On September 8, 2011, the Republic of Macedonia commemorated twenty years of independence with an elaborate celebration in capital city Skopje's newly redesigned center square. Against the backdrop of numerous brand-new monuments to Macedonian heroes dating back to Alexander the Great, the event featured performances by the national philharmonic, opera chorus, ballet, and folk ensemble along with stars from various popular music genres. The performances evoked both real and imagined pasts by intertwining musical elements of Macedonian folklore with those of European classical and contemporary popular musical traditions. Based on ethnographic fieldwork among composers, producers, performers, and audiences at several sites of the production of the twentieth anniversary celebration, this article analyzes both state cultural apparatuses and the seemingly contradictory practices of individuals enacting nationalistic cultural memory ideologies to which they do not necessarily subscribe. By bringing together discourses on cultural memory, nationalism, and practice theory with an analysis of three musical performances from the celebration, I argue that in musical performance, individuals and groups who seemingly support the politically powerful can concurrently challenge (and perhaps shape) nationalist agendas, official expressions of identity, and aesthetic strategies for coping with external challenges to the legitimacy of their nation. On September 8, 2011, the Republic of Macedonia celebrated the twentieth anniversary of its peaceful declaration of independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. The celebration was a spectacle of unprecedented proportions in Macedonia and featured the unveiling of the newly redesigned center square in Skopje, an hour-long speech by Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, many musical performances, and an audience of Macedonians from all over the country. With Macedonia having faced years of economic challenge, ethnic strife, and political struggle common to many ex-Yugoslav and postsocialist societies, the celebration of twenty years of independence provided Macedonians (in particular the government-appointed organizers) with an opportunity to represent themselves not only to the outside world, but also, and perhaps more importantly, to their fellow citizens. While the celebration may have seemed like a monolithic concretion of a particular representation of Macedonia, 1 The Republic of Macedonia officially changed its name to the Republic of North Macedonia in early 2019. Since this article focuses on a period before the name change, I use Republic of Macedonia and Macedonia throughout. 2 Music and Politics Summer 2019 the production and preparation processes for the musical events of celebration provided myriad sites for the negotiation of this representation. At these sites––rehearsal rooms, recording studios, and informal gatherings––the varied dispositions of participants in the celebration (e.g., musicians, dancers, producers, directors) towards ideas of the nation were more legible than they were on the seemingly unified stage of the highly mediated celebration. In this article, I discuss the celebration's musical representation of Macedonia as a composite of a range of ideological positions whose production processes allowed for the negotiation of cultural memory narratives involving history, ethnicity, and national identity. Rather than viewing the musical performances themselves as singular representations of state or political party ideologies, I carefully consider the range of dispositions exhibited by participants in the celebration's production processes, demonstrating that such monumental performances of nation reveal multifaceted mechanisms by which nationalism is re-forged and renegotiated. In this case, certain narratives are asserted by the state through its involvement in the design and creation of musical performances to serve political purposes for the future. At the same time, as the celebration's participants and its audience enact and consume the musical elements of the event, they do not affirm a uniform, singular ideology. Instead, they strategically (if subtly) diverge from the nationalism they are promoting, asserting a variety of views regarding the meanings and memories evoked by the event's musical elements. This negotiation of cultural memory involves individuals with varying levels of allegiance to and dependence on the state, including state-appointed directors, employed musicians, and contracted composers from state institutions such as the Macedonian Philharmonic, the Macedonian Opera and Ballet, and the state ensemble of folk songs and dances, Tanec Ensemble, as well as pop stars from a number of genres. At the marking of Macedonia's twentieth year as a nation-state, the state mobilized its musical employees to express reverence for the past and vision for the future through the lens of specific cultural memory narratives that shape the definition of Macedonianness, which in turn paint a particular picture of the future of the Macedonian nation-state. In his discussion of cultural memory, Jan Assman characterizes it by, among other things, its "distance from the every day," its "concretion of identity," and its "capacity to reconstruct." He notes that in cultural memory's capacity to reconstruct, it always relates to "an actual and contemporary situation . . . sometimes by appropriation, sometimes by criticism, sometimes by preservation or by transformation." The musical celebration provides an ideal venue for the state to assert its version of cultural memory as a "concretion of identity" and an attempt to reconstruct the past through the appropriation and transformation of expressive culture in several forms. The event and the accompanying actions of the state also open related discourses of nationalism, national identity, and cosmopolitanism. By examining the musical production processes leading up to the celebration, the actual musical performances, and the various reactions to the representations of Macedonia on stage in Macedonia's center square (and on televisions throughout the country and diaspora), I hope to reveal the complexity of both state cultural apparatuses and the practices of the individuals embedded in them as they struggle to define and represent the Macedonian nation. These processes play a constituent part of a broader re2 Jan Assman, "Collective Memory and Cultural Identity," trans. by John Czaplika, New German Critique 65 (1995): 129– 30. 3 Ibid. Shaping the Past and Creating the Future 3 narration of the national past that is illustrative of official memory politics that serve (and are shaped by) the interests of the increasingly dominant government. In seeking to bring clarity to these complexities, I analyze the full production process of the musical elements of this celebration based on ethnography conducted in the recording studio and at the performance, where I undertook interviews and engaged in conversations with organizers, producers, musicians, and audience members. In this analysis, I shed light on the strategic processes by which governments integrate music into the shaping of cultural memory in order to advance political ideologies, in this case nationalist ones. I also suggest that individuals and groups with divergent political dispositions participating in these processes often employ agency to influence––and maybe even reduce––the salience of cultural memory narratives being constructed. The performed, sonic making and re-making of cultural memory is thus not an allencompassing nation-building mechanism but, rather, one that is at least to some extent contingent and controvertible. I situate my analysis in two broader discourses, one dealing with nationalism and the other dealing with social reproduction and transformation, often referred to as practice theory. Ernest Gellner succinctly defines nationalism as "a political principle which maintains that the similarity of culture is the basic social bond," which positions it as a problematic ideology in culturally heterogeneous nationstates such as Macedonia. Ethnocentric Macedonian nationalist ideologies in many ways reflect this definition, including its boundaries for exclusion that can form the basis for conflict. Historically, Macedonian nationalists have been in conflict––ideological and, occasionally, violent––both with minority ethnic groups and with European and other power players who demand integration and minority rights as preconditions for accessions to international bodies such as NATO and the EU. Elsewhere, Gellner asserts that nationalism is a "very distinctive species of patriotism." He defines patriotism as general loyalty to and identification with a group that plays a role in the perpetuation of the group. Nationalism for Gellner, then, is a type of patriotism that involves loyalty to a culturally homogenous unit based on a culture striving to be a "high (literate) culture," the ability to sustain an education system that will produce said high culture, and a population that is not constituted by subgroups, but is rather a group of anonymous individuals belonging to the nation by "virtue of [their] cultural style." In a nation like Macedonia, though its "high culture" has been built largely on the language and practices of ethnic Macedonians, nationalism operates differently than it does in Gellner's theorization. His "culturally homogenous unit" does not exist in reality, as ethnic minorities ("sub-groups") in Macedonia do constitute significant portions of the population as citizens of Macedonia. (According to the 2002 census, ethnic Macedonians constitute 64% of the population, Albanians 25%, Turks 4%, Roma 3%, Serbs 2%, and others 2%.) Yet, while political representation exists across demographics, and linguistic, educational, religious, and other legal rights for minority populations have been maintained and in some cases increased, particularly


The cJun N‐terminal Kinases (JNK) emerged as a major link between obesity and insulin resistance, but their role in the loss of pancreatic β‐cell mass and function driving the progression from insulin resistance to type‐2 diabetes and in the complications of diabetes was not investigated to the same extent. Furthermore, it was shown that pan‐JNK inhibition exacerbates kidney damage in the db/db model of obesity‐driven diabetes. Here we investigate the role of JNK1 in the db/db model of obesity‐driven type‐2 diabetes. Mice with systemic ablation of JNK1 (JNK1−/−) were backcrossed for more than 10 generations in db/+ C57BL/KS mice to generate db/db‐JNK1−/− mice and db/db control mice. To define the role of JNK1 in the loss of β‐cell mass and function occurring during obesity‐driven diabetes we performed comprehensive metabolic phenotyping, evaluated steatosis and metabolic inflammation, performed morphometric and cellular composition analysis of pancreatic islets, and evaluated kidney function in db/db‐JNK1−/− mice and db/db controls. db/db‐JNK1−/− mice and db/db control mice developed insulin resistance, fatty liver, and metabolic inflammation to a similar extent. However, db/db‐JNK1−/− mice displayed better glucose tolerance and improved insulin levels during glucose tolerance test, higher pancreatic insulin content, and larger pancreatic islets with more β‐cells than db/db mice. Finally, albuminuria, kidney histopathology, kidney inflammation and oxidative stress in db/db‐JNK1−/− mice and in db/db mice were similar. Our data indicate that selective JNK1 ablation improves glucose tolerance in db/db mice by reducing the loss of functional β‐cells occurring in the db/db mouse model of obesity‐driven diabetes, without significantly affecting metabolic inflammation, steatosis, and insulin sensitivity. Furthermore, we have found that, differently from what previously reported for pan‐JNK inhibitors, selective JNK1 ablation does not exacerbate kidney dysfunction in db/db mice. We conclude that selective JNK1 inactivation may have a superior therapeutic index than pan‐JNK inhibition in obesity‐driven diabetes.


