Organizations are outsourcing Human Resource but only the activities and functions, which are very much essential to be performed. Most of the Organizations are unaware from the factual essence of this idea that it is very cost productive and helps to gain competitive advantage. The main objective of the study therefore was to examine the effect of Payroll outsourcing practices. The study was guided by Stacy Adam's Equity Theory. This study employed explanatory research design the target population of the study was all employees of the 20 SACCOS in Uasin Gishu County. The accessible population is a subset of the target population where the researcher drew the sample size for the study. Therefore, the accessible population for this study was 227 employees working in the Savings and credit cooperative societies in Uasin Gishu County. The sample size were 145 employees. The study used purposive and simple random sampling to select respondents. Collected data was organised and edited to remove any inconsistencies, repetitions or errors that would have made analysis difficult. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25. Descriptive statistics included percentages, frequencies, mean and standard deviation. Inferentially correlations and multiple regression analysis were applied to get the change in dependent variable caused by the effect of independent variables. The study results revealed that payroll outsourcing practices has a significant influence on performance of Saccos (β=0. 339, p<0.05). The study concluded that performances of employees are guaranteed since outsourcing ensures that the employees being paid are under payroll, there is up to date payment of employees, outsourcing does salary surveys and salary administration are ensured. The study recommends that the Saccos should always pay their employees under payroll, ensure that there is up to date payment and ensure that their salary surveys and salary administration for this will greatly influence the performance of Saccos.


Continual wavelet transform(CWT),as an application direction of the wavelet analysis,is keener to the slight signal change.Near-infrared spectroscopy(NIR) analytical technique is simple,fast and low cost,making neither pollution nor damage to the samples,and can determine many components simultaneously.Support vector machine(SVM) is based on the principle of structural risk minimization,which makes SVM has better generalization ability than other traditional learning machines that are based on the learning principle of empirical risk minimization.In this paper,we use CWT-SVM model to predict meat's component.Compared with Partial Least Squares(PLS) and SVR,more satisfactory results were obtained.


The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of film coolant distribution on nozzle side loads generated during an engine start transient. The rocket engine studied encompasses a regeneratively cooled chamber and nozzle, along with a film cooled nozzle extension. The computational methodology is based on an unstructured-grid, pressure-based computational fluid dynamics formulation, and transient inlet boundary conditions calculated from an engine system simulation. Computations were performed for engine startup with two turbine exhaust manifold geometries that produce two different distributions of film coolant mass flow: one with a higher mass flow deviation, while the other has a near uniform distribution. The results show that the configuration with the higher mass flow deviation produced a higher peak side load, manifested by the biased turbine exhaust gas pumping of the supersonic jet of the Mach disk flow; while the configuration with the more uniform coolant flow distribution maintained a more symmetric Mach disk flow throughout the filling process, resulting in a lower peak side load.


Influence of anthropogenic activities such as agricultural practice on natural resources was carried out to determine the socio-economic development of communities in and around the Kainji Lake National Park (KLNP). Eight out of the ten districts that surrounded the park were sampled using structured questionnaire to collect information, while the opinion of management personnel of the park was also sought. Data were analyzed using descriptive percentage and chi square statistical inference to determine significant difference. Results showed that higher socio-economic development has been achieved in the area of employment opportunities (31.3%), local income generation (28.0%), social infrastructure improvement (7.0%), as well as the awareness creation on education of residents on conservation (14.0%), which has been attributed to the presence of KLNP in Borgu land, that was hitherto regarded as a remote area but, has now turned to become tourists' haven and home for both foreign and domestic tourists. The respondents remarked that the effect was specifically felt in the areas of agricultural and natural resources development through creation of buffer zone between the park and other landed properties (22.0%), provision of farming tools (24.3%), provision of fertilizer (23.0%) and seedlings (29.4%). These were attributed to their involvement in taking crucial park management decisions such as land dispute settlement (44.9%), recruitment of park personnel (34.8%) and public awareness initiatives (20.3%). Most of the farmers that have their farms at the buffer zone also hunt wild animals, while marauding species; hippo (80%) and baboon (20%) destroyed their farms' crops. These were attributed to the attendant problem of park development. Identified tourism potentials' influence rates in the park are the lion cave (10.0 %), Kali Hill Shrine (0%), Kali Hippo Pool (10.0%), the park lodging and catering services (10.0%) as well as the culture of Borgu area. Apart from these, the dearth of fund and the low quality of extension education owing to insufficient personnel were the identified restriction. Thus, there is urgent need for government to improve on fund allocation to the park (30.0%), strengthen the governmental and non-governmental programmes as well as improve on the cordial relationship between the park personnel and local residents (77.3%), thereby enhancing benefits accruable from the park presence in the area.


Aiming at the precision control problem of spacecraft attitude dynamics with actuator faults, a model-free adaptive approach is proposed to the control scheme design. Utilizing the I/O measurement of the spacecraft attitude, the controller is derived by the discrete time data driven iteration without accurate dynamic model. To deal with nonlinear uncertainties which cannot be suppressed by the nominal model-free adaptive controller, an fuzzy logic-based adaptive iterative prediction is carried out on the basis of the kinky inference learning rule when there is insufficient prior data. Stability analysis of the attitude tracking error, uncertainties prediction and other close-loop signals are discussed with the aid of contraction mapping principle. Simulation results with the comparison of adaptive extended state observer based data driven control strategy and general kinky inference learning rule demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme in this work.


The big size of video content has been generated on the online web, and user keeping track of all the details requires your complete attention among those videos is spatial arrangement. With the likes hit comment or views. Hence, understanding the popularity characteristics of online videos and predicting the future popularity of individual videos are of great importance. They have direct implications in various contexts, such as service design, advertisement planning, network management, and so on. In this paper, we address those two problems head-on based on data collected from a leading online video service provider in India, namely YouTube. We firstly analyze the characteristics of YouTube video popularity from four key aspects: long-term popularity, video lifetime and early stage popularity. According to this study such as advertisement planning, network management and also view count up to 15 days. Daily growth rate of view count up to 15th days. Aspects: popularity of long-term, hit's video, in public open popularity as well as it demand or reaction on the video.


An adaptive filter structure that requires zero multiplications for its implementation is introduced. The primary input signal is quantized using differential pulse code modulation (DPCM), and the DPCM outputs are processed by a conventional adaptive filter. The filter coefficients are updated using the sign algorithm. Under the assumption that the primary and reference input signals to the adaptive filter are zero-mean, wide-sense stationary, and Gaussian, theoretical results for the mean and mean-squared behaviour of the filter are also derived. A simulation example demonstrating the usefulness of the filter, as well as verifying the theoretical results and comparing the multiplication-free adaptive digital filter to the sign algorithm, is also presented.<<ETX>>


Nitroreductases activate nitroaromatic antibiotics and cancer prodrugs to cytotoxic hydroxylamines and reduce quinones to quinols. Using steady‐state and stopped‐flow kinetics, we show that the Escherichia coli nitroreductase NfsA is 20–50 fold more active with NADPH than with NADH and that product release may be rate‐limiting. The crystal structure of NfsA with NADP+ shows that a mobile loop forms a phosphate‐binding pocket. The nicotinamide ring and nicotinamide ribose are mobile, as confirmed in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. We present a model of NADPH bound to NfsA. Only one NADP+ is seen bound to the NfsA dimers, and MD simulations show that binding of a second NADP(H) cofactor is unfavourable, suggesting that NfsA and other members of this protein superfamily may have a half‐of‐sites mechanism.


The impact of trade openness on growth of total factor productivity (TFP) is investigated. Given the differences in tradability of goods across sectors as well as the ongoing structural change, we examine whether trade openness has had a differential impact on TFP growth of the three main sectors of an economy. While the positive impact of openness on TFP growth for the aggregate economy is confirmed, openness has had no appreciable impact on the growth of TFP in the agricultural and industrial sectors. We find that the positive effect of openness on TFP growth for the economy as a whole was mostly due to the positive relationship between the two variables for the services sector. Further, we conclude that the lack of a general consensus in past studies could be due to their neglect of structural change and temporal factors when analyzing the trade-TFP nexus.


We observe that the partition function of the set of all free massless higher spins s = 0, 1, 2, 3,... in flat space is equal to one: the ghost determinants cancel against the 'physical' ones or, equivalently, the (regularized) total number of degrees of freedom vanishes. This reflects large underlying gauge symmetry and suggests analogy with supersymmetric or topological theory. The Z = 1 property extends also to the AdS background, i.e. the 1-loop vacuum partition function of Vasiliev theory is equal to 1 (assuming a particular regularization of the sum over spins); this was noticed earlier as a consistency requirement for the vectorial AdS/CFT duality. We find that Z = 1 is true also in the conformal higher spin theory (with higher-derivative ∂ 2 s ?> kinetic terms) expanded near flat or conformally flat S4 background. We also consider the partition function of free conformal theory of symmetric traceless rank s tensor field which has 2-derivative kinetic term but only scalar gauge invariance in flat 4d space. This non-unitary theory has Weyl-invariant action in curved background and it corresponds to 'partially massless' field in AdS5. We discuss in detail the special case of s = 2 (or 'conformal graviton'), compute the corresponding conformal anomaly coefficients and compare them with previously found expressions for generic representations of conformal group in 4 dimensions.


