based LEDs grown by MOVPE. The LED properties were found to be very sensitive to the misorientation. We grew five samples of LEDs on sapphire substrates with various misorientation angles (0.02∼1.0°). The EL intensity increased when misorientation angles increased to 0.25°. The intensity, however, decreased dramatically when misorientation angles exceeded 0.25°. We also grew the samples of each layer of the LEDs, viz., GaN, InGaN, InGaN/GaN MQWs, and p-GaN layer. CL and PL analyses showed that the crystalline quality of InGaN (MQWs) layer became lower while that of GaN layer improved as misorientation angles increased. In addition, the increased misorientation caused the decreased indium composition and the indium compositional fluctuation. Moreover, the hole (carriers) concentration of p-GaN layer decreased with increasing misorientation angles. As these results, the misorientation angle of around 0.25° is suitable for the LEDs. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)


The systemic monitoring of the financial system often utilizes indices created from the aggregation of various financial and economic variables. This paper uses the principles components technique as an alternative to variable aggregation when creating a stability indicator for the Jamaica banking system. Based on this principal components approach, the paper: i) measures changes in the extent of common risk exposure over time ii) identifies periods in which this common exposure became a systemic concern iii) identifies systemically important institutions and sectors. The results demonstrate that Jamaica's financial system has demonstrated varying periods in which common exposure was a systemic concern. During these periods there was varying contributions to common exposure by institutions but the foreign exchange and equity markets were identified as key market drivers.


We present an integrated light‐electron microscope in which an inverted high‐NA objective lens is positioned inside a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The SEM objective lens and the light objective lens have a common axis and focal plane, allowing high‐resolution optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy on the same area of a sample simultaneously. Components for light illumination and detection can be mounted outside the vacuum, enabling flexibility in the construction of the light microscope. The light objective lens can be positioned underneath the SEM objective lens during operation for sub‐10 μm alignment of the fields of view of the light and electron microscopes. We demonstrate in situ epifluorescence microscopy in the SEM with a numerical aperture of 1.4 using vacuum‐compatible immersion oil. For a 40‐nm‐diameter fluorescent polymer nanoparticle, an intensity profile with a FWHM of 380 nm is measured whereas the SEM performance is uncompromised. The integrated instrument may offer new possibilities for correlative light and electron microscopy in the life sciences as well as in physics and chemistry.


In this paper we have studied the deterministic and stochastic behaviours of a ratio-dependent prey-predator system. The uniform boundedness and permanence of this system under certain conditions among the parameters have been studied. Criteria for stability and Hopf bifurcation are derived. This system has been perturbed by independent Gaussian white noises due to the fluctuating environment and the stability behaviours have been studied by using statistical linearization technique developed by Valsakumar et al . (1983).


Bamboo is a high potential alternative solution for substituting industrial material with its natural characteristics, economical and environmental aspects. However, one of the biggest challenges for natural materials to be used in computational designed is the controllability due to its unevenness nature. The other gap is the lack of material parameters that might be bridged by analysing data acquired from conventional tests. This research studied the raw bamboo strip and its natural forming from bending, by using sampling points and curvature reconstruction. The parametric models of bamboo strips were then constructed to represent its material behaviours for form prediction, material selection, and simulation in parametric design. It also serves as an assistive method for material selection when crafting with bamboo bend.


Like Brussels sprouts, humanism is good for you, nourishing, nurturing, soulwarming—and from Phyllis Wheatley to R. Kelly, present-day R&B is a perpetual fight for human status, a yearning for human rights, a struggle for inclusion within the human species. Allergic to cybersonic if not to sonic technology, mainstream American media—in its drive to banish alienation, and to recover a sense of the whole human being through belief systems that talk to the "real you"—compulsively deletes any intimation of an AfroDiasporic futurism, of a "webbed network" of computerhythms, machine mythology and conceptechnics which routes, reroutes and crisscrosses the Atlantic. This digital diaspora connecting the UK to the US, the Caribbean to Europe to Africa, is in Paul Gilroy's definition a "rhizomorphic, fractal structure," a "transcultural, international formation." [...]


A novel method of high speed grating-generated electronic coherence microscopy is applied to produce depth-lateral images of biological tissue without axial-lateral scanning. Axial-lateral scan is automatically performed by the stationary reflection diffraction grating installed in the Littrow configuration at the reference beam and a cylindrical lens installed in the sample beam. Using several 2D CCD array complex digital imags containing amplitude and phase values the depth-lateral reflections of biological tissue are reconstructed with a simple algorithm. The depth scan of 1.5 mm and the transversal coordinate image about 1.2 mm of the chicken tissue with a depth resolution of 17 micrometers , and a dynamic range about 70 dB are achieved. Final depth-lateral images are similar to OCT images and produced without any moving parts.


This study aims to find out the effect between anxiety therapy and self-confidence therapy on the shot accuracy in football games. This study applied an experimental design involving thirty students of one of the Soccer Clubs in Gowa regency, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Data were collected by conducting tests and measurements. Data were analysed using inferential statistics t-test. This research found three issues. Firstly, there is an effect of anxiety therapy on the shot accuracy in football games. Secondly, there is an effect of self-confidence therapy on the shot accuracy in a football game. Thirdly, there is a better effect of self-confidence therapy than anxiety therapy on the shot accuracy in football


Using data from the Kentucky Center for Statistics, this study aimed to explore the impact of participation in dual credit college algebra on longitudinal postsecondary education outcomes of high school seniors in Kentucky. Seniors were divided into students who took dual credit college algebra in high school and those who did not. Each group was further divided into two subgroups using junior ACT (American College Testing) math score of 22 (the benchmark in Kentucky for college algebra readiness). Propensity score matching was used to match dual credit college algebra participants with their non-participating peers based on student and school characteristics. The comparisons showed statistically significant advantages in terms of postsecondary enrollment, first year GPA, time to degree, and completion of a bachelor's degree for students in the low ACT group who took dual credit college algebra. Students in the high ACT group who took dual credit college algebra showed statistically significant advantages in terms of postsecondary enrollment, time to degree, and completion of a postsecondary certificate.


In clinical practice, conversion from universal cytomegalovirus prophylaxis (CMV PPX) with valganciclovir (VGC) to targeted therapy (preemptive monitoring, PEM) is often pursued in the setting of leukopenia. It is unknown if this is an effective strategy.


Ridges at least partially surround and / or depressions in the first area of the first fitting part, the raised portion at least in part on a second region of the second fitting part facing the first region surrounds the periphery and / or have depressions are provided, at both a valve component characterized by acting, valve components, particularly for piston or valve so that ridges and depressions after fitting the fitting parts are sealed There, one at least of the first fitting part of the disc-shaped, having at least one second fitting part of the disk-shaped first and second fitting parts each have at least one opening, the fitting parts after fitting, the flow path in particular flow path is formed, a liquid, in particular as oil capable flow through the flow passage, the valve components opening of inset part acts together 【選択図】図1 .FIELD 1


Let W, < , > be a non degenerate symplectic vector space over a local non archimedean field F (charF4=2). Denote by Mp(W) the metaplectic cover of Sp(W) and ων the oscillator representation of Mp(W) associated to a non trivial additive character ψ of F. Let (O(F), Sp(W)) be a dual pair in Sp(W) with F ® W = W, i.e. O(F) and Sp(VF) are imbedded into Sp(W) and are mutual centralizers, and denote (F) and


The iatrogenic ureter injuries are rare complications and may have serious consequences. The treatment options depend on situations. Pelvic surgeons, keep in mind that this kinds of complications, is very important for diagnosis and treatment, during the surgery. This report presents a case of a patient with iatrogenic left ureteral injury during hysterectomy. The patient visited emergency department of our hospital with the chief complaints of left lomber pain on the 17th day of hysterectomy. After evaluation in emergency clinic, the patient had an endoscopic treatment for iatrogenic ureter injury. The patient is still in follow-up period. We also review the literature and discuss diagnose, treatment, prognosis of iatrogenic ureter injuries. The treatment options are still developing by technology. © 2012 All rights reserved


Objective To investigate the apoptosis mechanism of RA on Tca8113 cell lines in vitro.Methods To induce the cell lines with different concentrations of RA, and observe the cell apoptotic rate and the changes of cell cycle phases with the flow cytometry. The cell morphology changes were also observed with light microscope and election microscope.Results The Tca8113 cell apoptotic rate induced by RA was 23%,and G 1 stage was the most obvious in the changes of cell cycle phases.The Tca8113 cell became round,and the room between cells and the number of free cells were increased.The EM showed that the cell nucleus became karyopyknosis,and the number of apoptotic body was increased.The mitochondrion swelled and degenerated.Conclusion RA can induce the apoptosis of Tca8113 cells,cells in G 1 stage were prevented from entering S stage.