Aim: Surgical myotomy (SM) of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) has a five year success rate on dysphagia of about 91%. Recent reports seem to indicate that endoscopic peroral myotomy (POEM) can give similar short-term successful results on the control of dysphagia. Some patient, however, can experience either persistent or recurrent dysphagia after myotomy. The aim of this study is to evaluate our experience in redo myotomy for recurrent dysphagia in patients with achalasia. Methods: In the period March 1996 – February 2015, 232 myotomies for primary or recurrent achalasia were performed in our Center: there were 31 POEM and 201 surgical myotomies. Thirteen patients (5.6%) had a previous myotomy and were operated on for recurrent symptoms: nine patients had a surgical redo myotomy and 4 patients had an endoscopic redo myotomy. Results: The patients presented themselves after a mean of 13.4 years after previous myotomy (range 0.7–33). Previous myotomy was performed through abdominal approach in 11 patients (7 laparoscopic), thoracic in one and endoscopic in one. Mean preoperative Eckardt score was 5.4 (range 0–9). Among the nine patients having a surgical myotomy, eight were completed laparoscopically; in this group there were three esophageal perforations, which were immediately repaired. Mean duration of surgery was 114 min (range 56–170) in the surgical group and 78 (range 60–112) in the POEM group. There were no postoperative complications in both groups. Mean postoperative stay was 4 days (range 2–9) in the surgical group and 2.5 days (range 2–3) in the POEM group. In the surgical group, Eckardt score was <3 in seven out of nine patients after a mean follow-up of 19 months (range 1–49); it was <3 in all four patients in the POEM group after a mean follow-up of 5 months (range 1–11). Conclusions: Redo myotomy for recurrent dysphagia in patients with achalasia is effective in more than 80% of patients. Preliminary results with PEOM seem to indicate that the technique can be safely applied in patients with previous surgical myotomy.


An extensive literature search to identify and collect studies related to the toxicity of grayanotoxins and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) was performed in the three databases PubMed, Web of Science and SciFinder® for six and four Areas, respectively. After combination of the searches from the three databases and removal of the duplicates, the total number of references for the grayanotoxins was 652 and for 5-HMF Area 1b was 3,862, for Area 2b was 37, for Area 3b was 221 and for Area 4b was 500. The evaluation of all retrieved references for relevance by screening the title and abstract (if available) and applying eligibility criteria (inclusion/exclusion) resulted in a total number of relevant references for the grayanotoxins for Area 1a of 71, for Area 2a of 3, for Area 3a of 5, for Area 4a of 75, for Area 5a of 141, and for Area 6a of 78 and for 5-HMF for Area 1b of 55, for Area 2b of 14, for Area 3b of 15 and for Area 4b of 8. © European Food Safety Authority, 2020


In this study we characterize in mouse bone marrow and peripheral blood a homogeneous cell subset expressing Ly6C, CD31 and CD11c, that can give rise to multiple cell types involved in the immune response. Under the aegis of M‐CSF or GM‐CSF these cells rapidly differentiate without division to either macrophages or immature dendritic cells, which can be further induced to mature by LPS stimulation. In fetal thymic organ cultures the same cells generate both CD8α+ and CD8α– dendritic cells in comparable proportion as found in normal thymus. The Ly6C+, CD31+ and CD11c+ cells express not only TLR2 and TLR4, which are characteristic of myeloid dendritic cells, but also TLR7 and TLR9, which conversely are characteristic of humaninterferon‐producing cells. Moreover, following stimulation with influenza virus, they rapidly express high levels of IFN‐α mRNA. Finally these precursors are increased in bone marrow and peripheral blood during systemic inflammation. These cells are defined as "pre‐immunocytes" to underline the fact that they serve in a flexible fashion multiple, and often divergent, functions required for theimmune response to pathogens.


OBJECTIVE To study the cytotoxicity and cellular affinity of insulin-5-fluorouracil conjugate in vitro.METHODS Examination was conducted on normal liver cells and hepatocarcinoma cells using MTT assay and fluorescence imaging of FITC labelled conjugate.RESULTS This conjugate could rapidly and specifically bind to hepatocarcinoma cells.It had similar cytotoxicity as 5-Fu on hepatocarcinoma cells under middle or low concentration,and lower cell toxicity on normal liver cells in the initial stage,while at high concentration the cytotoxicity increased rapidly on both hepatocarcinoma cells and normal liver cells.CONCLUSION This conjugate could target hepatocarcinoma cells with similar anti-tumor effect as 5-Fu on hepatocarcinoma cells under middle or low concentration.And it also shows the "delayed cytotoxicity effcts" on normal liver cells.Higher cytotoxicity on both hepatocarcinoma cells and normal liver cells could be oloserved at the high concentration.


This paper reports on an international symposium on distributed learning and collaboration (DLAC) held at the e-learning lab at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The workshop was held in June 2006, involving approximately 50 US, Chinese, Australian and European counterparts, to frame critical research issues in distributed learning and collaboration. The testbed venue for this conference is the Network College of Engineering, China's leading online degree program in engineering, and the country's leading distributed learning research center. This project is funded by the National Science Foundation's International Programs Office


This paper takes an ecological perspective on diffusion factors within the software component market. It analyses the characteristics of software components that are favourable to diffusion, and poses a radical critique of traditional notions of software requirements and software quality. It also suggests a strategic view of software components and other technological artefacts as evolutionary envelopes rather than fixed collections of properties.


The thesis describes the concept,nature,targets and principles of secondary railway project operation,summarizes problems existing in railway engineering cost management by combining with the management experience,and puts forward secondary railway engineering operation strategies and methods,with a view to realize maximum economic benefits of the project.


This and three related genera are keyed. In Laphystia 29 species are recognized from the Nearctic Region and northern Mexico. These are arranged in nine species groups and are included in a key. L. albiceps (Macq.), of doubtful status, is not so treated. Twelve species are new: L . brookmani , L . cazieri , L . howlandi , L . jamesi , and L . martini (California); L . sonora (Mexico); L . duncani (Arizona); L . utahensis (Utah); L . tolandi (Nevada and Utah); L . laguna (Texas); L . bromleyi (Oklahoma and Arkansas); and L . snowi (Kansas).


We thank Lucy Frith for her thought-provoking response1 to our paper, where we argued that it would be ethically acceptable to contact an anonymous egg donor to help facilitate diagnostic genetic testing for a donor-conceived child.2 While we read Frith's commentary with interest, we still think that the egg donor should be contacted in the case that we describe. Frith raises concerns as to whether contact would constitute ' overriding consent ', thus ' potentially set(ting) a dangerous precedent ' for existing gamete donors and donor-conceived children. In contrast, we consider that contacting the egg donor would not override her consent, as her views on contact in the instance that has now arisen were never sought. Our view is that given we do not currently know what she might want, contacting her is a more legitimate way of respecting her autonomy than trying to anticipate her likely answer. We strongly agree with Frith's suggestion that future consent discussions around gamete donation should make explicit ' the possibility of being contacted in the future if there is a relevant reason for doing so '.

Frith expresses a concern that contact would constitute ' overriding [the egg donor's] consent ', meaning that we have to ' justify contacting the egg donor against her previously stated wishes not to be contacted '. However, our argument is that the egg donor was never asked whether or not she was happy to be contacted in the circumstances that have now arisen. Thus, there is no consent to be overridden, given that she never gave or withheld it in the first place. Frith rightly acknowledges that her arguments therefore ' [do] not fully address [our] main worry that the donor's wishes are essentially unknown, as she was not asked about this specific situation and …


Diel activity patterns are often fixed within species such that most animals can be classified as diurnal, crepuscular, or nocturnal, and have sensory abilities that reflect when they are active. However, many snake species appear capable of switching between diurnal and nocturnal activity. Here, we evaluate the hypothesis that some species are constrained in their activity by the sensory cues used for foraging. We experimentally assessed differences between two sympatric snake species in their ability to alter diel activity patterns, to address why those snakes that switch do so (do thermal constraints force them to be active in otherwise nonpreferred conditions?), and to explore how sensory abilities to locate prey facilitate or constrain this shift. Ratsnakes (Elaphe obsoleta (Say in James, 1823)) were active when temperature was optimal, regardless of light level, suggesting their activity pattern is genuinely plastic. Consistent with our predictions, Ratsnakes successfully detected prey in low and hi...


This thesis discusses a new adaptively embedding binary watermarking algorithm on the low-frequency band of the wavelet transfer filed of the image.In this method,the embedding intensity can be adaptively set according to the human visual system.To ensure the security of the watermark,the watermark is scrambled before embedding.Blinding detecting watermarking is also proposed in this thesis.Simulation results prove that embedding watermarking has the characteristics of better invisibility and robustness and can effectively protects digital image.


Abstract Iron-chromium alloys of varying chromium content were used to investigate the effect of chromium on general corrosion in oxidizing and reducing sulfuric acid solutions. The results were ap...


The composite slim beams with deep deck,as steel sections are encased in the concrete slab,have the advantages of higher strength and stiffness,lower structural height and better fire resistance.The structural behavior of composite slim beam is the basis of the structure design,but the researches are not adequate as the present theoretical models have not been verified by the test results effectively,especially for the hogging moment region.Thus,the structural design of the beam depends mainly on experiences.In this paper,the nonlinear finite element method has been used in the analysis of the load-displacement response of the composite slim beam with deep deck in the hogging moment by Ansys,a general FEA package.At last the present theoretical models have been verified by the FEM results.


The use of a rubber dam for endodontic procedures can help prevent accidents such as ingestion or aspiration of root canal instruments. This simple precaution can prevent needless pain for the patient and a negligence lawsuit for the dentist.


Possessing rich-electron phosphorus and metal sites, transition metal phosphides are expected to break through the reaction kinetics of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for Zn-air batteries (ZABs). Herein, well-dispersed CoP/V(PO3)3 heterojunction...