Objective:To investigate the mechanism of the TLR-4-mediated immune escape signal transduction system in bladder urothelial carcinoma and their relationship with the biological behavior of bladder cancer.Method:Sampales from 60 patients with bladder urothelial carcinoma and 10 cases with normal bladder tissue were examined for TLR-4,B7-H1,PD-1,Fas and FasL expression by immunohistochemical staining Result:TLR-4 positivity was observed in all normal bladder tissue,while decreased expression in bladder urothelial carcinoma;There were no expression or very low expression of B7-H1,PD-1,Fas and FasL in normal bladder tissue,but in bladder urothelial carcinoma the positive expression of those proteins were significantly higher,and those proteins expression were closely correlated with tumor pothological grade and clinical stage,at the same time the B7-H1 expression was also correlated with recurrence.Conclusion:TLR-4-mediated signal transduction system may be associated with bladder urothelial carcinoma immune escape,and activation of TLR-4-mediated immune escape signal transduction system may exist in the development of bladder urothelial carcinoma and along with TLR-4-mediated signal transduction system related immunosuppressive molecule upregulation.


Canada's health information strategy is overly focused on the development of a national infostructure and underserves the needs of physicians and patients, provincial administrators say following release of a major new study of electronic medical records (EMRs) in Ontario.

In focusing it efforts


Biosolids (i.e. the treated solid waste stream from sewage treatment plants) were disposed of in Australia to either land-fill sites or the ocean. Four factors have led to the majority of Australian biosolids now being applied to agricultural land: (a) the previous waste practices are no longer acceptable, (b) the drive by Australian governments to re-use wastes, (c) Australian soils are generally deficient in nutrients and (d) biosolids are relatively rich in nutrients. However, biosolids contain a diverse range of contaminants and pathogens. In order to prevent potential negative impacts on human and ecosystem health, guidelines have been developed at both the state and national level in Australia. The concentration of pathogens, nutrients and a suite of contaminants (mainly metals and organochlorine pesticides) control the potential uses of the biosolids that range from unrestricted to being only suitable for land-fill. The current regulatory approach of biosolids will be presented in detail. The applicability of the biosolids guidelines for contaminants to Australian soils was questioned as the majority of the data used to derive the guidelines were from the Northern Hemisphere and a single numerical limit for each contaminant was applied to all Australian soils. In response, the Australian National Biosolids Research Program (NBRP) was established in 2002. The program consisted of 17 field sites in many of the major agricultural regions of Australia and the effects of biosolids, cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) metal salts to agricultural crops, soil microbial health and soil physicochemical properties were measured for three or four cropping cycles. The results determined the relative biological availability of the metals when added to soil as metal salts or in biosolids and ultimately permitted the derivation of guidelines for Cd, Cu and Zn that vary with the physicochemical properties of the soil (reflecting the biological availability of the metals in the soil). Other metal contaminants in Australian biosolids are not considered to pose a significant hazard to humans or ecosystems and thus attention has now changed to organic contaminants. Research is currently examining the concentration, environmental persistence and impacts of persistent organic pollutants (e.g. dioxins, furans, polybrominated diphenyl ethers), pharmaceuticals and personal care products (e.g. triclosan, 4-nonylphenol, estrone) in biosolids. How the results of this research are being incorporated into regulatory and management systems for biosolids will be discussed.


This article explores the supposition that the efficacy and impact of public health interventions targeting behavioral and lifestyle factors can be improved by developing interventions that combine scientific advances in behavior change theory with advances in information technology. It is noted that programs of the public health revolution which began during the late 19th century have been based on biomedical theories to guide health promotion efforts for the purpose of increased public health impact. However, developments in behavior change research suggest that it is possible to incorporate behavior change theory into traditional large-scale public health intervention programs. It has been indicated that there is a need to align the field of health promotion and disease prevention with the science of behavior change for the development of theory-based intervention strategies for lifestyle change. The combination of advances in behavioral science and progress in information technologies provides a unique opportunity to enhance the efficacy, reach, and impact of the health promotion programs of the second public health revolution.


With the explosive demands for data, content delivery networks are facing ever-increasing challenges to meet end-users' quality-of-experience requirements, especially in terms of delay. Content can be migrated from surrogate servers to local caches closer to end-users to address delay challenges. Unfortunately, these local caches have limited capacities, and when they are fully occupied, it may sometimes be necessary to remove their lower-priority content to accommodate higher-priority content. At other times, it may be necessary to return previously removed content to local caches. Downloading this content from surrogate servers is costly from the perspective of network usage, and potentially detrimental to the end-user QoE in terms of delay. In this paper, we consider an edge content delivery network with vehicular nodes and propose a content migration strategy in which local caches offload their contents to neighboring edge caches whenever feasible, instead of removing their contents when they are fully occupied. This process ensures that more contents remain in the vicinity of end-users. However, selecting which contents to migrate and to which neighboring cache to migrate is a complicated problem. This paper proposes a deep reinforcement learning approach to minimize the cost. Our simulation scenarios realized up to a 70% reduction of content access delay cost compared to conventional strategies with and without content migration.


According to the principle of the vector control of induction motors, a single neuron controller is adopted in the rotor flux oriented induction motor, and the model of a single neuron controller is given. The speed regulator in the AC vector control system is replaced by the single neuron controller .The design of the intelligent AC vector control system which is easy to be implemented for algorithm and actual control system is carried out, and the system is simulated. The MATLAB Simulation results show that this system has a better dynamic performance.


The recent decision in Ahamefule v. Imperial Medical Center represents a major advancement in the development of law and medical ethics in Nigeria. The facts of the case reveal quite an interesting mix of legal and ethical issues of significant consequences for employers, employees and the general public. What ethical and legal obligations flow from an employer to an employee who is HIV-infected? What is the appropriate course of action for an employer when the discharge of these obligations harbors risk of liability in negligence to a third party? This paper seeks answers to these questions.


Diet modification and exercise require commitment to long term established behavioural change and are often very difficult. The study aimed at assessing the barriers to adherence to diet and exercise recommendations among Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM) patients seeking healthcare at Agogo Presbyterian Hospital, Ghana. A sample size of 212 respondents aged ≥30 years who have been diagnosed of Type 2 DM for at least one year were sampled using stratified and simple random sampling techniques. The data collected was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. The study revealed that rates of non-adherence were 34.9% and 19.3% for diet and exercise respectively. Reasons for exercise  non-adherence included inadequate understanding about exercise (66.0%), perception that exercise could potentially exacerbate their illness (46.4%), being far away from home (16.5%) and busy schedule (15.5%) , while the main reasons for non-adherence to diet were inadequate understanding about dietary recommendations (52.3%), eating outside home (32.4%), poor self-control (17.6%), financial constraints (14.9) and situation at home (12.1%). The study also found a strong positive correlation (r=0.984*, p<0.05) between respondents' age and adherence to exercise recommendation. It is recommended that education on the type of exercise, time and duration of the exercise and the different food combinations for the Type 2 DM should be intensified in diabetic clinics. Keywords: Aerobic, Barriers, Diabetes, Diet and Exercise, Adherence.


The optimal management for localized carcinoma of the prostate continues to be debated. Although radical surgery offers the most definitive chance for a cure, a substantial percentage of patients have recurrent disease due to extracapsular extension. Radiation therapy has the potential to overcome this problem, yet residual disease is also found in a comparable percentage of men receiving this treatment. In addition to the failure rates, both radiation and radical prostatectomy cause significant morbidity. Furthermore, a recent report of a decision analysis model to assess the relative effect of surgery and radiation compared with watchful waiting showed that the benefit of aggressive therapy may be small or nonexistent, especially because of the associated side effects.' The report in this issue of Cancer on percutaneous cryosurgical ablation of the prostate by Onik and coworkers presents a possibly efficacious alternative for the local management of this disease.' To appreciate the real potential of this therapy, the reader can focus primarily on the results from Group 2, in which improved technology was used. In contrast to a failure rate of 37% when using only two cryoprobes, the use of five cryoprobes simultaneously resulted in negative biopsy results in 14 of 15 men 3 months after treatment. The biopsy results in the remainder of the 47 patients will be important for enhancing the confidence in these results. In addition to the low failure rate at 3 months, the complication rate also appears acceptable. The most serious problem of urethrorectal fistula occurred in 3% of patients, but this may have resulted from inadequate experience. Impotency occurred in 67% and may be higher if the nerve bundles are routinely treated. Whether potency returns with longer follow-up is unclear.


Objective
To investigate the application of jugular bulb oxygen saturation (SjvO2) in the treatment of patients with severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI).

Methods
From August 2016 to August 2017, fifty-three patients with sTBI admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) of Zhoupu Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Sciences were randomly divided into the intracranial pressure-guided treatment group (ICP group) and the SjvO2-guided treatment group (SjvO2 group) by draw lots method.The patients in ICP group (n=25) were treated according to the routine regimen, and the SjvO2 group (n=28) was dynamically detected SjvO2, and the SjvO2 was maintained at the target range of 55%-75% by adjusting the treatment scheme in addition to the routine treatment regimen.The early GCS score, GOS score and the mortality rate were compared between the two groups three months after injury.

Results
A total of 36%(9/25) patients had SjvO2<55% events within 3 days after injury.On the fourth day after injury, the GCS score in the SjvO2 group was better than that in the ICP group [(7.17±1.41)points vs.(6.91±1.10)points, t=1.78, P=0.03], and there was no statistically significant difference in mortality between the two groups at 90 days after injury (P=0.80). The SjvO2 group had a better prognosis rate compared with ICP group (24.00% vs.10.70%, χ2=2.31, P=0.05).

Conclusion
The treatment strategy of sTBI patients guided by SjvO2 can improve early consciousness level and improve the overall prognosis of sTBI patients.

