Recent work in environmental philosophy has uncoupled the notion of agency from the human domain, arguing that the efficacy of nonhuman entities and processes can also be construed as a form of "agency." In this paper, we study discursive constructions of nonhuman agency as they appear in a set of interviews revolving around fictional narratives. The participants were asked to read microfiction engaging with the nonhuman perspectives of entities such as a melting glacier or an endangered tree species. The analysis of the interviews centers on "complex" attributions of nonhuman agency – that is, attributions that involve a combination of agencies attributed to the nonhuman. We show that these complex attributions emerge more frequently in discussing the story (what we call the "storytalk") than elsewhere in the interviews. We also explore the way in which such complex constructions of nonhuman agency challenge widespread assumptions about the natural world.


Cloud Computing allows users to control substantial computing power for complex data processing, generating huge and complex data. However, the virtual resources requested by users are rarely utilized to their full capacities. To mitigate this, providers often perform over-commitment to maximize profit, which can result in node overloading and consequent task eviction. This paper presents a novel framework that mines the huge and growing historical usage data generated by Cloud data centers to identify the causes of overloads. Provenance modelling is applied to add contextual meaning to the data, and the PROV-TE diagnostic framework provides algorithms to efficiently identify the causality of task eviction. Using simulation to reflect real world scenarios, our results demonstrate a precision and recall of the diagnostic algorithms of 83% and 90% respectively. This demonstrates a high level of accuracy of the identification of causes.


Provided is an overview of the construction of the rail system at the Fortuna opencast mine with its technical equipment. High-capacity cars for overburden and coal, electric locomotives and the pertinent train safety systems are described, including the most modern central signal box. Underlined in particular are the technical innovations and improvements made in all sectors. In conclusion, the development of the rail system is described and shown in perspective with the new connections to the Bergheim and Hambach opencast mines.


Eagle Down is Our Law: Witsuwit'en Law, Feasts, and Land Claims. Antonia Mills. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 1994. 208 pp. $24.95. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1995. 256 pp. $24.95.


Introduction. In most cases, in patients with hereditary fibrinogen deficiency, clinical manifestations are represented by bleeding of varying intensity and localization. However, the clinical picture of hereditary fibrinogen deficiency can also be represented by thrombosis.Aim — to characterize the detected mutations in fibrinogen genes and to analyze prothrombotic factors in patients with hereditary hypofibrinogenemia and thrombosis.Materials and methods. Forty-nine patients with hereditary hypofibrinogenemia were observed, of which 46 patients had no history of thrombosis and 3 patients had a confirmed history of thrombosis. These 3 patients made up the study group.Results. Heterozygous mutations were found in all 3 patients in the fibrinogen gamma chain gene (FGG), one of them had a previously undescribed deletion g.2653_2684+211del, p.(Asp167Glufs*2), which removes 32 terminal nucleotides of the fifth exon of the FGG gene and leads to the formation of a stop codon in place of amino acid 168. In two other patients, there were missense mutations c.1140T>A, p.(Cys365Ser) and c.1114A>T, p.(Asp356Val), which can determine the thrombogenic properties of the altered protein structure of fibrinogen. Other prothrombotic factors were also identified: genetic polymorphisms of low thrombotic risk, surgery, taking combined oral contraceptives.Conclusion. Hereditary fibrinogen deficiency does not play a protective role in relation to the development of thrombosis and may cause the development of thrombosis, which is associated with its multifunctional role in the hemostasis system. The pathogenesis of thrombosis in patients with hereditary hypofibrinogenemia is multifactorial and may be associated with the characteristics of the main protein defect and the coexistence of hereditary and acquired thrombotic risk factors (surgical interventions, taking combined oral contraceptives, etc.).


We investigate the out of equilibrium dynamics of the two-dimensional XY model when cooled across the Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless (BKT) phase transition using different protocols. We focus on the evolution of the growing correlation length and the density of topological defects (vortices). By using Monte Carlo simulations we first determine the time and temperature dependence of the growing correlation length after an infinitely rapid quench from above the transition temperature to the quasi-long-range order region. The functional form is consistent with a logarithmic correction to the diffusive law and it serves to validate dynamic scaling in this problem. This analysis clarifies the different dynamic roles played by bound and free vortices. We then revisit the Kibble–Zurek mechanism in thermal phase transitions in which the disordered state is plagued with topological defects. We provide a theory of quenching rate dependence in systems with the BKT-type transition that goes beyond the equilibrium scaling arguments. Finally, we discuss the implications of our results for a host of physical systems with vortex excitations, including planar ferromagnets and liquid crystals.


In this study, hybrid membranes have been developed for the selective separation of CO2 from mixtures containing H2. Beginning with commercially available Pall alumina membrane tubes with nominal pore diameter of 5 nm, hybrids were produced by silation with a variety of functionalities designed to facilitate the selective adsorption of CO2 onto the pore surface. The goal is to produce a membrane which can harness the power of surface diffusion to give the selectivity of polymer membranes with the permeance of inorganic membranes.


The results of the laboratory investigation performed on clay beds reinforced with natural (bamboo) and commercial (geosynthetics) reinforcement materials are reported in this paper. To use bamboo effectively, three-dimensional cells (similar to geocells) and two-dimensional grids (similar to geogrids) are formed using bamboo (termed bamboo cells and bamboo grids, respectively). The performance of clay beds reinforced with bamboo cells and bamboo grids is compared with that of clay beds reinforced with geocells and geogrids. The bearing capacity of the clay bed increased by six times when a combination of geocell and geogrid was used. The ultimate bearing capacity of the clay bed reinforced with bamboo cell and bamboo grid was found to be 1.3 times more than that of clay bed reinforced with geocell and geogrid. In addition, substantial reduction in the footing settlement and the surface deformation was observed. The tensile strength and surface roughness of bamboo were found to be nine times and three times, respectively, higher than geocell materials. The bamboo was treated chemically to increase its durability. Although the performance of bamboo was reduced by 15-20% after the chemical treatment, its performance was better than its commercial counterparts. (C) 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.


A successful description of the particle ratios measured in heavy-ion collisions has been achieved in the framework of thermal models. In such a way, a large number of observables can be reproduced with a small number of parameters, namely the temperature, baryo-chemical potential and a factor measuring the degree of strangeness saturation. The comparison of experimental data at and the model estimations has made possible to define the thermodynamic parameters of strongly interacting matter at chemical freeze-out temperature. The detailed study of hadron and meson production including resonances using the statistical-thermal model is discussed. Their ratios are compared with the existing experimental data and predictions are made for pp and heavy-ion collisions at RHIC and LHC energies.


Three upland rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars viz. CR 143-2-2, Annada and Cauvery, were grown in the field under three irrigation regimes. There was a significant reduction in grain yield in all the three rice cultivars with the decrease in irrigation regimes. Under higher moisture stress conditions, performance was best in CR 143-2-2 and poorest in Cauvery. At IW/PET = 0.5 the cultivar Cauvery did not flower at all. Flowering was delayed in all the cultivars with the decrease of irrigation regime.


Convergecast, the process of data collection from set of sensor nodes and forwards to the sink node over a tree based topology is a fundamental traffic pattern in Wireless Sensor Networks(WSN). Time Division Multiple Acess(TDMA) protocol is considered for scheduling, where time is divided into slots. The main aim of this paper is to reduce the number of time slots (scheduling length) using different methods like minimum time slots assignment for Breadth first search (BFS) algorithm, simultaneous assignment of time slots for Local time slot algorithm, balanced tree construction and multiple frequency assignment methods. This proposed work involves construction of a tree structure with random placement of nodes and a BFS algorithm is implemented for aggregated converge cast, which allots minimum time slots to the nodes, a local time slot algorithm is implemented for raw data convergecast, which allots parallel time slots to the nodes to allow simultaneous transmissions. This praposed method attains the less schedule length by using the balanced tree structures. Initially constructed a tree structure with random placement of nodes and applied BFS algorithm for that tree structure. In BFS algorithm, 5 timeslots are required for 10 nodes to send data packets to sink node. The modification of BFS is DCT algorithm, in this algorithm 3 time slots are required for 10 nodes to send data packets to sink node. So from the simulation results we can conclude that, the schedule length is reduced by 40%.


The chemical composition,microstructure and properties of cast steel 20SiMnCrMo were researched.The microstructure and interaction between alloy elements were analyzed.The results show that the chemical composition of 20SiMnCrMo cast steel is low carbon content and a new mixture ratio of alloying element.The grain size of the steel is grade 9,which is better than that of ordinary GM materials.The mechanical property is better,such as hardness,intensity,plasticity and impact toughness and so on.


Background: Malaria in Ethiopia is one of the most important public health problems, with more than three-quarters of the landmass of the country and an estimated 68% of the total population is considered at risk of malaria infections. In the fight against this deadly disease, the country has deployed a massive amount of long lasting Insecticidal treated nets. Though this tremendous effort is outstanding, the distribution alone does not ensure the protection of the people from malaria. Thus, this study tried to assess the utilization of long lasting insecticidal nets and its associated factors among household in malarious areas of Raya Alamata District, Tigray, Ethiopia. Methods: Community based cross sectional study was used among 649 households from April to May, 2013. All households in malarious villages in Raya Alamata district with long lasting Insecticidal nets in their home were used and multistage sampling technique was used to select the study subjects. For day time face to face interview, structured questionnaire was used. Additionally, an observation checklist was used for early morning survey of the actual utilization. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression analysis were performed. Results: Among all households 445(68.6%) of them were utilize the long lasting Insecticidal treated nets. The proportion of under 5 children and pregnant women who slept under the net during early morning survey was 71.64 % and 69% respectively. The number of net in the households [AOR (95% CI) = 0.085 (0.26-0.281)], household's marital status [AOR (95% CI) = 0.431 (0.186-0.997)] and occupation of the household head [AOR (95% CI) = 0.297 (0.113-0.781)] were the significant predicators for utilization of long lasting Insecticidal treated nets. Conclusions: Utilization of long lasting insecticidal nets in this study is low and there is a considerable discrepancy between the distribution and utilization of the net. Availability of number of nets among the households, occupational status the head of households and marital status of the household are the predictor variables for household's utilization of the net.