Abstract : A mixed amine fuel, MAF-1, has recently been proposed as a candidate liquid rocket propellant. It is composed of three compounds in the following proportions by weight: 1,1-dimethyl hydrazine (UDMH) 50.5%, diethylene triamine (DETA) 40.5%, and acetonitrile 9.0%. Range-finding inhalation and cutaneous toxicity studies of MAF-1 were initiated to determine and compare the toxicity of the fuel with those of the separate components. Data from these experiments might indicate whether present safety precautions based on the toxicity of the individual components are adequate for the safe handling of MAF-1. (Author)


In this paper a new nonlinear method for salt and pepper and random-valued impulse noise reduction in digital images is proposed. The authors achieved high effectiveness combined with a low computational complexity. The proposed solution is based on iterative process of noisy pixels detection using noise profiles and replacement of these pixels using the average values of neighboring noise free pixels. Noise profiles are trained using artificially noised test images. Experiments were performed on standard test images in order to compare proposed approach with other popular techniques. A quality measurement was the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR). In many instances the proposed method was better than other existing techniques of impulse noise reduction.


Two epoxylated novolacs based on phenol-formaldehyde and resorcinol-formaldehyde condensation products respectively were synthesized. Both of them contained more than two epoxy groups per molecule. After curing with various curing agents, the deformation under constant load and the weight loss at elevated temperatures of the cured resin were measured. It was proved that with an increase in the number of functionality present in the resin, the degree of cross linking was increased. As a consequence, the cured resin showed higher glass transition temperature and smaller deformation in high elastic state. Their high temperature performance was thus better than similar system based on the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A resin.


OF DISSERTATION IMPROVED MODELS FOR DIFFERENTIAL ANALYSIS FOR GENOMIC DATA This paper intend to develop novel statistical methods to improve genomic data analysis, especially for differential analysis. We considered two different data type: NanoString nCounter data and somatic mutation data. For NanoString nCounter data, we develop a novel differential expression detection method. The method considers a generalized linear model of the negative binomial family to characterize count data and allows for multi-factor design. Data normalization is incorporated in the model framework through data normalization parameters, which are estimated from control genes embedded in the nCounter system. For somatic mutation data, we develop beta-binomial model-based approaches to identify highly or lowly mutated genes and to compare somatic mutations between patient groups. An empirical Bayes shrinkage approach is used to improve estimation of model parameters in all projects.


Traditionally, the Annelida has been classified as a group comprising the Polychaeta and the Clitellata. Recent phylogenetic analyses have led to profound changes in the view that the Annelida, as traditionally formulated, is a natural, monophyletic group. Both molecular and morphological analyses support placement of the Siboglinidae (formerly the Pogonophora) as a derived group within the Annelida; there is also evidence, based on molecular analysis of the nuclear gene elongation factor-1α, that the unsegmented echiurids are derived annelids. While monophyly of the Clitellata is well-supported by both molecular and morphological analyses, there is no molecular evidence to support monophyly of the polychaete annelids; the Clitellata fall within a paraphyletic polychaete grade. Relationships among groups of polychaete annelids have not yet been resolved by molecular analysis. Within the Clitellata, paraphyly of the Oligochaeta was indicated in a phylogenetic analysis of cytochrome c oxidase I, which suppo...


The main aim of the biomedical signal processing is to extract information from a biological signal. Biomedical Signal Processing begins with the temporal record of the biological event of interest. Correlators give the Statistical Relationship between the two random variables or two sets of data. Correlations are useful because they can indicate a predictive relationship that can be exploited in practice. Correlator is designed with a basic principle of morphological operator Erosion and Dilation. Distortions present in the ECG signal can be avoided with the help of morphological operators.


Trajectory of trenchless directional drill strings included slant section, bending section and horizontal section. Trenchless directional drill strings were under axial compression force during drilling process, while under axial tension force during hole reaming process and pulling back process. Because the trajectory and strength of trenchless directional drill string were influenced by the force exerted on each section, mechanical models of directional drill string were established to analyze the deflection equations and reaction forces in slant section and horizontal section under axial tension force and axial compression force. The boundary conditions in each section were taken as fixed constraint at one end and active constraint at the other end. After the analysis, the expressions of reaction forces as well as the deflection equations were deduced. And also, the reaction forces in horizontal section were got with given parameters of trenchless directional drill string based on the expression of reaction forces.


Three sensorless control schemes for the operation of induction motors in the field-weakening region are compared and assessed in terms of performance and complexity. These three control schemes fully utilize the maximum available voltage and current for steady-state torque production at any speed, and thus provide the maximum possible torque in the entire field weakening region. For the comparison, the three control schemes are implemented on the same experimental platform, i.e. the same Digital Signal Processor (DSP) board, power inverter and motor drive. In this way, it is possible to judge not only the performance of each solution, but also its requirements in terms of computational time, tuning complexity, parameter knowledge and stability of operation.


This paper defines a normal form for MCFGs that includes strongly equivalent representations of many MG variants, and presents an incremental priority-queue-based TD recognizer for these MCFGs. After introducing MGs with overt phrasal movement, head movement and simple adjunction are added without change in the recognizer. The MG representation can be used directly, so that even rather sophisticated analyses of properly non-CF languages can be defined very succinctly. As with the similar stack-based CF-methods, finite memory suffices for the recognition of infinite languages, and a fully connected left context for probabilistic analysis is available at every point.


Although federal and state regulations were drafted to encourage the development of small power production and cogeneration facilities, the statutes and regulations do not provide enough motivation for alternative power production development. Potential cogenerators and small power producers must be able to produce power at a lower cost than purchasing it from a public utility. Capital invested in facilities must yield a reasonable return on investment within a reasonable time. Decreased power demand forecasts coupled with a nationwide excess capacity of 30% may cause a short-term decrease in cogenerated power, but the purchase of excess power from small producers will be more attractive to utilities over the long run as the demand for power grows. 114 references.


Interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP) plays a key role in vertebrate vision by transporting retinoids between photoreceptor and retinal pigment epithelium cells in the eye. Kalluraya et al. (1) report that vertebrate IRBP arose via horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of a bacterial S41 peptidase into the vertebrate ancestor, followed by domain duplications and neofunctionalization. These events likely occurred >500 ma, concomitant with the emergence of the vertebrate eye (1), exemplifying functionally coopted HGT in animals. Kalluraya et al. (1) propose independent HGTs into amphioxus and vertebrates, despite their close relationship within Chordata. However, they also noted difficulty in identifying the closest relatives to vertebrate IRBP and acknowledge that shared HGT is "difficult to completely rule out" (1)


This chapter argues that literary studies is returning to the concerns of the modernist period and interests of Woolf. Hammond draws on complexity theory to present Woolf as a model builder: she understood that the form was interactive and so provides impressions rather than telling reader what exists.


When scholars of Chinese literature, whether in sinology or "sinography," pay attention to translation, we tend to treat it as something done to the Chinese text, rather than through it. But this only hardens the boundary between literary traditions, and discourages readers trained in reading literature, rather than in reading "China," from reading our work or taking our classes. Much of our work is already aimed at and accessible to those with a background in religious studies and Buddhism, for instance, so why not English and American literature, as well? This is the dynamic Paul Rouzer's On Cold Mountain aims to restructure, taking contemporary rewritings of medieval Chinese poetry seriously as an extension of the body of work and its Buddhist implications. Consider its back-cover blurbs: by Haun Saussy, one of the editors of Sinographies; Steven Heine, specialist on the transition and transmission of Zen Buddhism from China to Japan; and Gary Snyder, poet and famed translator of Tang dynasty poet (or poets) Hanshan 寒山. Rouzer not only succeeds at presenting work whose example should bring more students into the classroom, but his success further creates a dynamism between the disciplines, even implying a Buddhist metaphysics to the relationship between a text and its translations. Between the introduction and the afterword, On Cold Mountain comprises three sections: "The Poet," which looks into the historical and historiographical issues of Hanshan himself or themselves; "The Poems," which flesh out what Rouzer proposes as the oeuvre's embodiment of "Buddhist poetics" via chapters titled "Juxtapositions," "At Home and Abroad," "Tropes," and "Satire"; and "Reading Buddhists," a single chapter ("WhoGets to Climb theMatterhorn") in which American literature is read for its Buddhist poetics in general and as an extension of Hanshan poetics more specifically. Rouzer concludes by saying that Buddhist literature "is not always defined by authorial intention (though it can be), but emerges instead through a reading tradition: a community that finds usefulness in a text because it sees it illustrating certain Buddhist truths in a way that is salutary for believers" (221); I also find him going further and describing something of a sam. sāra of translation and poetic transmission.


Abstract Contraflow or lane reversal is an efficient way for increasing the outbound capacity of a network by reversing the direction of in‐bound roads during evacuations. Hence, it can be considered as a potential remedy for solving congestion problems during evacuation in the context of homeland security, natural disasters and urban evacuations, especially in response to an expected disaster. Most of the contraflow studies are performed offline, thus strategies are generated beforehand for future implementation. Online contraflow models, however, would be often computationally demanding and time‐consuming. This study contributes to the state of the art of contraflow modelling in two regards. First, it focuses on the calibration of a Logit choice model which predicts the online contraflow directions of strategic lanes based on the set of directions obtained from offline scenarios. This is the first effort to adjust offline results to be applied for an online case. The second contribution of this paper is...