Key words:
Craniocerebral trauma; Oximetry; Glomus jugulare; Glasgow outcome scale; Prognosis


The widespread prevalence and deleterious effects of metabolic syndrome have become a major public health challenge as it is associated with the development of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Lifestyle modification focusing on diet has shown promise for managing cardiovascular disease risk, and clinical studies provide evidence that a Mediterranean diet supplemented with phytochemicals is a successful interventional approach. The role of phytochemicals in regulating gene expression and modulating intracellular kinase activity has only recently begun to be appreciated. Clinical studies investigating the effects of specific phytochemicals in metabolic syndrome patients have produced encouraging results, including normalization of metabolic function, reduction of cardiovascular risk, and resolution of metabolic syndrome. As research advances our understanding of the evolutionary relationships between plants and humans, details are emerging about the mechanisms by which phytochemicals regulate insulin signaling and inflammatory responses. This expanding field of research is likely to lead to novel, effective clinical approaches for combating chronic diseases such as metabolic syndrome.


To reduce noise from automobile tire, clarification of dynamic characteristics of tire is important. This paper focuses on modal identification. In such cylindrical shell structures, vibration modes with complicated shapes exist densely. Also, structures made of composite material often have high damping characteristics. Therefore, the experimental modal parameter extraction is a difficult task. To solve the difficulties, a new modal parameter identification method is applied to investigate such structures of dynamics. Circumference reduction method is proposed. This method can effectively reduce modal density for modal identification, so the difficulty of identification is improved. It is verified that the modal property of the tire can be identified using proposed method. Furthermore, by applying this identification approach to the acoustic transfer function, we clarify the vibration modes contributing to the noise radiation.


torm of Visual Modeler. Larger-grain components, in the form of business objects or business components, are being seriously defined by OMG and others. So components and scripting are becoming the standard by which large-scale enterprise development will be judged. All these technologies, taken together, could radically change the way people d o reuse, even though none is revolutionary by itself.


The EST algorithm presents the concept of search state equivalence for first time,and describes the different search state of test pattern with E-frontier.With the concept of state equivalence,the search space of test pattern has got smaller.This paper gives a new test generation algorithm based on search state dominance with the research for search state equivalence.This method can decrease the search space,and the time for test generation is shorter.


Vitellogenesis in S. borealis is described. The large protein yolk spheres consist of protein and lipoid. This comes by pinocytosis from outside the oöcyte and from the golgi within the oöcyte. This is discussed in relation to other animal oöcytes. Cortical granules are present at the periphery of the oöcyte and release their contents just before the egg leaves the coelom. When released the eggs have an envelope around them, and evidence is presented which suggests that it is formed from material produced by secretory cells around the exit hole and along the ciliated groove.


Test and evaluation of laser warning devices is important due to the increased use of laser devices in aerial applications. This research consists of an atmospheric aberrating system to enable in-lab testing of various detectors and sensors. This system employs laser light at 632.8nm from a Helium-Neon source and a spatial light modulator (SLM) to cause phase changes using a birefringent liquid crystal material. Measuring outgoing radiation from the SLM using a CCD targetboard and Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor reveals an acceptable resemblance of system output to expected atmospheric theory. Over three turbulence scenarios, an error analysis reveals that turbulence data matches theory. A wave optics computer simulation is created analogous to the lab-bench design. Phase data, intensity data, and a computer simulation affirm lab-bench results so that the aberrating SLM system can be operated confidently.


Traditional approaches to wheel-rail interface problems have been to develop tools for solving individual problems rather than addressing the system as a whole. This approach can result in the solutions firstly being incomplete because only a part of the problem has been addressed; secondly having an adverse effect because the solution has had unconsidered repercussions elsewhere in the system; and thirdly gaps and incompatibilities occurring between the separate problem solving tools. The application of systems engineering enables the understanding and modelling of the whole system with a view to being able to assess and evaluate the implications of a change throughout that system. The integrated approach being adopted in this project should help ensure the safe, reliable and effective operation of the systems that rely upon the wheel-rail interface. The demands on the wheel-rail interface in the UK are increasing with heavier loads and higher speeds, as required by a rail network for the 21st Century. Rail failure from this interaction is caused by excessive wear, resulting in an adverse rail profile, or by fatigue crack growth, which may propagate to total failure. Microstructural changes result from the contact stresses in the surface layers associated with the wheel-rail interaction and influence the wear rate and fatigue crack initiation. These microstructural changes depend on numerous factors including the loading pattern (axle load, contact patch area, etc) and the steel (composition and initial microstructure) used. This paper outlines the systems engineering approach being adopted to consider the wheel-rail interface and highlights the metallurgical input. For the covering abstract see ITRD E122683.


In the Chilean context, classrooms tend to have a vertical distribution of seats and desks, commonly known as rows. This action research aims to investigate the effects of changing this distribution from rows to separate tables in students' participation in speaking activities in efl lessons. This study was carried out over a month and it consisted of two phases: the first, under the orderly rows, and the second, under the separate-table seating arrangement. Each phase was recorded and a sample of students was interviewed for the analysis of their perception of the two different seating arrangements and their participation in classes. The results showed that separate tables enhance interaction among learners, who had a positive attitude towards the new organization and seemed intrinsically motivated to participate in efl lessons. However, Spanish was mostly used. Nonetheless, the participants cherished the opportunity to interact with their classmates in a relaxed, inviting environment


Clinical and experimental studies demonstrate an interaction among bones, adipose tissue and diabetes mellitus: obese women have lower risk of fractures, whereas diabetes and hypertension were associated with osteopenia and osteoporosis. Today, bone is considered not solely as a supporting and protective structure, but also an active endocrine organ producing secretory proteins collectively termed osteokines. In this presentation, the role of two of these factors, leptin and osteocalcin, as well as the transcription factors FOXO1 and ATF4, in the control of glucose and energy homeostasis is briefly highlighted. Adipobiology 2010; 2: 67-71.


Objectives: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is an acute complication among COVID-19 patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). It is found to be a leading cause of poor prognostic indicators in COVID-19 patients. The aim was to describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of DKA patients admitted to Suhar Hospital, Oman, investigating the association with COVID-19. Methods: A retrospective review of DKA patients admitted to Suhar Hospital, Oman, from March 2020 to August 2020. DKA patients will be classified as with or without laboratory- confirmed COVID-19. SPSS, version 22, was used to describe data (median, interquartile range-IQR and percentages) and to test for statistical differences at 5% significance level (chi- square test, Fisher's exact test and Mann-Whitney U-test). Results: Twenty seven patients were found to fulfill the criteria of DKA. Of them, 13 patients had confirmed COVID representing a prevalence of 1.4%. COVID DKA patients compared to non-COVID were characterized as being males (54% vs. 43%), older (36 vs. 22), longer on hospital stay (5 vs. 2), had T2DM (62% vs. 7%), admitted to ICU (46% vs. 7%) and higher in mortality (31% vs. 0%) as well as clinically presented with a low pH ( 7 vs. 7.2) and bicarbonate (6.2 vs. 11.1), high serum creatinine (101.0 vs. 84.0) and CRP (34.0 vs. 4.8). Significant factors (p<0.05) found to enhance mortality among COVID DKA patients were COVID pneumonia severity, extensive bilateral radiological infiltrates, ICU admissions, mechanical ventilation, severe metabolic acidosis and higher WBC and Neutrophils. All deceased COVID-19 DKA patients developed complications such as ARDS, renal failure, requiring hemodialysis and septic shock. Conclusion: This highlights the association of COVID-19 and DKA among T2DM and prolonged hospital stay. Severe COVID pneumonia, severe metabolic acidosis, ICU admissions, mechanical ventilations and high inflammatory markers were poor prognostic factors among COVID-19 patients admitted with DKA.


Week before last, I remember the date, Two of us took Main Street to agitate A Woman's Edition of the Knightstown Sun, And get advertising by the pound or ton. Most of the merchants received us quite kindly, I have not a doubt we went at it blindly, Not unlike candidates making first calls, But then C.E. Workers nothing appalls. So begins a bit of doggerel which describes a foray into journalism by women of Knightstown, Indiana. These women of the community produced a special women's edition in 1896, toward the end of a phenomenon in newspapering which had begun two years before in Rockford, Illinois.2 Although Knightstown and Rockford were not major urban areas, like other communities around the United States they had women involved in what has been called "municipal housekeeping."3 In order to raise funds for their projects, these women sometimes turned to their local newspapers for help, persuading publishers to allow them to take over the newspaper for a day. As we shall see, their newspapering, which included selling advertising "by the pound or ton," provides an unusual window into women's reform activities and networks, as well as into publishers' relationships with various constituent groups. The focus for this article then is the development and role of these "women's editions" that flourished from 1894 to 1896.4 Women's editions are seemingly related to what we now call stunt journalism and newspaper crusades. In each community, the process was similar to that described in the doggerel published in Knightstown: Women formed themselves into staffs to sell advertising, to solicit or develop articles, to plan and execute illustrations, and to show up on the appointed day to finish the production of the paper. While it might seem unlikely that newspaper novices were in charge of the issuing of an entire newspaper, the evidence is there in both the editions and in the few references to them in newspaper histories and in literature related to the woman's club movement.5 Similar in appearance and bulk to holiday, commemorative, or centennial editions of newspapers, these special woman-edited and woman-written productions were distinctly different from women's pages or sections of Sunday papers devoted to "feminine" interests. Nor do they fit into the general category of women's periodicals or women's magazines about which a rich literature exists. Nevertheless, they were more than interesting ephemera. Women's editions were indeed special issues of mainstream newspapers; like other commemorative or holiday issues, they were showcases for full-page engravings and advertisements.6 The women involved in the publication of women's editions invariably had some kind of philanthropic effort as a goal, but publishers' motives for allowing novices to take over an editorial sanctum varied from community to community. No doubt one reason was that these women comprised the local elite, a potential market valued by advertisers and therefore to be humored; another had to do with the novelty of the enterprise. As New York magazine journalist Jeannette L. Gilder put it in the women's edition of the San Francisco Examiner, the paper was "quite the most original thing" and not only "do I admire its originality but its practical philanthropy which is more than half the battle. "7 Gilder's words are among the many congratulatory comments printed in women's editions at papers large and small. While it would be idle conjecture to say that the primary goal of the women's editions was attention-getting-even for their charitable projects, it is certainly clear that novelty played a role. Publishers like William Randolph Hearst would surely have been happy with the attention that the papers received. Typically, women's editions included testimonials like Gilder's and contributions from famous people. Indeed, the list of famous contributors reads like a Who's Who of American women of that era: Susan B. …


4 DECLARATION 5 COPYRIGHT STATEMENT 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 6 INTRODUCTION 8 CORPORATE DEBT MATURITY AND STOCK PRICE CRASH RISK 18 ABSTRACT 18 2.