INTRODUCTION: Cellular collagen constructs have been used to support peripheral nerve regeneration, using Schwann cells and more recently using stem cells that have been differentiated to resemble Schwann cells [1-3]. In order to progress this technology towards clinical translation, the use of CTX human neural stem cells (ReNeuron, UK), as a potential allogeneic source of therapeutic cells was investigated. The ability of CTX cells to differentiate towards a Schwann cell-like phenotype was investigated in standard monolayer culture, and in a 3D collagen environment similar to that used in engineered neural tissue [1].


Recent experimental results on generating of excited states in collisions of single, double charged ions with He, Ne, Ar are presented. Laboratory energy range of the beams of He q+ , Ar q+ (q=1,2) ions are (70-170)×q keV. The optical measurement was performed by Optical Multichannel Analysis System, the wavelength range covered was 200-800 nm. Different processes of excitation have been observed in single and double charged ions collisions with atoms. The dependence of emission cross sections on the charge number of incident ions and potential energy defect is discussed.


: Aim: The main aim of our study was to improve solubility of Clopidogrel bisulphate by preparing nanosuspensions using solvent-antisolvent (bottom up) technology. Methods: Clopidogrel nanosuspensions were formed by solvent antisolvent method. 15 formulations were prepared with different concentrations at different ratios. These formulations were evaluated for mean particle size, solubility, drug content and maximum yield. The selected formulation was then compared with pure drug for various parameters such as X-ray diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, in-vitro Dissolution studies, Fourier Transform – Infrared Radiation (FT-IR) etc. Release kinetics and stability studies were performed for the optimized formulation. Results: Out of 15 formulations, F15 comply well with all the parameters. On comparison with pure drug, F15 showed better characteristics such as Fourier Transform- Infrared Radiation (FT-IR), Solubility, particle size, Scanning electron microscopy, in-vitro dissolution, X-ray diffraction etc. Optimized formulation showed first order kinetics and stability was shown for over 3 months. Conclusion: Clopidogrel (anti-platelet) in nanosuspension formulation can overcome the limitation of low solubility, dissolution, bioavailability and explore further.


In this article we will argue that in a world full of inequities and social injustices, occupational therapists should use their knowledge and direct their actions to deal with different realities. Social occupational therapy, developed in Brazil, emphasizes interdisciplinary and inter-sectorial practices, which link the micro and macro social dimensions in different contexts. It refers to politically and ethically framed professional practices that target individuals, groups and/or systems to enable the rights of people disadvantaged by social conditions. Based on METUIA Project experiences, a Brazilian inter-institutional group, that develops teaching, research and community-university partnership, we present a theoretical framework and practical experiences in the social field.


Topic detection and tracking(TDT) is widely used.As one of research tasks for TDT,new event detection can provide prior knowledge to TDT,so it is of great theoretical research significance in the field of TDT.Because LDA model can not automatically identify new events,and the number of LDA topic is determined by the artificial,or by repeated experiments,it is of low efficiency.This paper presents a new method based on LDA and correlation of topic terms,which considers the correlation of subject terms and report time,it can dynamically adapt updated topics and then detect the new event.Experiment results demonstrate that this method is of some advantages and the sensitivity of new events detection is increased.


The smart specialization approach has guided regional innovation policies in Europe for roughly a decade. However, the policy practice under the approach has met considerable criticism which suggests the existence of significant gaps between the conceptual level and the level of policy implementation. To explain and understand the reasons for these gaps, this article proposes an institutionalist perspective rooted in neo-institutional sociology. In particular, the article draws on concepts such as ceremony, myth, and isomorphism and argues that such an institutionalist perspective can provide one of several fields of further research on the political economy of regional innovation policy. Pursuing such research is particularly relevant to inform policymaking in the coming years, given the current tendency to re-orient smart specialization towards challenge orientation, directionality, normativity, and sustainability.


The utility model discloses an intelligent LED (Light Emitting Diode) illuminating system which comprises a singlechip, wherein the singlechip is connected with a sound sensor; the singlechip is connected with an infrared sensor; the singlechip is connected with a light intensity sensor; the singlechip is connected with an ultrasonic emission circuit; the ultrasonic emission circuit is connected with an ultrasonic emission probe; the singlechip is connected with an ultrasonic receiving circuit; the ultrasonic receiving circuit is connected with an ultrasonic receiving probe; the singlechip is connected with a relay control circuit; and the relay control circuit is connected with LED lamps. When in use, the intelligent LED illuminating system can judge whether a person is in an illuminating scope according to the sound sensor, the infrared sensor and an ultrasonic detecting circuit, so as to turn off some lamps and avoid the phenomenon of illuminating in the absence of people; the LED lamps can be turned on/off according to time, so as to avoid the phenomenon of long-time illuminating; and the quantity of the lighted LED lamps can be adjusted according to the light intensity, so as to avoid wasting electric energy.


An undergraduate degree programme in software engineering was designed to include a systems analysis module, in which the teaching was based on a particular structured methodology. Experience is described of the conflicts that this caused within the curriculum of the degree, and of the way in which these were solved. This involved the development of a structure for the topics forming the subject of systems analysis, which is described along with the new structure for the systems analysis module that was derived from it. It is argued that this structure for systems analysis is also applicable to object oriented approaches and some experience is discussed of applying it within MSc courses as well as undergraduate ones.


One limitation of standard oral formulations of calcium antagonists has been the need for multiple daily dosing. Sustained‐release dosage forms permit simpler regimens and a smoother therapeutic effect. Differences in drug pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties have led to development of several sustained‐release delivery systems. Three major types are available: the osmotic pump, coated pellet, and slow‐dissolving material released from a matrix. Each is currently utilized with specific calcium antagonists. The osmotic pump system with nifedipine (Procardia XL, Pfizer) allows once‐daily dosing as well as improvements in certain side effects. Verapamil is available in formulations employing dissimilar release systems. The original sustained‐action products (Calan SR, Searle; Isoptin SR, Knoll) utilize a matrix system; a subsequent product (Verelan; Lederle, Wyeth‐Ayerst, A. H. Robins) utilizes timed‐release pellets. Importantly, clinical efficacy appears to be maintained with these several drugs and formulations for their approved indications. Although a specific formulation may alter the absorption, metabolism, excretion, and blood levels of a drug, it does not alter basic drug properties. Thus, the major impact of sustained‐release drug delivery system lies in potential compliance improvement and possible reduction of side effects related to serum drug profiles.


&NA; The purpose of this study was to assess the psychometric qualities of a screening instrument for intimate partner violence, the Index of Spouse Abuse (ISA), for use with incarcerated women. Principal components factor analysis was conducted on data collected from 149 incarcerated women. The ISA demonstrated excellent internal consistency with this population and appears to be a psychometrically sound instrument that can be given in a short period of time.