Concrete began to use substitute materials to reduce the brittle nature. Substitution material is material that can replace concrete material both coarse aggregate, fine aggregate, and cement with other materials, such as Portland cement with steel slag, broken stone (coarse aggregate) with pumice and other stones. One of the benefits of the concrete material substitution method is that it can use organic waste. Organic waste can be in the form of residual production or usage, one of which is the candlenut shell which is a waste of candlenutThe candlenut shell is a new potential that can be developed and utilized even greater. Of course It can increase the economic value of the candlenut shell which has only been known as a waste material from the candlenut. The composition of the candlenut shells are CaO, SiO2, Al2O3, MgO, H2O, Fe2O3. When all reacts, there will be residual SiO2 that has not yet reacted to form a silica derivative reaction with CSH-2 gel resulting in a denser CSH-3 gel, which will increase the cement paste and aggregate. The purpose of this discussion is to determine the compressive strength value of candlenut shell concrete at 0% and 30% variation on the plates using Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV) at 28 days. The method used is experimental by testing samples / specimens in the form of reinforced plate size of 50cmx25cmx12cm with wet curing and dry curing methods with a variation in age of 28 days. Concrete compressive strength testing is done using UPV tools. The results of this discussion are the compressive strength of 30% candlenut shell variations on the application of the plate shows that the quality of the concrete produced in the wet curing reaches 18 MPa or equivalent to the quality of the K 225 concrete and the dry curing is only 14 MPa or equivalent to the quality of K175, while the variation Candlenut shells 0% (normal concrete) reach 28 MPa on wet curing and 24 MPa on dry curing. This shows that the plate with a variation of 30% candlenut shells are still able to achieve concrete quality II for use in structural work.


guage delays and, additionally, cognitive impairments in 27 out of 45 patients with 16p11.2 CNVs. In 2 recent studies, 3 patients with 16p11.2 CNVs and developmental verbal dyspraxia, a.k.a. childhood apraxia of speech, were reported [Newbury et al., 2013; Raca et al., 2013]. While all 16p11.2 CNVs in the 3 patients had occurred de novo, the third patient, who had also received a diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) according to DSM IV, inherited an additional duplication in the chromosomal region 6q22.31 [genome coordinates from 123,527,545–124,311,813 (GRCh37/hg19)] from his clinically normal mother. This CNV was novel and did not overlap with any known CNVs in the Database of Genomic Variants [Newbury et al., 2013]. This duplication covers 2 genes: the entire coding region of triadin ( TRDN ; OMIM 603283), a ryanodine-sensitive calcium channel expressed in cardiac and skeletal muscle and the first exon of sodium/potassiumtransporting ATPase subunit beta-1-interacting protein 2 isoform 2 ( NKAIN2 ; OMIM 609758). Truncation of NKAIN2 , due to a translocation, has been described in patients with developmental delay and complex neurological impairments [Bocciardi et al., 2005; Yue et al., 2006]. Since both the duplication of TRDN and the truncation of NKAIN2 were inherited from his healthy mother, they can, by themselves, not be a sufficient cause of the childhood apraxia of speech phenotype of the patient. To explain the highly variable phenotypic outcome of recurrent and unique CNVs and other forms of gene disruptions, several mutational mechanisms can be envisaged. First, a CNV does not occur alone, but may, in concert with other unique or recurrent CNVs, contribute to complex disorders [Girirajan et al., 2010]. Different combinations of recurrent CNVs found among patients with different clinical phenotypes may aid in explaining the clinical variability among some of these developmental Late Breaking Chromosomes


ABSTRACTDetection and identification of subsurface anomalous structures are key objectives in seismic exploration. The coherence technique has been successfully used to identify geologic abnormalities and discontinuities, such as faults and unconformities. Based on the classic third eigenvalue-based coherence (C3) algorithm, we make several improvements and develop a new method to construct covariance matrix using the original and Hilbert transformed seismic traces. This new covariance matrix more readily converges to the main effective signal energy on the largest eigenvalue by decreasing all other eigenvalues. Compared with the conventional coherence algorithms, our algorithm has higher resolution and better noise immunity ability. Next, we incorporate this new eigenvalue-based algorithm with time-lag dip scanning to relieve the dip effect and highlight the discontinuities. Application on 2D synthetic data demonstrates that our coherence algorithm favorably alleviates the low-valued artifacts caused by ...


ABSTRAC Vast quantities of soundings demonstrate that cold or warm advection is often combined with large-scale convergence or divergence systems. Therefore, analysis is made of features of Doppler radial velocity of the hybrid winds on the velocity PPI charts and effects of raindrop descending speeds on these features by means of numerical simulation. From the simulation charts of variations in divergence and with reference to the related PPI images we obtain convergence or divergence values at all levels from preliminary quantitative analysis.


two-dimensional direction-of-arrival estimation scheme based on Bayesian-regularized (BR) Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) artificial neural network (ANN) is developed around a unit acoustic vector sensor (AVS). The AVS basically consists of three collocated and orthogonally oriented velocity sensors, hence, senses acoustic waves in the three Cartesian directions while offering portability in size and simplicity in its array manifold. It is shown that the Bayesian regularized Multilayered Perceptron neural network performs well in terms of estimation's root-mean-square error even when tested with data of different signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) after training. This is useful as it accounts for unexpected changes of received data SNR during field operation. The proposed system is ideal for applications in mobile systems such as robots for search-and-rescue operations or soldiers in the battle field to estimate the source of a sniper fire.


Chuanghsinmycin is a new antibiotic produced by Actinoplanes jinanensis n.sp.,active against a number of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.Preliminaryclinical results show that it displays certain efficacy in septicemia,as well as urinaryand biliary infections.The present paper reports the total synthesis of(±)Chuanghsinmycin.Treatment of 4-bromoindolylmagnesium iodide(X)in ether with an excess ofacetyl chloride afforded the l,3-diacetyl-4-bromoindole(XI),condensation of whichwith the cuprous salt of ethyl mercaptoacetate in a mixture of quinoline and pyridineat 170~180℃ yielded the ethyl ester of l-acetyl-3,4-dehydrochuanghsinmycin(XIII).Reduction of the ester XIII with stannous chloride in a hot mixture of hydrochloricacid and acetic acid,followed by hydrolysis with sodium hydroxide,produced racemicChuanghsinmycin,which exhibited identical uv,nmr,and mass spectra and paperchromatographic behaviors as the natural levorotatory specimen.The antibacterialspectrum of this synthetic racemate was similar to that of the fermentation-producedstandard,the former showing 50% antibacterial activity when compared with thelatter.Hydrolysis of the ester XIII with ethanolic sodium hydroxide gave 3,4-dehydro-chuanghsinmycin.