Ideological and political education in the subject and the object is the ideological and political education activities of a pair of the most fundamental area in which the main body of the ideological and political education is to determine the fundamental characteristics of the main body,this article from the current existence of several main academic said that the ideological and political education explained the principal,and on this basis to further to the subjectivity of interpretation,and finally reveals the reality of science combined with the definition of the main ideological and political education and the meaning of subjectivity.


In this paper we will examine several simple, but historically interesting, models for human population growth, all of which are special cases of the following general population model. We suppose that the size N of the population under consideration is a function of time t, and that its rate of change dN/dt is a "known" function of N and t. (In practice, the rate of change is usually conjectured rather than known, and the resulting differential equation is studied with regard to the reasonableness of its consequences.) To be a little more precise, we suppose that the population has a birth rate (per individual) B and a mortality rate M, both of which may be functions of N and t, expressed as fractions of the total population, so that the net growth rate may be written as


Drawing upon Martin Heidegger's hermeneutical phenomenology, which reconsiders the ontological status of works of art and focuses on their character as "things" in order to deconstruct the traditional meaning of art, I argue that everyday aesthetics may be said to pertain to a post-Heideggerian task of rethinking art and the fundamentals of aesthetics. Adopting a hermeneutical approach to art has a twofold consequence for aesthetics: (i) on the one hand, it broadens its reach, extending it beyond the realm of fine/high art, towards everyday objects and experiences, and (ii) on the other hand, it sheds new light on the relevance of artistic phenomena for lived life. I submit that (i) and (ii) are due to the fact that hermeneutics itself, as a process of interpretation, underlies all human activities, meaning that human beings exist inasmuch as they draw the meaning of their lives from the objects and experiences that they encounter.


Hydrometallurgical processes for the recovery of copper from sulphide concentrates are under evaluation for the Konkola Deeps project in Zambia and for a copper-gold ore deposit. The process flowsheets involve copper dissolution from the concentrate by pressure leaching in sulphuric acid, followed by purification of the leach liquor by solvent extraction, and metal recovery by electrowinning. The autoclave discharge liquors contain 50 to 90 g/l Cu and, under appropriate operating conditions, minimal residual free acid. The choice of extractants and operating conditions for the recovery of copper from such solutions is discussed, and selected results from laboratory and pilot-scale studies are presented.


In this study, the authors estimated the economic activity associated with visitors using the Waterfront Trail in Burlington and also on the Island Line in Colchester where the trail follows a causeway into Lake Champlain to a "cut" where ferry service is provided at limited times during the summer season by Local Motion. The associated tourism expenditures were estimated using the 2008 interview-based visitor information, 2009 Local Motion ferry boardings, 24-hour multi-day automated continuous counts from the Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning Organization (CCMPO), and average visitor spending data from the State of Vermont. The results show that the overall average tourism spending of tourist users ranges from $1 to $2.5 million, over a five-month period between May and September, 2008. Non-resident riders on the bicycle and pedestrian ferry at the "cut" in Colchester were estimated to have spent $178,695 for only 13 days of operation.


When individuals and families chose to emigrate from Viking Age Scandinavia, their decisions had a major impact on their personal lives. For some this meant amongst other things a change of faith. While most migrants remained faithful to the old pagan beliefs, some converted to Christianity prior to their arrival on Iceland. The early settlers of Iceland were both pagans and Christians. Medieval Icelandic literature recounts stories of both pagans and Christians settling in Iceland, though none of these stories is as strange as that of Auður/Unnur djúpúðga Ketilsdóttir. The question of Auður's religion is an interesting one and a puzzle at that. Two traditions exist parallel to one another. The first tradition is transmitted through Landnámabók, Íslendingabók and several Íslendingasögur. According to these sources she converts to Christianity somewhere on the British-Irish archipelago before setting sail to Iceland. She erects several crosses and demands to be buried in the Christian fashion. Through oral transmission this Christian tradition has been elaborated and has survived. It is preserved in the Icelandic folk legend Gullbrá og Skeggi í Hvammi written down by Jón Þorleifssonar. The other tradition is preserved only in Laxdœla saga. In this saga Auður, who is named Unnur here, remains pagan and is buried accordingly. These alternative traditions form a good example of the difference between real and constructed memory of Viking and religious identity. They illustrate how cultural memory and religious identity are shaped, altered and extended over time. This paper will not attempt to determine which of these traditions is real, but will give an overview of the alternate traditions as they are preserved, how these were modified, why and how these alternate religious identities were created. The discussion will focus on religious and funerary customs. Manuscript: Stofnun Árna Magnússonar, Reykjavík JS 494 8vo (Ein bæn Auðar diupauðgu, leaf 10verso) Primary sources: A. Landnámabók and the family sagas are cited from the series Íslenzk Fornrit published in Reykjavík by Hið Íslenska Fornritafélag. The English translation of these texts are cited from The Complete Sagas of Icelanders published in Reykjavík by Leifur Eiriksson Publishing. I refer to the following individual sagas: Eiríks saga rauða. Einar Ólafur Sveinsson, Matthías Þórðarson (eds.). In: Eyrbyggja saga. Íslenzk fornrit 4. Reykjavík: Hið Íslenska Fornritafélag, 1935. Pp. 195-237. Eirik the Red's saga. Keneva Kunz (trans.). In: The Complete Sagas of Icelanders I. Reykjavik: Leifur Eiriksson Publishing, 1997. Pp.1-18. Eyrbyggja saga. Einar Ólafur Sveinsson, Matthías Þórðarson (eds.). Íslenzk fornrit 4. Reykjavík: Hið Íslenska Fornritafélag, 1935. Pp. 3-184. The saga of the people of Eyri. Judy Quinn (trans.). In: The Complete Sagas of Icelanders V. Reykjavik: Leifur Eiriksson Publishing, 1997. Pp.131-218. Grettis Ásmundarsonar saga. Guðni Jónsson (ed.). Íslenzk fornrit 7. Reykjavík: Hið Íslenska Fornritafélag, 1936. The saga of Grettir the Strong. Bernard Scudder (trans.). In: The Complete Sagas of Icelanders II. Reykjavik: Leifur Eiriksson Publishing, 1997. Pp.49-191. Landnámabók. Jakob Benediktsson (ed.). In: Íslendingabók, Landnámabók. Íslenzk fornrit 1. Reykjavík: Hið Íslenska Fornritafélag, 1968. Pp. 29-397. The Book of settlements. Landnámabók. Hermann Pálsson and Paul Edwards (trans.). Manitoba: University of Manitoba Press, 1972. Laxdœla saga. Einar Ólafur Sveinsson (ed.). Íslenzk fornrit 5. Reykjavík: Hið Íslenska Fornritafélag, 1934. The saga of the people of Laxardal. Keneva Kunz (trans.). In: The Complete Sagas of Icelanders V. Reykjavik: Leifur Eiriksson Publishing, 1997. Pp.1-120. B. The folklegend about Auður and Gullbrá is taken from the collection of Jón Árnason. The text has been translated into several languages. I make of use of two English translations. Gullbrá og Skeggi í Hvammi. Jón Árnason (coll.). In: Íslenzkar þjóðsögur og æfintýri I. Leipzig: J. C. Hinrichs, 1862. Pp. 146-150. Gold-Brow. Jón Árnason (coll.), George E. J. Powell, and Eiríkur Magnússon (trans.). In: Icelandic legends I. London: Richard Bentley, 1864. Pp. 113-120. Audur and Gullbrá and Skeggi. Malone, Kemp (trans.). In: Scandinavian studies presented to George T. Flom. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1942. Pp. 57-65.


Reliability has long been a major consideration in the design of space systems, and in recent years it has become an essential metric in spacecraft design tra de-space exploration and optimization. The purpose of this paper is to statistically derive and compare r eliability results of Earth-orbiting satellites as function of orbit type, namely geosynchronous orbits (GEO), low Earth orbits (LEO) and medium Earth orbits (MEO). Using an extensive database of satellite launches a nd failures/anomalies, life data analyses are condu cte over three samples of satellites within each orbit type and successfully launched between 1990 and 200 8. Because the dataset is censored, the Kaplan-Meier e stimator is used to estimate the reliability functi ons. Plots of satellite reliability as a function of orb it altitude are provided for each orbit type, as we ll as confidence bounds on these estimates. Using analyti c l techniques such as maximum likelihood estimatio n (MLE), parametric fits are conducted on the previou s nonparametric reliability results using single We ibull and mixture distributions. Based on these parametri c fi s, a comparative reliability analysis is provi ded identifying similarities and differences in the rel iability behaviors of satellites in these three typ es of orbits. Finally, beyond the statistical analysis, this work concludes with several hypotheses for structural/c ausal explanations of these trends and difference in on-o rbit failure behavior.