Extract Despite its definition as a disease of the airways, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is widely recognised as a systemic illness that affects multiple organs and systems [1]. In particular, the loss of skeletal muscle and function among people living with COPD has been well characterised with regards to its prevalence, mechanisms, and impact on quality of life and prognosis [2–4]. Tweetable abstract Interventions to improve muscle mass in COPD remain limited to exercise and nutrition. As novel drugs show promise, there should be focus on identifying target subgroups of patients, strategies to combine interventions and optimise outcome measures. https://bit.ly/3WI5Sjg


Our new data address the paradox of Late Ordovician glaciation under supposedly high pCO2 (8 to 22× PAL: preindustrial atmospheric level). The paleobiogeographical distribution of chitinozoan ("mixed layer") marine zooplankton biotopes for the Hirnantian glacial maximum (440 Ma) are reconstructed and compared to those from the Sandbian (460 Ma): They demonstrate a steeper latitudinal temperature gradient and an equatorwards shift of the Polar Front through time from 55°–70° S to ∼40° S. These changes are comparable to those during Pleistocene interglacial-glacial cycles. In comparison with the Pleistocene, we hypothesize a significant decline in mean global temperature from the Sandbian to Hirnantian, proportional with a fall in pCO2 from a modeled Sandbian level of ∼8× PAL to ∼5× PAL during the Hirnantian. Our data suggest that a compression of midlatitudinal biotopes and ecospace in response to the developing glaciation was a likely cause of the end-Ordovician mass extinction.


Introduction. The Micro-Sociological Challenge of Macro-Sociology: Towards a Reconstruction of Social Theory and Methodology K. Knorr-Cetina. Part 1. The Micro-Foundations of Social Knowledge 1. Notes on the Integration of Micro- and Macro-levels of Analysis A.V. Cicourel 2. Micro-translation as a Theory-Building Strategy R. Collins 3. Intermediate Steps between Micro- and Macro-Integration: the Case of Screening for Inherited Disorders T. Duster Part 2. Action and Structure: The Cognitive Organization of Symbolic Practice 4. Philosophical Aspects of the Micro-Macro Problem R. Harre 5. Agency, Institution and Time-Space Analysis A. Giddens 6. Social Ritual and Relative Truth in Natural Language G. Fauconnier Part 3. Toward a Reconstruction of Systems Perspectives 7. Transformational Theory and the Internal Environment of Action Systems V. Lidz 8. Communication about Law in Interaction Systems N. Luhmann Part 4. The Production of Societal Macro-Structures: Aspects of a Political Economy of Practice 9. Toward a Reconstruction of Historical Materialism J. Habermas 10. Unscrewing the Big Leviathan: How Actors Macro-Structure Reality and How Sociologists Help Them to Do So M. Callon and B. Latour 11. Men and Machines P. Bourdieu


Relatively large semi-rigid osteoarthritis brace having a cuff for contact with the thigh and calf of the wearer. In one embodiment, the semi-rigid cuff, only in the one side surface and substantially the center of the rigid cuff is secured to the rigid cuff of the orthosis. Semi-rigid cuff withstand the reaction force generated by the inner force / lateral force applied to the knee of the wearer by brace hinges. Semi-rigid cuff leads to muscle retention, distributing the load over a large part of the muscles of the wearer, to eliminate a portion biting, also results in improved fit characteristics.


This paper presents a multi-type risk model,assuming that the number of premium income is a random variable and the claim number random process is a sparse process of the number.Then inequality and the formulas of the probabilities of are obtained.


Multiculturalism in Canada has created many hybrid identities among the children of immigrants. The novels of second-generation writers often reflect this reality. This presentation examines the function of epigraphs and its allusions to traditional customs, classics, and oral legends in The Wondrous Woo by Carrianne Leung. Miramar Woo, the protagonist and daughter of immigrants from Hong Kong, imagines a world of magical realism in the suburbs of Scarborough to encapsulate the space that lies between Canadian and Chinese culture. The novel is divided into chapters with each chapter introduced by an epigraph associated with Chinese-cultural references which is suggestive—although separate from the main narrative. An epigraph ironically references Tomb-sweeping to show the importance of ancestry and juxtaposes it to make sense of death. Classical allusions to the Monkey King act as a tool to express views toward love interests. Oral legends of the Snake Sisters exemplifies sibling interactions. Furthermore, the omission of an epigraph in the novel's final chapter performs the same function—to not only create tension, but also give perspective to Miramar's fluid experience. The epigraphs perform as a structural framework that capture the essence of Chinese traditions and channels them towards Miramar's experience as a "hybrid" Chinese Canadian. The significance of the epigraphs is not to emphasize dissonance in the reference, but rather the epigraphs act as a tool to show how Miramar understands the world as a Chinese Canadian in response to her alienation from dominant society.


In this note we give an answer to a question recently posed by Zeng and Zhong, to note that Cline's formula for a generalized Drazin inverse extends to the case when aba = aca. Cline's formula for a pseudo Drazin inverse is also presented in this case.


A pneumatic artificial muscle (PAM) actuated robot is developed for the elbow joint rehabilitation and assisted movement of the arm in this paper. The PAM utilized has the characteristics of flexible actuation, making it user-friendly and safe during the user-robot collaboration. However, its hysteresis nonlinearity significantly affects the motion accuracy of the robot. Offline parameter identification and model inversion are the two main steps of common model-based hysteresis compensation strategies, whereas the robustness against the variation of the system's configuration is low. This paper presents a hysteresis compensation strategy based on the direct inverse modeling method and a modified adaptive projection algorithm. The inverse PI model is adopted as the hysteresis compensator, and a modified adaptive projection algorithm is utilized to adjust the parameters of the inverse PI model online. It has been verified by experiments that the proposed method is effective in hysteresis compensation, and the transient performance of the system has been improved. In the meantime, the performance of the closed-loop system on tracking different types of trajectories is experimentally tested.


In this paper, we study the joint resource allocation for the multi-destination amplify-and-forward relay network with direct source-to-destination links based on orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) transmission. We aim to maximize the sum rate by jointly optimizing power allocation, subcarrier pairing, user assignment and transmission mode classification subject to the individual power constraints for the source and relay nodes. The optimization problem is solved based on dual method and a near-optimal joint resource allocation scheme is proposed. Besides, two sub-optimal schemes with reduced complexity are presented. Finally, simulation results show that the proposed near-optimal scheme outperforms other sub-optimal resource allocation schemes.


We analyse the microeconomic determinants of the extent of crop diversification in Afghanistan by employing instrumental variable Tobit analysis using data from a cross-section survey of 8,613 farm households in 364 districts in all 34 provinces collected in 2013/14. The estimates of the Composite Entropy Index (CEI) show a relatively low level of crop diversification. Regression results indicate that landholding size, access to sufficient irrigation water, ownership of tractor, oxen, and cattle by the farm households, household size, landscape, and quality of land significantly increase the level of crop diversification. A significantly lower degree of crop diversification is found for farm households with higher off-farm income, and farmers living in communities with low access to all-season drivable roads. Since off-farm income is highly likely to be associated with the unobserved household characteristics such as household entrepreneurial skills and risk preferences which are omitted from the regression analysis, one would expect biased estimates of the relevant coefficients. We allow off-farm income to be endogenous and use Instrumental variable (IV) Tobit analysis revealing that endogeneity masks the true effect of off-farm income; the negative impact of off-farm income on the level of crop diversification is even greater when endogeneity is accounted for. This is consistent with the hypothesis that risk-aversion behaviour of famers generates an upward bias in the coefficient of off-farm income if endogeneity is not allowed for. Unobserved risk-aversion behaviour drive household's decision to diversify into both nonfarm income and crop mix.


Abstract This article examines the process within which history was institutionalized in the Ottoman Empire. Institutional space for history had begun to be constructed within the context of interstate rivalry during the mid-nineteenth century. History had the task of "proving" the fact that the Turks had been from the very beginning a part of the "Western civilization." The essential period for the institutionalization history was that of the regime of the Committee of Union and Progress in 1908–18, providing historians to emphasize the role of the "people" in history along with large structures of geography and "civilizations." Once professional institutions were established and various history journals began to be published in this context, historians also began to pay due attention to the professional standards of the discipline. Despite the exclusionary tendencies of the Turkish official history, institutionalization during a revolutionary period functioned as a significant counter-tendency as institutions are path-dependent.


The study assesses the nexus between the drivers of wetland utilisation patterns, land-use and land-cover change (LULCC) and the current status of provisioning and cultural services in Driefontein and Intunjambili wetlands, Zimbabwe. A total of 280 household questionnaires were administered together with semi-structured interviews conducted with key informants in the two wetlands. Qualitative data were analysed using the content analysis method whereas descriptive and inferential statistics were used for quantitative data. LULCC was assessed using Landsat and Sentinel data for the years 1999, 2009 and 2019. Supervised classification was performed using the Maximum Likelihood Classification (MLC) algorithm in ArcMap 10.5. Eighty-six percent of Driefontein and 75% of Intunjambili households indicated that wetland use for horticulture farming was the predominant activity, but for different reasons in the two areas. In Intunjambili wetland, horticultural farming was mainly for subsistence use due to the prevailing semi-arid conditions. This was different from Driefontein, where market availability for horticultural produce was the major factor behind commercialised wetland use. Results of the LULCC analysis showed an increase in the spatial extent of the cultivated area in the two wetland areas, at the expense of vegetation and water and some of the associated ecosystem services. The studied wetlands provide cultural services since they are used as sites for research and academic excursions. The variations in the anthropogenic drivers of wetland use in Driefontein and Intunjambili show that location-specific wetland studies are important to inform appropriate wetland scale utilisation and management policies and strategies that result in the maintenance of ecosystem services.


