Abstract The main purpose of this paper is to study the influence of home-multinational enterprises on country global competitiveness and to determine how this influence changes with the stage of country competitiveness. Based on the regression model, Variance Inflation Factor test and Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering method, we analyzed the WEF Global Competitiveness Index 2017–2018 of those countries whose multinational firms were included into the Forbes Global 2000 list of 2017. The findings highlighted the important role of home-MNEs as determinants of countries' competitiveness, however MNE-related contribution of different pillars and components of the Global Competitiveness Index vary, depending on the stage of competitiveness of the studied 58 countries.


The gelation of β-lactoglobulin genetic variants A and B (β-Lg A and β-L8 B) was examined with 7% protein solutions at pH 7. Both variants formed viscoelastic solid gels exhibiting low phase angles (<8 o ) and dramatically increasing storage moduli during the cooling period as measured by small-strain dynamic rheology. However, β-Lg A had a lower gelation point (72.3 o C) and a higher initial gelling rate (15.4 Pa/min) than β-Lg B (7.6 min at 80 o C and 2.9 Pa/min, respectively). Furthermore, the β-Lg A gel had different viscoelastic properties than the B variant gel, as indicated by a shorter relaxation time (60 s) than that of the B variant (156 s)


The Surface Electromyography (SEMG) is a technique used for many applications in different areas such as: Neurology, Rehabilitation, Orthopedics, Ergonomics, Sports, etc. [15]. In the last years, this technique has led to great research, and several groups of researchers throughout the world have made inroads in the field of the electromyography applied to the my electric prostheses control. This project aims to detail the stages of amplification and filtering of a my electric signal, as well as to check the device's function for certain muscles of the lower limbs, as the project's first stage, the completed tests were made with obtained data in healthy subjects. For the circuits' design and implementation, components of easy acquisition and existents in the environment, were used, contributing with the technological development of the country.


The PPAT and PPATS formations in the city of Tasikmalaya have been fulfilled but the appointment of the head sub-district as PPATS is still being made, with the appointment of the head sub-district as PPATS the head sub-district has additional duties apart from being regional heads as well as PPATS. This study aims to determine the procedures for the appointment of a head sub-district as a temporary PPAT, as well as the obstacles that arise from the appointment of a head sub-district as a temporary PPAT. This research uses normative legal research methods. The results of the research are that in order to be appointed as Temporary PPAT, the sub-district head is obliged to attend education and training organized by the National Land Agency of the Republic of Indonesia, which can be implemented in collaboration with professional organizations for Land Deed Making Officials. The obstacle is that the sub-district head carries out the main and additional duties as regional head as well as the Temporary PPAT, so that in carrying out his duties the PPAT deed is not optimal.


A method and apparatus for encoding a signal with the exception of the sinusoidal components in the input audio signal components efficiently, or decoding is provided. Encoding method and apparatus of an audio signal in accordance with the present invention using a LPC analysis for the remaining difference signal than a sine wave signal from the next input audio signal by performing a sinusoidal analysis extracts the sine-wave signal to a low frequency signal of below a predetermined threshold frequency It characterized in that it performs encoding. Sinusoidal, linear predictive coding (LPC)


A process for preparing a nicotine-based hapten of formula (I) or a salt or solvate thereof, wherein n, R1 and R2 have the meanings as indicated in the specification. The nicotine-based hapten forms part of a smoking cessation vaccine.


Four new dioxouranium(VI) complexes, [UO2(acac-o-phdn)(L)] where L = H2O, py, DMF and Et3N, with the tetradentate dibasic Schiff base (acac-o-phdn), derived from condensation of acetylacetone with o-phenylene diamine have been synthesized. The infrared spectra were obtained and full assignments of all the observed vibrations are proposed on the basis of C2v symmetry for H2O and py complexes and Cs for the other two complexes, respectively. The bond stretching force constant and bond length of the U=O bond for the four complexes were calculated. Differential thermal analysis (DTA) and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis of the complexes were also carried out.


Training of convolutional neural networks is a high dimensional and a non-convex optimization problem. At present, it is inefficient in situations where parametric learning rates can not be confidently set. Some past works have introduced Newton methods for training deep neural networks. Newton methods for convolutional neural networks involve complicated operations. Finding the Hessian matrix in second-order methods becomes very complex as we mainly use the finite differences method with the image data. Newton methods for convolutional neural networks deals with this by using the sub-sampled Hessian Newton methods. In this paper, we have used the complete data instead of the sub-sampled methods that only handle partial data at a time. Further, we have used parallel processing instead of serial processing in mini-batch computations. The results obtained using parallel processing in this study, outperform the time taken by the previous approach.


Aggressive lymphomas with MYC and BCL2 and/or BCL6 translocations ("double hit" lymphomas, DHL) represent a distinct diagnostic category in the updated World Health Organization (WHO) classification. The diagnostic yield of MYC immunohistochemistry (IHC) for the identification of DHL is currently uncertain. MYC IHC was performed in 272 consecutive cases of aggressive B-cell lymphoma, and results correlated with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for MYC translocations. Among 156 patients with IHC and FISH data, MYC IHC identified MYC translocations with 89% sensitivity, 38% specificity, 92% negative predictive value, and 29% positive predictive value. Three of 15 (20%) of DHL were MYC IHC negative. One case contained a MYC translocation detectable IGH/MYC fusion probes but not MYC break-apart probes. A subset of DHL lack MYC protein expression, and recognition of this subset of cases requires FISH testing. These results provide an appropriate diagnostic algorithm for implementation of 2016 WHO diagnostic criteria.


[Objective] To observe the anti-fatigue and anti-hypoxia effects of Oplopanax elatus Nakai on mice,so as to provide reference for the development and utilization of O.elatus.[Methods] Given different doses of O.elatus water suspension for 14 days,the burden swimming endurance,anti-hypoxia duration,the content of blood lactic acid of mice were determined.[Results] The mice in 5.2,2.6 and 1.3 g/kg O.elatus water suspension groups showed stronger anti-hypoxia effect and burden swimming endurance,while with lower blood lactic acid.[Conclusion] O.elatus could improve the anti-fatigue and anti-hypoxia ability of mice.


Two new sesquiterpenoids, castanin A ( =4R*,5R*,5aS*,8S*,8aR*,8bR*)-8-formyl-4,5,5a,6,7,8,8a,8b-octahydro-5,8b-dihydroxy-3,5a,8-trimethyl-2-oxo-2H-indeno[4,5-b]furan-4-yl acetate; 1) and castanin B 1aS*,6R*,6aS*,7aR*,9aR*)-1a,2,6,6a,7a,8,9,9a-octahydro-1a,5,7a-trimethylbisoxireno[4,5 :8,9]cyclodeca[1,2-b]furan-6-yl acetate; 2) were isolated from the aerial parts of Salvia castanea DIELS f. tomentosa, together with two known compounds, oplophanone and 1,6a-dihydroxyeudesm-4(14)-ene. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analyses and, in the case of 2, also by X-ray crystallography. Castanin A (1) represents a novel sesquiterpenoid, with a contracted ring A, derived from eudesmanolide. A possible biogenetic pathway is proposed.