Representing and understanding three-dimensional structures is a central problem in mathematics and science education. This paper describes a software system, Spectre, that can be used to print out a series of horizontal "slices" of three-dimensional objects onto transparency sheets. These transparencies may then be used in a (largely forgotten) half-century-old homemade device for displaying solid forms. We describe our software (and the accompanying physical device); discuss the advantages and drawbacks of our technique for three-dimensional representation; and outline directions for continuing and future work. Introduction Historically, one of the most difficult and pervasive problems in mathematics and science education involves creating understandable representations of three-dimensional structures. Finding an effective way to communicate (say) the arrangement of a complex molecule, or the shape of a galaxy, or the placement of various functional areas in the human brain, or the geometry of a complex set such as the Lorenz attractor, can tax the ability of even the best graphic designer or science illustrator. There is, moreover, a growing body of evidence that suggests that spatial visualization is a central skill in mathematical and scientific cognition [cf. Siemankowski and McKnight 1971, Miller 1984, Ferguson 1992, and Bryant and Squire 2001, among others]; so that, from the student's point of view, understanding and exploring threedimensional structure is a crucial part of the educational process. There are a variety of plausible means of communicating or representing three-dimensional structures: static graphical representations (e.g., the sorts of illustrations seen in textbooks or popular science magazines), animated representations via computer graphics (e.g., interactive or manipulable renderings of three-dimensional structures), and physical models (e.g., molecular construction kits), to name a few. Each of these techniques has its own advantages and drawbacks. Scientific illustrations, while often ingenious and even beautiful, can still be difficult to interpret: consider, for instance, almost any diagram that attempts to show the location of the hippocampus in the brain, or the root structure underneath a growing plant. Computer animations are (arguably) an improvement, in that they can be viewed from multiple angles; but at any given moment, the object being viewed is still, unavoidably, a two-dimensional representation on a screen. Physical models have the advantage of tangibility, but they are generally domain-specific and often rather expensive. This paper describes our progress in developing Spectre, a software system for use with an easilyconstructed "homemade" device for viewing three-dimensional objects. Indeed, one can think of this device—in conjunction with the software—as a relatively inexpensive means of producing "true" threedimensional illustrations. Like the techniques mentioned above, the method described here is not free of drawbacks (as we will describe shortly). Nonetheless, this technique likewise has some interesting advantages in comparison with traditional (and many experimental) techniques for visualizing threedimensional objects. In the remainder of this paper, we describe both the device and our software-inprogress; we outline some of the advantages and disadvantages of our system; and we discuss both related work and directions for continuing and future development. Spectre: a Description of the Device and Software The basic idea behind our system involves the representation of three-dimensional objects through a series of planar "slices" through the object. A relatively simple homemade device for accomplishing this was described a half century ago in Cundy and Rollett's invaluable book Mathematical Models [1951], and is shown in Figure 1. The device is simply a vertical stack of slotted shelves onto which the user places a series of transparent sheets; each sheet depicts a horizontal planar slice of the desired three-dimensional form. In Cundy and Rollett's book—written well before the advent of the personal computer!—the authors suggest that the sheets be composed of glass (the type used for lantern-slides), and that the cross-sections be drawn by chinagraph pencil. Needless to say, this is a rather tedious and exacting chore for any teacher, student, or graphic designer who wishes to produce a three-dimensional drawing. Our software system, Spectre, is thus designed to facilitate the use of Cundy and Rollett's device by producing appropriate planar slices of three-dimensional objects which can then be printed on ordinary transparency sheets. By stacking the sheets within the device, one achieves a very reasonable (though somewhat "spectral") view of the entire object. Figure 1. Cundy and Rollett's (1951) classroom device for viewing three-dimensional objects. The two vertical structures contain shelves on which transparency layers are placed. Figure 2 depicts a typical project undertaken with Spectre. At the left of the figure, a screenshot of the software shows (in the smaller window) a three-dimensional rendering of several solid objects that the designer wishes to create. The larger window shows one particular "slice" through the three-dimensional scene; the user may, if she wishes, "page through" the series of slices on the screen to see how each one will appear. When the slices are finally printed out on transparency sheets and placed in the physical device itself, they produce the appearance of hovering solid objects, as shown toward the right of Figure 2. Figure 2. At left: a screen view of the Spectre system, showing (in the larger window at left) a "slice" through the set of solid objects rendered in the smaller window. At right: Spectre has produced a series of transparencies which may then be placed in the device sketched in Figure 1. The current version of the Spectre software is still rather skeletal: the only fundamental types of solid objects that the user can currently place within a scene are cones, spheres, cylinders, and cubes. These objects may then be altered by the application of affine maps—e.g., for scaling about a given axis, rotation about an axis, and translation—so that (for example) a sphere might be transformed to an ellipsoid; and the objects may be assigned any of a wide range of RGB colors. The overall result is admittedly far from a powerful, general-purpose system for three-dimensional construction. Nonetheless, within these constraints, it is possible to construct myriad "compound" objects made of multiple solid chunks: e.g., a "lollipop-like" figure could be composed of a sphere atop a narrow cylinder. Figure 3 shows still another example—a castle composed of multiple primitive Spectre objects. Our near-term goal is to develop the software to the point at which it can be made available free of charge over the World Wide Web. Figure 3. At left, Spectre's screen rendering of a "castle". At right, the castle in layered transparency form. Advantages and Drawbacks of the "Spectre Technique" of Representation Our experience to date with the Spectre system—even at its still early stage of development—suggests that the system has both interesting affordances and (in many cases, perhaps unavoidable) limitations. On the positive side, the objects rendered by Spectre are, in an important sense, "truly" three-dimensional: that is, a point that appears farther away on the rendered (transparency) object actually is farther away from the viewer. (Another way to put this is that the transparency objects really do have three distinct x, y, and z dimensions, though only the first two are rendered continuously.) As a consequence, these rendered objects permit types of interaction that even high-resolution screen renderings do not: one can walk entirely around a Spectre object, or gather a group of students around the device. Because the objects are rendered on transparency, their interior is visible (particularly when "softer" colors such as yellow are employed); this implies that solid objects with at least some interior detail may be adequately rendered by the device. Finally, although truly three-dimensional, Spectre objects do not share some of the (perhaps limiting) features of physical models: a Spectre object can be shown hovering in midair or "balancing" on a point or edge. By the same token, there are definite limitations inherent in Spectre objects. First, and most obviously, because these rendered objects employ only a relatively small number of discrete slices, their resolution in the z-dimension is highly limited. Thus, objects with a great deal of "high-frequency" surface detail—e.g., a sea urchin—cannot be adequately rendered in this device. Conceivably, a higher resolution can be achieved by spacing the transparencies closer together, but this can only be achieved at the cost of both more transparencies per object and, more importantly, a lower degree of light transmission through the rendered scene; we are still seeking the proper tradeoff point between resolution and light transmission. A second limitation is that Spectre objects do not share important affordances of "true" physical objects: one cannot point to an arbitrary spot on the surface of an object with a physical pointer (or finger), because of the intervening sheets of transparency. There is also a "flip side" to the ability to see the interior of Spectre objects—namely, their exterior surface is less discernable. Thus, one would probably not (e.g.) represent a map of the globe on a Spectre object—even a higher-resolution object than our examples in Figure 2—since the visible interior of the object would interfere with the viewer's ability to concentrate on the exterior surface. Essentially, then, we see Spectre (in conjunction with Cundy and Rollett's device) as one more technique to add to the teacher's (or student's, or designer's) repertoire for three-dimensiona


Abstract It is possible to influence the composition of poultry meat and eggs through appropriate diet manipulation, although the economic consequences of these changes are often of questionable value. Protein, amino acid deposition, and related muscle growth are virtually insensitive to manipulation of the diet, assuming no deficiencies are involved. Protein and muscle accretion would seem to be more influenced by genetic background. The tat content and composition of both meat and eggs can however, be manipulated through diet modification. Higher intakes of energy usually result in more fat deposition, while the fatty acid profile of such fat is greatly influenced by fatty acid profile of the diet. This study discusses this concept in relation to unique fatty acids, such as linolenic acid, which are now of topical interest in human nutrition.


In this study, olivine-structured lithium manganese phosphate (LiMnPO4) (S1/C and S2/C) has been prepared via a simple solvothermal process using ethylene glycol (EG) as solvent, and the effects of two different feeding sequences during the preparation are comparatively studied. The morphology, crystal structure and charge–discharge performance of the obtained samples are characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and various electrochemical testing techniques. The results show that the feeding sequence and the solvent environment seriously affect the crystal structure, the micro-morphologies and the electrochemical properties of the resulting LiMnPO4-based electro-active material. The nanosheet-like morphology of LiMnPO4 with the ac plane parallel to the platelet of nanosheet and the b axis vertical to the platelet of nanosheet (the ac plane) has been successfully prepared by the synthesis route of S2/C, which exhibits superior cell performances to that of S1/C. In particular, the nanosheet-like S2/C shows a relatively improved rate performance, in which specific discharged capacities of 83.7 mAh · g−1, 54.2 mAh · g−1, 24.9 mAh · g−1 are obtained at the rates of 1C, 2C and 5C, compared to 72.4 mAh · g−1, 32.9 mAh · g−1 and 9.2 mAh · g−1 for S1/C sample.


Joshua Tree National Park is a highly visited park in southern California. The visitation of the park has lead to the disturbance of some sites. One such site is the Cottonwood wash. This research is part of a larger project to restore a section of the wash. Previous research has found that the best plants used to restore the disturbed desert sites are woody legun:les. One of the reasons for choosing legumes is their symbiotic relationship with the soil microbes, rhizobia and mycorrhizae. In these symbioses the bacteria rhizobia fix nitrogen and the fungus mycorrhiza increase the uptake of needed chemicals. This research looked at the natural diversity of these two microorganisms in the disturbed site, comparing it to a reference site. The mycorrhizae were identified using a synoptic key and 32 rhizobia isolates were classified using: growth on YEM (yeast extract mannitol), antibiotics, and carbon source plates, and their gro\\<th in various salt levels. It was found that both the mycorrhizae and rhizobia at the disturbed site had similar levels of diversity as the reference site. This research shows that the disturbed site soil can be used to grow the legume plants.


A fundamental question in developmental biology is how cells establish polarity,
and most strikingly how cells grow polarly. From neuronal dendrites and root
hairs to bud emergence and elongation of yeast, broadly conserved pathways
control cell polarity in eukaryotes. In contrast, virtually nothing is known about
the regulatory mechanisms controlling polar cell growth in prokaryotes. In
evolutionary terms, the most ancient form of polar growth is found in the
branching hyphae of the filamentous bacteria Streptomyces, and it is clear that the
essential coiled-coil protein DivIVA, which forms part of a tip-organising, multiprotein
polarisome complex, plays a key role in the control of cell polarity, apical
growth and hyphal branching in Streptomyces coelicolor. I identified and
characterised two regulatory mechanisms, both reminiscent of aspects of cell
polarity control in eukaryotes.
First, I show that the mechanistic basis of branch-site selection during hyphal
growth in Streptomyces is a novel polarisome splitting mechanism, in which the
apical tip polarisome splits to leave behind a small daughter polarisome on the
lateral membrane as the tip grows away. This daughter polarisome gradually
grows in size, and ultimately initiates the outgrowth of a new branch.
Second, I show that the Ser/Thr protein kinase AfsK is part of an apparatus that
controls the polarisome complex at the hyphal tip. Activated AfsK directly
phosphorylates DivIVA and profoundly alters the subcellular localisation of
DivIVA to establish multiple new sites of polar growth. Thereby, AfsK modulates
apical growth and lateral branching during normal growth and cell wall stress. I
suggest that this is part of a stress response that provides Streptomyces with a
mechanism to dismantle the apical growth apparatus at established hyphal tips
that encounter problems with cell wall synthesis (for example through exposure to
an antibiotic or by hitting a physical obstacle in the soil) and instead direct
emergence of new branches elsewhere along the hyphae.


The research was conducted in Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria as to ascertain the number of beekeepers in the area, identify the beekeeping methods used, the quantity of honey produced, the income generated, bee plants in the area, conservation methods used, and the challenges faced by beekeepers in the study area. Multi-stage and purposive sampling techniques were used to administer one hundred (100) copies of questionnaire in the study area as follows: 20 in Tsambe/Mbesev, 20 in Tyouhatiee/Injah, 15 in Gbaange/Tongov, 10 in Tijime, 12 in Avihijime, 15 in Nyamshii, and 8 in Meeikyeh respectively. The results showed that beekeepers exist in the study area with majority of them falling between the ages of 20 and 40 years and they use traditional methods of beekeeping. The study also revealed that the main reason for keeping bees in the study area was for income generation while the major challenge of beekeeping in the study area was pests. Majority (78%) of the beekeepers produce about 40 litres of honey while a few (18%) produce above 80 litres of honey annually generating between ₦28, 000.00 and ₦100, 000.00 (about 160 - 500USD) annually per beekeeper. The major bee plants in the study area were Daniellia oliveri, Citrus sinensis, and Mangifera indica while the major conservation methods used include deliberate retention of bee plants on farmlands, planting of bee plants in home gardens, fire tracing among others. It was recommended that training on modern beekeeping methods should be carried out in the study area to improve beekeeping practice in the study area.