CharmMe is a social discovery application to help people connect with others of similar interests at a company, organization, or conference. Unlike traditional social networking or matching algorithms, CharmMe discovers connections automatically without the need for new profiles or tagging. By using natural language processing, we create a model of an organization by "reading" existing information related to the people being matched, such as their publications or social media accounts. Additionally, the application takes data provided by users Checking-in to conference talks or Liking projects, which are actions made popular by the social networking sites Facebook and Foursquare. To facilitate the actual introduction process, the application makes available the location of all recommended people using RFID technology. In addition, possible opening topics of conversation are suggested based on similar interests shared by users. In this paper, we investigate how effective CharmMe is at predicting new connections that are desirable and describe its deployment during a conference event at the MIT Media Lab. Additionally, we evaluate the effectiveness of the recommendations provided by the system and whether results improve with incorporating user feedback. Ultimately, we think this application will help people create better relationships by encouraging purposeful interactions, eliminating certain social inefficiencies, as well as decrease the opportunity for a missed but potentially meaningful connection. Thesis Supervisor: Catherine Havasi Title: Research Scientist


Li/O2 batteries can ensure the requirement of specific energy > 500 Wh kg -1 [1]. Although Li/O2 system has an intrinsically low efficiency, the use of a carbonaceous semisolid catholyte in a flow battery can be the keystone to improve its cycling performance. Indeed, it permits to: i) decouple energy and power; ii) increase cell areal capacity and energy by alleviating current collector passivation; iii) improve current rate response and decrease recharge overvoltage by the carbon percolating network. We have already demonstrated a semi-solid lithium redox flow air battery (SLRFAB), based on O2-saturated catholyte (conductive carbon particles added to a non-aqueous electrolyte). In SLRFAB, the passivation by the Li2O2 discharge product at the solid carbon-based current collector is alleviated, while the redox sites are multiplied because the oxygen redox reactions (ORR) mainly occurs at the dispersed carbon particles [2]. The development of slurries that match high electrochemical performance and rheological features suitable for an efficient flow in a battery is challenging. The effect of changing catholyte composition on SLRFAB has been deeply discussed. By a cell design evaluation, the specific energy can be increased changing the carbon content from 2% to 10%, reaching the outstanding value of ca. 900 Wh kg -1 [3]. Increasing the carbon content in the SLRFAB catholyte is an arduous approach because the carbon particles affect the viscosity of the catholyte. Thus, the best compromise between the energy of the SLRFAB and the energy required by pump for the catholyte flow, the latter being essential to the battery operation, should be found. For the first time we address the challenging study of semi-solid catholyte formulation for Li/O2 batteries. A range of catholytes for a SLRFAB is investigated, using different carbon and carbon contents. Specifically, catholytes based on Super-P® and Pureblack® in O2saturated TEGDME LiTFSI electrolyte have been studied with a focus on cyclability and rate response. The electrochemical results are presented and discussed and related to the morphology, rheology and electrical conductivity of the semi-solid catholytes. The work demonstrates that up to hundreds of cycles with areal capacity of 4 mAh cm -2 and currents higher than 0.5 mA cm -2 are achievable using 10 wt.% Pureblack® catholyte. These results open new paths towards the development of post-Li-ion and new redox flow batteries [4].


This paper examines whether there are momentum effe cts and social learning in the 2008 US Democratic primary. In the econometric model, voter s a e assumed to engage in sincere voting, but they are uncertain about candidate qual ity. Thus, voters in late states attempt to benefit from sequential voting by updating their vo ting intentions with information on voting returns from early states. The empirical applicatio n uses voting intentions of late voters and through a two-step estimation process shows whether these voting intentions are updated with the release of voting returns from early states. Ou r findings indicate that there is no social learning in the 2008 Democratic primary. Although O bama and Edwards outperformed in Iowa, voters did not update appropriately and Obama did not enjoy any momentum effect from this surprising victory relative to expectatio ns, with Clinton winning in New Hampshire. Finally, in an additional empirical specification t he paper examines the sources of voting behavior and the results show that demographic char a teristics such as gender, age, income, education and region of residence have a significan t effect on the probability to choose a candidate. Student: Despoina Sakoglou Student Number: 371199 Supervisor: Dr. Dana Sisak


As we are entering into the new business landscape, calling it "post digital era", our business world witnesses the emergence of new technology SMAC, that opens up ground for both customer and technology vendors. The indispensable technological trends social media, mobile technology, analytics and clouding (abbreviated as SMAC) join hands to bring in this Digital Transformation. Social media allows sharing and creation of knowledge easily accessible through Mobile technology which brings digital world on the fingertips of customer. The other two technology -Analytics and Cloud computing will help in allowing businesses to understand the customer's response and their buying behavior. The basic technologies compiled to produce this technology enables customer to increase their intellectual acuity and lead to new possibilities in business. In this paper we explore the potential and opportunity that will be produced by SMAC technology. General Terms Computing, Business Analytics


Chapter 5 continues to scale down a detailed presentation of archaeological survey and excavation data from the Koksu River Valley in the Semirech'ye region. Frachetti's collaborative fieldwork in this region has identified 382 archaeological sites (p. 127) that date to more than a 4,000-year period, with the settlement of Begash yielding the earliest date (2460 BCE) for mobile pastoralism in the Semirech'ye region (p. 130). Analysis of the survey data and absolute dating of archaeological features has produced a highly effective model of temporal-spatial change connected with symbolic landscapes and rock art, the construction and reuse of settlements and seasonal habitations, and the placement of stone and/or earthen tombs within the Koksu Valley. Chapter 6 continues to explore data collected from the Koksu River Valley project and models various economic, ritual, and social landscapes through the use of geographic information systems technology. What emerges from this study is a vertically transhumant form of pastoralism for Bronze Age populations wherein they moved sheep, goats, and cattle from lowland pastures in the winter to upland pastures in the spring and summer. Frachetti's study provides a clear view of seasonal ecology for the Koksu Valley and indicates that mobile pastoralists did not have to range outside of the local region to meet their yearly pasture and fodder needs for livestock. The concluding chapter synthesizes the many strengths of the volume, especially in terms of working between the localscale processes, such as the Koksu Valley, and the larger macroscale processes, such as migration, territorial expansion, and interregional trade and exchange, that have formed such a significant part of Bronze Age scholarship in Eurasia. Few scholars have focused on providing more detailed archaeological histories of local landscapes and how structured patterns of movement may have contributed to what are perceived as larger macroscale processes. In this respect, Frachetti has emerged as one of the most promising scholars of a new generation of foreign archaeologists working closely in collaboration with regional specialists to overcome such limitations. The product of this work, much of which is detailed in this book, indicates that the study and interpretation of early pastoralist societies are now on a new trajectory of development—one that seeks to contribute to not only new interpretations of macroscale change but also local landscapes and the seasonal rhythms of ancient lifeways.


Image registration is a hotspot in the field of image processing and automatic target recognition, and it can be simplified as an optimization problem, including three input variables (two translational parameters and one rotational parameter) and one output variable as the normalized cross correlation (NCC). To solve the optimization problem, we introduced in the latest nature-inspired technique, chaotic firefly algorithm (CFA), which is based on the behavior of fireflies. The simulation experiments on 18 standard benchmarks demonstrate that, for the mean absolute error of spatial translational parameter (tx and ty) and rotational parameter (θ), the CFA achieves the lowest error as 0.0253, 0.0246, and 0.0020, respectively. Therefore, CFA is effective for the rigid image registration problem.


This dissertation consists of three assays. The first assay examines the robustness of lead time demand models for the continuous review (r, Q) inventory policy. A number of classic distributions as well as distribution selection rules are examined under a wide variety of demand conditions. First, the models are compared to each other by assuming a known demand process and evaluating the errors associated with using a different model. Then, the models are examined using a large sample of simulated demand conditions. Approximation results of inventory performance measures − ready rate, expected number of backorders and on-hand inventory levels are reported. Results indicate that distribution selection rules have great potential for modeling the lead time demand. Incorporating distributions that preserve higher moment information into an inventory control system to determine the desired performance measures is a challenging task. One difficulty in applying such distributions is estimating the parameters from the data. In most cases only the demand per period is available. Thus, the demand per period moment data must be combined with the knowledge of the lead-times to represent the moments of the lead-time demand. The other difficulty lies in deriving closed form expressions that utilize an appropriate parameter fitting procedure. The second assay addresses these challenging issues by utilizing new parameter fitting strategies. The experiment results, collected under across a large number of simulated demand conditions, indicate that the models that preserve more flexible distributional form yield more accurate inventory performance measure results. The focus of the third assay is to develop generic simulation optimization techniques based on sample average approximation (SAA) in order to set policy parameters of classical inventory systems having constrained service levels. This work introduces a policy optimization procedure for the continuous review (r, Q) inventory system having a ready rate service level constraint. Two types of SAA optimization procedures are constructed based on sampling from two different simulation methods: discrete-event and Monte-Carlo simulation. The efficiency of each sampling method is evaluated through a set of experiments under a compound Poisson demand process. In addition, the applicability of the proposed optimization procedure to the other re-order type inventory systems is discussed. This dissertation is approved for recommendation to the Graduate Council Dissertation Director: —————————————————————————– Dr. Manuel D. Rossetti, Ph.D., P.E. Dissertation Committee: —————————————————————————– Dr. Edward A. Pohl, Ph.D. —————————————————————————– Dr. Nebil Buyurgan, Ph.D. —————————————————————————– Dr. Kevin M. Taaffe, Ph.D. DISSERTATION DUPLICATION RELEASE I hereby authorize the University of Arkansas Libraries to duplicate this dissertation when needed for research and/or scholarship.