Alzheimer's disease (AD) constitutes a rising threat to public health. Despite extensive research in cellular and animal models, identifying the pathogenic agent present in the human brain and showing that it confers key features of AD have not been achieved. We extracted soluble amyloid β–protein (Aβ) oligomers directly from the cerebral cortex of typical AD subjects. The oligomers potently inhibited long term potentiation (LTP), enhanced long term depression (LTD), and reduced dendritic spine density in normal rodent hippocampus. Soluble Aβ from AD brain also disrupted the memory of a learned behavior in normal rats. These various effects were specifically attributable to Aβ dimers. Mechanistically, metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR) were required for LTD enhancement and NMDA receptors (NMDAR) for spine loss. Co-administering antibodies to the Aβ N-terminus prevented the LTP and LTD deficits, whereas antibodies to the mid-region or C-terminus were less effective. Insoluble amyloid plaque cores from AD cortex did not impair LTP unless they were first solubilized to release Aβ dimers, suggesting that plaque cores are largely inactive but sequester Aβ dimers that are synaptotoxic. We conclude that soluble Aβ oligomers extracted from AD brains potently impair synapse structure and function and that dimers are the smallest synaptotoxic species. AD is distinguished histopathologically from other dementias by abundant extraneuronal deposits of amyloid β-protein (Aβ). Numerous reports describe neuronal alterations induced by supraphysiological concentrations of synthetic Aβ peptides, by Aβ species secreted by cultured cells, or by complex mixtures of Aβ assembly forms in the brains of APP transgenic mice 1–5. While these findings demonstrate that Aβ can alter synapse physiology in experimental models, the nature of the pathogenic species in the human brain and direct demonstration of its neurobiological effects are unresolved. Aqueously soluble (Tris-buffered saline (TBS)), detergent-soluble (TBS+1% Triton) and " insoluble " (5M GuHCl) extracts were prepared by sequential centrifugation of brain homogenates from humans with various neuropathologically confirmed dementias (Supp. Table 1a). Sensitive immunoprecipitation/Western blotting (IP/WB) 5,6 revealed Aβ monomers and lithium dodecylsulfate (LDS)-stable dimers and trimers in all three extracts of the frontal and temporal cortices of AD subjects and an adult with Down's syndrome and AD (Fig. 1). Cortical extracts from some non-AD subjects showed modest levels of Aβ in the insoluble (GuHCl) extracts (Fig. 1c,) but little or none in the soluble (TBS) extracts (Fig. 1a) compared to the AD cases. Notably, a subject with AD histopathology but no clinical AD (pathological AD, …


The UNEXPO (National Experimental Polytechnic University) system is a public institution dedicated to teaching and researching in engineering area. It was formed to bring together three main institutes located in Venezuelan cities and three more institutes located in rural areas, so that to collectively and collaboratively serve the regions in optimal ways. The academic activity started in 1982 graduating engineers and technicians, although less effort has shown by authorities to develop programs in graduate engineering areas. A proposal for designing a structured graduate program is presented. The structured program presented, will hopefully set the basis to develop graduate and doctoral studies in engineering and related areas to the whole university system, and to achieve academic and social development to the country.


The assessment aims at making the students consider analytically the business process of Microsoft IT, the giant in IT systems. The task is to create an image of Microsoft IT so that it is considered to be a company which is sensitive to customer's valuable information and is the critical part of business for a customer's value chain. The students will also be expected to suggest ways to improve the business of Microsoft IT.


Objective To compare the differences between the methods of single photon emission computed tomography(SPECT)-myocardial perfusion imaging,cardiac magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) and ultrasonic cardiograph(UCG) in determining left ventricular function.Methods The SPECT,MRI and UCG data of 84 patients with coronary heart diseases during May 2010 and May 2012 in Hainan Nongken General Hospital were collected and retrospectively analyzed.The LVEF,LVEDV and LVEF were compared between the three methods,referring to MRI,the clinical application value of SPECT and UCG was evaluated.Results There were statistically significant difference in LVESV and LVEDV between the three methods(F = 13.78,8.76,P 0.05),and no statistically significant difference on LVEF(F = 6.78,P 0.05).Conclusion There are high conformance between MRI and SPECT on measuring cardiac function,however,UCG is obviously deviated and should be combined with other clinical methods for diagnosis.


We derive two new forms of the Kármán–Howarth–Monin (KHM) equation for decaying compressible Hall magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence. We test them on results of a weakly compressible, 2D, moderate-Reynolds-number Hall MHD simulation and compare them with an isotropic spectral transfer (ST) equation. The KHM and ST equations are automatically satisfied during the whole simulation owing to the periodic boundary conditions and have complementary cumulative behavior. They are used here to analyze the onset of turbulence and its properties when it is fully developed. These approaches give equivalent results characterizing the decay of the kinetic + magnetic energy at large scales, the MHD and Hall cross-scale energy transfer/cascade, the pressure dilatation, and the dissipation. The Hall cascade appears when the MHD one brings the energy close to the ion inertial range and is related to the formation of reconnecting current sheets. At later times, the pressure dilatation energy exchange rate oscillates around zero, with no net effect on the cross-scale energy transfer when averaged over a period of its oscillations. A reduced 1D analysis suggests that all three methods may be useful to estimate the energy cascade rate from in situ observations.


A process for producing a solenoid valve, in which a magnet part (10), the magnet housing manufactured in the deep-drawing process (11) a magnetic coil (19), a magnetic core (20) and a having an armature (25) connected to the tappet (23) are arranged, with a valve connecting member (40) having a valve element (43) for controlling a pressure medium flow, formed by crimping a in the magnet housing (11) flanged edge (13) with a shoulder (16) against the valve connecting member (40) is connected, characterized in that that both of the flanged edge (13) and the shoulder (16) during the deep-drawing process of the magnet housing (11) are prepared in non-cutting forming processes.


The potential application of biopolymer technology for the construction of impervious barriers using silty soils is investigated. Laboratory experiments are presented demonstrating that the permeability of silty soils can be reduced by a factor of 100 or greater by either mixing commercially available biopolymers such as Xanthan gum or sodium alginate to the soil matrix or by mixing slime-forming micro-organisms with the soil matrix to produce biopolymers. Experimental results indicate that the soil shear strength is also increased by 50 percent.


The relationship between the magneto-impedance (MI) effect and the size of amorphous FeSiB film is reported in this paper. The MI change ratio of FeSiB film is different for the three samples with different widths, and increases with the increasing of sample length when the width is fixed. Experimental results can be explained in terms of stress anisotropy and different external inductance of the sample.


Objective To investigate the significance of the resident physicians training in medical quality control department to medical record quality.Method To analyze retrospectively the five grades medical record constituent ratios for the former four years before in 2005 non-triaining for medical quality control and that of the later four years after in 2005 the training for 3 months in our hospital,and compared their constituent ratios;29 resident physicians were drawed-off randomly who have 3~5 years past service,divided into two groups,one is the group of training and another is the group of non-trianing,to compare the difference of the five grades medical record constituent ratios between the two groups.Results There are a significant statistic difference forⅠ,Ⅱ,Ⅲ,Ⅳ and Ⅴ five grades medical record constituent ratios between the former and the later four years(P0.01).ⅠandⅡgrades medical record have higher ratios in the later than the former(93.23.% VS 89.22%),and the deficiency ratio of component element medical record is lower(64.49% VS 68.99,P0.01).Conclusion The resident physicians′ training in medical quality control department for 3 months profits to improve the quality of medical record in a hospital,from small to big hospital,we can get benefits for medical quality control by this way.


Abstract: Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is growingrapidly in Indonesia, especially the internet. Data Association of IndonesianInternet Network Providers (APJII) revealed that 132.7 million Indonesianshave used the internet. This data shows almost all circles using the internet. Notonly in the city, but also in the countryside and in the coastal areas, manyresidents use the Internet by using a smartphone. Data also shows that theinternet user is still dominated by men. Women are considered incapable andless capable in utilizing ICT. However, many research results emphasize thatinformation technology or the Internet can help spread in improving social andeconomic processes. This paper examines about how ICTs and women'sempowerment are in the perspective of development communication. This isbecause development should not be gender biased and there is an activeparticipation of women in order to avoid discrimination. A case from IndramayuDistrict of West Java province becomes a sample for this study. It revealed thatthere is a gender biased and women are willing to be empowered throughutilizing ICT.


The genus Corylus is a member of the Corylaceae family of the order Fagales.There are about 16 species around the world,and among these species,8 species and 2 subspecies are originated in China.Ping hazelnut(Corylus heterophylla Fisch.) is a specific wild species native to China,distributed in the broad region in northern China.The selected Ping'ou hybrid hazelnuts(C.heterophylla Fisch.× C.avellana L.) and the introduced European hazelnut(C.avellana) are the main cultivars cultivated in China.In this review,we introduce the investigation and the selection of Ping hazelnut,the hybridization and the selection of Ping'ou hybrid hazelnuts,the utilization of the other species native to China and the introduction of the germplasm resources overseas.The research progresses on the germplasm of Corylaceae worldwide are summarized and the gap between domestic and overseas is also discussed.Finally,several personal opinions are proposed on some burning questions,such as the research and production of Ping'ou hybrid hazelnuts,the breeding strategies of the trait improvement for the first generation of Ping'ou hybrid hazelnuts and utilization of the germplasm resources of Corylaceae.We hope to exchange opinions with experts in this field.