Depression is a chronic, recurrent and potentially deadly disorder that affects over 20 % of the population worldwide. The mechanisms underlying depression are still not understood and current pharmacotherapy, based largely on monoaminergic hypotheses, is plagued by suboptimal efficacy and delayed therapeutic latency. This has lead to a search for novel pharmacological treatments. To achieve this, it is first necessary to develop adequate experimental tools. With this in mind, we aimed to measure anhedonia, a cardinal symptom of depression, in laboratory rats. We defined anhedonia as a reduction in reward, and measured it with the sucrose intake test and in the intracranial self-stimulation paradigm. In order to induce anhedonia, we surgically removed the olfactory bulbs, a procedure that results in a host of behavioral, cellular and biochemical changes that are qualitatively similar to those observed in clinical depression. These changes are long-lasting and reversed by chronic antidepressant treatment, validating olfactory bulbectomy as an animal model of depression. Our results show that olfactory bulbectomy also produces anhedonia, reflected by a stable and long-lasting reduction in sucrose intake as well as a reduction in the rewarding effectiveness of amphetamine in the self-stimulation paradigm. These effects were present even after three to four weeks post-surgery. Olfactory bulbectomy was also associated with increased striatal cAMP response element binding, a molecular index associated with depressive-like behaviour. These findings suggest that anhedonia can be reliably produced and studied within the


In the last 20 years or so, the influence of man's activities on the planet's climate has become increasingly apparent. In parallel with this there has been increasing concern over the impacts of such change. Over 400 papers have been written in the last ten years on the impacts of climate change on birds. For this slim volume (250 pages) to fully summarize such a burgeoning topic seems a great challenge, but one which is largely fulfilled. The book is divided into 11 chapters, each by different authors covering the gamut of climate change impacts from micro-evolutionary responses to the impacts of climate change on bird communities. As with any edited volume, the quality of the contributions varies although the editors have done a good job in terms of overall editing and each contains something of interest. For Bird Study readers three chapters are, perhaps, particularly interesting. s~ther et al. look at climate influences on population dynamics and ask whether impacts are likely be greater in the breeding season (mostly through changes in productivity) or in the non-breeding season (changes in survival). They conclude that, in general, for northern temperate altricial birds changes in survival are more typical, while for nidifugous and arid-dwelling species productivity changes are more typical. Both Fiedler et al. and Moller & Merila raise a critical eye to the methods of studying climate change impacts (using large-scale and longterm data respectively), which anyone interested in this topic would be well advised to consult. Other topics covered include a review of the literature on arrival and departure dates, a fascinating synthesis of some studies on migratory fuelling in passerines, reviews of the impacts on breeding performance and importance of mistiming in cues and prey abundance, and an examination of the use of photoperiod as a cue for timing of events. The volume finishes with a prospectus for future research written by the editors. This highlights the need for studies outside the northern temperate zone (and particularly of non-passerine species) and proposes the use of latitudinal gradients in the phenotypes of model species as a useful way of understanding the mechanisms underlying observed climate change impacts, which at present are, in general, poorly understood. Overall, this volume presents a reasonably comprehensive overview of the impacts of climate change on birds. I was disappointed not to see some consideration of the socioeconomic interactions, which ultimately will probably have


Vascular plants have evolved sophisticated mechanisms of long-distance signaling to cope with environmental stress. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) act as systemic signals in plant stress responses. However, it is not known whether ROS serve as root-to-shoot signals in the drought response. Here, we show that ferric reductase defective3 (frd3) mutants exhibit enhanced drought resistance concomitant with increased NCED3 transcript levels and ABA contents in leaves. The frd3 mutants also have an elevated hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) level in roots and leaves compared with the wild type. Grafting experiments demonstrate that drought resistance can be conferred by the frd3 rootstock, suggesting that long-distance signals derived in frd3 roots trigger ABA level increases in leaves and thereby enhance drought resistance and that H2O2 is a strong candidate for long-distance signals. Furthermore, comparative transcriptome and proteomics analyses revealed that many genes and proteins involved in the abiotic stress response, ROS homeostasis, and signaling pathways were affected in the frd3 mutant, supporting the drought resistance phenotype. Taken together, our findings suggest that frd3 root-derived long-range signals activate ABA synthesis in leaves and enhance drought resistance, indicating possible root-to-shoot H2O2 signaling in the plant drought response.


The characteristics and the recent situation of add-in CAMs are introduced, the secondary developing environment of current prevalent CADs is briefly analyzed, the implementation of the add-in CAMs' transplantability about different CAD platforms is discussed in detail, and the key problem in the implementation is analyzed, which is helpful in the practice of the development of add-in CAMs.


System design is an important process in the development of any type of computer related system and a process of gathering user requirement of the system that will be developed. System design is important in software development because it assists the developer to develop a system according to what are required by the user. One of main components in system design is Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagram. UML diagram is use as a model to show all important functions, process, flows, actors, classes that related to the system that will be built. This research is focusing on two types of diagram from behavior diagram which are Use case diagram and Activity diagram. Many developers have come out with a tool to help the analyst to draw the diagrams in the computer. Tools like Rational Rose, Lucidchart, UMLet are an example of the tool that have been developed. This step is still not preferred by system analyst because drawing use case diagram and activity diagram takes time and it must be done manually. Model Transformations is one of new finding in system design that intended to ease system analyst in modeling system design. This process is very useful in helping the analyst to reduce time in drawing use case and activity diagram.In this paper, we propose an approach to automatically transform user requirement into behavior model (Use Case diagram, Activity Diagram) and to develop a tool that will enable the transformation of the requirement into behavior model.


This paper discusses the neurophysiological rationale for using an arm sling for controlling abnormal tonus patterns. Included is a description of the sling's fabrication and following this, general advantages and disadvantages of it's use are outlined.


ABSTRACT In this article I bring together the topics of astrobiology and the Christian teaching of fallenness, asking whether we have good theological reasons for supposing one way or another that non-earthly life is fallen. To do so, I first examine the historical work done surrounding this topic, then turn to the biblical narrative and argue that the Bible would seem to suggest a cosmos which is indeed fallen. Finally, I examine how we might identify fallenness in astrobiological life, using the sciences as a helpful partner to expand on our understanding of fallenness and its cosmic extent.


I read with great interest your stories on the CLIA 988 lab regulations in the July 1990 issue. I, like so many other pediatricians, am greatly disturbed by the lack of logic set forth in these regulations by the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA). However, I was also disturbed by the general nature of the Academy9s response to these regulations. Just because we are pediatricians, we are not exempt from performing proper laboratory medicine.


The study of singularities in general relativity was given a strong impetus by a topological approach due to Penrose and others, and powerful theorems concerning their existence have been developed. In particular a theorem by Penrose states that under certain conditions the existence of a trapped surface in a space‐time guarantees that singularities will develop. Using the spin coefficient formalism we generalize from the Schwarzschild solution and prove the existence of a wide class of solutions possessing such trapped surfaces by displaying the solutions to terms linear in a certain null coordinate. Then, using an asymptotic procedure, the method is generalized to include a class of solutions possessing ``asymptotically trapped surfaces.''


The new measurement set-up of DC characteristics of power diodes measurements was presented. Authors proposed to organize measurements in a pulse manner, because in typical method junction temperature of power diodes under test during measurements increase. The system elaborated on the base of method for measuring DC in a very wide current range which utilizes modified R-2R resistor ladder (short-circuit keys instead of switching keys) was constructed. The measurement system is controlled by the computer with LabView application that allows to apply measurement procedure in a very short time. Key-words: SiC power diode, measurement, DC characteristic.


This paper discusses the concept of restorative justice in Islamic criminal law
leased upon the Shari'ah. Many people have discussed about the punishments
provided in the Qur'anic text and traditions of the Prophet S.A.W which is
under the retributive justice and failed to highlight the existence of restorative
justice in which shari'ah emphasized upon too. The concept of forgiveness is
one of issues to be discussed under the homicide and bodily injuries cases,
where the power to forgive is given to the family of the victim or to the victim
himself in forgiving the offender who have caused the injuries to the victim.
Justice in Islam is associated with taq'wa or piety to Allah. Sometimes by
forgiving the offender and giving him second chance is one step closer to
taq'wa. The purpose of punishment is not only to punish the offender
particularly but rather to restore peace in the community, physically and
spiritually. The implementation of Islamic criminal law is to protect the
individual living in a country and to encourage every person in the country
to help each other to becomea better person. This paper is to look into the
above aspects and highlight the possibilities to realize the concept in our legal
system.


The utility model provides an anti-gas and dust-proof mask. The anti-gas and dust-proof mask comprises a mask body, a breathing device, two filters, a lower bracket, a pair of goggles and a mask rubber belt, wherein a breathing device installation hole is formed in the mask body; two filter installation holes are formed in two sides of the breathing device installation hole in the mask body; the breathing device is arranged in the breathing device installation hole; the two filters are arranged in the two filter installation holes respectively; the pair of goggles is arranged on the mask body; the lower bracket is arranged in the mask body; the two ends of the mask rubber belt are connected with the two ends of one side, close to the goggles, of the mask body. The anti-gas and dust-proof mask provided by the utility model is easy to disassemble and assemble, convenient to carry and wear, and lighter in weight; a wearer does not feel uncomfortable; moreover, the anti-gas and dust-proof mask is also provided with the detachable goggles, lenses can be conveniently replaced, the pupil distance can be conveniently adjusted, and requirements of patients suffering from different refractive errors for wearing and labor protection can be met.