Along with the rapid development of social networks,social network worms have constituted one of the major internet security problems.In the paper,the social network worm propagation is discussed from the viewpoint of social engineering,and a human behavior model based on game theory is presented for predicting the expected actions of network user encountered with worm messages.By analyzing network users' diurnal activity behaviors,a discrete social network accessing model is proposed to characterize the general human habit of accessing certain social network.Then a simulation system is constructed with the two models and validated by simulations on the effect of human factors on propagations.Finally,the results of simulation experiments on artificial social networks show the impacts of network topology and number of hybrid nodes on social network worm propagation and indicate that this simulation system can provide great support for social network worm related researches.


Forest and wild life are essential for ecological balance of an area. Forest is an important component of our environment and economy. Forest products are classified into timber forest products (TFPs) and non-timber forest products (NTFPs). Morni Hills of Haryana is rich in floristic diversity having various species of trees, shrubs, herbs and climbers. Phytodiversity also supports wild-life in this area. In Morni Hills total 186 species were found which yield timber forest products (TFPs) and non-timber forest products (NTFPs).


Diurnal variations of chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and rapid light curves of endangered plant Ulmus elongata seedlings were determined by using Li-6400XT portable photosynthesis system.The results showed that the actual photochemical efficiency(ΦPSⅡ),electron transport rate(ETR)of photosystem Ⅱ(PSⅡ)were stable throughout the daytime,and decreased significantly at 18:00 pm.Photochemical quenching(qP)increased firstly at morning and then decreased after midday,non-photochemical quenching(NPQ)showed the opposite changes,the minimum at noon,indicating that the light use efficiency of Ulmus elongata seedlings were high.The rapid light curves showed that actual photochemical efficiency(ΦPSⅡ)and photochemical quenching(qP)decreased while the photosynthetic active radiation(PAR)increased,electron transport rate(ETR)and non-photochemical quenching(NPQ)increased while the photosynthetic active radiation(PAR)increased.The power function could fit well the actual photochemical efficiency(ΦPSⅡ)and electron transport rate(ETR)with the light intensity changes,while the logarithmic function could fit well the actual photochemical quenching(qP)and non-photochemical quenching(NPQ).


Character education is a system that aims to shape character by developing the potential in each one to match character values. Character education is structured based on the values contained in Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution. In the beginning, character education was considered not very important, but as the world developed, character education was finally highlighted. Character education is deemed vital because it shapes and develops potential, strengthens and improves, and filters out other things that do not follow the character values in everyday life and Pancasila.Character education can be a stronghold in various circumstances, even in emergencies such as the Covid-19 pandemic. However, in preventing the spread of Covid-19, many violations of health protocols resulted in unsuccessful character education, so strengthening character education was needed. Strengthening character education aims to improve the harmonization of taste, emotion, mind, and body so that character values are emphasized again.This book aims to provide solutions regarding strengthening character education, namely by gradually supporting character education to increase awareness of the importance of implementing health protocols and reducing the number of cases infected with Covid-19. The author provides a new perspective on how to strengthen character during the pandemic effectively. This review aims to inform the contents of the book "Important Character Education in the Covid-19 Era: Strengthening Character Education Prepares Peer Tutor Students in the Family and Ska Youth Organization" to readers so that lessons can be taken so that they can implement in life. This book is intended for all people to increase awareness of health protocols.


As clinicians, physician leaders place great value on preserving their professional identity and autonomy (sec Box, p. 28, bottom). What they determine to be the best interests of the patient drives their decision making. Physician leaders, as administrators, on the other hand, serve as participative agents of the organization through active planning and the delegation of tasks. These two prototypical roles—clinician and administratortend to be very different and incorigruent, a fact that often leaves the physician leader in a kind of "'no man's land."


Law enforcement and intelligence agencies have long realized that analysis of co-offending networks, networks of offenders who have committed crimes together, is invaluable for crime investigation, crime reduction and prevention. Investigating crime can be a challenging and difficult task, especially in cases with many potential suspects and inconsistent witness accounts or inconsistencies between witness accounts and physical evidence. We present here a novel approach to crime suspect recommendation based on partial knowledge of offenders involved in a crime incident and a known co-offending network. To solve this problem, we propose a random walk based method for recommending the top-K potential suspects. By evaluating the proposed method on a large crime dataset for the Province of British Columbia, Canada, we show experimentally that this method outperforms baseline random walk and association rule-based methods. Additionally, results obtained for public domain data from experiments for co-author recommendation on a DBLP co-authorship network are consistent with those on the crime dataset. Compared to the crime dataset, the performance of all competitors is much better on the DBLP dataset, confirming that crime suspect recommendation is an inherently harder task.


Is My Child A Bully? No one would wish to have their children bullied, but what if you are the mom of a child bully? Statistics show that 20 percent ...


In t roduct ion In 1875 in paper [3] , the f i r s t example of a d i s c o n t i nuous Darboux funct ion was given. Since tha t t i n e , there have appeared many papers devoted to the study of the proper t ies of those func t ions . I t has turned out that the family of Darboux func t ions contains many other important c l a s ses of func t ions such as , f o r ins tance , de r iva t ives ( [ 3 ] ) , func t ions being approximate der iva t ives ( [ 5 ] ) , and even c e r t a i n subfamil ies of the c lasses of de r iva t ives and approximate de r iva t ives that oan take i n f i n i t e values ( [ 7 ] , [19]) . The proving of a number of i n t e r e s t i n g proper t ies f o r r e a l Darboux func t ions of a r e a l var iab le accounted f o r seeking a gene ra l i za t ion of the notion of a Darboux func t ion to the case of t ransformat ions defined and taking t h e i r values in more abs t rao t spaoes. I t should be s t ressed here t h a t , both in the case of r e a l func t ions of a r e a l var iab le and in mors general cases , there were a lso invest igated funct ions whose d e f i n i t i o n s were "close to the d e f i n i t i o n of a Darboux func t i o n " . Various genera l i za t ions of the notion of a Darboux funct ion to the case of t ransformat ions defined and taking t h e i r values in more abs t rac t spaces oan be found, among o the r s , in papers [ 2 ] , [4 ] , [S»j, [11], [ 13] and [14]. A l i s t and an ana lys i s of many such genera l i za t ions can be found in [6] . An e s s e n t i a l d i f f i c u l t y in f inding a genera l i za t ion preserving the proper t ies of r e a l Darboux func t ions of a r e a l


The purpose of this paper is to introduce a method developed to calculate the dynamic penetration resistance qd from penetration tests without the need to resort to empirical or adjustment factors....