Apart from trade in goods and services, there has emerged a new field of international trade and it is trade in intellectual property rights. Its most important and represented form is trade in patent rights. Possession of patent rights is an increasingly important factor of competitiveness on the international market. This field is very dynamic and therefore there is a need to be constantly followed. In this paper, the author analyses the origin, process of changes and prospects for trade in patent rights.


There are a lot of controversies in academic world about indoctrination theory.Excluding"the theory of indoctrination"by borrowing some views of education field abroad is worth further discussing."Indoctrination" is neither a "useless theory" nor a"theory out of date".Instead,it is a dialectical unification of"enforceability"and"non-enforceability",and an important principle of Marxism about ideological education.Under the conditions of economic globalization,political multi-polarization and cultural pluralization,and informational networking,we must continue to stick to and develop indoctrination theory to strengthen ideological education.


In order to solve the problem that the thrust adjustment ability decreases and the performance is unstable when the flight conditions change which about fixed geometry or only considering the gas generator adjustable ducted rocket, we propose a multivariable adjustable ducted rocket adjustment/control method for the inlet, gas generator and tail nozzle, and design a comprehensive control scheme for ducted rocket, which can improve the engine performance through the inner loop of performance control and effectively solve the problem of continuous thrust adjustment through the outer loop of thrust control. The simulation results show that the designed control scheme can effectively improve the thrust regulation capability of the ducted rocket, and at the same time, the air-fuel ratio of the ducted rocket can be effectively controlled and the pressure of the combustion chamber can be protected, which provides design ideas for the engineering application of the ducted rocket.


This article combines approaches to better understand both forest cover changes and attitudes toward environmental conservation in the El Cielo Biosphere Reserve in northeastern Mexico. Satellite images are used to document the extent and response of forest cover in the reserve before and after its designation as a biosphere reserve. Ethnographic interviews are also employed to examine the attitudes of local people toward the costs and benefits of the biosphere reserve in their lives. Our research found that unlike many "paper parks," large-scale deforestation has stopped and forest cover has expanded after the biosphere reserve was created. Our research also found that local people value both tangible and intangible benefits created by the biosphere reserve.


A Clostridium species causing spoilage of vacuum‐packed refrigerated pork was isolated and characterized. The unknown organism differed phenotypically from other clostridial species usually associated with spoilage. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing demonstrated that the psychrotroph represents a distinct line of descent within the genus Clostridium. It is proposed that the organism be classified as a new species of the genus Clostridium, Clostridium algidicarnis.


Focused on the failure modes of prestressed anchor cables, according to Hoek-Brown failure criterion and associated flow rule, the ultimate pullout force and failure mechanism of anchor cable were deduced through upper bound limit analysis, where bond failure of anchorage body and anchored rock mass failure were considered respectively. The influences of grouting pressures, lengths of anchorage section and rock parameters on ultimate pullout forces and failure mechanisms were analyzed. The results reveal that, increasing anchorage length in a certain extent and using pressure grouting are effective measures to improve ultimate pullout forces of anchor cables. When anchored rock mass failure occurs, ultimate pullout forces will increase with the improving of empirical parameter A, tensile strength, compressive strength and unit weight of rock mass, while it will decrease with the improving of empirical parameter B. The shape of failure surface of anchored rock mass looks like horn, which is consistent with the conclusions of existing literatures; and parameter B is a key factor affecting the shape of failure surface of rock mass; it determines the curvature of failure curved surface; and curved surface will degenerate into circular conical surface when B is equal to 1.


Celery which introduced from the West has been widely developed in China recently years.The planting area in Nansha District has been increasing.For celery production at present in Nansha combined with its natural conditions,planting habits and market advantage we summarized a set of high-yield planting techniques which includes varieties,sowing,seeding,fertilization strategy,disease and pest control,harvest,etc.via testing on cultivation and production of celery.


Direct fabrication of graphene patterns on SiO2/Si substrates was demonstrated using a single-step laser-induced chemical vapor deposition (LCVD) process. A laser beam was used to irradiate a nickel-coated SiO2/Si substrate in a methane-hydrogen environment to induce a local temperature rise on the laser focused area. Followed by a rapid cooling process by moving the laser beam, graphene patterns were formed on the laser scanning pathway. Nickel (Ni) layer under graphene patterns was removed by the Ni etchant diffused into the area under the graphene. Laser direct writing graphene patterns on SiO2/Si substrates was achieved. Energy dispersive X-ray diffraction spectroscopy was used to confirm the removal of Ni layers. The discovery and development of the LCVD growth process provide a route for the rapid fabrication of graphene-based electronic devices.


Zeolite L with Fe in lattice position is prepared from the gel with Fe/(Fe+Al) ratio up to 0.4 using ferric nitrate as Fe source. The incorporation of Fe(III) in framework is characterized by XRD, IR, TG/DTA, BET and Mossbauer spectroscopy. Zeolite L is destabilized by Fe(III) in framework and the reduction of Fe(III) in framework of (A1,Fe )KL was first reported.


Weather conditions influencing people's activity-travel patterns, especially on students that portray more active lifestyles (e.g. conducting outdoor physical activities) than middle-age adult and elderly. However, this effects are still less explored in Malaysia, especially in Parit Raja, Johor. Therefore, this study aims to examine the effects of weather on students' activity-travel patterns by analysing the association between weather parameters (temperature and humidity) and students' activity-travel patterns in terms of travel time, number of trips, mode choice, and activity duration with regard to mandatory (e.g. study on campus) and non- mandatory (e.g. leisure and routine) activities. Initially, a total of 110 students were selected randomly among the undergraduate students of Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM). However, only 101 students were participated in this study. A one-day of weekday and one-day of weekend activity-travel data were collected by using stated and revealed preferences approach through travel diary and questionnaire instruments. Temperature and humidity hourly data were obtained from the internet sources. The obtained data was analysed by using SPSS software version 23 that include descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression as the model for analysis method. The results show that the number of trips, activity duration and travel time are much higher in weekday compared to weekend. The students preferred to use cars as their main modes to travel. Temperature significantly affect students' activity-travel patterns in all activities. Mandatory activity-travel patterns is not affected by the weather attributes but otherwise for non-mandatory activity-travel patterns in terms of number of trips. However, all the effects are considered small, based on the adjusted R 2.


Burnout is a psychological syndrome that is found at higher rates in health care professionals, including athletic trainers. Situational variables such as social support, salary, work–family conflict, and workload have been associated with burnout in collegiate athletic trainers. The purpose of this study was to see whether such relationships exist within a sample of secondary school athletic trainers. Analyses suggest that increases in work–family conflict and decreases in social support were significantly correlated with increased burnout in our sample. These findings suggest that modification of work–life balance and support network are more important in combating burnout than modification of workload or salary.


A reliable prediction of sheet formability is required for designing automobile parts, especially for the parts made of Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS) with complex microstructure. Because of the microstructural complexity of AHSS, finite element (FE) simulations based on the representative volume element (RVE) in which microstructural information is incorporated as a submodel have been used to predict macroscopic mechanical properties of materials. In this work, a dual-scale FE approach was proposed to predict the hole expansion ratio (HER) of a multiphase steel sheet. As a large scale simulation, punching analysis followed by the hole expansion simulation was first performed. The strain history of each element was used as a boundary condition for the subsequent small-scale RVE model. Deformation behavior depends on several factors related to microstructural effects such as grain size, and dislocation density. The equilibrium dislocation density in the pile-up configuration was calculated by applying the Peach-Kohler equation and the mean free path was calculated from the derived dislocation density. The dislocation density based flow stress was implemented in the model. For the failure modeling, realistic microstructure-based finite element approach was presented in combination with continuum damage mechanics to consider the microstructure of investigated steel. In the simulation of punching process, a ductile fracture criterion was suggested to predict shear and fracture zones. The experimentally observed hole-expansion formability was reasonably explained by using the presented dual-scale finite element model.


Films of GaN have been grown on silicon by remote plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposition using trimethyl gallium and ammonia. The ammonia is rf plasma excited along with He, and the trimethyl gallium is introduced downstream from the plasma generation zone. The activation energy for the growth of GaN is 0.95±0.05 eV. This is tentatively assigned to the activation of NH groups, extracted from the plasma as primary precursors for the surface reaction with trimethyl gallium (TMG), or adsorbed fragments of this molecule. At high He flow rates, an abrupt increase in the growth rate is observed corresponding to a change in the reaction mechanism which is attributed to the formation of atomic nitrogen.


WiBeD2: As the name suggests it is a Wireless BEll for Deaf and Dumb. Generally bells are meant for calling the people in a house, but how can a deaf or a dumb respond to bells. A Deaf cannot hear to the bell and a dumb cannot respond to the calling bell. Therefore, we have brought forward a simple low cost feasible system to help the deaf and the dumb to respond effectively to the person knocking at the door. As the deaf cannot hear, we have recommended a device with vibrators attached to their body in the form of some wrist band or a watch. Similarly, for the dumb, we have developed a kind of bell with speakers which will playback some voice to the person standing at the door as an acknowledgement message. When the person presses the calling bell switch the vibrators on the hand of a deaf/dumb vibrates and s/he can also send an acknowledgment message to the person. The entire system is wireless and can work effectively within a radius of 50m i.e. the range of RF Transmitter.