Root competition is considered an important process in forests with nutrient-poor soils. Species with different functional traits may have distinct responses to root competition along an environmental gradient. The main objective of this study was to investigate how three plant species with different functional traits respond to root competition with the neighboring vegetation along an environmental gradient in secondary forests. A second objective was to investigate if the resident understorey vegetation cover reduces seedlings consumption by herbivores, ameliorating the negative effects of root competition. The study was conducted in six secondary forests with distinct ages in Central Amazonia. At each forest, five blocks were established for a total of 30 blocks in the experiment. Each block included a pair of plots: control and treatment. The treatment plot was trenched and the understorey vegetation was removed. In each plot two individuals each of Bertholletia excelsa, Hevea brasiliensis and Handroanthus serratifolius were planted, totaling 120 individuals per species. The seedlings were monitored every three months and causes of death were registered whenever possible. After 10 months of records, for each species, competition indexes, site suitability indexes and biotic disturbances intensity were calculated based on final biomass and seedling monitoring. Functional traits of all live seedlings, canopy openness above the plots and available nutrients in the soil were also measured. For all species, the indexes of competition varied from positive (facilitation) to negative (competition) and the importance of root competition was associated with species-specific site suitability indexes. Root competition affected functional traits by reducing the light capture efficiency for all species. Biotic disturbances explained most of the variation among the species-specific site suitability indexes for seedlings of B. excelsa and H. brasiliensis. The availability of resources seems to play a secondary role for all species. The intensity of biotic disturbances was not negatively associated with understorey vegetation cover. These results highlight that root competition is more important in sites where seedlings become more developed. Facilitation occurred at the most severe level of the environmental gradient and may be related to reduced biotic damage in plants in control plots when damage is high for seedlings of B. excelsa and H. brasiliensis. Individuals of each species were consumed by distinct herbivores and the attractiveness of the understorey vegetation for different herbivores may have influenced more than the vegetation cover when facilitation occurred.


THE IMPACT OF PARENTAL MILITARY STATUS ON THE ACHIEVEMENT, ATTENDANCE, AND ATTITUDES OF FOURTH GRADE STUDENTS Melba Hooker Advisor: Dr. Peter J. Smith Military service men and women provide security and services both locally and globally. These services sometimes require deployment and separations of active duty military personnel away from their families. These separations and the subsequent stresses could be substantial in the lives of younger children. Not only can these students be affected emotionally, but the achievement, attendance, and attitudes of these fourth grade students in this study are compared to fourth grade nonmilitary students to evaluate the differences between the two groups. How does the fourth grade military student group measure up to their counterpart? To address this question, the researcher analyzed three areas of data for fourth grade students. First is achievement, the Terra Nova Normal Curve Equivalence Scores for reading, language, and math of students with an active duty parent and compared to the congruent test scores for nonmilitary fourth grade students. The next factor, the attendance rates for fourth grade students were compared to those of nonmilitary students to determine if there is a significant difference. Finally, the social skills ratings from report cards of these two groups were analyzed to determine if there is a significant difference between the military and nonmilitary students. (This dissertation investigates


-annealed Ti-6Al-4V ELI alloy has a special chemical composition and manufacturing process, intended to optimise its fatigue and fracture properties. This alloy is used in primary fatigue-critical structures of advanced military aircraft, but little has been generally published about its properties, particularly the fatigue and crack growth behaviour under service loading. A test programme has been set up to assess the fatigue durability and damage tolerance properties of the alloy, in the context of the two most relevant analysis methods. The first is strain – life analysis, used to estimate safe lives (durability). The second is fatigue crack growth analysis, used to assess the damage tolerance behaviour. This paper presents preliminary results of the test programme.


This decade has seen more than a tenfold improvement towards uncertainties of 0.1 ppm in the realisation, maintenance and dissemination of the ohm, volt and watt. Prospects for a further improvement to 0.01 ppm seem bright if the present level of effort is sustained. This paper is aimed at promoting discussion on the best routes to follow.


Cuatomate is a wild plant in process of domestication and with high economic potential in Puebla's Low Mixteca region; therefore, the objective of this study...


Welding procedures,welding technological evalvation and repair technology of different pipes were introduced.Several factors of effecting welding quality and control measures were analyzed.


The modern level of knowledge about meat and vegetable raw material structure allows creating new technologies for the production of combined products corresponding to certain purposes. The present research work is dedicated to the development of processing technologies for meat-based products with functional properties for people predisposed to or suffering from iron deficiency anaemia (IDA), which is considered one of the most widespread diseases, both in the world and in Russia. The daily diet as well as particularly designed functional food products provide the vital substances that prevent or balance the deficiency, improve physiological processes of an organism, increase the resistance to diseases, and help to support an active way of life. All these criteria play an important role in the prevention of this disease.


In this project we investigated and implemented a wireless camera network (WCN) system in order to detect, localize and track humans. The system is designed to be deployed in a smart city.Using background subtraction techniques, humans are first detected in images taken by each camera. Localization based on geometrical interpretation of the information from multiple cameras is investigated, and a Kalman filter-based tracking approach is implemented. Implementation is made with multiple Raspberry Pi single board computers and a main computer running Matlab.


The brushes are used for transmission of electric current from or to rotating surfaces depending on the type of electrical machines. Besides the process of current transmission, what is significant for the brushes is the tribological process, which is the subject of the experiment. The brush was exposed to a planned experiment and a regression and correlation analyses of tribological process of brush wearing relative to the time were undertaken. The interdependency has been tested and determined by regression analysis and by correlation analysis, the connection between the length of wearing Y of the examined brush and observing time X, taken in mode of statistics agglomerates. The wearing of brushes in practice varies relative to the time. The variations may result in extreme wearing of brushes, changes in the current transmission arcing of brushes and the like.


Frequency offset estimation is an important task in mobile communication receivers. FFT-based approaches have been shown to have a very good performance at low signal-to-noise ratios (SNR). They usually consist of two steps: A coarse estimation by searching for the maximum FFT-value and a subsequent fine estimation for which many different approaches exist. In this paper, we demonstrate how simple interpolation in frequency domain can be used to improve the search for the maximum FFT-value without having to rely on zero-padding. The concept is then applied and tested in an acquisition scheme where large frequency offsets occur. Further, the interpolation scheme is used to reduce the complexity of a previously proposed frequency offset estimator. The basic idea of the interpolation scheme is that the spectrum can be evaluated at any position just by using the FFT-coefficients. Since most of the energy is stored in the coefficients close to the actual position, it is sufficient to consider a few of them.


The two-dimensional potential theory for translating and rotating solids developed in Minotti [Phys. Fluids 15, 3576 (2003)] is briefly revised and formulas of the force and moment of the force are given in their correct form.


$\alpha$-stable distributions are utilised as models for heavy-tailed noise in many areas of statistics, finance and signal processing engineering.
However, in general, neither univariate nor multivariate $\alpha$-stable models admit closed form densities which can be evaluated pointwise. This complicates the inferential procedure.
As a result, $\alpha$-stable models are practically limited to the univariate setting under the Bayesian paradigm, and to bivariate models under the classical framework.
In this article we develop a novel Bayesian approach to modelling univariate and multivariate $\alpha$-stable distributions based on recent advances in "likelihood-free" inference.
We present an evaluation of the performance of this procedure in 1, 2 and 3 dimensions, and provide an analysis of real daily currency exchange rate data. The proposed approach provides a feasible inferential methodology at a moderate computational cost.


The Kazdin MethodTM is a version of parent management training in which parents are trained to alter the behaviors of their children. The method draws on the principles and techniques of applied behavior analysis. The techniques focus on antecedents (what comes before the behavior), behavior (crafting the precise behaviors one wishes to develop), and consequences (usually praise to increase the likelihood that the desired behaviors will be performed again). The key focus is repeated practice in changing parent and child behaviors. The article traces the evolution of my use of parent training to treat severe aggressive and antisocial behavior among clinically referred samples and also to help parents with the routine challenges of child rearing. Research findings supporting the effectiveness of the techniques are highlighted. In addition, the article discusses issues and myths that may be of concern with the approach such as the exclusive focus on behavior, the extent to which the effects endure, and the use of consequences to change behavior. Resources are provide for parents and professionals for implementing the techniques and as well as for addressing topics of interest to parents in child and adolescent


Wave-length dependant imaging errors of the optical components and different characteristics in colour channels yield various geometric errors of the RGB image. Chromatic aberration has a very large direct impact on the quality of a digital image correlation and indirect on the geometry of the image. This is particularly important when recording black and white images on the RGB array. It is also particularly important for images taken with low-cost cameras mounted on UAVs. In the paper a novel method of detection of chromatic aberration with the use of wavelet analysis has been proposed. For the purpose of these studies two types of tests were designed and developed. A non-metric low-cost digital camera had been used. The proposed method of detection and correction of chromatic aberration can be applied in photogrammetric and remote sensing products generated on the basis of images from cameras mounted on UAVs