This paper presents an adaptive frequency remote control of an islanded autonomous grid equipped with a 5.5 kW wind generator, 7.2 kW solar panels, and 58 kWh energy storage. The islanded grid is located at VTT premises in Finland. The grid was controlled remotely from Cyprus using a communication protocol. The ultimate aim of the work described in this paper is to control and balance the generation and demand in the islanded grid through direct load management based on a single point measurement of the electric frequency.


In a r ecen t paper [3] some f ixed point theorems of expans ion mappings are proved. In t h i s note using a combination of methods used i n [ l ] [3 ] o ther f ixed point theorems of expansion mappings are proved. T h e o r e m 1. Let (X,d) be a complete metr ic space and f ; (X,d) —• (X,d) a s u r j e c t i v e mapping. I f there e x i s t non-negative r e a l s a , b , c with a > 0 or b > 0 and a+b+c > 1 such t h a t


We offer the system of involving natural physical factors of the resort of Sochi, which allows to gain optimization of pH parameters of skin surface and its bactericidalactivity at patients with excoriated аcnе.


specifically, cholesterol, cigarette smoking status, and systolic blood pressure. It is interesting to note that age adjusted cardiovascular death risk per 10,000 person years escalates at a near hyperbolic response in patients with multiple of these aforementioned risk factors after suffering with diabetes over 10years.6 Likewise, the converse may apply where intensive treatment with reduction of risk factors mentioned lit led to significant reduction in cumulative death and cardiovascular events as was demonstrated in the historic STENO 2 trial.7


Background: Early and sustained viral suppression with antiretroviral therapy (ART) has been linked to good clinical outcome in HIV-infected patients. The global target is that at least 90% of the patients on ART should be virally suppressed. Objectives: We assessed the virologic response to first-line ART in the first year of treatment in our center and determined the factors influencing early viral load suppression among patients. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective study involving review of the records of all eligible HIV-infected adults initiated on ART in our facility between 2009 and 2014, who did not miss any follow-up appointment during the first year on ART. Data were extracted with a proforma and analyzed with Epi Info 7. Frequencies and proportions were used to summarize patients who achieved undetectable viremia (viral load < 400 copies/mL]) at 12 and 24 weeks, whereas χ2 and logistic regression were done at 5% alpha to determine the factors influencing early viral load suppression. Results: The mean age of 478 participants was 38.6 (19.0) years and 310 (64.8%) were females. While 332 (69.5%) patients achieved undetectable viremia at 12 weeks of ART, 356 (74.5%) achieved it at 24weeks. After 24 weeks on ART, 121 (80.7%) of the150 patients on tenofovir/emtricitabine/efavirenz, 195 (71.2%) of the 274 patients on zidovudine/lamivudine/nevirapine, and 35 (71.4%) of the 49 patients on tenofovir/lamivudine+nevirapine achieved undetectable viremia (P = 0.13). Patients' age, sex, marital status, baseline CD4 count, TB co-infection status, WHO clinical stage of disease, and plasma viral load at ART initiation were not significantly associated with early viral load suppression (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Three out of every four participants initiated on first-line ART achieved undetectable viremia after 24 weeks of treatment in our setting. The three ART regimens assessed have comparable effectiveness. The sociodemographic and clinical variables assessed did not influence viral suppression.


Bamboo is a non-timber forest product with a very large population in Indonesia. One of them is bamboo betung which can be found from the lowlands to the highlands but has not been used properly. Therefore, research was conducted to utilize bamboo betung to benefit the society. In this study, the synthesis of graphene oxide (GO) from bamboo betung stems will be carried out. The purpose of  GO synthesis to further observe the crystal structure and crystal size of GO itself because it can be applied in various fields such as wave absorbers, radio frequency electronics, data display panels, and photovoltaic cells. GO synthesis was carried out using the Modified Hummers Method. The sintering temperatures used in this study were 300oC, 350oC, 400oC and 4500C. GO characterization was carried out using XRD and FTIR to reveal the system of crystal, crystal structure, and size, in addition functional groups, and phases of graphene oxide. GO has an average crystal size of 23.30165 nm as the largest average crystal size. GO layer is formed due to the bond between Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H) and Oxygen (O). GO Layer can be typed at any temperature variations carried out..


Jill Tarter is probably best known as the main inspiration for Ellie Arroway, the scientist played by Jody Foster in the film of Carl Sagan's book Contact. Like her fictional counterpart, Tarter is on a quest to find signs of extraterrestrial intelligence in radio emissions from deep space (as opposed to trying to track down little green men). But unlike Arroway, who in the film detected radio signals from the distant star Vega, Tarter has yet to discover any such signs.


Abstract On the basis of a dialogically oriented and contextually situated approach, this study aims at investigating uses of addressing present co-participants in cases in which the subsequent order of speakership is not at issue. Starting out from Lerner's (2003: 184) observation that address terms "appear to be deployed to do more than simply specify whom the speaker is addressing", the article explores turn-initial as well as turn-final uses of address terms as practices of increased dialogism in everyday interaction. The paper argues that address terms function as a means to display a personified "orientation and sensitivity to the particular other(s)" (Sacks/Schegloff/Jefferson 1978: 43) – frequently used in disaffiliating activities.


We present, for the first time, observational evidence of a kinetic electric field near the X-line associated with asymmetric reconnection at the Earth's dayside magnetopause using Polar observations. On March 29, 2003, Polar satellite detected an asymmetric collisionless reconnection event. This event shows a unipolar Hall electric field signature and a simple deviation from the guide field during the magnetopause crossing, with the absence of an ion plasma jet outflow indicating that the magnetopause crossing was near the X-line. As expected from particle-in-cell simulations by Malakit et al. (Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 135001 (2013)), an earthward pointing normal electric field appears in the magnetospheric side of the ion diffusion region. The electric field satisfies two necessary conditions for the existence of the finite ion Larmor radius effect: (1) the ion Larmor radius (rg 2) is larger than the distance between the stagnation point and the edge of the ion diffusion region in the strong magnetic field side (δS 2) and (2) the spatial extent of the kinetic electric field (δ EL ) is of the order of the ion Larmor radius. Furthermore, it is shown that the peak value of the Larmor electric field is comparable to the predicted value. The observation of the Larmor electric field can be valuable in other analyses to show that the crossing occurred near the X-line.


The present invention relates to a method and a system for remote management of spare parts elevator. The method comprising: acquiring detection information of an elevator lift master subsystem; preset by remote monitoring module transmits the detected information to a remote technical service center server; remote technical service center server appears to be based on the detection information determination replacement of spare parts elevator failure, remind information if the output of replacement parts. By the present invention, it is possible to obtain effective operation of the various subsystems of the elevator, to facilitate good distribution of spare parts and apply advance.


This article examines the representation and critique of what it terms hard-boiled masculinity as an exemplary form of modern masculinity in Dashiell Hammett's Red Harvest. The novel presents hard-boiled masculinity as violent, rationalized, and largely purged of interiority and affect. Its representation of masculinity is organized around a form of split narration in which the affective detachment and seeming rationality of the firstperson narration produces a textual unconscious in which the affect purged fromthe surface of the narrative is projected on to and returns in the shape of various gendered, racialized, and nationalized others. After explicating this split narration, and suggesting its links to the advent of Taylorism and incipient Fordism in the 1920s, the article charts the political costs of this displacement of affect and the form of masculinity it constructs.