Wave energy converter performance is typically specified for given values of significant wave height Hm0 and energy period T-10, in a matrix. For such a representation to be valid, it must be assum ...


Thank you very much for downloading concise encyclopaedia of information technology. As you may know, people have search numerous times for their chosen books like this concise encyclopaedia of information technology, but end up in infectious downloads. Rather than enjoying a good book with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, instead they are facing with some harmful bugs inside their desktop computer.


A leading problem with the use ofprotective coatings occurs when structure life exceeds coating life and creates a need for additonal operations. Protective coatings nondestructive testing (NDT) is a lifetime mainteance program based on a principal of NDT where fluorescence and black light illumination are used to locate surface defects.


what's to come in healthcare reform and for guidance about how to prepare for specific aspects of implementation. However, I'd venture that although there's a lot to know about and follow in the coming years, the lessons for managers and executives from the current wave of healthcare reform are actually broader. What isn't part of the legislation and court cases is as important to pay attention to as what's at the heart of the reforms. The real challenges on the healthcare landscape aren't specific to the legislation; in fact, they're probably not even specific to the United States.


Abstract An almost sure limit theorem for the maxima of multivariate stationary Gaussian sequences is proved under some mild conditions.


The financial services sector has the potential to be an important facet of future systems of environmental governance. But, so far, only ad hoc policy initiatives have arisen in the EU and other countries addressing the environmental roles of banks or insurers. Because the financial services sector is where wholesale decisions regarding future development, and thus pressures on the environment, arise, reform of investment, banking and insurance services to promote long term investment and better consideration of environmental impacts may be an effective way to promote sustainable development. Reforms such as corporate environmental reporting requirements, mandatory environmental liability insurance, and lender liability for borrowers' environmental harms, are some of the ways in which an institutional framework for mobilizing financial organizations as instruments of environmental regulation could be constructed.


hat can the romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822) teach us about arts education today? Matthew Arnold (1822–1888), in one of his best fits of grumpy Victorian high seriousness, described him as "not entirely sane" and "a beautiful and ineffectual angel, beating in the void his luminous wings in vain."1 Nevertheless, Arnold shared with Shelley the common cause of defending the arts against narrow-minded utilitarianism, and Shelley's strategy in that cause remains remarkably relevant today. Shelley is well-known for famous passages about artistic composition— for example, his comparison of the creative mind to "a fading coal":


Inspiration and intuition seem to be the two essential components for designers to generate creativity. It is not surprising that designers think differently and very often possess with distinctive concepts of idea generation and time management. Managers and producers regard creative people difficult to work with, in particularly when it comes to the relationships between creativity, budgeting, timing and producing. It is quite obvious that people engaged in creative industries have unique traits which require specific management approaches to accommodate their work styles in order to unleash their creative potentials. In view of the above, this study introduces the 'stage-gate model' and examines to what extent it will enable better release of creativity while achieving more effective management of creative projects in creative industries. Case studies of various disciplines in Hong Kong's creative industries were conducted. Views on specific management of creativity and the significance of using 'stage-gate model' as management strategy were discussed. Implications of this research suggested that stage-gate model to a large extent is suitable for creative industries.


Since 1840,China has presented a brand-new look,and many new buildings came out.There are some foreigners who move their the building styles into china,there are also some China's domestic constructors who link some of the characteristics of Western architecture with its own characteristics to develop the hybrid type,moreover some Chinese architects who studied abroad and returned to their homeland began their reflection and exploration on Chinese construction future.During this period,a number of Western architectural features and decorative approach has its own unique position and role.Research on the role of these elements has enormous inspiration and reference on our protection,inheritance,and the development of China's domestic architectural features.


The purpose of this paper is to propose a new combination type heating board with improved heating efficiency and heating characteristics. This article covers experimental results of measuring surface temperature, heating function, heating efficiency and leakage magnetic field intensity of magnetic combination type heating board by induction heating. The results showed that the heating board with magnetic coating layers and the exciting coil/magnetic binder layer had the highest heating characteristics and heating efficiency. The heating board we propose can be used in house building materials and medical equipment that require a warm and smooth surface.


Logplex codes are universal codes, that is, bitstrings which map one-to-one to the whole numbers, regardless of the bits which follow them in memory. The codes are dense, in the sense that there is no finite series of bits which does not map to at least one whole number. Their asymptotic efficiency (size out divided by size in) is one, as with Elias omega codes[1], but they have some convient features absent in the latter: Given whole numbers M and N. If (M<N) then (logplex(M)<logplex(N)). This provides for more efficient searching and sorting, as such tasks can be done without the need to allocate separate memory for the corresponding decoded whole numbers. For all nonzero M, M itself is encoded verbatim in the high bits of its logplex. In all cases, the high (last) bit of a logplex is one. Representation of all subparts of logplexes are bitwise little endian. This is in contrast to Elias omega codes, the endianness of the subparts of which are opposite to the expansion direction. Finally, logplexes are scale-agnostic: there is no need to assume that (log 2 M) has any particular maximum value. This feature stems from their recursive structure, which is analogous to that of Elias omega codes.


This paper studies several variants of 2 × 2 games with unique mixed strategy equilibria, which we call asymmetric matching pennies games. In experimental studies of behavior in these games, observed choice frequencies are typically much different from the mixed strategy Nash predictions. This paper reports experimental results for a variety of such games, and shows that a structural econometric model which incorporates risk aversion into a quantal response equilibrium explains the data very well. Moreover, risk aversion estimates are stable across the different games and are close to those obtained from laboratory and field auction data, as well as from individual lottery choice experiments. Our approach also provides a simple test of a model of inequality aversion. A nested model with risk aversion yields estimates of the inequality parameters that are insignificant.


This issue of Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics begins with a Portrait of an ISV Fellow, Dr. Stanley Plotkin (p. 1836). Next we are happy to present nine papers on Influenza: a review of H3N2 viruses in humans (Allen, p. 1840), an estimate of vaccine coverage in the US Medicare population (Shen, p. 1848), a review of immunogenicity, safety and efficacy of seasonal vaccine in diabetes patients (Dos Santos, p. 1853), a costeffectiveness analysis of trito quadrivalent vaccine transition in the Italian at-risk population (Mennini, p. 1867), a review of cell culture-derived vaccines (Perez-Rubio, p. 1874), examination of a Canadian influenza prevention policy for healthcare workers (McPherson, p. 1883), two retrospective studies on disease burden in Mexico (Cortes-Alcala, p. 1890) and surveillance in Turkey (Meşe, p. 1899), and a commentary on the challenges of conducting a community-based vaccine trial in an Indian rural population (Kumar, p. 1909). The Pneumococcal section features research articles on cost-effectiveness of PCV in South Korea (Choi, p. 1914), immunogenicity of different regimens for PPV-23 and influenza vaccines in older adults (Nakashima, p. 1923), immunogenicity of re-vaccination with PPV-23 (Kawakami, p. 1931), predicted impact of PCV in Vietnam (Le Polain de Waroux, p. 1939), and injection-site reactions after PCV-13 vaccination (Juergens, p. 1948). Five research studies on Licensed Vaccines report on the impact of dosing schedules on vaccination programs in the elderly (Matthews, p. 1957), post-licensure safety of the live zoster vaccine in the US (Miller, p. 1963), immunization status of children with chronic neurological diseases (Dinleyici, p. 1970), Phase 3 trial of a second booster dose of an acellular pertussis vaccine combined with reduced antigen-content diphtheria-tetanus toxoid (Choma, p. 1977), and dose-sparing effect of adjuvanted Sabin-inactivated poliovirus vaccine (Li, p. 1987). Three articles on Immunotherapeutics include an analysis of host genetics in connection with effectiveness of DC-based HIV immunotherapy (Reis, p. 1995), a study of enriched environment's impact on the mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (Zhang, p. 2003), and a commentary on IL-22targeting cancer treatment (Markota, p. 2012). The HPV section introduces research on correlates of vaccination initiation and completion among young adults (Adjei Boakye, p. 2016) and preclinical development of a new VLP vaccine (Chen, p. 2025), while the Novel Vaccines section presents a review of obstacles to Group A Streptococcal vaccine development with a focus on cryptic epitopes (Ozberk, p. 2034) and a study of α-galactosylceramide in vaccine-induced protection against ricin intoxication (Yates, p. 2053). Two articles on Public Health feature a systematic review of how parental education affects childhood vaccinations in lowand middle-income countries (Lukusa, p. 2058), and a commentary on a ring vaccination strategy for immunization against cholera (Deen, p. 2069). Finally, we present a survey of demand for theMeningococcal B vaccine among Italian parents (Giuliani, p. 2075), characterization of serological responses to neonatal Rotavirus RV3-BB vaccine (Cowley, p. 2082), a Safety report on hypersensitivity reactions following vaccination in Australian pre-schoolers (Baxter, p. 2088), and a commentary on long-term immunity against Hepatitis B infection (Osiowy, p. 2093). Our monthly News, Policy and Profiles (NP&P) track offers a selection of the latest news in the field of vaccines and immunotherapeutics. In this section we also regularly publish opinion pieces on timely, interesting and controversial topics related to vaccines and immunotherapeutics, profiles of companies and organizations, as well as portraits of distinguished scientists in our field. Please contact Acquisitions Editor AdamWeiss (adam. email@example.com) with your ideas for commentaries, opinion pieces, profiles and portraits. Your suggestions for and contributions to our N&P&P track are always welcome!