Patient‐derived xenograft (PDX) animal models allow the exogenous growth of human tumors, offering an irreplaceable preclinical tool for oncology research. Mice are the most commonly used host for human PDX models, however their small body size limits the xenograft growth, sample collection, and drug evaluation. Therefore, we sought to develop a novel rat model that could overcome many of these limitations. We knocked out Rag1, Rag2, and Il2rg in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats by clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)–CRISPR‐associated protein 9 technology. The development of lymphoid organs is significantly impaired in Rag1−1− Rag2−/− Il2rg−/Υ (designated as SD‐RG) rats. Consequently, SD‐RG rats are severely immunodeficient with an absence of mature T, B, and NK cells in the immune system. After subcutaneous injection of tumor cell lines of different origin, such as NCI‐H460, U‐87MG, and MDA‐MB‐231, the tumors grow significantly faster and larger in SD‐RG rats than in nonobese diabetic–Cg‐Prkdcscid Il2rgtm1Wjl / SzJ mice. Most important of all, we successfully established a PDX model of lung squamous cell carcinoma in which the grafts recapitulate the histopathologic features of the primary tumor for several passages. In conclusion, the severely immunodeficient SD‐RG rats support fast growth of PDX compared with mice, thus holding great potential to serve as a new model for oncology research.—He, D., Zhang, J., Wu, W., Yi, N., He, W., Lu, P., Li, B., Yang, N., Wang, D., Xue, Z., Zhang, P., Fan, G., Zhu, X. A novel immunodeficient rat model supports human lung cancer xenografts. FASEB J. 33, 140–150 (2019). www.fasebj.org


The utility model relates to an indoor green cabinet of planting, it includes the cabinet body, and set up in air humidifying filter layer and air water conservancy diversion layer that the internal outside -in of portion of cabinet set gradually, the air humidifying filter layer is used for cultivateing green planting, air water conservancy diversion layer is used for introducing the outside air cabinet body and seeing through the air humidifying filter layer is discharged the external portion of cabinet. The indoor green cabinet of planting that this embodiment provided passes through nature biological purification air, lets the room air reach the self -purification and improve the oxygen content through the plant, reduces indoor PM2.5, indoor dirt and high CO2, abandon current expense electricity and dear electronic air purifier, bound water, soil, plant produce more natural environment.


Welfare Regime in Post-Trente Glorieuses France Louis Chauvel Sciences-Po To be published 2010 in French Politics, Culture & Society  The future of youth is old age, and beyond. My aim here is not to forecast the social conditions for entry into the future labor market, in the 2020s say, but rather to analyze the consequences of contemporary problems (the scarcity of jobs, unemployment, the stagnation of wages, and so on) for the life chances of youth. I also analyze the first cohorts of adults socialized in the economic slowdown of the 1970s an d 1980s to understand the long-term consequences of the crise. This essay therefore focuses on the consequences of the (des)integration of youth in France in the context of mass unemployment and déclassement scolaire (over-education and diploma inflation). This Frenc h experience is interesting in itself. When put in comparative international perspective, however, we can see even more clearly the long-term difficulties facing a number of countries: it is not just a matter of the sacrifice of the youth of today; early career probl ems create "scarring effects" in the future and pose risks for the future of welfare regimes. 2


This study aims to analyze the influence of digital marketing on the sustainability of MSME activities in Cempedak Lobang Village, Sei Rampah District, Serdang Bedagai Regency. In this study, the authors used quantitative data analysis with a population of 475 people who were SMEs in Cempedak Lobang Village, Sei Rampah District, Serdang Bedagai Regency. The sample in this study was obtained using the Slovin formula with an error rate of 10% so that the sample of this study was obtained as many as 83 MSME actors. To find out the results of the study, the authors used research instrument tests, simple linear regression test, t test (partial) and the coefficient of determination test using the SPSS version 20.0 application for windows. The results of a simple linear regression test obtained the equation Y = 24,173 + 0.455X, a positive regression coefficient value indicates that digital marketing has a positive effect on the sustainability of MSME activities. The value of tcount = 4.704 > ttable 1.66388 and a significance of 0.000 <0.05, which means that the digital marketing variable has a positive influence on the sustainability of MSME activities in Cempedak Lobang Village, Sei Rampah District, Serdang Bedagai Regency. The coefficient of determination (R2) of the regression results is 0.215 or 21.5%, meaning that the digital marketing variable explains its contribution to the sustainability of MSME activities by 21.5% while the remaining 78.5% is influenced by other variables not examined in this study.


We present a simple scheme for implementing a one-dimensional (1D) magnetic-flux lattice of ultracold fermionic spin-1/2 atoms. The resulting tight-binding model supports gapped and gapless topological phases and chiral currents for Meissner and vortex phases. Its single-particle spectra exhibit topological flat bands at small flux, and the flatness sensitively depends on hopping strength. An effective $p$-wave interaction arises in a $s$-wave paired superfluid. Treating atomic internal states as forming a synthetic dimension and balancing the interplay of magnetic flux and Zeeman field, our model describes a tunable topological Fermi superfluid, which paves the way towards experimental explorations of non-Abelian topological matter in 1D atomic quantum gases.


A novel method for the in situ thermomechanical test of micro/nanoscale samples at high temperature is presented. During the in situ test, the stage is resistively heated while the temperature is measured by a cofabricated temperature sensor. For experimental demonstration of the thermomechanical testing method, we fabricate the Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) stage using silicon carbide (SiC) and carry out in situ uniaxial tests for single-crystal silicon (SCS) microsamples at temperatures from room temperature to 400 °C. We recover the known elastic modulus of SCS within 1% error in this temperature range.


The Feenberg scaling procedure, as applied to Rayleigh–Schrodinger perturbation theory, is not size consistent; i.e., the energy error E(AB) − E(A) − E(B) is nonzero if A and B are two different, noninteracting subsystems. The magnitude of this size inconsistency of the Feenberg scaling is determined and analyzed. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005


We discuss the molecular diffusion transport in dilute liquid solutions under non-isothermal conditions. This discussion is actualized by an occurring misinterpretation of thermodynamic transport equations written in terms of chemical potential. Our treatment is based on the consideration of the entropy production.


There is an immense regulatory overhaul over the Money Laundering (ML) threats in financial systems. To build trust and confidence there is an industry wide push to invest more in the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) programs which includes Know Your Customer (KYC), Transaction Monitoring(TM), Trade Surveillance, Fraud Detection and Prevention. These great deals of critical processes require detecting money laundering in the real world financial systems in response to mounting concern over money laundering. Data mining plays a major role to accommodate various types of meaningful and useful information from banking systems. Outlier detection mechanism helps to discover the abnormal behavior in the dataset to identify the suspicious activities in today's world. This paper proposes a novel technique called Triangular Boundary based Outlier Detection (TBOD) Algorithm to detect suspicious activity in banking environments. Segmentation is the preliminary step applied on the dataset to cluster/group the customer based on product usage and associated customer risk. For each customer segment, the profile is modeled to set the boundaries based on historical transaction behaviors. Then, Multivariate classification is applied on the clustered dataset to identify the outliers. Distinct TBOD algorithm has been proposed to model the system and validate it to detect suspicious transactions. The records are arranged as triangular matrix, which visualizes the upper and lower levels of records. The abnormal behavior is identified based on the boundary condition proposed. Various performance measures have been taken to examine the results. The proposed method results in higher precision, recall, sensitivity and specificity values with lesser MAE than the existing SVM K-cross validation, LDOF and K-Means IBK algorithms. It guarantees the accurate detection of outliers in the dataset.


asymptotic symmetries on a Killing horizon Takeshi Tomitsuka and Koji Yamaguchi ∗ Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8578, Japan Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan Abstract We develop a new approach to find asymptotic symmetries in general relativity by modifying a Lie algebra based approach proposed in Ref. [1]. The authors in Ref. [1] proposed an algorithmic protocol to investigate asymptotic symmetries. In particular, their guiding principle help us to find a non-vanishing charge which generates an infinitesimal diffeomorphism. However, in order to check the integrability condition for the charges, it is required to solve differential equations to identify the integral curve of vector fields, which is usually quite hard. In this paper, we provide a sufficient condition of the integrability condition which can be checked without solving any differential equations, avoiding difficulties in the approach in Ref. [1]. As a demonstration, we investigate the asymptotic symmetries on a Killing horizon and find the new asymptotic symmetries. In the case of a 4-dimensional spacetime with a spherical Killing horizon, we show that the algebra of the corresponding charges is a central extension of the algebra of vector fields.


Nasal coupling reduces the over‐all intensity of a vowel, requiring greater vocal effort to match intensity of a nonnasal vowel. The question is to what extent increased vocal effort for nasal vowels is reflected by a change in duty cycle of vocal‐fold vibration. Duration of the vibratory open phase was taken as the time within each cycle during which ultrasonic transmission through the larynx was blocked by reflection from the glottal rim. This measurement is consistent over the small range of transducer positions permitting the ultrasonic beam to pass through the approximate vertical and horizontal midpoint of the vocal folds. At matched microphone signal smplitudes, duty cycles differ for normal and nasalized sustained vowels, spoken at the same vocal fundamental frequency. Results are reported for preadolescent boys. [This investigation was supported by a NIH Grant.]


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The abundance of the element oxygen is crucial not only for life at the surface of the Earth, but also greatly affects the properties and dynamics of the interior of our planet. The combination of a highly oxidized atmosphere and a large reduced metallic core makes our Earth unique among the terrestrial planets, and has led to substantial variations and gradients in oxygen abundances in the rocky crust and mantle. Recent results from a range of research fields including mineral physics, seismology, thermodynamic modelling, and numerical geodynamic simulations have provided compelling evidence that the oxygen distribution in Earth's mantle is highly heterogeneous, with large oxygen-rich domains within generally reducing mantle environment [1–3], with possible variations up to over ten orders of magnitude expressed through oxygen fugacity. A novel deep super-oxidized form of FeO 2 , produced by pressure-induced decomposition of goethite (FeO 2 H) and releasing hydrogen, was recently revealed based on theoretical and experimental studies at the high pressure-temperature conditions present in Earth's lower-mantle [1]. In addition, an oxygen-rich layer can be produced and thickened when water transported into the mantle by subducting