Context. Thanks to the high-precision photometry from space missions such as Kepler and TESS, tidal perturbations and tilting of pulsations have been detected in more than a dozen binary systems. However, only two of these were g-mode pulsators. Aims. We aim to detect tidally perturbed g modes in additional binary systems and characterise them observationally. Methods. We perform a custom data reduction of the available Kepler and TESS photometry of a well-studied sample of 35 binary systems with gamma Doradus pulsators. For each target, we model the binary signal using a sum of 100 sine waves, with frequencies at orbital harmonics, and measure significant pulsation frequencies by iteratively prewhitening the residual light curve. Pulsations are labelled as tidally perturbed g modes if they are part of both period-spacing patterns and orbital-frequency-spaced multiplets. After visual inspection and confirmation, the properties of these targets and g modes are characterised. Results. We detect tidally perturbed g-mode pulsations for five short-period binaries that are circularised and (almost) synchronously rotating: KIC3228863, KIC3341457, KIC4947528, KIC9108579, and KIC12785282. Tidally perturbed g modes that occur within the same star and have the same mode identification (k,m), are found to have near-identical relative amplitude and phase modulations, which are within their respective 1-sigma uncertainties also identical for the Kepler and TESS photometric passbands. By contrast, pulsations with different mode identification (k,m) are found to exhibit different modulations. Moreover, the observed amplitude and phase modulations are correlated, indicating that the binary tides primarily distort g-mode amplitudes on the stellar surface. The phase modulations are then primarily a geometric effect of the integration of the stellar flux over the visible stellar surface. (abbreviated)


The influence of the welding process on the fracture toughness of the heat-affected zone was studied in 14CrMoV69 steel and 18Ni maraging steel. To obtain a wide heat-affected zone parallel w i th the fusion line, a special welding geometry and high energy input was applied. The wide heat-affected zone permitted direct correlation between the different microstructure in it and the fracture toughness measurements, if the initial crack was produced at the point of interest. In 14CrMoV69 steel the microhardness in the heat-affected zone changes continuously f rom its highest value near the edge of the fusion zone to the lowest value near the base metal — a result of the microstructure obtained by various cooling rates. In 18Ni maraging steel a definite minimum in the microhardness was observed in the heat-affected zone at a distance of 1 mm from the fusion line. The appearance of t h i s minimum was attributed to the formation of stabilized austenite caused by some partit ioning of the alloying elements between the a and yphases. The fracture toughness measurements were performed at three distances from the edge of the fusion zone in the 14CrMoV69 steel and at two distances in the maraging steel. In the first, the highest K c values B.-Z. WEISS is professor. Department of Materials Engineering, Technion — Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel: H. D. STEFFENS is director and K. SEIFERT is senior scientist, AFAM (Arbeitsgruppe fur Angewandte Materialforschungj, Bremen-Lesum, West Germany. were obtained in the weld fusion zone, the lowest in the base metal. But the approximate values of K|c , calculated by means of Irwin's relationship, show almost the same values for the base metal and the heat-affected zone, and higher values for the weld fusion zone. In the maraging steel the highest K|c values were found in the heat-affected zone at a distance of 0.8 mm from the fusion line. A t 1.6 mm from the fusion line and in the base metal the K|C values were almost the same. The lowest K|c values were found in the weld fusion zone. The fractographic investigations showed that essentially the unstable fracture in both steels occurs by the wel l -known mechanism of microvoid formation and coalescence.


A cap (1) for covering a lift hole of a lifting lug of a concrete slab, which cap comprises a flat circular skirt (4) and a central portion (5), wherein from the lower surface of the flat skirt extends one continuous circular protrusion (6) or a plurality of smaller protrusions (8) in circular formation, wherein the central portion (5) extends upwards from the skirt (4) and is formed to be pressed down so that the upper part of the lifting lug (2) breaks through the central portion.


A new method is presented for accurate fault location on a distribution line with branches which integrates the C-type-traveling-wave location method with Artificial Neural Network (ANN). The aim is to improve the accuracy of fault location. There are two steps in the new fault location scheme. The first step is determining the fault distance accurately by C-type of traveling wave location method; the second one is locating the fault branch by ANN method. Both theoretical analyses and ATP simulation demonstrate the feasibility of this composite location method to determine the single phase grounding fault location accurately in the distribution network.


The film formed on lithium in was examined in a scanning electron microscope. The effects of Fe and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) on the film thickness and morphology were studied and correlated to voltage delay in batteries. The PVC additive decreases the effective film thickness, changes its crystal morphology, and improves voltage delay. Contamination with Fe increases the film thickness and increases the voltage recovery time. When PVC and Fe are present, PVC partially masks the effect of Fe contamination, decreasing the film thickness and improving voltage delay.


The nitroheterocyclic compounds have proved to be very effective antimicrobial agents and very valuable member of limited armamentarium of antiprotozoal agents. A number of 5-nitoimidazole with substitution at 2-position with various substitutent are found to modify the antibacterial spectrum. Some 2-substituted nitroimidazole analogues were designed, synthesized and characterized. The synthesized compounds were tested for their antibacterial sensitivity against Gram-positive anaerobe (C. sporogenus) and Gramnegative anaerobe (B.fragilis) using macro broth dilution method. All the synthesized compounds exhibit good activity at 10 mcg/ml against Gram-negative anaerobe compared to standard control tinidazole and metronidazole, while remain inactive against Gram-positive anaerobe.


We study the contact terms that appear in the correlation functions of exactly marginal operators using the anti-de Sitter/conformal field theory (AdS/CFT) correspondence. It is known that CFT with an exactly marginal deformation requires the existence of the contact terms with their coefficients having a geometrical interpretation in the context of conformal manifolds. We show that the AdS/CFT correspondence captures properly the mathematical structure of the correlation functions that is expected from the CFT analysis. For this purpose, we employ a holographic renormalization group to formulate a most general setup in the bulk for describing an exactly marginal deformation. The resultant bulk equations of motion are nonlinear and solved perturbatively to obtain the on-shell action. We compute three- and four-point functions of the exactly marginal operators using the GKP–Witten prescription, and show that they match the expected results precisely. The cut-off surface prescription in the bulk serves as a regularization scheme for conformal perturbation theory in the boundary CFT. As an application, we examine a double OPE limit of the four-point functions. The anomalous dimensions of double trace operators are written in terms of the geometrical data of a conformal manifold.


High performance liquid chromatographic and TLC densitometric assay methods for 2,2'-dicarbomethoxy amino 5,5'- dibenzimidazolyl ketone (C.D.R.I.Code No. 82/437) a new antifilarial compound, are described. The sensitivity of the HPLC method was found to be 0.5 mcg/ml, and that of the TLC densitometric method 0.5 mcg.


Abstract: An interruption is a randomly occurring, discrete event that breaks the continuity of cognitive focus on a primary task and typically requires immediate attention and demands action. This article investigates the effect of the timing of an interruption and source on both demanding and non-demanding tasks. Time logs of daily work activities from 21 white collar workers were analyzed. The findings show that interruptions have a negative impact on worker performance when they occur at the middle or end of the current/primary task. In addition, results show that the majority of the interruptions were externally generated (78%) rather than internally generated. The more demanding the tasks that were interrupted, the greater the negative impact on the overall performance. Suggestions for reducing the impact of interruptions are also discussed.


In this paper, we consider a formal asymptotic study of homogeneous slender cylinders made of a Saint-Venant Kirchhoff material submitted to dead loads. Depending on the order of magnitude of the applied loads, we obtain a hierarchy of four one-dimensional models starting from the nonlinear theory of extensible strings to the nonlinear theory of flexible bars. Our approach is based on the resolution of a sequence of recursive minimization problems.


When used in combination with source management strategies, monitored natural attenuation (MNA) is likely to be a technically feasible remediation option if the contaminant persistence time along the flow path is less than (a) the transport time to the compliance point and (b) the time available for groundwater remediation objectives to be achieved. Biodegradation is often the most significant natural attenuation process for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) in groundwater. While BTEX transport rates increase with groundwater velocity, examination of data obtained from the published literature for seven sites undergoing MNA revealed significant positive correlations between groundwater velocity and first-order biodegradation rates for toluene (r = 0.83, P < 0.05), ethylbenzene (r = 0.93, P < 0.01), m- and p-xylene (r = 0.96, P < 0.01), and o-xylene (r = 0.78, P < 0.05). This is attributed to increased dispersion at higher velocities leading to more mixing of electron acceptors with the contaminant plume. There was no positive correlation between groundwater velocity and first-order biodegradation rates for benzene due to noise in the relationship caused by variations in (a) the concentrations of electron acceptors in the uncontaminated groundwater and (b) the proportions of benzene in the total BTEX concentration in the source area. A regression model of the relationship between groundwater velocity and the first-order biodegradation rate can be used to delineate operating windows for groundwater velocity within which the contaminant persistence time is less than the transport and remediation times for a given source concentration, target concentration, distance to compliance point, retardation factor, and remediation time. The operating windows can provide decision makers with a rapid indication of whether MNA is likely to be a technically feasible remediation option at a given site. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


In this letter, the distance-duality (DD) relation is reconstructed by Gaussian process (GP) which is cosmological model-independent. Generally, the GP plays two important roles. One is to shape the $\eta$ tendency which denotes the deviation from the DD relation, the other one is to produce the luminosity-distance (LD, $D_{L}$) and the angular-diameter-distance (ADD, $D_{A}$) data at the same redshift. The shapes of $\eta$ are given out based on SNe Ia (Type Ia supernovae) data with different light-curve fitters (including MLCS2K2 and SALT2) and ADD data with different galaxy cluster morphologies (including the elliptical $\beta$ and spherical $\beta$ models). The data related to MLCS2K2 light-curve fitter have higher values of $\eta$ compared to that related to the SALT2 light-curve fitter. As for the morphology of galaxy cluster, the DD relation is favored by the elliptical one.