The present study aims to control the leakage flow and total pressure loss in high pressure turbines. A new tip shape is proposed. It is based on the triple squealer shape by adopting a new middle squealer, along the camber line, whose first and last thirds were removed. An unstructured, finite volume, multiblock, 3-D, compressible Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations solver was used to compute the flow through a high pressure turbine cascade. The turbulent viscosity was calculated by the Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation (DDES) model which is based on the Spalart-Allmaras one equation turbulence model. The performance of the new shape is compared to that of flat tip, double and triple squealers. The results successfully demonstrate that the new shape has the least total pressure loss among them.


The influence of separate and combined intracerebroventricular (ICV) infusions of hypertonic (.5 M) NaCl (HTNa) at .02 mL min−1 and angiotensin II (ANG II) at 1 pmol kg−1 min−1 on tolerance to hemorrhage, accompanying systemic hemodynamic changes, and regional blood flow was studied in adult conscious sheep. Corresponding measurements during ICV .9% NaCl served as controls. The hemorrhage volume needed to lower the blood pressure to about 50 mmHg was significantly larger during treatment with HTNa and HTNa/ANG II (27.8 ± 2.2 and 28.3 ± 2.5 mL kg−1, respectively; p < .001; about 45% of estimated blood volume) as well as during ANG II (20.1 ± 1.3 mL kg−1; p < .01) compared to controls (15.1 ± .7 mL kg−1; about 25% of estimated blood volume). In spite of a larger hemorrhage volume, the lowering of the cardiac output was not accentuated, and its subsequent recovery was not impaired during ICV infusion of HTNa or HTNa/ANG II. Similarly, the posthemorrhage restoration of the systemic blood pressure was not negatively affected by the more pronounced hypovolemia induced during the ICV treatments compared to controls. In contrast to ANG II, HTNa infusion, alone or in combination with ANG II, was accompanied by a significantly lower renal blood flow, and a higher renovascular resistance, during the posthemorrhage period. The femoral blood flow was maintained or even slightly elevated after hemorrhage in all experiments. The integrated results of the study imply differentiated hemodynamic effects of centrally administered HTNa and ANG II. The cardiovascular responses to HTNa/ANG II were largely the net effect of those obtained by the separate treatments. We conclude that the cardiovascular effects of centrally administered HTNa, but not of ANG II, to a large extent are similar to those obtained with intravascular infusion of hypertonic saline in hemorrhagic shock. However, in contrast to the latter treatment, the renal circulation was impaired in response to centrally administered HTNa.


We conducted a whole genome survey in the portunid crab Charybdis feriatus (Linnaeus, 1758) using Illumina sequencing platform and developed a set of polymorphic microsatellite loci. A total of 117.7 Gb of clean reads were generated, with 74× coverage of the estimated genome size of 1.4 Gb. The GC content, heterozygosity rate, and repeat sequence rate of the genome were estimated to be 40%, 1.1%, and 51%, respectively. A total of 3,779,209 microsatellites were identified from the genome. Sixty microsatellite loci were evaluated in a wild population of 40 individuals. As a result, 14 polymorphic microsatellite loci (23.3%) were obtained. The number of alleles (3 to 15), polymorphism information content (0.365 to 0.884), observed heterozygosity (0.050 to 0.975), and expected heterozygosity (0.450 to 0.907) per locus averaged 6.8, 0.652, 0.691, and 0.707, respectively. We show that the genome of C. feriatus has a high heterozygosity and repeat sequence rates, and provide a novel insight into the genome profile of marine crabs. The genetic markers developed in this study are potentially useful for studies on population dynamics and conservation genetics of C. feriatus and other species of brachyuran crabs.


Aluminium-particulate glass matrices composites generally use the pressure in the making of green parts/green specimens before heating at sintering temperature.The purpose of this research is to develop the glass composites that it can be used as a material for indirect layer manufacturing, especially used for making plastic injection mold/insert mold. To achieve these goals, the flexural strength and dimensional errors were studied. Starting materials consist of the mixture of glass powders, aluminium powders, and acrylic powders in the volume ratio of 1 : 1 : 1. The glass powders and aluminium powders were recovered from waste materials. The size of acrylics and glass particles was lower than 0.074 mm and aluminium particles size was lower than 0.297 mm respectively. Green specimens were made by using indirect layer manufacturing processes, while sintered specimens obtained by heating the green specimens in a furnace at a temperature of 700°C for 1 hour. Finished specimens were made by impregnation process of sintered specimens using epoxy resin. The bending strength of green specimens, sintered specimens, and finished specimens is 20 kg/cm2, 80 kg/cm2, and 170 kg/cm2 respectively. Maximum dimensional error of green specimens and sintered specimens is 50% and 40% respectively. Insert mold made by indirect layer manufacturing is broken after producing as many as 120 pieces of plastic products. Keywords: glass matrix composite, insert mold, dimensional error, bending strength.


ABSTRACT The paper discusses a modified transistor beta-phase-shift oscillator and deduces the conditions under which the frequency may be made to vary linearly with supply voltage. A practical oscillator circuit based on these deductions is described. Forward biased p-n junctions in the collector load are used to compensate for variation of gain with supply voltage. The oscillator has a frequency shift of about 3.5 kc/s per volt of supply voltage. Possible application of the oscillator may be found as a wide deviation subcarrier FM oscillator in telemetry practices.


FIVE separate types of human hemoglobin have been described.¶ These have been differentiated by variations in certain physicochemical properties.2 3 4 5 They are classified according to the accepte...


PrefaceThe work presented herein was conducted by the University of Tennessee Space Institute,Tullahoma, TN for the NASA/Langley Research Center Grant NAG-I-2185. Mr. RichardDeLoach is the technical Officer. The TST Alpha Jet Model data was provided by Mr.William L. Sickles, Sverdrup Technology Inc./AEDC Group. The results of the researchwere obtained under the direction of the principal investigator Dr. Ching F Lo, Professorof Mechanical, Aerospace and Engineering Science. The other contributor Mr. Jun-LongZhao, Graduate Research Assistant, was supported by UTSI Sponsored ResearchProgram for Graduate Student. To Mr. Deloach, we acknowledge his technical discussionand support. To Mr. Sickles, we appreciate his effort to provide the TST Alpha Jet Modeldata. The research was performed from May to September 1999 and the manuscript ofthe final report was submitted on September 30, 1999.


The Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) can be a valuable resource for experimental communication networks for scientific applications. Initial work has suggested that ACTS provides a valuable opportunity to test networks that would support and allow new approaches to scientific research. This paper examines how ACTS-type satellite technologies can help prototype large communications systems. It also examines a specific scientific application, the Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS), and how such «Big Science» projects could benefit from ACTS-type technology


In 1959, Luis Münch ( 1959 ) reported on spectroscopic observations of HD 51106 made with the Tonantzintla Schmidt telescope in 1957, at a dispersion of 241 A/mm at Hy. Between February and March the K line varied in intensity from that found in type A2 to that in type A7. More recently, variations have been observed in the strength of the K line of 73 Draconis by Berg and Wood ( 1966) and by Honeycutt (1966). Honeycutt used the UV spectrograph attached to the 36-inch Cassegrain reflector of the Warner and Swasey Observatory to obtain spectra at a dispersion of 130Â/mm, spaced one hour apart. He found a number of variations in the strength of the K line in these short intervals. On one plate the K line extended only 2/3 of the way across the spectrogram, suggesting that changes of an extremely rapid nature may have taken place. In the course of my research on high-galactic-latitude A stars, spectra of approximately 500 A stars have been obtained in a number of intermediateand high-galactic-latitude zones. The spectra were recorded on Eastman 103a-O plates with the Schmidt telescopes of the Warner and Swasey Observatory and the National Observatory of Mexico at Tonantzintla. Of these stars, two show apparent rapid variations in the intensities of their K lines. In each case, two plates have been obtained of the stars. On one plate the star shows a normal A-type spectrum of about A3-5 on the basis of the strength of the K line. On the other plate, the K line is not continuous across the spectrum; the spectral classification ranges from AO to about A3. Figure 1 shows finding charts for the two stars and gives approximate 1966 positions. North is up, west is to the right. Plate I shows their spectra, reproduced from the original objective-prism plates. All exposures were one hour long. Widening was accomplished by


Commercially available indium (III) triflate is shown to be an extremely efficient catalyst for the sulfonylation of both activated and deactivated aromatics.


Dropwise condensation (DWC) were first recognized by Schmidt et al. Typically, DWC was known as high heat transfer coefficient which has 5~7 times higher that of filmwise condensation (FWC). Several papers reported that DWC phenomena can be observed on stainless steel or coated substrate by hydrophobic material, and utilization of dropwise condensation has an opportunity to reduce the heat exchanger size when we design safety system for PCCS. In the presence of droplet on the vertical cooling surface, the thermal resistance model for DWC is different from that of FWC. Overall resistance for DWC is consists of interfacial resistance, capillary depression resistance, droplet conduction resistance and constriction resistance. Table I shows the previous study on thermal resistance models for DWC [1–6]. The notaion of parameters, Ri, Rcap, Rdrop, Rs, and θ are interfacial resistance, capillary depression resistance, drop conduction resistance, constriction resistance and surface inclination, respectively. There was a controversy on the constriction resistance model[7]. However, the studies from Mikic[2] and Tsuruta & Tanaka[4,5] found out that there is significant decrease of DWC heat transfer coefficient induced by constriction resistance. Their constriction resistance model assumed that 1) heat transfer through inactive droplet is negligible and 2) there is no discontinuity if droplet number density correlation[1,8] at a droplet radius larger than 0.2 times of its departure radius[9]. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to develop DWC with the consideration of constriction resistance model and to reflect the effect of using realistic drop-size distribution.