Basic requirement of reversible Image watermarking is large embedding capacity and better perceptual quality with minimum distortion. In this paper, a reversible image watermarking scheme using histogram shifting method is proposed. For embedding secret message data, peak point is selected and shifted to its nearest neighbor. The proposed technique is used to reconstruct the cover image and extract the embedded message bits accurately. Various test images are evaluated using proposed watermarking scheme and results show good performance in terms of embedding capacity, Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR), Mean Square Error (MSE). Experimental results are also compared with existing technique and proposed method performs better.


Recovery of degraded pastures improves the sustainability of meat and milk production systems. Humic acids (HA) and endophytic diazotrophic bacteria (EDB) are known to have bio-stimulating effects on several crops but have not been tested for the recovery of degraded pastures. The aim of the present study was to evaluate soil C and N dynamics, nutrient uptake and forage yield of Brachiaria decumbens following the foliar application of HA and EDB in a degraded pasture. A randomized block design with six replications was used. The four treatments were: HA, EDB, HA+EDB and Control. The subplots consisted of four evaluation times for soil characteristics: before treatment application (0) and 30, 60 and 120 days after treatment application (ATA). Soil total organic carbon (TOC), recalcitrant carbon (Crecal), labile carbon (Clabil), total nitrogen (TN) and C and N stocks were determined in the 0-5, 5-10, 10-20 and 20-40 cm of soil layers. Forage yield and leaf nutrient contents were evaluated at 30 days ATA. The application of the HA and EDB increased the TOC, Clabil, soil C stock (≈18%), forage dry matter yield (16 to 52%) and nutrient uptake (≈30%) after 30 days ATA. Our results showed that the application of HA combined with EDB may be a strategy for the recovery of degraded pastures in the tropical region.


Objective:To study the influence of polygonum cuspidatum anthraquinone(PCA) on transforming growth factor-petal(TGF-β1) and Smad3 levels in cortex renisin mice diabetic nephropathy(DN) model.Method:DN mouse were induced by STZ and randomized into high,middle and low close of PCA groups,positive control group and model group with 17 mousein each group.Another 17 mouse were chosen as normal control.The levels of PCA on TGF-β1 and Smad3 in cortex renis were assayed by immunohistochemistry method.Result:TGF-β1 and Smad3 levels in cortex renis from DN model were significantly increased,and Smad3 levels in cortex renis from middle close of PCA groups was significantly decreased.There was a downward tendency of TGF-β1 and Smad3 levels in cortex renis from high,middle and low dose of PCA groups,but no statistical significance.Conclusion:TGF-β1and Smad3 may involve in the occurrence of DN;PCA can inhibit Smad3 expression in cortex ren is from DN model.


The article is a detailed study of the nonlinear dynamics of the tide in the shallow bay of the North Sea, which is characterized by a significant area of the intertidal zone. As a research tool, a relatively new FESOM-c model is used, which approximates the governing equations by the finite volume method and is able to work on hybrid unstructured computational grids. New data on the bathymetry of the bay and tidal currents are also presented. The authors of the study set a rather difficult goal, analyzing the results of observations and modeling for the summary tide instead of effects of nonlinearity for the single harmonic tide. In the latter case, it would be easier to estimate the contribution of the main mechanisms of nonlinearity (shallow depth, advection, and quadratic friction) on the structure of tidal asymmetries. Nevertheless, the results pre-


The present invention relates to a vehicular communication system and a method thereof, which are used for transmitting and receiving driving information of a vehicle to and from neighboring vehicles. A self-vehicle can check the information of a neighboring vehicle, such as the location, speed, driving direction, etc., by transmitting/receiving driving information to/from the neighboring vehicle and reduce the risk of accidents, whereas the transmission/reception of driving information can be not so smooth depending on surrounding communication conditions. The present invention provides a device and a method for controlling communication congestion, which, unlike a conventional communication system, variably set up a time frame based on surrounding communication conditions and transmit data based on the variable time frame, thereby facilitating data transmission/reception between vehicles in accordance with surrounding conditions. [Reference numerals] (301) Network congestion control part;(302) External sensor data integration module;(303) Radio resource management module;(304) Time frame design part;(330) Inter-vehicular communication module;(AA) Self-vehicle driving information and surrounding communication condition information;(BB) Time frame information;(CC,EE) Self-vehicle driving information;(DD) Neighboring vehicle driving information and surrounding communication condition information;(FF) Vehicle sensing signal;(GG) GPS signal;(HH) Neighboring vehicle driving information


Ideas from algebraic geometry became useful in coding theory after Goppa's construction [8]. He had the beautiful idea of associating to a curve X defined over Fq, the finite field with q elements, a code C. This code, called Algebraic-Geometric (AG) code, is constructed from two divisors D and G on X , where one of them, say D, is the sum of n distinct Fq-rational points of X . It turns out that the minimum distance d of C satisfies d ≥ n− deg(G) .


Innovative passenger vehicle technologies – hybrid, electric and hydrogen vehicles - are required to make significant contributions to climate change mitigation in the transport sector. A number of challenges exist as barriers to adoption of these vehicles, one key opportunity is the potential for social influence to have a positive impact on adoption rates.   Social influence is how an individual's decisions can be influenced by other people's behaviour – what their peers and others say and do and how this, in turn, affects the diffusion of new ideas and behaviours. This links in with wider research findings which suggest that people are not solely individualistic, rational actors - that they are influenced by other factors including social influence - as well as price and information provision when making decisions. Reflecting this, there is an emerging research field examining social influence within the transport sector.  The research detailed in this paper contributes to this emerging field helping to address research gaps as they relate to: 1) Neighbourhood aspects of social influence with regards to the consumer take up of Toyota Prius Hybrid vehicles spatially and temporally across London. 2) The use of revealed data on Toyota Prius hybrid vehicles to help understand consumer purchase patterns. Historically analysis on social influence and innovative vehicles has focused on stated preferences, reflecting data availability. Spatial analysis on Toyota Prius ownership has been undertaken for London at the Output Area level [1] .  The 2001 to 2011 period is covered (with 2001 being the year of introduction and the availability of 2001 and 2011 census data for co-variables) with a focus on privately owned vehicles.  Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA) is an important first step in spatial analysis and here the determination of Spatial Autocorrelation is key.  Spatial autocorrelation is the existence of systematic patterning in data. It is where the presence of a variable (in this case Toyota Priuses) in one area makes its presence in a neighbouring area more or less likely.  In effect, the dependent variable at one neighbourhood is a function of its value in the neighbouring location. Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA) is a key test used in ESDA and employed in this research.  LISA's indicate the presence or absence of significant clusters – 'hot spots' – ownership rates, which are higher or lower than would be expected by chance at the local level.  GeoDa (Anselin et al, 2006) an open source computational tool, specifically developed for spatial analysis, was used.  For the LISA, a null hypothesis of spatial randomness was tested through the use of a reference case where values are randomly reshuffled.  Toyota Prius spatial 'hotspots' were present in a number of locations and these 'hotspots' enlarged over time which can be indicative of social influence. This amongst other ESDA outcomes covered in the research informed: The need for further in-depth quantitative analysis on the role of co-variables through the use of a Zero Inflated Negative Binomial (ZINB) model. The choice of case study areas for Qualitative interviews (the focus of a different paper).  The interviews helped better understand the extent and the type of social influence at play. Spatial regression analysis typically involves the use of OLS based models.   However, where data has a high level of zeros, zero-inflated models are required.   The data used in this study was zero inflated - 70.7% of all Output areas had zero Toyota Priuses in 2011.  Zero Inflated Negative Binomial  (ZINB) models are more appropriate when the data are over dispersed, as in this case and were thus used.  A ZINB employs a two stage process.  The first equation helps establish the co-variables associated with the likelihood of finding zero Toyota Priuses within an Output Area.  The second model helps decide which co-variables contribute to the increasing counts of Toyota Prius hybrids, again at the Output Area level. A literature review informed the choice of these co-variables which included socio-economic / demographic factors typically associated with hybrid vehicle ownership - for example education level and home ownership (as a proxy for income) for the count aspect of the model and the inverse for the zero likelihood stage.  The impact of policy measures including exemptions from the London Congestion Charge zone were also incorporated.  Reflecting the focus of the analysis the inclusion of 'what your neighbours do'  through the use of the average number of Priuses (from neighbouring Output Areas) as a co-variable was key. In terms of results, the contribution from co-variables was, overall, as expected.   In terms of social influence, 'what your neighbours did' made a positive contribution to the level of Toyota Prius vehicles.  The presence of this influence, as would be anticipated, was highest in the Toyota Prius 'hotspot' areas. In terms of policy implications these findings could assist in the geographic positioning of demonstration schemes or grants for new vehicles technologies.  For example the positioning could be such that the social influence effects were maximised. It could also help inform the economic assessment of the costs and impacts of transport investment i.e. benefits of grant programmes because the 'knock on'  effects of social influence may be wider than conventionally assumed. In terms of research, it addresses the earlier identified gaps, and contributes to existing research on the importance of accounting for spatial correlation in, innovative and conventional, vehicle ownership models. The paper also makes an important contribution to discussions about how the digital world - open source 'big' data and software applications - can facilitate analysis that helps us better understand behavioural and technical transitions. [1] Output Areas are the smallest available data unit for census and other key data.  They consist of at least 100 persons and 40 households in each area, this is to ensure that confidentiality is maintained - they are not disclosive with regard to data at the individual level.