Although pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) has become widely recognized as an essential part of the knowledge base for teaching, empirical evidence demonstrating a connection between PCK and teaching practice or student learning outcomes is mixed. In response, we argue for further attention to the measurement of dynamic (spontaneous or flexible, as opposed to static) aspects of PCK. We identify a set of trade-offs entailed in the measurement of teachers' PCK and propose two video-based interview methods for eliciting teachers' PCK. We describe a study in which we used these methods to elicit high-school physics teachers' PCK for the topic of force and motion. Interview 1 was based on video clips from teachers' own classroom instruction and elicited the reasoning underlying their instructional decision making. In Interview 2, teachers responded to a standard set of video clips highlighting both typical and unexpected student thinking. Although all six teachers demonstrated the main components of their declarative PCK consistently across the two interviews, Interview 2 allowed us to characterize a more dynamic form of PCK that may underlie teachers' in-the-moment instructional reasoning. When exhibiting strong dynamic PCK, teachers appeared to rely heavily on their declarative PCK as they reasoned about new examples of student thinking and corresponding instructional responses. In addition, demonstrations of dynamic PCK included features likely to support further PCK development, including a willingness to think critically about evidence of student thinking, physics content, and pros and cons of instructional representations. Although we were able to detect seemingly meaningful differences in teachers' declarative and dynamic PCK, diversity in and the contextualized nature of the responses demonstrating strong PCK raise questions about the possibility of differentiating between such responses for measurement purposes and, thus, the potential for moving beyond elicitation, to measurement, of dynamic forms of PCK. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach.


Summary In this study it was aimed to determine the levels of plasma vitamin A and β-karoten and vitamin E in healthy and mastitic cows in Kars and Ardahan region. In this study 20 healthy and 20 mastitic cows between 3 and 7 ages from different villages in Kars and Ardahan region were used. Before taking blood samples from the cows, it was tested by California Mastitis Test (CMT) in order to determine whether they are with mastitis or not. In the samples obtained from healthy and mastitic groups were significant difference between levels of plasma vitamin A (p<0.01), β-carotene (p<0.01) and vitamin E (p<0.001). In conclusion, the reason why plasma vitamin E levels of healthy cows were higher than the mastitic cows was determined that various bio-chemical reactions exiting the breast cells as a result of the stres that the cows with mastitis faced in this period. Besides, it was concluded that healthy cows had much metabolic affects depending on the plasma vitamin A and β-carotene disease stress.


Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs), on account of their attractive properties, have now begun to witness a few commercial applications, e.g. in coatings and micro-gears. Additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing, although established for crystalline alloys, has only recently been used for synthesising BMG components. The issues arising in 3D printing of BMGs are of current relevance, and this review focuses on the key scientific aspects, namely vitrification (or crystallisation) during printing, mechanical properties of printed glassy alloys and the use of AM in identifying newer BMGs. Available data on crystallisation during printing of a variety of BMGs are analysed in terms of schematic TTT diagrams and the complex interplay between thermal cycles, the presence of quenched-in nuclei in the glass and oxygen contamination in a way that is hoped to be broadly applicable to most alloy systems. Also reviewed are three key factors influencing mechanical properties of printed BMGs, i.e. porosity, crystallinity and oxygen contamination and thereby potential strategies for improvement are suggested. The review concludes with a discussion on the use of AM for combinatorial alloy development aimed at identifying better glass-forming compositions, which may in turn facilitate greater use of AM in manufacturing glassy components with desired properties.


We present a simple image preprocessing method for training VAEs leading to improved disentanglement compared to directly using the images. In particular, we propose to use regionally aggregated feature maps extracted from CNNs pretrained on ImageNet. Our method achieves the first rank on 3 of 5 metrics on the challenge's public leaderboard.


Botswana has been hailed as one of the few African countries that has tackled the HIV and AIDS scourge head on. This is evident in the number of measures she put in place to curb the pandemic, these include among others free distribution of Anti-Viral drugs, preventing transmissions of the virus from pregnant mothers to child by rolling out Prevention from Mother to Child Transmission Programme (PMCT) to mention but a few. Despite all these initiatives new infections continue to rise and people are still dying of HIV and AIDS related ailments. The question that comes to mind is where has Botswana gone wrong? It is as a result of these recurring incidents that the paper argues that in spite of all the concerted efforts, the zero stigma, zero discrimination and zero infection remains a farfetched dream. The paper will discuss at length why the slogan is an impossible dream by looking at specifically male prisoners who have been requesting the Botswana Government to provide them with condoms because of their vulnerability within the prison cells. Secondly, sexual minorities of Botswana who survive behind the mask will be discussed. In the former, the government has refused to bend stating it was unconstitutional. Since male and female prisoners did not share prison facilities by distributing condoms they will be encouraging illegal acts within prisons designated to males. By virtue of being unrecognised by the Constitution of Botswana, sexual minorities of Botswana continue to be under constant attack from the Botswana Government and the Church. Unless these two issues are fully addressed, the paper concludes that zero stigma, zero discrimination and zero infection for Botswana will always remain out of reach. E.P. Motswapong & S.K. Mmolai 106


In the July 1970 issue of this journal, I suggested that the prevailing Western conception of the role of agriculture in Soviet rapid development rests upon inadequate theoretical and empirical foundations and :may therefore be quite wrong. Professor Alec Nove's defence of the prevailing view in the January 197I issue clarifies his position and thereby highlights our differences. I shall address my reply to three main issues: I) the measurement of the net contribution of agriculture during rapid industrialization, 2) the analytic usefulness of the concept of an agricultural 'surplus' and 3) the evaluation of mass collectivization. In my article I argued that the net surplus of an agricultural sector cannot be measured unambiguously. Professor Nove claims that the 'net agricultural surplus' cannot be measured at all in the Soviet case (pp. 398-9), which is a very different kind of assertion. What I meant -was that, because a measure like the net surplus is sensitive to the price weights used to compute it, the size and/or the sign of the net product flow between agriculture and non-agriculture may differ for each set of price relatives selected. This in no way means that measurement is impossible, and the net surplus of agriculture as I defined it is certainly measurable. In fact, a Soviet economic historian, A. A. Barsov, has recently attempted to measure the net agricultural surplus for 1928-32 (inclusive) on the basis of previously unexploited archival data and other more familiar sources.'


The main principle the Israeli state relies upon when dealing with documented and undocumented foreign workers is non-involvement. This course of action reflects the restrictive character of Israeli migration regime toward non-Jews. In the first place, the aim is to prevent permanent settlement of foreign workers and therefore, their gradual recognition as residents of Israel. Within the framework of Israeli ethno-nationalism and its immanent dynamic of segregation, foreign workers constitute one isolated group among others. So far the labor migration regime is following ethno-national rules, the labor market can be regularly supplied with workers without challenging the Jewish character of the state. One can observe that recent dynamics in recruitment, such as Asianization, feminization as well as non-recruitment from Arab countries, are not posing a threat to ethno-nationalism but rather consolidate it.


he so-called new view of protein foldat equilibrium as an expa ing describes the process in terms of native state (8, 9). funnel-shaped energy landscapes (1, 2). In The framework hypoth this view, the drive for a protein to fold to when it was found that p its native state originates from a strong corresponding to second slope of the energy landscape toward naements could be partly i tive conformations. However, this can be sence of tertiary interacti counteracted by roughness of the energy development of new mel landscape that could render the folding tein folding field allowei reaction less effective, a phenomenon the folding reaction wi called frustration. A major question occuresolution to distinguis pying the protein folding community in models. These were the recent years is the relative importance of hydrogen-exchange tech: protein topology and sequence in deterthe protein engineering r mining the folding The mechanism of proteins. vide, In this issue of PNAS abou