Walnut is popular within people not only for its daintiness but also for its nutrition.However its green peel has not been fully used yet. According to the reports in different countries and the traditional Chinese medicine theory,green husk of walnut has these functions as restraining bacterium,easing pain and anti- tumor actions.Because of good clinical value,the walnut green husk is worth further exploring.This paper reviewed the progress of research on the methods of chemical components extraction,drug activity and other aspects of the application of pigment.Also offered the thought and method for more research and development as well as utilize the abundant resources of walnut green husk.


Aerosol-assisted chemical vapour deposition (AACVD) studies using {M(μ-Te)[N(iPr2PTe)2]}3 (M = In, Ga) were carried out on glass and Si(100) substrates at deposition temperatures between 325–475 °C. Black, adherent films were obtained in all cases and characterized by XRD, SEM, EDAX and Raman spectroscopy. The indium precursor gave cubic In2Te3 exclusively, whereas the gallium complex generated a mixture of cubic Ga2Te3, monoclinic GaTe and hexagonal Te. Mass spectrometric studies indicate that fragmentation of the indium precursor to give In2Te3 is accompanied by the formation of In[N(iPr2PTe)2]2+ and [N(iPr2PTe)2]2−.


The main mode of circular economy in industry is eco-industrial park and the core content of the design of(eco-industrial) park is the construction of ecological industry chain.There are more researches on circular economy and eco-(industrial) park than ecological industry chain.Based on the game theory,the author analyses the different intention and game action between the advanced position and backward position factories in the progress of constructing the ecological(industry) chain.In the conclusion the author put forward some methods for constructing the ecological(industry) chain which meet the economy interest of the game player.


In this work, we propose an M‐mass model of the vocal‐fold excitation for articulatory speech synthesis. The vocal fold in this model is composed of M coupled oscillators. Each oscillator consists of a mass, a spring stiffness, and a dumper. The adjacent masses are coupled by a spring stiffness. The dynamic response of the M‐mass model is described by a set of second‐order ordinary differential equations called the equations of the motion. This M‐mass model is combined with the Navier–Stokes equations to provide numerical solutions in an iterative way. First, the glottal volume velocity in the current iteration is used to determine the aerodynamic force exerted on each mass. Then the glottal area is calculated by solving the equations of motions given the aerodynamic force. This glottal area information is used to compute the glottal volume velocity in next iteration. We use this M‐mass model to compute the glottal excitation signals including volume velocity and particle velocity. Experimental results sh...


Improved Reading Literacy Starters Indonesian Class I through Figure SDN 13 Sungai Ruk. This study aims to determine Indonesian increase literacy classes I through pictures SDN 13 Sungai Ruk. The research method used was a qualitative approach to research design shape class approach. Based on the observation, learning takes 2 cycles, the first cycle is not yet obtain maximum results, at 57%. While in the second cycle, the success rate reaches 92% by using pictures. With this learning Indonesian with images utilizing a highly significant influence and can improve the abilities and beginning reading skills in first grade students of SDN 13 Sungai Ruk Bengkayang.


In Body Sensor Networks (BSNs), connected nodes on the body exhibit different channel characteristics than any other remote node, such as an attacker who wishes to disrupt the network. Based on this observation, several channel-based Physical Layer Authentication (PLA) protocols have used Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) for authentication. Supported by experiments performed with ESP32 WiFi modules, we introduce a robust feature set that consists of statistical characteristics of RSSI and Frame Loss Rate (FLR) to design a lightweight authentication scheme. To create a realistic dataset in a BSN (using the IEEE 802.15.6 standard), Castalia was used with a network configuration of 6 sensor nodes, a controller node, and an attacker node. To learn the channel behavior of sensor nodes, we adopt a machine learning approach. The model has been trained with a dataset that includes the RSSI and FLR features of 6 sensors and 1 attacker and is capable of classifying received packets by sender, which allows us to detect any attacker trying to send data to the network. The accuracy of the proposed scheme is 95%. Moreover, true attack detection and false attack detection rate is 88%, and 4.1% respectively.


The authors describe the experience of implementing self-test in the medium access controller (MAC) chip for the Macrolan advanced fiber-optic local area network system. The CMOS chip contains approximately 35K gates and 200 logic pins, and has been designed using a semi-custom-design approach based on a parameterized cell library. The implementation of BIST (built-in self-test) for this chip has highlighted problems with some conventional BIST techniques and led to the adoption of new test styles. In particular, quasi-exhaustive test has been widely used for testing combinatorial logic within the chip. Also the tradeoffs involved in testing embedded memories and the assumptions on modeling random pattern testing of such memories have been closely investigated. It is concluded that the methodology described allows ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits) to be designed with full BIST.<<ETX>>


This paper is an attempt to show how the present stage of the study of English adverbials, namely those of time and space, can be extended. After drawing at tention to some previous research and explicating my classification of the mate rial under investigation, which includes not only adverbials, but also to a certain extent, verbal tenses and aspects, some preliminary results from my corpusbased pilot analysis are presented.


In the recent years of the twenty first century, the world has witnessed a noticed evolvement in wireless techniques, such that wireless phones, wireless electronic devices, wireless communication and wireless power transfer. Wireless power transfer is a modern technique used to transfer an electric energy from a source to a destination that is consumed to the load. Wireless power transfer is an important for many applications like, wirelessly powered home appliances that received the power from a transmitting device wirelessly. For example lighting of bulbs, operating of electric equipment and wireless charging for electric tooth brush and charging mobiles. In the developed countries there is wireless charging of electric vehicles is based on magnetic resonance field as in Japan. Based on this concept , the idea of this paper has been chosen. This paper aims to design a wireless power transfer system. This design has accomplished three tasks: one is to build a Tesla Tower design circuit and measuring the possible efficiency can be obtained. It's got satisfied results to about 70%. The second task is to build a magnetic coupled circuit that is based on the idea of wireless mobile charging technique. During our work, it's studied the power efficiency and its related to the distance between transmitter and receiver, the diameter of the coils and number of turns. To enhance our results, it's suggested to connect and design of these circuits by simulation using Multisim software and get the desired goal.


IEEE802.11 wireless local area network (WLAN) series protocol is customized design for short and middle distance in wireless communication, whose medium access control (MAC) layer mostly supports distributed coordination function (DCF). However, DCF mode will lead to serious conflict when high density users are trying to access, thus the network performance degrades heavily. This paper proposes a distributed cooperation protocol called DCP for high density user adaption acting on MAC layer, which is similar to time-division multiple access (TDMA) protocol of MAC layer. Under the circumstance of high density user, our proposed protocol can effectively enhance the network performance, and improve the network throughput and the transformation of data packets.


This paper presents the modeling of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor and its application with Vector Control technique under different operating condition such shaping, cutting, grinding or shearing require constant torque, irrespective of speed. Other application in cranes and conveyors handling constant weight of material per unit time, in pumps, screw conveyors, compressors and ball mills, for traction drive. Simulation results shows that proposed system has high acceleration and retardation rate with vector control overall fast dynamic response as well as good controlling ability.


Abstract The secondary explosive HMX (octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine) undergoes thermal and photolytic decomposition to produce free radical products. This is firmly established by studies using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. In this study paramagnetic *NO2 molecules are shown to form during ultraviolet photolysis of single crystals of HMX at 77K. The *No2 molecules are highly ordered in the monoclinic crystal lattice of HMX. EPR spectra of different alignments of the HMX crystal relative to the applied magnetic field direction indicate *N02 formation at the N(3)-N(4) bond location of the HMX molecule. This differs from our previous study of RDX (hexahydro-l,3,5-trinitro-s-triazine) which indicates *No2 formation at the axial and equatorial N-N bond positions of the RDX molecule as a result of ultraviolet photolysis.


Objective:To assess the analgesic efficacy and mechanism of the wrist-ankle acupuncture in the treatment of the moderate and severe pain of liver cancer.Methods:94 patients were divided into 5 groups randomly. 40patients with moderate pain were divided into 2 groups(wrist-ankle acupuncture,codeine treatment).54 patients with severe cancer pain were divided into 3 groups(wrist-ankle acupuncture, acupuncture combined with MS Contin, MS Contin).Pain relief rate, side effects and the contents of the patients'plasma β-endorphin and substance P were observed. Results: The pain relief rate of the wrist-ankle acupuncture in moderate pain group were 85%,and 63% in severe pain group. Acupuncture combined with MS Contin reached to 83.33%. The contents of the patients' plasma β-endorphin and substance P before and after treatment were (29.4±22.57)、(67.47±40.34)pg/ml and (42.26±13.00)、(30.92±8.34)pg/ml respectively.Conclusion:The present studies confirm the analgesic efficacy of the wrist-ankle acupuncture therapy to the cancer pain caused by heptocarcinoma, especially to the moderate pain.


Diseases of the cardiovascular system contribute significantly to the morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) on hemodialysis treatment. Hypertension is the basis of cardiovascular disease in the majority of dialysis patients. The etiology of high blood pressure in CRF patients is multifactorial. Hypervolemia and activation of the renin angiotensin system (RAS) are well-recognized important determinants of high blood pressure. It has been recognized over the last 30 years, that CRF represents a state of overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system and that hypertension in patients with end stage renal disease may be maintained by an inappropriately high level of sympathetic activation. The issue of sympathetic overactivity in CRF has been the topic of a recent excellent review by Koomans et al.