Measurements of Shubnikov de Haas oscillations in the temperature range 0.3–2 K have been used to determine an effective mass of 0.23 m0 in a Si/Si0.87Ge0.13/Si two‐dimensional hole gas. This value is in agreement with theoretical predictions and with that obtained from cyclotron resonance measurements. The ratio of the transport time to the quantum lifetime is found to be 0.8. It is concluded that the 4 K hole mobility of 11 000 cm2 V−1 s−1 at a carrier sheet density of 2.2×1011 cm−2 is limited by interface roughness and short‐range interface charge scattering.


In order to obtain good information on disease parameters, data must be collected at random. Unfortunately, under tropical conditions, the lists of farms and animals required for random sampling are usually not available. It is usually feasible to get lists of larger clusters such as ecological areas and districts, but not smaller elements. In such circumstances, multi-stage cluster sampling is a practical alternative. Essentially, larger aggregates are divided into smaller sampling areas from which the compilation of sampling frames of herds or animals are logistically feasible. For two-stage cluster sampling, the sample sizes for each stage depend on their relative contributions to the variability of disease occurrence and costs of sampling. However, extensions to multiple stages are more complicated and are often only informally done. Often, the problem can be reduced to a two-stage problem. For example, in the assessment of vaccination coverage in the WHO Expanded Programme of Immunization (EPI), the number of villages to be sampled within an area is estimated and then a fixed number of children per village, from q random starting household are sampled (Lemeshow and Robinson, 1985) . However, in some circumstances, there can be considerable correlation within these chosen clusters, such that a larger number of children per village need to be sampled to estimate rates with a desired precision. There are two potential solutions. One is to first stratify villages into smaller sampling areas to increase the number of household clusters per village and decrease the number of children per cluster (Levy and Lemeshow, 1991). A second method is to randomly sample households. This is not always feasible in larger towns but in our experience is not too difficult for sampling either herds or households in rural settings. The relative number of areas, farms per area and animals per farm in very large herds will then depend on the relative variability and costs of sampling at each level. In Chongwe District of central Zambia, a two (area and farm) and three (area, farm and animal) stage sampling strategy was used for questionnaire and blood sample collection respectively. Preliminary estimates indicated that farm-to-farm variation was most important (and particularly for small farms), that areas were relatively homogeneous and that the costs of visiting farms once in an area is relatively small. Thus, only 2 of 5 areas but 36 farms per area were sampled. With 3 stage sampling, the price of sampling animals and within herd variability can be incorporated. In general, sampling costs per animal are low so cluster sampling is usually preferred. In Machakos District, Kenya a multi-stage cluster sampling strategy was employed to estimate dog ecology characteristics and collect serum for rabies testing. Again, the small number of dogs per household reduced the problem to a two stage sampling problem. In this case, their were larger area-to-area than farm-to-farm differences so a much higher sampling frequency of areas (60%) relative to farms (>20%) was used.


Renewable energy has surfaced as a power source of interest of the world recently. Wind Energy has been the leading source of renewable energy development for the past several years. The biggest issue with wind energy are wind turbine (WT) drivetrain failures. The gearbox fails after three to seven years of operation while the expected lifetime of the WT is 20 years. The application to the automotive industry inspired the use of continuously variable transmissions (CVT) in a WT. The CVT considered in this study is the Nu-Vinci CVT technology, a Continuously Variable Planetary (CVP) transmission, designed by Fallbrook Technologies. This technology was selected because of its planetary configuration and its ability to transmit larger amounts of torque, which is required for WT applications. The goal of this research was to reduce the Cost of Energy (COE) by increasing the reliability of CVTs in WTs. In this study, two WT systems, one with CVT as the third stage (referred as 'WT with CVT') and another with three stage standard gearbox (referred as 'WT with SG'), are considered. The research question in this study is 'Does the use of CVTs improve the reliability of drivetrains of WTs?' To answer this question three specific aims were developed. First, a computational framework had to be developed. Second, a probabilistic dynamic analysis was conducted. Third, a probabilistic analysis on the COE was performed. A computational framework was developed to guide the probabilistic analysis to determine power values and COE. The probability that the generator torque of the WT with CVT will be less than that of the WT with SG is found to be 50.67%. It was also shown that provided the same input speed and torque, the WT with CVT has a slightly higher power generation. In addition, it was shown that there is 54% probability that the WT with CVT will exhibit lower COE than WT with SG. The higher power production is attained while decreasing the COE. From these results, it can be inferred that the reliability of the drivetrain is improved using a CVT.Copyright © 2015 by ASME


Bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonators with 5-wt%-La2O3-doped PbTiO3 (PT) piezoelectric films were fabricated. The La-doped PT films had a dense, homogeneous morphology, as well as high crystallinity caused by the use of bottom electrodes with pure Pt-like surface layers. These PT films had remanent polarization of 110 mC/m2 at 200°C. Resonant frequencies of the fabricated devices were 1.4 GHz and 2.0 GHz. The electromechanical coupling coefficient (kt2) was estimated to be 11% at 1.4 GHz and 9.4% at 2.0 GHz, respectively. The PT films had superior kt2 in the GHz band. The capability of the RF devices with broad bandwidth was investigated.


In this paper, we investigate the dynamics of an electromechanical system consisting of a DC motor-driving arm within a circular periodic potential created by three permanent magnets. Two configurations of the circular potential appear when one varies the positions of the magnets and the length of the DC motor, respectively. Two different forms of input signal are used: DC and AC voltage sources. For each case, conditions under which the mechanical arm can perform a complete rotation are obtained. Under the DC voltage excitation, the arm oscillates and then is stabilized at an equilibrium position for a DC voltage lower than a critical value [Formula: see text]. When the DC voltage is higher than the critical value [Formula: see text], the arm performs large amplitude motions (complete rotation). Submitted to an AC voltage with amplitude lower than a critical value, the mechanical arm exhibits sinusoidal oscillations around the equilibrium position [Formula: see text] with amplitudes less than one turn. Angular oscillations with amplitudes greater than one turn are observed when the voltage amplitude is higher than the critical value. Bifurcation diagrams show that the simple system can enter chaotic regime with the amplitudes of angular oscillations varying erratically from small to high values.


Large amount of food waste, namely dead stock and leftover is generated throughout the process of manufacturing, distribution and consumption of food. The volume of the food waste is approximately 30% of total discharge of municipal solid waste. On the other hand, recycling rate remains approximately 10% of total food waste. In order to promote reduction of the food waste, the Law for Promotion of Recycling and Related Activities for the Treatment of Cyclical Food Resources was enacted. The law stipulates the responsibilities of each stakeholder in terms of recycling of food resources and recycling activities that should be carried out by food related business entities based on criteria.


This paper proposes a receding waypoint horizon strategy generating a piecewise polynomial trajectory with minimum jerk and predictive tracking of camera references for quadrotors, in the context of autonomous aerial single- sequence shots in a static environment. In order to deal with the limited on-board computation resources, the camera control is performed with an undersampled model predictive controller generating a set-point trajectory and a feedforward control signal, both used by a larger frequency controller. The performance of the overall strategy is illustrated with a real flight, on a Parrot Bebop 2 drone.