The expansion of the federal net of public higher education in Brazil, since 2003, has increased the access and has contributed to the regionalization of the offer of places in the country. The graduate student's knowledge in society and in the job market has contributed to the management and the quality of the universities in this expansion process. The article shows a case study with graduate students' interviews from Centro de Educacao Superior Norte-RS from Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (Brazil), in order to know the reality and the job context, the compatibility between the professionals' learning and the demands of 1 Professor na URI, Campus Frederico Westphalen e Tecnico em Assuntos Educacionais na UFSM, Campus


Ovariectomized ewes were treated with silastic rubber implants releasing constant amounts of estradiol. During this time the ewes were treated with progesterone-releasing implants for 8–12 d, followed by a 5-d rest period and a second period of progesterone exposure of approximately 12 d duration. Following the first exposure to progesterone all ewes experienced a transient, but large release of LH and FSH from the pituitary, resembling that seen in intact ewes prior to ovulation (the so called preovulatory LH and FSH surges), but with amplitudes in the lower end of the range for the preovulatory surges in intact ewes. Following the second exposure to progesterone, the amplitudes of LH and FSH surges were reduced in most ewes. Altering mean progesterone levels between 0.9 ± 0.43 ng mL−1 and 2.2 ± 0.26 ng mL−1 in the second exposure did not affect the amplitude of LH or FSH surges, neither did altering estradiol levels from physiological to 4 × physiological. However, altering the temporal pattern of proge...


Based on the main activities of passengers in transport hubs,firstly the facilities may include exit entrance zone,selling checking zone,transfer zone,boarding alighting platform zone and assistant activities zone,and so on;secondly,the evaluation indicator system is established on the classification of facilities in the hubs.According to the classification of three main lines,three kinds of passenger flows and five passenger activity zones,the index system may be composed of hubs' mustering evacuating indicators,individual passenger indicators,colony passenger indicators,facilities functional indicators,facilities application index and facilities reliability indicators and so on. Then the data structures and relationships of the simulation system are analyzed according to the classification rule of three kinds of data sources,four kinds of data types and five kinds of data relationships.Lastly,the paper puts forward the functionality modules and simulation control strategies of the simulation system,providing academic and technical foundations for the application development of simulation system.


The present study proposes new technique to implement pressure sensitive coating on porous anodized aluminum. The new technique is called pressure sensitive foil (PSFoil). It is based on the conventional anodized aluminum pressure sensitive paint (AAPSP) technique. In this technique, a very thin aluminum foil is coated with pressure sensitive paint using anodization method. The resulting pressure sensitive foil (PS-Foil) can be stick over any flat surface using a very thin silicon layer. The PS-Foil technique shows very fast time response as conventional porous anodized aluminum and high spatial resolution compared with conventional PSP binder based techniques. It can also be applied to any existing model surface without the need to fabricate the model from aluminum. The total thickness of the aluminum foil and silicon layer is as small as 250 micro-meters. The paint employed in the present research is Bathophen Ruthenium Chloride (Ru(ph2-phen) or Ru(dpp) ). Commercially available inexpensive, high quality, 14-bit, CCD camera is used to capture the PSP images. Intensity based method and "in-situ" calibration procedure are used to obtain the calibrated PSP images. The proposed technique was applied to measure the pressure distribution over a flat plate due to subsonic jet impingement at different impingement angles. The resulting PSP images showed high spatial resolution of the pressure distribution and pressure difference as low as 0.5 kPa can be measured.


The presence of Law No. 6 of 2014 on Villages provides a legitimate umbrella for the establishment of BUM Desa as a village financial manager that oversees the potential of villages to work on government assistance to residents together. The development of BUM Desa, to encourage the social welfare of the community through established business units, has not been in line with expectations. Permendesa Number 4 of 2015 on the establishment, management, and dissolution of village-owned enterprises is a guideline for regions and villages in the formation and management of BUM Desa. The existence of laws and regulations is not enough for every village to establish BUMDesa. There are hundreds or even thousands of villages that even to this day have not established BUM Desa. The cause of the condition that occurs is due to the obstacles that occur in the village. It is necessary to know the obstacles experienced by most villages in Bum Desa so that they cannot run according to the goals or expectations expected by the government.


Chronic diarrhoea is a common clinical problem with a plethora of possible causes and underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. The value of diagnostic assessment by laboratory testing, stool analysis, evaluation of bile acid malabsorption, endoscopy, breath testing and radiological imaging techniques is discussed. The decision to focus investigations on excluding certain pathologies remains a matter of clinical judgement. Functional diarrhoea and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) being the most frequent causes of chronic diarrhoea, recent insights in the role of dietary management, management of dysbiosis by pre-, proand antibiotics and faecal microbiota transplantation, as well as targeted treatment by spasmolytics, 5-HT3 receptor antagonists and eluxadoline will be reviewed.


In the stability analysis of gravity dam foundation,the safety factor is hard to achieve the permissible value when the intensity parameter of the structural plane is low.Here,based on several engineering design examples in China and by checking computations and comparisons,the applicability and recommended safety factors of the shear resistant formula are put forward.The result shows that the shear resistant formula could be applicable for flabbily structural planes,and the safety factors suitable for the formula are also adopted.


In this paper, we describe the experience gained when Evolutionary Algorithms were applied to SATB music composition and the impact it is demonstrating in Spanish Professional Music Conservatories for the last three years. To our knowledge, this is the first time that an EA-inspired tool has been used at a national level in music conservatories.


Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) has been used around the world to help drill wells where there is a tight mud weight (MW) window, due to the ability of the technology to more accurately control annular bottom hole pressure (BHP) while drilling, tripping and during connections. This paper presents the case history of the Harding PNE2a well design and execution in 2012, with particular focus on the planning process, design methodology and execution particulars associated with the use of MPD as the enabling technology to drill, case and cement the well. The team also employed a novel Fluid Pressure Transmission Pill (FPTP) i , composed of a cross-linked polymer, to maintain hydrostatic pressure while tripping BHAs and during deployment of the liner and sand control equipment. Earlier attempts to drill Extended Reach Drilling (ERD) wells from the Harding platform to the PNE4 and PNE2 reservoir targets resulted in drilling issues including packoffs and severe lost circulation due to BHP departing from the tight window of useable mud weights between the pressures at which the formation is expected to collapse or fracture. Use of MPD on the PNE2a well directly contributed to achievement of the well's objectives, and the operation was able to provide good control of BHP throughout the well construction process, in both 12-1/4" and 81/2" sections. This led to the long unstable shale sections being maintained with no cavings being observed while drilling, a first for the field, and the cementation of the long 9-5/8" liner being performed without losses despite the tight operating window and the use of conventional cements. Background and Drilling Challenges The Harding Field is a mature North Sea platform development upon which an infill drilling project has been initiated to access the remaining oil. This tends to lie in more distant, hard to reach targets, including those in the far North of the field, and a new field located south of the platform. These would be accessed by ERD wells. A combination of reservoir depletion and weak interbedded sands and shales has resulted in a further reduction in the already narrow MW window between fracture and formation collapse pressures. The window had decreased from 2 ppg to 0.7 ppg, equivalent to a 200 psi BHP window. Extended reach drilling to access the oil accumulations most distant from the platform would generate equivalent circulating densities that are 50% greater than the available MW window, and are therefore not conventionally drillable. It was thought that MPD may be a suitable technology for accessing these remaining reserves. The IC6 well was drilled in early 2010 and was the first to trial MPD for the Harding operator in the North Sea, although the technology was only used in drilling the reservoir section. IC6 was chosen as a test well for MPD as it was felt that there should be a good chance of success with conventional drilling. Thus if operational issues were experienced with the MPD system, a return to conventional drilling could be made without jeopardising the success of the well. The 8-1/2" x 9-7/8" reservoir section of IC6 was drilled MPD at inclinations of 80 – 90° within a downhole mud weight window of 11.8 – 12.8ppg, demonstrating that despite some operational issues, the use of MPD was appropriate for Harding.


We have been studying methods of transmitting electronic-character information into braille to facilitate access for visually or both sight and hearing impaired persons. In this study, we devised new braille-transmission methods and experimented to evaluate the intelligibility of passive reception on a limited number of display devices. The 6-digit/character method, which distribute 6 points of braille to 6 corresponding fingers and stimulates each fingertip, produced a 90 percent or higher rate of recognition for the presented braille characters. On the basis of the evaluation result, a new method for presenting sequence of braille data was devised and teletext broadcasting braille-transmission equipment was developed.