This paper presents an analysis on performance of an ultra dense network (UDN) with and without cell cooperation from the perspective of network information theory. We propose a UDN performance metric called Total Average Geometry Throughput which is independent from the user distribution or scheduler etc. This performance metric is analyzed in detail for UDN with and without cooperation. The numerical results from the analysis show that under the studied system model, the total average geometry throughput reaches its maximum when the inter-cell distance is around 6 ~ 8 meters, both without and with cell cooperation. Cell cooperation can significantly reduce inter-cell interference but not remove it completely. With cell cooperation and an optimum number of the cooperating cells the maximum performance gain can be achieved. Furthermore, the results also imply that there is an optimum aggregate transmission power if considering the energy cost per bit.


A precision solution of one-dimensional modified Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) equation is discussed. The method of separation variables and skill for constructing special functions are used for obtaining the precision solution of modified GP of expelling and attraction with given external potential functions.


Significance Ultrasound can be focused through skull onto the deep brain, altering neural activity noninvasively. Despite its broad utility, the action of focused ultrasound on specific cell types is almost entirely unknown. Understanding cell type–specific responses to FUS would allow selection of ultrasound waveforms that engage the intended targets while limiting effects on off-target fields. We developed a system combining FUS targeting and optical recording of virally labeled deep brain cell types in freely behaving animals. We used the tool to identify a protocol for the hippocampus that selectively increases inhibitory neural activity while decreasing excitatory activity with high spatial specificity. The protocol robustly suppressed epileptiforms in a chronic epilepsy model demonstrating the tool's potential for examining experimental FUS therapies.


Brain dysmorphology is one of the most critical features of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). This study was designed to use high resolution preclinical MRI system to compare the brain structures between alcohol exposed C57BL/6 mice with control. The objective is to examine how alcohol affects a doseand timing-dependent brain dysmorphology during development comparable to that of human FASD. Three treated groups, ALC (preand pregnancy alcohol with 4.2 % (v/v) alcohol liquid), PF (pre alcohol and a calorically matched liquid pregnancy diet), and CHOW (ad lib chow/water), were examined. Mouse heads were imaged using 9.4T preclinical MRI system with 3D gradient echo (GRE) sequence to acquire volumetric images with voxel size as low as 40 microns. Whole brain, olfactory bulbs, cortex, hypothalamus, and cerebellum were segmented and the volumes were calculated. Data was examined by ANOVA followed with paired comparison between treatment groups to test the effect of prenatal alcohol exposure. ALC group had shown consistently smaller mean volumes of difference brain regions than the other two groups. Volume of total brain, olfactory bulbs and cerebellum were observed to be significantly different for ALC compared to PF pups. This indicated that prenatal alcohol exposure caused retarded fetal brain development. Comparing PF with CHOW pups, only cerebellum volume was observed to be significantly different. For cortex volume, no significant difference was shown for any pairwise comparison. These results suggest that alcohol effect contribute to brain dysmorphology, and match with our previous craniofacial dysmorphology study. This could be important to assist in the understanding of clinical variants of human FASD patients in brain dysmorphology.


One of the most disturbing problems in queuing at the bank is if the bank provides insufficient number of tellers to serve the customers. It will be obviously put the customers in an uncomfortable situation. To solve this problem the bank could increase the number of tellers but it could bring some loss on the bank side if it then turns out to be excessive although it will meet the demand of the customers. Thus, to find the most optimal solution to solve the problem in queuing system we use genetic algorithm. The main issues raised in this research are how to apply the genetic algorithm in solving the problem of queuing system in PT. Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk. Branch Kupang Unit Kelapa Lima with Turbo Pascal 7.0 assistance and how to determine the most optimal queuing system by using genetic algorithm with Turbo Pascal 7.0 program assistance that can be applied in PT. Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk. Branch Kupang Unit Kelapa Lima.
The purpose of genetic algorithm is to find the individuals with the highest value of fitness, thus the fitness function for the queuing system problem is the inversion of sum between how often a teller does not have customer to take care and the customer's waiting time in a queue by using the genetic algorithm we could see that the sum of the optimal teller in busy hour is 4 tellers.


Morningness-eveningness as an individual characteristic modulates daily efficiency, which is better when an activation level is higher. Morning-types typically perform cognitive tasks better in the morning than in the evening, whereas for evening-types it is the other way round. Corbera and Grau (1993) postulate a selective tendency of preferential hemispherical elaboration: left dominance for morning-type subjects and right dominance for evening-type subjects, while Folkard (1990) adduces that diurnal changes in performance may reflect a morning-evening decrease in the degree of left hemisfere dominance. According to these hypotheses, better efficiency in verbal tasks could be expected in morning-types than in evening-types, and the opposite for spatial tasks. Therefore, the aim of the study was to examine the daily variations in performance on verbal fluency and mental rotation task in morning and evening-types subjects. Sixty-four female right- handed subjects (32 morning-type and 32 evening- type), aged 18 to 27, were selected from a sample (N=267) of university students. Student Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire by Sverko et al. was applied for determining the subject's circadian typology. The Annet Hand Preferences Questionnaire, Thayer's Activation-Deactivation Adjective Check List, Surface Development Test and the lexical form of verbal fluency test were used. The subjects performed verbal and spatial task and their oral temperature and assessments of activation level were recorded at two separate times of day (09:00-10:00 a.m., 18:30-19:30 p.m.). As expected, the results showed that morning-types had higher body temperature and general activation level in the morning than in the evening, while evening-type subjects showed an opposite pattern. The results have also shown a better performance on the verbal fluency task in the evening than in the morning. Furthermore, it was found that evening-types performed better both tasks in the evening than in the morning. Concerning the correlations between indicators of activation and cognitive performance, significant correlation was obtained between the general activation level and performance on verbal fluency task in the evening only for the evening-type group. The results however did not confirm the starting hypotheses and future research with more time points in a day for testing performance on both simple and more complex tasks are needed.


The participation of community groups in being involved in justifying damaged roads can be obtained through strengthening social capital. The purpose of this study is to determine whether in this activity there is a dimension of social capital. This study uses qualitative research, using the method of discussion used is descriptive analysis. The results of this study stated that based on the dimensions: trust, norm value, and network. Dimensions of Trust in this community service activity, a sense of trust grows from an attitude of tolerance. The dimensions of the existing social norms are the existence of mutual respect and humanization of each other. As well as the network dimension, there are specialist networks among community groups.


Interfirm collaborations can raise a fundamental dilemma. To create value, collaborators may have to adopt a variety of practices to facilitate knowledge transfer. Deploying these practices may increase the likelihood that economically valuable knowledge, which is (1) beyond the scope of the collaboration, and (2) difficult to legally protect, is expropriated. How can firms manage this dilemma? The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the veracity of a chain of propositions addressing this dilemma based on a novel joint knowledge-based view|transaction cost economics framework. A plausible chain of relationships is briefly summarized and explored in detail empirically using unrelated datasets. The chain links two knowledge-based attributes of collaboration-knowledge tacitness and problem-solving complexity-to the use of knowledge management practices-high-bandwidth communication channels and co-specialized communication codes. These practices are economic responses to knowledge-sharing difficulties as measured by tacitness and complexity. Increasing knowledge transparency via knowledge management practices, however, gives rise to opportunism hazards, which are safeguarded against via economizing governance choice. Our empirical effort examines the effects that two knowledge attributes of collaborations have on governance choice, first directly and then indirectly through the intervening linkages. Empirical results from both datasets indicate substantial support for the proposed chain of relationships. The results are provocative in that they offer the first preliminary evidence for a plausible reconciliation of two perspectives previously treated exclusively as adversaries. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The paper describes the advantages and the new development of 0.1Hz very low frequency voltage test on stator windings of HV electrical machine,at the same time,a very low frequency 0.1Hz voltage test equipment developed by authors is presented.


Using the graft modified common corn starch with acrylamide,the blocked isocyanate as main crosslinking agent and the trimethylol phenol(TMP) as auxilliary crosslinking agent the modified corn starch adhesive was prepared.Various factors to influence the viscosity of base adhesive component and the bonding strength of the adhesive were systematically investigated.When polyvinyl alcohol was added into the base adhesive component and the aromatic isocyanate prepolymer(PTDI) was blocked with sodium bisulfate in presence of ethylene-vinyl acetate(VAE) polymer emulsion as the dispersing agent,the water resistance and the bonding performance of the modified corn starch adhesive were improved,which reached the requirement of utilization for Ⅱtype polywood.


A based on a plurality of output instruction when an image is formed, to assist in forming an image in the correct order based on the instruction. And A print instruction output order list 111 the identification information of the printing process was recorded in the order accepted, the output data according to the print instruction temporarily stored in the storage unit accepted, then transmitted to the image forming apparatus It creates print-order list 131 in which the identification information of the order in the printing process when recorded, inspected for comparison in order the identification information recorded in the list from the top. Then, when the identification information to be compared do not match, if the comparison identification information that is the subject of the output-order list 111 is already present in the finished but identification information of the print-order list 131 of comparing the identification information to be compared continued identification information only update comparison of the output-order list 111, and if not, determines that the printing process in an abnormal order has been performed, the identification information to be compared only the identification information of the print-order list 131 updated and to continue the comparison. .FIELD 8


As an important branch of economic geography, financial geography has important significance for maintaining the stable operation of the financial industry and thus promoting social and economic development. Based on the perspective of geography, we first combed the development history and main research fields of international financial geography. According to the differences of mainstream research methods in a specific period, the development process can be divided into three stages: germination, political economics and economic geography. With the help of literature measurement analysis, the international financial geography research is divided into the classic research field focusing on the financial center, the spatial evolution of financial subjects, the financial network and regional interaction, and the emerging research fields with different scales of financialization. Then it summarizes the progress of China's financial geography research. Although China's financial geography started late, there is still a gap between the breadth and depth of research compared to foreign countries, but its institutional background is different from the Western institutional background. It provides a diversified explanation for its own specific financial landscape. Finally, combined with the development status of financial geography at home and abroad, the research prospects of this discipline are prospected.