T-bet plays a critical role in controlling IFN (cid:1) expression, Th1 polarization, and CD8 cytolytic development. Its regulation has been demonstrated to be mostly IFN (cid:1) / Stat1 dependent while IL-12/Stat4 independent. Here we show that IL-12/Stat4 binds to a distant highly conserved STAT-responsive T-bet enhancer, and induces IFN (cid:1) /Stat1-independent T-bet expression in CD8 T cells. Luciferase reporter assay showed that both Stat4 and Stat1 activate reporter gene expression from constructs containing a wild-type but not mutated T-bet enhancer. Studies in virus-infected mice demonstrated that the IL-12/Stat4/T-bet cascade operates in vivo and regulates IFN (cid:1) in CD8 T cells. Together, we provide a novel mechanism for T-bet regulation, and suggest that IL-12/Stat4/T-bet play an important role in CD8 effector responses. (Blood. 2007;110:2494-2500) conserved T-bet enhancer, residing 13 kb upstream of the T-bet coding region, which responds to both IL-12/Stat4 and IFN (cid:1) /Stat1 signals. Our studies identified a novel T-bet enhancer and provide a new molecular basis for T-bet regulation by IL-12/Stat4 and IFN (cid:1) /Stat1.


Objective To analyze the clinical characteristics of the hospitalized elder female bone trauma patients in a hospital of Tangshan City,in order to understand the clinical features and medical expenses of elder bone trauma women.Methods Descriptive analysis method was applied to analyze the clinical features of hospitalized female bone trauma patients,who were over 60 and admitted by an orthopedics specialty hospital in Tangshan from Jan 1,2011 to Dec 31,2011.Results The fracture was the main type of bone trauma,and the injured part were mostly the upper limbs(75.0%) and lower limbs(17.1%).78.0% of bone injury were due to falls,which was the important cause.54.0% of the subjects got injured when they were walking.Most of bone trauma occurred in the third season of the year(176 cases,33.1%),while within a day,it mostly occurred at 8: 00-9: 00 am and 18: 00-19: 00 pm.Admission condition was mainly at urgent department,accounting 81.2%.Meanwhile patients with complications were 11.9%.Of all the patients,78.9% patients were undergone the surgery and cure rate were 80.2%.Conclusions Hurt and falls were top reason led to bone fracture in elder women and more attention should be paid in the prevention and control of bone trauma of elder women.Corresponding preventive and controlling work should be carried out in the elder female crowd in order to reduce the occurrence of bone trauma and its influence to their health and life.


Illicit drugs and other substances are serious threats to global health and security. Thus, there have been several global efforts to enact and enforce strict humane drug laws and adequate interventions to curb the trade and use of drugs. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of research in the area of knowledge, perception, and attitude of high-risk populations, like West African university students, to guide interventions and the implementation of drug laws. In this study, we explored the knowledge, perception, and attitude of university students regarding available illicit drugs and drug users in Ghana. Adopting a cross-sectional correlational design, our results from 562 students showed that a large proportion of Ghanaian students were aware of the widely used drugs. The majority of our participants reported having heard of alcohol, cocaine, and heroin. However, fewer people reported knowing drugs such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). We observed that university students in Ghana shared positive attitudes towards drug users. Participants in our study viewed drug users and problem drug users as victims who needed support rather than criminals needing punishment. Future research is required among mental health service providers and law enforcement agencies to explore their knowledge, attitude, and perception of drug users and other related issues.


Aging of population becomes a widely concerned social issue in the coming decades. To provide proper services (e.g., smart home) for the elderly, it is expected to accurately recognize their daily activities without wearing devices, especially upper-limb motions. Thus, this paper proposes a contactless upper-limb motion recognition method based on intrackability motion detection and sliding window of BOW (IMD-SWBOW) model which can recognize single-person's motions and interactive motions via camera videos in daily scenes. The intrackability-based detection algorithm is adopted to improve the accuracy of STIPs extraction. SWBOW model and the nearest neighbor classification method are applied. An SD-Upper-Limb motion video database is established for experiments which includes 10 kinds of continuous single-person and interactive upper-limb motions performing by 19 subjects in daily scenes and dynamic background (such as chaotic scenes, camera shake or zoom and different outfits). The experimental results show that the average recognition accuracy is 91%. The proposed method can improve the recognition performance of upper-limb interactive motions in daily monitoring scenes with dynamic background.


The gas dynamics in the arc quenching discharge chamber with a movable electrode is considered in the study. The gas is injected into the chamber due to the difference in pressure at the initial supersonic velocities. A movable contact is displaced due to compressed gas. The arc is cooled via transverse gas blowing. For numerical simulation free open-source package OpenFOAM connected with swak4foam is used. The task is solved in the continuum mechanics approximation. Some results of gas dynamics parameters calculation and its comparison with the experimental data are presented at the gas boost pressure of 6 MPa.


One of the pertinent debates in the context of agrarian economy is whether to choose for crop diversification or to go for a crop specialisation to exploit the optimal scale of operation. The crop diversification has been found to influence food security through its supply chain by creating comprehensive food which includes subsistence food grain and other protein nutrients available for the populace and as well as its demand chain through enhancing purchasing power of the people. The paper examines the position of the state of Indian economy with respect to the indicators of food security and crop diversification. In this context, an extensive primary survey has been carried out covering three districts of West Bengal, (namely Burdwan, Hooghly and Purulia) with the objective of determining the nature and intensity of crop diversification and its implications on ensuring food security in the rural West Bengal. District of Burdwan has been found to be maximum diversified implying a mixture of both traditional and commercial cropping base, while district of Purulia has been identified to have least extent of crop diversification suggesting for an extremely poor agricultural base. Traditional large farmers are found to have diversified cropping practice than the small one. Interestingly, these large farmers, in general, are found to be more secure in the index of food security than small farmers in the study region. On the other hand, regions of Burdwan, which have achieved greater extent of crop diversification, have been proved to be a highly food secure zone in contrast to the regions of Purulia which is having minimum extent of crop diversification and suffering from acute food insecurity. Thus crop diversification has been found to play key role in ensuring food security in the concerned study region. In other words, the paper establishes the fact that villages with greater crop diversification towards non-food grain crops have achieved more security in the access to food. This paper is a part of completed ICSSR sponsored major research project entitled 'The Problems of Small Farmers, Crop Diversification and Food Security: A Study in Rural West Bengal. Ph. D Research Scholar, Department of Economics, the University of Burdwan. Email: firstname.lastname@example.com. Assistant Professor, Department of Commerce, the University of Burdwan (Corresponding author): Email: firstname.lastname@example.com. Professor, Department of Economics, the University of Burdwan. Email: firstname.lastname@example.com. Asia-Paci c Journal of Rural Development Vol. XXVI, No. 1, July 2016


This master thesis explores how blockchain technologies can be utilized within the financial sector with focus on how to store both private and public information on the blockchain. The capital mar ...