The article considers the methodology of research of legal liability for violations of forest legislation, as well as methodological tools specific to this area of jurisprudence, which provides a comprehensive and comprehensive study of this phenomenon. Methodological approaches that are crucial for the disclosure of this topic include systemic, historical and demanding approaches. Examples of normative-legal acts which were investigated by means of system, logical, historical-chronological and hermeneutic methods are given.

The methodology for researching legal liability for violation of forest legislation as a social phenomenon includes general philosophical approaches common to all sciences, methods of other legal and non-legal sciences, as well as methodological tools typical for this particular area of jurisprudence, which provides a comprehensive and comprehensive study of this phenomenon. The methodological approaches, which are of decisive importance for the disclosure of this topic, include the systemic, historical and need-based approaches. Among the general philosophical, general scientific and special scientific research methods, which reveal as fully as possible the problems of legal responsibility for violation of forest legislation, include methods based on three laws of dialectics, logical (in which methods of analysis, synthesis, abstraction are highlighted), historical-chronological, hermeneutic, comparative and formal legal. The examples of normative legal acts, which were studied using a systematic approach, logical, historical-chronological and hermeneutic methods, are given.

Key words: legal responsibility, forestry legislation, methodology, methodological approach, method, general scientific methods, normative legal act, penalties.


Symposium 14: When does type 1 diabetes mellitus begin? Preclinical stage Type 1 diabetes mellitus is the prototypical form of the autoimmune mediated form of diabetes. Classically, T1D is classified as pre-symptomatic T1D, characterized by a decrease of the asymptomatic beta-cell mass, and symptomatic T1D, in which state the symptoms of hyperglycemia start showing. Alternatively, T1D can be subdivided into three stages: stage 1, characterized by the presence of autoantibodies and the lack of dysglycemia; stage 2, characterized by the presence of both autoantibodies and dysglycemia, and stage 3, in which symptoms begin to appear (symptomatic T1D). Tries of staging of autoimmune T1D are useful when people sign up for secondary prevention trials. Autoimmunity marked by the presence of autoantibodies directed toward autoantigens of beta-cells tends to be present months or years before the loss of beta-cells begins.


The yields of 12 tested Chinese cabbage varieties cultivated in the open were all lower than that of the control Qingyan 1,but higher than that of another control Zaoshu 5.The varieties of Zaoshu 8,Naire 5 and Zaoshu 9 had shorter growth periods,higher yields of cleaned cabbage and excellent disease-resistance and heat-tolerance,and they were suit for the local summer planting.All the tested varieties showed high resistance to virus diseases with no occurrence of downy mildew but varying occurrence degrees of soft rot.


This paper presents new convex conditions to design robust and linear parameter varying (LPV) gains for continuous time‐varying systems subject to saturating actuator and energy bounded disturbances. The input‐to‐state stability conditions are used to design controllers ensuring the minimization of the L2 ‐gain between the disturbance input and the controlled output. Furthermore, optimization procedures to maximize the estimate of the region of attraction, and the bound to the control signal as well, are formulated. The efficacy of the proposed methods is illustrated with numerical examples, including a reference tracking problem, where realistic simulations are performed.


In this paper, a broad band reconfigurable phase shifter designs utilizing composite right/left-handed transmission line (CRLH TL) metamaterials is demonstrated for X-band applications. Metamaterial unit cells are designed that allows seamless integration of active devices (varactor diodes) in order to achieve reconfigurability. Design equations and properties with arbitrary phase, band-pass characteristic, and dispersion/attenuation diagram are presented. To achieve broadband design, two metamaterial unit cells are cascaded together having resonant frequencies of 8.95 and 10.25 GHz. On average, 18-degrees of phase tuning are demonstrated over a wide bandwidth (~2 GHz) range with high linearity.


The use of an internal fixation plate in the presence of a bone defect was studied using a theoretical model of an idealized long bone having a circular cross section and loaded using a combination of axial and bending loads. The analysis showed that the "bending‐open" loading mode does not occur if, in the normal unplated bone, the line of action of the resultant axial load passes within the outer cortex at the location where the plate is to be applied. In this situation the fracture will deform in a "bending‐closed" mode regardless of whether the plate is attached to the tension or the compression side. If bony contact cannot be achieved, lower plate stress is always encountered when the plate is attached to the compression side instead of the tension side. In vivo verification of the model was addressed in a pilot experiment using instrumented metal plates applied bilaterally to the femora of one dog. Bilateral bone defects were created in the midfemoral canine diaphysis. On one leg the plate was applied to the lateral aspect ("tension" side), and on the other leg the plate was applied to the medial aspect ("compression" side). The plate attached to the lateral aspect deformed plastically in the bending‐closed mode. The contralateral plate that was attached to the medial aspect (compression side) of the femur did not show signs of plastic deformation. Furthermore, the plate strains were lower in the plate attached to the medial aspect than those in the plate attached to the lateral aspect. The results and analysis of this study suggest that when applying plates to diaphyseal fractures where bony stability cannot be achieved, it may be acceptable or even desirable to attach the plate to the compression side of the bone.


In producing welded joints in DU800 bimetallic pipes of the multiple forced circulation circuit [parent metal – 22K pearlitic steel and stainless steel cladding (04Kh20N10G2B steel)] for RBMK-1000 nuclear energy systems, the producing and assembling companies initially carried out welding of the outer side of the main layer of the pipeline made of the pearlitic steel and this was followed by welding (reconditioning) the protective deposit (cladding layer) inside the pipeline. The welding (deposition) of the cladding layer inside the pipeline is a complicated technological operation, even in the assembling conditions. The execution of this operation in repair after service, taking into account the requirements of the RB standard, makes his operation not only exceptionally complicated but, taking into account radiation doses, also unsafe. The Scientific Research Institute of Heavy Engineering (TsNIITMASh) developed and carried out investigations of a new technology of repair of DU800 bimetallic pipelines of the MCS of RBMK-100 power units on the outer side ('one-sided' welding) without affecting the protective cladding of the root sections of the welded joint.


We numerically showed that the squeezing time (photon number squeezing) in second harmonic (SH) generation increases as the photon number in the fundamental mode increases. The squeezing time in the third harmonic (TH) generation decreases as compared to the SH. We are graphically comparing the sub-Poissonian statistics in both cases: SH and TH for the different photon number in the fundamental mode.


The paper reviews three development stages of national engineering construction supervision,and analyses the three important problems in the process after joining into WTO.Finally,some suggestion on national actual construction industry situation is put forward.


Cochlear implants are able to restore some degree of hearing to deafened individuals; however implant users are particularly susceptible to background noise. The effect of noise can be assessed using vowel and consonant confusions measured in listening experiments. The paper presents three signal processing methods developed to predict patterns in vowel and consonant confusion in noise for cochlear implant users. Prediction performance is tested using the results of a listening experiment conducted with acoustic models of two cochlear implant speech processors and normal hearing subjects. Confusion prediction is based on prediction metrics calculated using each method's unique representation of the speech tokens.


Seventy‐one newly admitted schizophrenic patients were treated with thiothixene or oxypertine. On the basis of previous, separate uncontrolled studies of these drugs, we had postulated that thiothixene would be more effective in paranoid and oxypertine more effective in nonparanoid patients. Results from the present controlled study confirmed these hypotheses, suggesting that various categories of schizophrenic patients may respond differently to drugs. Oxypertine seemed to have a profile of action somewhat different from that of other types of antipsychotic drugs in that it was highly effective for depressed schizophrenic patients.


Motivated by a class of contact vibration control problems in mechanical systems, this paper considers a regulation problem for discrete-time switched bimodal linear systems where it is desired to achieve output regulation against partially known deterministic and unknown random exogenous signals. First, a set of observer-based Youla parameterized stabilizing controllers is constructed, based on which the regulation conditions for the switched system against the deterministic signals along with an performance constraint against the unknown random signals are derived. Then a corresponding regulator synthesis algorithm is developed based on solving properly formulated linear matrix inequalities. The proposed regulator is successfully evaluated on an experimental setup involving a switched bimodal mechanical system subject to contact vibrations, hence, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed regulation approach.