Journal of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics | January-June 2010 | Vol 1 | Issue 1 Understanding biostatistics is important for a biomedical researcher because modern day research methodology is based on the principles of statistics. Determination of sample size, sampling techniques, bias eliminating techniques such as randomization, summarizing data, interpretation of data and many other procedures followed in research use statistical methods so that the predictions or conclusions drawn at the end of a study are valid (validity) and can be applied to the population (generalization) from which the sample is drawn. Not only students but also many budding biomedical researchers develop a dislike for statistics which stems from blindly following the steps of statistical methods for data analysis without understanding the principles behind the statistical procedures. The application of statistical methods is considered by many a ritual at the end of the study rather than an important aspect that has a role in every step of research from planning till publication.


Purpose
Despite concerns about the effect of internet addiction, little is known about how psychological suzhi impacts the internet addiction of college students. This paper aims to investigate the relationship between psychological suzhi and internet addiction among college students.

Design/methodology/approach
Using the college student psychological suzhi scale and internet addiction test, 2,070 college students from 11 universities in North China, East China, South China and Southwest China were tested.

Findings
The detection rate of internet addiction in this college sample of students was 18.8%. There was a significant negative correlation between students' psychological suzhi and internet addiction (r = −0.408, p < 0.01). Hierarchical regression analysis showed that adaptability and individuality in psychological suzhi significantly negatively predicted college students' internet addiction tendency (p < 0.001).

Originality/value
This study is the first to show a relationship between psychological suzhi and internet addiction in college students. In detail, the adaptability and individuality of college students' psychological suzhi are protective factors related to internet addiction. The results also suggested that the authors can prevent and intervene in internet addiction by modifying college students' adaptability and individuality.


Since the 1990s,following the development of new combined techniques and gene research,the biomacromolecule drugs were concerned by chemical and medical workers.Now,this subject has become a research hotpot.In this paper,the progress on studies and applications of some modern combined techniques in biomacromolecule drugs are reviewed,including surface plasmon resonance-cyclic voltammetry(SPR-CV),biomolecular interaction analysis-mass spectrometry(BIA/MS),microfluidics chip capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry(Chip-CE-MS),two-dimensional liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry(2D-LC coupled MS/MS) and LC-MS-NMR.The applications of these new combined techniques will open up broad prospect for the research and development of biomacromolecule drugs.


Considering the energy efficiency and comfort levels of dwellings, stricter legislation will be applied towards 2020. To reach these requirements, an insight into the energy efficiency becomes essential from the start of a design. However, the uptake of building simulation tools by architects and students to evaluate the energy performance during the architectural design process remains very limited, mainly due to the complexity of these tools. Therefore, this research aims at early design support through an easy-to-use application adapted to the modelling logic of a designer. As architects often use simple CAAD design tools for design exploration, a prototype was established in Google SketchUp. In this context, the paper presents the development of a support tool for low-energy dwellings in early design phases, allowing designers to quickly assess the thermal comfort and energy performance of early design alternatives.


Preeclampsia (PE), diagnosed by hypertension and proteinuria at or after the 20 th week of gestation, is mediated in part by excessive immune system activation and inflammation. Ligand binding of the double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) receptors RIG-1, MDA-5, and TLR3 leads to innate immune system activation and inflammation. However, whether activation of all three receptors contributes to the development of PE is unknown. In placentas of women with PE there was significantly increased expression of all three dsRNA receptors as well as dsRNA compared to placentas of normotensive women. Poly I:C (a viral dsRNA mimetic) treatment in control mice on days 13, 15, and 17 induced pregnancy-dependent hypertension (P-PIC SBP: 147±5 mmHg vs. P SBP: 100±4 mmHg, p


As the library and information environment advanced, librarians should participate in continuing education programs for the improvement of services to satisfy users' need. To develop a curriculum model of continuing education for academic librarians, we reviewed related previous studies and continuing education programs performed both in Korea and overseas. Then. a survey was done to the academic librarians sampled systematically to identify the subject need for education. Based on the analysis, 2 sets of comprehensive curriculum were devised for the middle managers and working librarians respectively. The curriculum for the middle managers is consisted of 27 courses in 9 subject fields. and the curriculum far the working librarians is consisted of 25 courses in 7 subject fields. We selected one highly demanding subject from each curriculum, and developed specific educational program models. 'Library marketing' for middle managers and 'building and management of digital information resources' for working librarians. Program models include educational goal, content, teaching/learning strategies. duration time, teaching methods/tools, and instructor qualifications in detail. Finally, recommendations are suggested for the promotion and settlement of the continuing education.


The radical changes occurring in the global business environment, that is, in the information technology field and in management practices, call for a general rethinking of firms strategic positioning and competition. In this scenario, firms having the capacity to manage all of their own intellectual assets seem to be the only way to survive and succeed. The ability to comprehend the role that customers can play in contributing to a firm's value creation is one of the main elements behind the growing attention of researchers and managers in context to managing a firm's relationship with customers. This paper highlights the relevance of a Customers Relationship Management (CRM) issue in a Knowledge Management perspective as well as in Relational Marketing. In addition, this study shows how the rising and large adoption of Web 2.0 technologies represents a real opportunity for the effective implementation of a CRM strategy.


The film formation process by the ionization-assisted deposition is shown fig. 1. Source gasses of the graded films to be prepared were hexamethyldisiloxane (abbreviated as HMDSO; ((CH3) 3 ' 3 3 2 0 ) and benzene (C6H6). In the preparation of the films, an adding volume ratio of HMDSO to benzene, [HMDSO]/[benzene], was decreased in a stepped mode as follows; 1 .0 at first 5 min, 0.75 fiom 5 to 10 min, 0.50 from 10 to 15 min and 0.25 from 15 to 20 min. The total thicknesses of the films were about 200 nm. Composition and chemical bonding state of the films were analyzed with an X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) using MgKa radiation. Structural characterization was performed on a transmission electron microscope (TEM), operated at an accelerating voltage of 200 kV.


In this paper, we present a mobile learning tool for ecosystem study using an augmented reality user interface. Our system provides a recommender function of learning content according to a learner's interest, which is extracted in the form of a feature term set that is based on the user's browsing behavior of learning content and its related objects, which are displayed through the augmented reality user interface. Using a prototype, we confirmed that our system can properly personalize the recommended results for ecosystem-related learning content, and we have the promising vision that our system can be utilized in a practical way for mobile learning in fieldwork for ecosystem studies.


The word, "China' rise", has highlighted the rapidity and suddenness of China's development, and the Southeast Asia region, both in history and in reality, has a close relationship with China. In face of the giant's rise, some Southeast Asia countries have reduced their sense of certainty and control over this external environment, which causes their insecurity. The reasons of this phenomenon include the factor of history, ideology, geopolitics, overseas Chinese and extraterritorial states intervention. We should go start with national and ideological barriers, combine the analysis of the sense of certainty and control, to understand the underlying causes of insecurity.


An experimental study on the refrigerant-side pressure drop of slit fin-tube heat exchanger has been carried out. A comparison was made between the predictions of previously proposed empirical correlations and experimental data for the pressure drop on design conditions of condenser in micro-fin tube for R22 and its alternatives, R407C (R32/125/134a, 23/25/52 wt.%) and R410A (R32/125, 50/50 wt.%). Experiments were carried out under the conditions of inlet refrigerant temperature of 60℃ and mass fluxes varying from 150 to 250 ㎏/㎡s for R22, R407C and R410A. The inlet air conditions are dry bulb temperature of 35℃, relative humidity of 40% and air velocity varying from 0.68 to 1.43㎧. Experiments show that pressure drop for R410A and R407C were 17.8~20.2% and 5~6.8% lower than those of R22 respectively for the degree of subcooling of 5℃. For the mass fluxes of 200~250 ㎏/㎡s, the deviation between the experimental and predicted values for the pressure drop was less than ±20% for R22, R407C and R410A.


A method of transmitting data from a property (100a, 100b, 110c) arranged terminals (200 to 211) to a central processing device (90) by means of a remote data transmission, wherein the data of the terminal (200 to 211) by means of radio telegrams to at least one in the property (100a, 100b, 110c) provided data collector (401 to 408) are transmitted and the data collector (401 to 408) can be further transmitted via the remote data transmission to the central processing means (90), each radio message in addition to the data of the terminal (to 211 200) also includes a unique terminal identification, characterized in building up that the data collector (401 to 408) for remote data transmission connection to a communication unit (60) of the central processing means (90) and from the received data of the terminals (200 to 211) and / or status data together represents one or several message records, and to the Kommunikationseinhe sends it (60), which stores the message data sets according to the reception and for retrieval by an application unit holds (70) to the central processing means (90), that the data collector (401 to 408) after transmitting the message data set (with the data of the terminals 200 to 211) creates a message data set with selection information on the terminals (200 to 211), and transmits that have already or not (to the central processing device 90) is transmitted, and that the connection for remote data transmission between the data collector (401 to 408), and the communication unit (60) of the central processing means (90) after storing the message records in the communication unit (60) is terminated.


A stereotaxic apparatus is described which is built from commercially available machine tool parts with a minimum of machining and expense. Placement of either electrodes or needles for injections can be carried out in the brain or spinal cord of cats, or other animals of similar size, with a precision of ±0.05 mm.


This paper proposes a new technique for implementing Finite State Machines (FSMs) in Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). The proposed approach extends the called column compaction in two ways. First, it is applied to the state-encoding bits in addition to the outputs, allowing a reduction in the number of logic functions required both by the state transition function and by the output function. Second, the technique exploits the dedicated multiplexers usually included in FPGAs to increase the number of columns that can be compacted. Unlike conventional state-encoding techniques, the proposed approach reduces the number of logic functions instead of their complexity. An Integer Linear Programming (ILP) formulation that maximizes the number of compacted columns has been proposed. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, experimental results using standard benchmarks are presented. In most cases, the proposed approach reduces the number of used Look-Up Tables (LUTs) with respect to the conventional FSM implementation.