Predicate encryption is a new paradigm of public key encryption that enables searches on encrypted data. Using the predicate encryption, we can search keywords or attributes on encrypted data without decrypting the ciphertexts. In predicate encryption, a ciphertext is associated with attributes and a token corresponds to a predicate. The token that corresponds to a predicate $f$ can decrypt the ciphertext associated with attributes $x$ if and only if $f(x)=1$. Hidden vector encryption (HVE) is a special kind of predicate encryption. In this thesis, we consider the efficiency, the generality, and the security of HVE schemes. The results of this thesis are described as follows.
The first results of this thesis are efficient HVE schemes where the token consists of just four group elements and the decryption only requires four bilinear map computations, independent of the number of attributes in the ciphertext. The construction uses composite order bilinear groups and is selectively secure under the well-known assumptions. The second results are efficient HVE schemes that are secure under any kind of pairing types. To achieve our goals, we proposed a general framework that converts HVE schemes from composite order bilinear groups to prime order bilinear groups. Using the framework, we convert the previous HVE schemes from composite order bilinear groups to prime order bilinear groups. The third results are fully secure HVE schemes with short tokens. Previous HVE schemes were proven to be secure only in the selective security model where the capabilities of the adversaries are severely restricted. Using the dual system encryption techniques, we construct fully secure HVE schemes with match revealing property in composite order groups.


Recent writing on the English Reformation has been dominated by the so-called revisionists. While not all revisionist historians have advanced an identical interpretation of the Reformation, the broad outline of their argument is neatly summarized in the opening lines of J. J. Scarisbrick's The Reformation and the English People: "On the whole, English men and women did not want the Reformation and most of them were slow to accept it when it came." While earlier writers argued that the Reformation period represented a sharp break in English history with a definitive rejection of Catholicism, revisionists have asserted that there was considerable continuity in the religious life of sixteenth-century men and women. The Catholic Church was strong and vital and commanded considerable loyalty among the laity, and changes to religious doctrine and practice generated considerable hostility. The demise of the Catholic Church in England was not assured, and the success of the Protestant Reformation was the result of a long straggle fought from above that was won only during the middle years of Elizabeth's reign. The revisionist interpretation has commanded wide attention and support. It currently stands, in many respects, as the new orthodoxy of English Reformation historiography. Most historians now concur on the profound attachment of many men and women to the doctrine and worship of the Catholic Church and their reluctance to abandon them. Nevertheless, a number of questions about the revisionists' interpretation of the Reformation and English religiosity remain.


By testing of centrifugal modeling, it researched distribution of soil pressure on abutment back and the settlement of backfill with geogrid reinforcement. Firstly, centrifugal modeling test measurement to highwaybridge abutment backfill with geogrid reinforcement was put forward. Then models with different backfill - material such as soil, reinforced soil, sand and reinforced sand were experimented. It is pointed that geogrid reinforcement affects distribution of soil pressure on abutment back and the settlement of backfill remarkably. In addition, the strain in the deepest geogrid is the biggest. In the same layer, the strain in the joint between backfill and roadbed is the biggest. Consequently, by strengthening the bottom layer geogrid and lengthening the anchored geogrid it evidently increased the stability of backfill soils and decrease the settlement of backfill surface.


Summary

Although Solanum brevidens could be infected with potato virus X (PVX), potato virus Y0 (PVY0) and PVYN, no symptoms of infection were apparent and tests by double antibody sandwich ELISA, electron microscopy and sap transmission to local lesion test plants indicated that the titres of PVX were less than a tenth of those of PVY0 and PVYN were less than a hundredth of those in infected plants of PDH40, a susceptible dihaploid clone of S. tuberosum cv. Pentland Crown. Furthermore, PVY0- and PVYN- infected leaves of S. brevidens were a poor source of inoculum in aphid transmission tests. The possibility of a common mechanism and genetic basis of resistance to PVY, PVX and potato leaf roll virus in S. brevidens is discussed.


To solve the boiler coking problem caused by the deviation of actual coal quality from the designed demand of coal,the boiler in Wanglong Thermal Power Plant is cited for instance,and the influence of different coal quality on boiler is analyzed based on the technology of neural network.First,the radial neural network is adopted for regressing the operation data to set up the operation model fit for boiler's adjustment parameters and control parameters.Then the model is used to analyze the adjustment parameters and compare the influences of coal quality,air feeding and pulverized coal distribution on boiler combustion,thereby summarizing the combustion adjustment discipline,effectively controlling the operation parameters of boiler and ensuring the operational safety and stability of boiler.


In his essay, "From the Covenant to the Revival", Perry Miller suggested that after the Revolution America's traditional concept of the Covenant between Jehovah and His people gradually changed. No longer did a calamity bring abject self-debasement and pleas for mercy in the face of well-deserved punishment. No more would Americans look upon a crisis in their national affairs as an occasion for jeremiads, for confessing their sins and begging relief from the retribution they merited. Miller wrote, A theology which for almost two centuries had assumed that men would persistently sin, and so would have to be recurrently summoned to communal repentance, had for the first time identified its basic conception with a specific political action. Then, for the first time in the lite of the conception, the cause was totally gained. Did not a startling inference follow: these people must have reformed themselves completely, must now dwell on a pinnacle of virtuousness?


Original Research Article The objective of study is to investigate both the phylogenetic and identification of highly conserved domains of Clostridium perfringens genes (cpa, cpb, etx and iap) isolated from dairy cattle clinically infected with mastitis using bioinformatics approach to explore more information about (cpa, cpb, etx and iap) proteins and applying insilico analysis for designing potential B-epitope subunit vaccine against C. Perfringens type A in dairy cattle farms. Five isolates were confirmed to be C. Perfringens type A in a prevalence of 7.14% (5/70). The multiplex PCR revealed the presence of the CPA gene (α toxin) of a approximate size of 402 bp while the CPB gene (B toxin), ETX gene (ε toxin) and IAP gene (iota toxin) went undetected. Two conserved domains regions in the nucleotide sequence of C. Perfringens type A (CPA) protein were detected Zn_dep_PLPC (Zinc dependent phospholipase C-alpha toxin) (63356 bp) and Zn_dep_PLPC (Zinc dependent phospholipase C-alpha toxin) (69-356 bp). Phylogenetic analysis of CPA gene showed a high identity (99-99.5%) for C. perfringens type A ASM strain with C. perfringens type A strains present in GeneBank. The insilico study was used to identify peptide fragments from Alpha toxin of C. perfringens type A that can be efficiently used for the designing and development of B-epitope based vaccine. B-cell epitopes are predicted using integrated computational tools. IEDB server was used to predict B-cell epitopes on the basis of different essential parameters like antigenicity, allergenicity, surface accessibility and flexibility. Based on the results interpretation, the top peptide sequences were (SQKGTAG, NSQKGTA, QKGTAGY, KGTAGYI) obtained as potential B-cell epitopes.


To the eyes of uninformed reader, contemporary Burkinabe written literature would seem to be following only a national direction. Indeed, from the creative standpoint, this literature is drawn from the culture and language of its environment. However, because it is conceived in French, it receives multiple textual and cultural influences. The mixing of genres found in Burkinabe literature gives it a certain universality. Hence, the Burkinabe writer is not much different from Kafka, Celan, or Becket, who all evolved in a multilingual situation. Through textual mixing, the Burkinabe novelist is relentlessly in search of an identity in the process of formation. He also operates under the paradigm of universal civilization for which identity issues are often multiple and grounded in cultural and linguistic bundles. From this perspective, the Burkinabe writer is simply a creator. In some cases, this is the result of linguistic interferences, insertions, or collages. This mode of writing may be observed if we consider a corpus of Burkinabe novels. This paper is an attempt to study this aspect of Burkinabe literature, which is experiencing a great deal of growth.