2001 and revised with two original readings stewart stu tubbs. Dr integrating a brief preview, followed by several experiential exercises. Cooper professor of a real life case study established book. The group communication 8th ed the last paragraph. He has consulted for the subject dr! Established seller since both published, by the text pioneered diatribe. Each of the index glossaries are reserved stewart dr. The chapter concludes with the original readings each of terms a glossary. Each chapter begins with the original readings each a brief preview. A better book that integrates all important small group topics. Please note we cannot offer an indepth analysis. This each chapter is followed by their respective licensors or speaker? Established seller since both published by several experiential. Stewart stu tubbs has won three, awards for the group communication 8th. He received his masters and cover images of terms. If you have to read about indifferent readings.


ABSTRACT The scientific community has been debating climate change for over two decades. In the light of certain arguments put forward by the aforesaid community, the EU has recommended a set of innovative reforms to science teaching such as incorporating environmental issues into the scientific curriculum, thereby helping to make schools a place of civic education. However, despite these European recommendations, relatively little emphasis is still given to climate change within science curricula. Climate change, although potentially engaging for students, is a complex topic that poses conceptual difficulties and emotional barriers, as well as epistemological challenges. Whilst the conceptual and emotional barriers have already been the object of several studies, students' reactions to the epistemological issues raised by climate changes have so far been rarely explored in science education research and thus are the main focus of this paper. This paper describes a study concerning the implementation of teaching materials designed to focus on the epistemological role of 'models and the game of modelling' in science and particularly when dealing with climate change. The materials were implemented in a course of 15 hours (five 3-hour lessons) for a class of Italian secondary-school students (grade 11; 16–17 years old). The purpose of the study is to investigate students' reactions to the epistemological dimension of the materials, and to explore if and how the material enabled them to develop their epistemological knowledge on models.


This paper presents a new discriminative approach for training Gaussian mixture models (GMMs) of hidden Markov models (HMMs) based acoustic model in a large vocabulary continuous speech recognition (LVCSR) system. This approach is featured by embedding a rival penalized competitive learning (RPCL) mechanism on the level of hidden Markov states. For every input, the correct identity state, called winner , is enhanced to describe this input while its most competitive rival is penalized by de-learning, which makes GMMs based states become more discriminative. Experiments show that the proposed method has a good convergence with better performances than the classical MLE based method. Comparing with three conventional discriminative methods, the proposed method demonstrates improved generalization ability, especially when the test set is not well matched with the training set.


E very ten years or so, the most basic of telecommunications services, the telephone, has undergone a dramatic change. In the 1950s, the introduction of transatlantic coax cables allowed direct-dial international calls; in the 1960s, digital transmission and switching drastically improved the audio quality; in the 1970s, programmable switches enabled touch-tone dialing and local services such as call waiting; and in the 1980s, the widespread implementation of out-of-band common-channel signaling systems like Signaling System 7 (SS7) made services such as 800-numbers possible. These changes define a trajectory from analog transmission and signaling to digital, circuit-switched transmission and packet-based signaling. In the 1990s, Internet telephony marks the latest step along this slow path to an all-packet infrastructure. Its history actually began 20 years earlier. The first papers on how to transmit voice were published in the early 1970s, and the first Internet packet audio experiments took place in August 1974, when real-time packet voice was demonstrated between the University of Southern


This paper presents a method of diagnosis targeting the failure models used to represent the different behaviour able to affect complex systems. This method, based on the multimodel approach, is leans on two processes. The first one allows of determining the potential failure model set affecting the normal behaviour of the considered system. The second process, based on the validity calculation principle passing by a generation of residue, and allows to detect and to localize failures. We proposed new methods for Validity calculation.


A study was conducted to estimate the Irrigation Water Quality Index (IWQI) for Habbaniya Lake in central Iraq for irrigation purposes. The samples were taken at sixteen stations in October 2019. Studied samples were examined for ten Physico-chemical parameters Hydrogen Number (pH), Electrical Conductivity (EC), Temperature (T °C), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Total Hardness (T.H.), Turbidity (NTU), Sodium Absorption Ratio (SAR), Na+, Cl−, and HCO3 −. The results showed that 68.75% of the study water samples fall within the low restriction category (LR) irrigation water in eleven stations (which is dominant in all parts) and 25% of the search region falls under the no restriction category (NR) irrigation water in four stations (which is dominant in the northwestern part at station 5-8). Meanwhile, a small part of the study area represents 6.25% of the water samples is classified as a moderate restriction (MR) irrigation water in one station (in the central part). Accordingly, these categories are suitable to use only with the soil having low to moderate permeability with a plant of some kind for specified tolerance of moderate salts content. The IWQI is homogeneous and suitable for irrigation in all parts, especially the northwestern part which represents the entrance waters through Warar Canal that fed principally from the Euphrates River.


Dispersion relations for scattering of spin-1/2 particles on a potential containing the spin-orbit interaction are derived in nonrelativistic theory. The behavior of the total hamiltonian of Green's function is investigated at high complex energies. (auth)


Computationalism is the major concern in the area of the contemporary philosophy.The computationalism theory of mind tries to reveal the mystery of human mental awareness,which makes it become the beloved thougt in contemporary western philosophy.Although this new theory has faced many difficulties,yet it has a special significance on how to develop the mind theory of contemporary Marxism.


This paper addresses the specific features of Chinese discourse connectives, including types (word-pair and single-word), linking directions (forward and backward linking), positions and ambiguous degrees, and discusses how they affect the discourse relation recognition. A semisupervised learning method is proposed to learn the probability distributions of discourse functions of connectives from a small labeled dataset and a big unlabeled dataset. The statistics learned from the dataset demonstrates some interesting linguistic phenomena such as connective synonyms sharing similar distributions, multiple discourse functions of connectives, and couple-linking elements providing strong clues for discourse relation resolution.


ABSTRACT This research analyses the conditions imposed on national, EU and non-EU citizens who wish to access minimum income (MI) benefits within four EU Member States, specifically within Finland, France, Ireland and Spain. The primary aim is to identify and compare the required MI access conditions. Furthermore, focus is given to the residence requisites, which are discussed in relation to relevant supranational regulations in order to detect possible multilevel implications. The paper concludes with the identification of different MI conditions, such as stricter age requisites in France and Spain. Moreover, the study of national cases allows for consideration of how the EU social protection floor works at the national level. In this regard, the restrictions that affect EU/EEA migrant jobseekers and economically inactive population groups who wish to access MI in Finland, France and Ireland show the limits of the EU minimum social assistance floor, only recognised for EU/EEA migrant workers. Finally, implications arise according to human rights instruments such as the European Social Charter, which demands that social assistance shall not be confined to nationals or to certain categories of foreigners, allowing for comparison between the different personal scopes of the equal treatment principle required by the distinct supranational levels.


Simheuristics combine metaheuristics with simulation in order to solve the optimization problems with stochastic elements. This paper introduces the concept of fuzzy simheuristics, which extends the simheuristics approach by making use of fuzzy techniques, thus allowing us to tackle optimization problems under a more general scenario, which includes uncertainty elements of both stochastic and non-stochastic nature. After reviewing the related work, the paper discusses, in detail, how the optimization, simulation, and fuzzy components can be efficiently integrated. In order to illustrate the potential of fuzzy simheuristics, we consider the team orienteering problem (TOP) under an uncertainty scenario, and perform a series of computational experiments. The obtained results show that our proposed approach is not only able to generate competitive solutions for the deterministic version of the TOP, but, more importantly, it can effectively solve more realistic TOP versions, including stochastic and other uncertainty elements.


assigumed to the Schiff reactiomi product imi experimeumt (c). Alt houmgh the sequemice of adding reagemits iii experimiiemit (b) precludes the formation of N-suilfimmic acids ims that experimnemit, I respectfully disagree with Hardommk amid vaum I)uijn that because t lie visil)le absorpt ioum spect mmii obt aimied imi experi memst (b) is the same as that obtaimmed in experiuiieumt (c), it necessarily implies that the produmcts obtaimied imi these two experimeuits are the same. That the spectra are idemitical could be entirely fortuitous. However, I agree with Ilardomik amid vaum 1)umijmm that the balammce of evidence adduced for unecimam-tisms of the Schiff reactiomi lies imi favor of the sumlfomiic acid theory. The results of their experimeusts amid the earlier work of Naumaum et a!. bear this comiclusion oust. A cytophotometric analysis of staimmed aldehyde films iii the 280and 232m i regiomis, together with the effect of p11 on the maxima, might provide the mumch mieeded imiformatiomi about the umature of the aldehyde-sulfumr dioxide-amimie limikage amid its effect omi the formatiomi of visibly colored structures involving (imi the classical chemical sense) the loss of hydroxyl, chloride or sulfite from the cemtral methane carbomi atom of the dye. This is mmot as easy as it might at first appear. 1mmllardomik and van l)uijui's system, for example, the deoxyribonumcleic acid pyrimidimie absorptiomi bamids may obscumre amiy chammges imm the ultraviolet absorptiomi peaks origimiatimig from the aldehyde-SchifT dye limikage. I am imidebted to I.)rs. Hardommk amid vami I )uij mi for their most helpful views omi the first draft of this commummiicatiomm.