Light scattering by a macroscopically isotropic volume element consisting of randomly oriented particles is considered. The expansion of scattering-matrix elements in a series of generalized spherical functions is used to develop a rigorous analytical method for computing scattered flux into any solid angle for incoherent parallel, convergent, or divergent incident beams. Some illustrative numerical results are reported.


This collection of 16 articles represents a selection of the papers delivered in the course of a seminar (1995-1996) at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and its concluding joint symposium held at the Institute and Princeton University. Wide-ranging in scope, the volume covers messianic expectations from biblical times up to modern and contemporaneous adaptations, whereby the focus lies on the messianic concept within Judaism: diversity and variety of messianic expectations in antiquity; messianic movements at the time of the Crusades and around the fifth millennium (1240); the 'Pseudo'-Messiah Sabbatai Avi in the early modern period; the philosophers Hermann Cohen, Franz Rosenzweig and Walter Benjamin with respect to their thinking about messianism as well as the Lubavitch movement. Also included are investigations on pagan Graeco-Roman writings and messianic strands in the medieval and baroque Christian context. The section on the modern period contains contributions dealing with the Ahmaddiyya movement in India, messianic currents in the socio-political culture of the Weimar Republic as well as certain messianic aspects in the very recent so-called Branch Davidian community in Waco, Texas. The broad spectrum of stimulating analyses provides a fresh re-evaluation of an apparently timeless phenomenon.


U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS (75) Inventors: Charles D. Gartner, Midland, MI (US); Timothy D. Ligon, St. Albans, WV (US) 2,546,018 3, 1951 Smith et al. A 3,691.205 A 9, 1972 Hoffmann et al. (73) Assignee: Dow Global Technologies Inc., 4,244,876 A 1/1981 Warner et al. Midland, MI (US) 4,448,977 A 5/1984 Warner et al. s 5,600,018 A 2f1997 Becker et al. 5,679,868 A 10/1997 Kneuper et al. (*) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this 6,559,346 B1 5/2003 Therre et al. patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days. FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS


In Danish literature from the early 1970s, it was suggested that the freedom of speech should have a preferred position in relation to other constitutional rights. In a case from the Norwe-gian Supreme Court in 1976, judicial review of the constitutionality of legislation was divided in three categories. Constitutional rules about the freedom and security of the individual should be supervised most strictly by the courts, the economic rights of the individual should be in an intermediate position, and the relationship between the other branches of government should be supervised least strictly. When the Swedish constitution was to be amended in 2010, it was suggested in the travaux preparatoires that central parts of the constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedoms should be supervised more strictly by the courts than other constitutional norms. Nevertheless, there is no commonly accepted view on whether different constitutional rights should be divided into different categories at all, and, if so, how the different categories of constitutional norms should be organised. I suggest that cases from the Norwegian, Danish and Swedish Supreme Courts from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries can form a basis for arranging the issues into seven categories. Thus, arguments can be found in cases which – with several decades – precede the time when this issue started to be discussed explicitly. In-terestingly, in recent years, case-law related to Article 6 of the ECHR has moved well-established fundamental procedural principles to the level of constitutional law. This fact means that there are three categories which should, in my view, for both new and historical reasons, be ranked hierarchically above the ones hitherto discussed. The seven categories that I have identified are: 1. the responsibility of the judge for the functioning of the judicial procedure, 2. the responsibility of the judge for access to judicial procedure, 3. the responsibility of the judge for legality, 4. the protection of the judge for fundamental rights and freedoms, and the balancing of these rights and freedoms, 5. the protection of the judge for economic rights, and the balancing of these rights, 6. the protection of the judge for other types of rights, 7. the supervision of the judge of the relations between the other two branches of gov-ernment. (Less)


Responding to the IEEE DySPAN 2015 5G Spectrum Sharing Challenge, in this paper we propose a SU system that is equipped with a parasitic antenna array and incorporates a low-rate feedback technique in order to accomplish highly efficient spectrum sharing. This approach optimizes the performance of both the PU and SU systems, in terms of the achieved throughputs, without the latter system having knowledge of the former system's link features.


A molecular dynamics approach to the deformation and stress analysis in structured materials is presented. A new deformation measure for a lumped mass system of points is proposed. In full consistency with the continuum mechanical description, three kinds of stress tensors for the discrete system of atoms are defined. A computer simulation for a set of 10 5 atoms forming a sheet undergoing tension (Case 1) and contraction (Case 2) is given. Characteristic microstress distributions evoked by a crack propagation illustrate the mechanical problem considered.


The rock burst has occurred many times in one mine when mining the 4th coal, according to the actual geological conditions of the mine, take the numerical simulation methods into analysis the liberation effect of the upper and lower layers of coal mining on 4th coal and the reason of rock burst occurring in the roadway of 1410. Study on the characteristics of stress distribution of 6th and 1th coal which is liberated in different production stages and identify the top and bottom layer of the critical pressure relief angle and the critical pressure relief point location of the 4th liberated coal, Provide the basis on the parameter optimization of roadway layout to avoid rock burst in the subsequent face mining of 4th coal.


Obesity in ageing adults is a precursor for increased risk of various diseases and chronic health conditions including cognitive impairment and poorer mobility thereby threatening quality of life and independent living for many seniors. Fortunately, weight loss and weight management interventions have been recognized as a means to help improve both physical function and cognition in obese older persons. Based on the literature, we propose that programs and services embodying a multidisciplinary team who focus on education and training related to physical activity, diet, and pharmaceuticals be offered to optimally support weight loss, improve mobility and enhance cognition for this population. Future intervention research is warranted to test this multidisciplinary approach in order to help develop suitable interventions and preventative measures to reduce or delay decline in mobility and the onset of cognitive impairment and dementia in obese seniors.


The various methods of the non-empirical atomic structure calculations have been so far extensively developed. Their representatives are the Thomas-Fermi, the Hartree, the Hartree-Fock and the density functional methods. These methods have been also applied to the understandings of the physical and the chemical properties for the molecules and the solids. In this review article, mainly the Hartree-Fock and the density functional theories for the atoms are described, and furthermore the methods for the numerical calculations of the basic equations are given. The fundamental physical pictures in the many electron systems are almost included in the HF theory, and the theory is the most standard one in the many body problems even at the present day. The density functional theory is a newer one and originates from the Thomas-Fermi theory, and has merits that the numerical calculations in this method are very easy compared to the HF method and give the similar accuracy to that of the HF method. The studies to improve and to develop the density functional theory are now still continuing. On the other hand, since the relativistic effects are important for the heavier atoms such as the rare earth and the actinide, the fundamentals for the relativistic atomic structure calculations are also given.


A superconducting antenna array with a proximity coupled feed network operating at 20 GHz has been developed. The antenna is a 4 X 4 array and its performance was measured from 18 GHz to 22 GHz. At temperatures below 80 K, there was a 15 dBi gain measured at several frequencies in this range. The design of a low loss superconducting phase shifter monolithically incorporated into the YBCO feed network is indicated.


To evaluate the emissions and performance impact of biodiesel in a modern diesel engine equipped with a diesel particulate filter. This testing is in support of the Non-Petroleum Based Fuels (NPBF) 2010 Annual Operating Plan (AOP).


This work describes the use of a weighted ensemble of neural network classifiers for adaptive learning. We train the neural networks by means of a quantum-inspired evolutionary algorithm (QIEA). The QIEA is also used to determine the best weights for each classifier belonging to the ensemble when a new block of data arrives. We show that the neuroevolutionary classifiers are able to learn the data set and to quickly respond to any drifts on the underlying data. We also compare the results reached by our model with an existing algorithm, Learn++.NSE, in two different nonstationary scenarios.


Applications enabled by the increasing availability of high-performance networks require the ability to share resources that are spread over complex, large-scale, heterogeneous, distributed environments spanning multiple administrative domains. We call this the wide-area computing problem. We argue that the right way to solve this problem is to build an operating system for the network that can abstract over a complex set of resources and provide high-level means for sharing and managing them. We describe the design of one such wide-area operating system: Legion. Through discussion of application examples, we demonstrate the attractive features of Legion approach to constructing a wide-area operating system using distributed object components.


This paper assesses the cyclicality and sustainability of fiscal policy in Belize and applies a stochastic simulation model to determine the optimal set of fiscal rules. The empirical analysis shows that fiscal policy in Belize has been significantly procyclical and unsustainable much of the period since 1976. While the government's recent commitment to maintain a primary surplus of at least 2 percent of GDP until 2021 is supporting debt reduction, stochastic simulations indicate that further improvement in the primary balance is necessary to reliably bring the debt-to-GDP ratio to a sustainable path. Given Belize's history of large economic shocks, this paper proposes explicit fiscal rules designed for countercyclical policy and debt sustainability. It recommends integrating such rules into a well-designed fiscal responsibility law and establishing an independent fiscal council to improve accountability and transparency.


Our approach involves the use of switching regime models, to take account of the structural asymmetry and time instability of Okun's coefficient. More precisely, we apply the non-dynamic panel transition regression model introduced by Hansen (1999) to a panel of 20 OECD countries over the last three decades. With all specifications applied, the tests lead to the rejection of the null hypothesis of a linear relationship between cyclical output and cyclical unemployment. The asymmetry implies the existence of four regimes. For lower or higher values of cyclical unemployment, it follows that there is a relatively strong negative correlation between unemployment rate and output. However, when unemployment stands at intermediate levels, this relationship tends to weaken.