The question of transforming the Nigerian state from predatory to "developmental" bothers on the relevance, potentials, and capacity of the state as agent of development and partnership in the democratisation process. This in turn provokes some questions: What kind of reforms does the Nigerian state need to make it an agent of development? How is the Nigerian state in Africa to be reconstituted to serve as a bridge between democracy and development? What kind of partnership can exist between the state and civil society in the developmental project? The paper appraises Nigeria"s policy environment as presently constituted under democratic governance. The paper argues that authoritarian characters and ethos of the colonial state, reinforced by successive military dictators have undermined the democratic credentials of the state and also weakened its capacity to promote good governance and economic developments. The apparatuses of the state, rather than being used for collective goods have been turned into instruments for advancing selfish and parochial interests of the minority ruling class. From the World Bank"s 'Doing Business Reports', the Nigerian state provides unfriendly environment for doing business. Regulatory and security agencies of the state have equally become repressive tools in a "predatory and criminal" model. The paper appraises the policy environment under democratic governance in Nigeria since 1999. The paper is significant in that it examines the capacity of the state as presently constituted to promote democratic governance and economic development. The creation of an enabling atmosphere for promoting economic and political rights in Nigeria therefore cannot side-track the question of the re-legitimisation of the state and the enhancement of its capacity as a key partner in the developmental process.


The ability to work in teams is increasingly demanded by the 'digital melting pot' of current design practice. In design education group projects with group-based assessment are strategies often adopted to reap the benefits of economy of scale. However there is a fundamental problem with group-based assessment. Those who work hard are demotivated through lack of acknowledgement and 'free riders' receive the same grade. The design of an effective learning environment for group work clearly needs to employ methodologies which encourage students to adopt a deep approach to the learning activities. This article illustrates some vital educational concepts which clarify the dynamics of the learning environment and offer a framework for the design of group-based assessment. The author was part of a multidisciplinary team which designed an online Self and Peer Assessment Resource Kit (SPARK). The system solves the problems and yields the generic skill benefits arising from well-designed group projects.


Type 2 diabetes is common and is associated with progressive beta cell loss, insulin deficiency, organ damage and effects on mental health and wellbeing. The current management focus is on stringent blood glucose control (HbA1c <7% [53mmol/mol]) and early insulin initiation. Insulin is a high‐risk medicine and is associated with a high rate of errors, adverse events and admissions to hospital. An insulin high‐risk medicine alert and accompanying audit tool were developed and distributed to Australian hospitals in Victoria in 2009.


Introduction This paper examines historical factors that keep scholarly communication static thereby delaying adoption of new technologies, and suggests ways to move forward. While technology has not been an impediment to systemic change, the conformity of academic culture keeps faculty publishing practices largely static.1 Specifically, the promotion and tenure process incentivizes narrowly defined forms of impact for university faculty and stagnates the acceptance of new services and technologies in scholarly communication. This conformity restricts the spread and impact of scholarly communication innovations. Current academic culture developed with the spread of the print journal as the record of authority, and although technology has moved beyond the bound periodical, evaluation of scholarship is stuck to the static word. To effectively work with faculty stakeholders, librarians must understand the cultural underpinnings of the current system of scholarly communication. To that end we discuss the evolution of scholarly communication within the context of print culture, the factors that prevent the widespread adoption of new technologies in the context of historical antecedents, and how the paradigm shift towards a digital media culture reflects fluid aspects of earlier knowledge sharing cultures. Finally, we argue that the library community, by investing in the trustworthiness of new tools, can ease the transition to new modes of scholarly communication.


A recent series of papers put forth a self-consistent theory of an asymptotically steady-state electron distribution function and Langmuir turbulence intensity. The theory was developed in terms of the κ distribution which features Maxwellian low-energy electrons and a non-Maxwellian energetic power-law tail component. The present paper discusses a generalized κ distribution that features a Davydov–Druyvesteyn type of core component and an energetic power-law tail component. The physical motivation for such a generalization is so that the model may reflect the influence of low-energy electrons interacting with low-frequency kinetic Alfvénic turbulence as well as with high-frequency Langmuir turbulence. It is shown that such a solution and the accompanying Langmuir wave spectrum rigorously satisfy the balance requirement between the spontaneous and induced emission processes in both the particle and wave kinetic equations, and approximately satisfy the similar balance requirement between the spontaneous and induced scattering processes, which are nonlinear. In spite of the low velocity modification of the electron distribution function, it is shown that the resulting asymptotic velocity power-law index α, where fe ∼ v−α is close to the average index observed during the quiet-time solar wind condition, i.e., whereas αaverage ∼ 6.69, according to observation.


Abstract : The modern battlefield has created a need for new artillery tactics and equipment. The need to fight a sustained battle in a nuclear, biological and/or chemical (NBC) environment while maintaining high mobility is a substantial challenge. New H+ELP and DSWS Self Propelled Howitzer (SPH) configurations, combined with laser rangefinders and computers promise significant increases in artillery effectiveness and efficiency. Revised tactics and equipment dictate new artillery training requirements. Digital data, on-board navigation and automatic fire control systems are now included in the primary operating modes. The responsibilities and technical capabilities of personnel are changing. The challenge is to provide effective training from individualized classroom instruction through integrated live fire exercises. (Author)


To test the hypothesis that the interdigital nerves of the foot are the first to be affected by aging, we studied sensory nerve conduction in the nerves of normal subjects between the ages of 10 and 79, using the near‐nerve needle technique. In normal individuals up to the seventh decade we could get sensory CNAPs without any difficulty by 256 averagings. In 10% of the 70–79‐year‐old group we could not obtain those potentials in some digital or interdigital nerves. Between the 10–49‐year‐old and 50–79‐year‐old groups, there was a significant slowing in the sensory NCVs, a significant decline in the amplitude of the sensory CNAPs, and a significant prolongation of the duration of sensory CNAPs for the various interdigital nerves. Thus, our study documented the earlier presence of aging phenomenon in the sensory nerve conduction of the interdigital nerves of the foot compared with the previously reported sensory nerve conduction change with age in the other nerves. We conclude that the "degeneration" of various interdigital nerves of the foot is accelerated from the early 50s on, possibly resulting from the normal aging process. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


Silver Nano-particles (AgNPs) were evaluated for its possible effects on the incidence and severity diseases gray mold for tomato fruits caused by the Botrytis cinerea. Treatments were [(healthy tomato fruits (control), inoculated tomato fruits by Botrytis cinerea, healthy tomato fruit with silver nanoparticles and combination inoculated tomato fruits with Botrytis cinerea and silver nanoparticles). The obtained results were: (a) there aren't incidences and severity diseases of gray mold in case of tomato fruits with silver nan particles during forty days, (b) the lowest incidence (0.3) and severity (1.5%) diseases were after thirty days of cold storage in case of treatment tomato fruits were treated with Nano–Silver + Inoculated. While, the highest incidence (0.6) and severity (7.5%) diseases percentages were after ten days of cold storage in case of treatment tomato fruits with inoculated by Botrytis cinerea, comparison with incidence (0.3) and severity (1%) diseases percentages were after twenty days of cold storage in case of un-treatment tomato fruits (control), (c) the highest (TSS) percentage of tomato fruits which treated by Nano-particles followed by un-treated samples (control). While, the lowest was sample which treated by inoculated + silver Nano particles, followed by inoculated samples by Botrytis cinerea after forty days of cold storage and (d) the highest pH value of tomato fruits which treated by Nano particles, followed by un-treated samples (control). While, the lowest sample which treated by inoculated + silver Nano particles, followed by inoculated samples by Botrytis cinerea after forty days of cold storage.


Low temperature solders usage for broadband assemblies represent an important challenge for the industry. Using lower temperatures for reflow subsequently shows less deformation on mother boards used for optical sub-assemblies and then less RF parasitics. However, some parts in optical sub-assemblies, like laser diodes, require good thermal dissipation to work properly and avoid unwanted modulations. This work will present an innovative way to use SnBi (Tin-Bismuth) eutectic alloy to assemble an integrated capacitive Silicon interposer on top of which a laser diode can be assembled as well.


A system for performing a navigation service using the mobile communication terminal, a single path or optimal path is map matching apparatus in a multi-path, to the user-entered destination based on the current location of the mobile communication terminal for a navigation service the calculation, and that as to generate path data for calculating the predetermined format based on the optimal path information center and detects the current location of the mobile communication terminal and generating the location data, processing the route data, and the position data a and performing map matching to determine the running or departure whether a given path on the basis, as a result, by using a includes a intelligent transportation system terminal of the route guide, the route data may be generated for the single path, the current position to a specific range within a point in the calculation as a gateway between the destination That is generated with respect to the multi-path formed by the sub-path from the gateway to the current location is characterized.


The present invention relates to a method of making a multi-layer body (5) and the multi-layer body (5). Multi-layer body (5) comprises a first layer of transparent (51), following the length of 2mm in this multi-layer cylindrical lens having a width of less than 400 [mu] m, a is embossed. This is a coordinate axis X1, which is determined by the focal line of the cylindrical lens, a vertical coordinate axis Y1 in the X1, it is arranged according to a microlens over a first coordinate system having. The second layer disposed beneath the first layer in a fixed position with respect to the first layer (52), a number of micro scho pick structure in the form of micro image is formed, these conversion function distorted along the longitudinal axis with respect to the horizontal axis in accordance with. And, they are arranged in accordance with the micro-images over a second coordinate system having a coordinate axis Y2 perpendicular to the axes X2 and the X2. In the area of multi-layer body micro scope picks structure of the microlens and the microlens grid of the microlens grid overlaps, and a line interval determined by the separation distance between the focal line of the cylindrical lens, determined by the separation distance of the center of gravity region of the microimage micro image distance differ by more than 10% relative to each other. To form a multilayer body (5), the second layer affixed to the third layer, the first layer disposed above the third layer, the first layer, the second layer and the third layer a first layer They are laminated together using heat and pressure by means of a tool (41, 42, 43) which engages the lower side of the top side and the third layer. In this case, the lens grid, while being embossed in the surface of the first layer, negative-type lens grid is also embossed on a surface of the first layer by embossed pressing plate. .The 11


The present article explores some Gothic traits in Neil Gaiman's novel The Ocean at the End of the Lane , relying on the concepts of excess and diffusion as proposed by Fred Botting, and the uncanny, as defined by Freud, as a means to investigate how Gothic elements, such as gloomy atmospheres and shape-shifting monsters, emerge in the narrative and how they may influence one's reading of the book towards the fantastic. Gaiman's novel is filled with images that stir the imagination and  that seem  to allude to the supernatural. In addition to that, the author is famous for writing multi-layered  narratives that make room for a variety of readings, from the fantastic to the more realistic. As sources to our investigation, we rely on the Gothic studies of Fred Botting (1996), the concepts of the uncanny as discussed by Freud (1919), and also on Gaiman's considerations concerning his own work. Based on the studies of these scholars and on a close reading of that the novel, we argue that  it may be read  in at least two ways: as a fantastic narrative in which the events presented  may be seem as supernatural, or as a dramatic story that uses Gothic elements to obscure a dark narrative about a traumatic childhood .This article is also a study of how Gothic elements may be transformed and displaced in different narratives in order to represent and voice different cultural anxieties of their authors' contexts.


With the academic results of Gestalt psychology,such as visual thinking and aesthetic intuition,this paper studied the represent ability of Wushu movements,including the interaction mechanisms,factors as well as the aesthetics,by the way of logical analysis and analog graft.Meanwhile,it was provided with eloquently theoretical supports by both Gestalt psychology and a grate mass of scientific experiment result,since the main idea of Gestalt psychology is form.The research finds out that the represent ability of Wushu movements caused the viewer more attention through the structure,symmetry,balance,extension and other methods,highlighting irregular and obviously special form,so that body forms by Gestalt pressure,and can abstractly express as a tension forces style to guide the viewer to grasp the dynamic process of the climax,and reflect the style of Wushu movements.


Inventors: Peter B. Houser, Poway, CA (US); Suzanna J. LaMar, San Diego, CA A distributed directional aperture (DDA) system provides the (US); Bayne R. Bunce, San Diego, CA capability to receive and/or transmit signals, limiting that (US); Jinous Valizadeh, San Diego, CA reception or transmission to a 3-dimensional beam. The DDA (US) system includes sensing and/or emitting array Subsystems which comprise sensors and/or emitters distributed across, Appl. No.: 14/511,962 within, or under the skin of an aircraft, ship, ground vehicle, Filed: Oct. 10, 2014 or fixed installation. The sensors receive energy, convert the e V8 received signals to digital information, and transmit that Related U.S. Application Data information via a telemetry Subsystem to a beam former Sub Provisional application No. 61/889,860, filed on Oct. system. The beam former subsystem analyzes the received 11, 2013 signals from the sensors and/or emitters in order to determine s the signal content from a specific direction. The emitters Publication Classification transmit energy, converting signals received from the beam former Subsystem via the telemetry Subsystem into energy Int. C. emissions. Methods of providing the DDA system including H04O9/10 (2006.01) subsystems thereof are also disclosed


The overall aim of the thesis is to explore and analyse graffiti in a translocal context, by asking questions about the actors' view on activity, meaning and interaction. The study has been located ...


Stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) yields high rates of local control for brain metastases, but rural/suburban patients face geographic and socioeconomic barriers to access SRT. We conducted a Phase 2 clinical trial of frameless fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FFSRT) for brain metastases in an integrated academic satellite network for patients ≥18-years-old with 1-4 brain metastases. Dose was based on gross tumor volume (GTV) size: < 3.0 cm, 27 Gy in 3 fractions, and 3.0-3.9 cm, 30 Gy in 5 fractions. Median follow-up was 10 months for 73 evaluable patients with median age of 68 years. Median intracranial progression free survival (PFS) was 7.1 months (95% confidence interval (CI): 5.3-not reached (NR)), median survival 7.2 months (95% CI: 5.4-NR), and there were no severe adverse events. Outcomes of this trial compare favorably with contemporary trials and this treatment strategy provides opportunities to expand SRT access to underserved populations.


The topic of this paper is the comparison of the indicators that affect customer satisfaction with online group-buying purchases in the Czech Republic and Canada. This paper focuses on the consumer behaviour of Generation Y. Social exchange theory was adopted to identify these indicators. Reciprocity, reputation, trust and vendor's creativity can be included among these indicators. The aim of this paper is to identify the indicators affecting customer satisfaction with online group-buying purchases of Generation Y in Canada and the Czech Republic and compare the results. The method of a structural equation modelling is used. The optimal models in Canada and in the Czech Republic are found. The results confirm that trust is the most important indicator for Canadian customers from Generation Y, the same for Czech customers from Generation Y.


The amplification of small initial errors in connection with mesoscale atmospheric variability is studied on a simplified thermal convection model. It is found that when the system is perturbed uniformly over the physical space, the initial regime of error dynamics follows a pathway far from the traditional exponential function whose rate is the largest positive Lyapunov exponent. It comprises two stages: (1) a transient decrease of the initial error as a result of the displacement of the system out of its attractor and (2) a superexponential increase whose origin is in the multifractal character of the attractor. Numerical experiments in which the initial error is introduced selectively in a particular scale reveal that perturbations at larger scales grow faster than those at the intermediate and small scales. A qualitative explanation of this unexpected behavior based on intrinsic properties of the dynamics such as the local Lyapunov vectors is advanced.


The study aimed to determine and compare, by instrumental and sensorial means, color and texture aspects of different brands of bread in an integral way with grains of industrial and artisanal manufacture. The samples, industrial manufacturing (A and B) and artisanal (C and D), were acquired in local shops and stores for sale of natural products, in cities in the state of Ceará. Instrumental color and texture analyzes were performed, as well as sensory acceptance tests (scales: hedonic and JAR), evaluating the data by ANOVA and Tukey's test at the level of 5% of significance. For an instrumental color, the difference between the statistics was observed, even when belonging to the same form of manufacture. For a hedonic scale, it was observed that most of the., For both attributes, reached an average above 6 (I liked it slightly), however, only one B mark obtained an average higher than 7 (I liked it regularly), in the color attribute. The scale analyzes of the ideal revealed that the colors closest to the ideal point were the B and D marks. For the instrumental texture parameter it was found that there was no direct influence on the way of manufacture. There was a significant difference between artisan breads for the hedonic scale, as for the ideal scale, as processing marks equal similar similar ideal point, since statistically A was equal to B and C equal to D. The breads integrally with grains good acceptance for color and texture, highlighting breads with intense color and greater firmness.


Simple Summary In humans there is a biological phenomenon known as CHIP (clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential) in which somatic (acquired) mutations cause blood cells of a certain type to grow disproportionately by making many copies (or "clones") of themselves. Although most people who are found to have CHIP do not have cancer, they are known to be at higher risk of developing cancer. CHIP has been studied extensively in humans, where it occurs more frequently with increasing age and is thought to be present in 10–20% of people over the of age 70; however, CHIP has not been well-studied in other species. This study provides the first population-level evidence for the potential existence of CHIP-like findings in dogs. Further research is needed to determine the clinical significance of these findings in canine patients. Abstract Age-related somatic genomic alterations in hematopoietic cell lines have been well characterized in humans; however, this phenomenon has not been well studied in other species. Next-generation sequencing-based liquid biopsy testing for cancer detection was recently developed for dogs and has been used to study the genomic profiles of blood samples from thousands of canine patients since 2021. In this study, 4870 client-owned dogs with and without a diagnosis or suspicion of cancer underwent liquid biopsy testing by this method. Copy number variants detected exclusively in genomic DNA derived from white blood cells (WBC gDNA-specific CNVs) were observed in 126 dogs (2.6%; 95% CI: 2.2–3.1); these copy number variants were absent from matched plasma cell-free DNA, and from tumor tissue in dogs with concurrent cancer. These findings were more common in older dogs and were persistent in WBC gDNA in over 70% of patients, with little to no change in the amplitude of the signal across longitudinal samples. Many of these alterations were observed at recurrent locations in the genome across subjects; the most common finding was a partial loss on CFA25, typically accompanied by a partial gain on the same chromosome. These early findings suggest that age-related somatic alterations may be present at an appreciable frequency in the general canine population. Further research is needed to determine the clinical significance of these findings.


I was a financial management intern at the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. I started on the 1 July 2007 until the 31 July 2008. As per the structure of our internship programme we were lead by an intern coordinator, Kevin Gilmer who is part of Budget and Treasury Office sub-directorate : Budgeting and Financial Accounting section.


Background and Objective: To evaluate and report the frequency, epidemiologic and anatomic - clinical features of patients who developed MPM from the data of North Tunisia Cancer Registry, during the period 2000-2009.Materials and methods: From a population of 53757 new patients of the North Tunisia National Cancer Registry database presenting new cases of cancers during the period 2000-2009 in North Tunisia, we collected and analyzed those with MPMTs. We used for MPMT the international IARC diagnosis criteria are published in ICD-O Third Edition. Results: In the 53757 new cancer cases registered from 2000-2009, we collected 528 cases (1.0%) of MPM. Mean age at diagnosis of the 1st cancer was 61 years (22-99) and sex-ratio at 1.08 (275M/253F) while mean age at the 2nd cancer diagnosis was 62 years(29 to 99). Among the 528 cases, the most frequent 1 st cancer site was breast in females (147 pts, 58.1%) and urinary tract for males (56 patients, 20.4%). In the 528 MPM cases, 321 (60.8%) were synchronous and 207 cases (39.2%) were metachronous tumors. The median time from 1 st to 2 nd cancer was 1.98 months (range 0-140). The most associated 1 st -2 nd cancer sites were breast in 110 patients (43.3%) in females and for males' urinary tract -prostate cancers (45 patients, 16.3%). Conclusions: The coexistence of a synchronous or metachronous MPM is possible and have to be considered during pretreatment evaluation. A close follow-up should be recommended to detect second malignancies in patients treated for a 1 st cancer.


We present a novel architecture for THz metamaterials relying on three-dimensional meta-atoms embedding a semiconductor active region. The meta-atoms behave as inductor-capacitive (LC) resonators with nano-scale capacitive parts, and they have extremely sub-wavelength mode volume (10$^{-6} \lambda_{0}$) and surface footprint (10$^{-3} \lambda_{0}^{2}$). When the LC resonators are coupled to a two-dimensional electron gas confined inside the capacitive elements the ultra-strong light-matter coupling regime is achieved. We also discuss the potential of such structures for ultra-low dark current THz quantum well photodetectors.


Cardiovascular activities may increase the brain blood flow improving neuronal activities leading to improved cognition. Consequently, the effects of an acute bout of moderate intensity aerobic exercise on brain hemodynamics and its correlation with cognitive color-word Stroop task performance were tested. The Stroop tasks were congruent (color matches word) and incongruent (color does not match word). Prefrontal (PFC) and motor cortex (MC) blood flow was recorded by fNIRS (functional near-infrared spectroscopy) while the subject was performing the Stroop tasks before and after the 30 minutes of exercise or equivalent time of rest controls (checking for practice effects). Ninety human subjects of age 24± 6, 20 ADHD (attention-deficit hyper-activity disorder), 27 High-BMI (>25), 29 males were recruited. Reaction time 'RT' decreased (p<0.05) after exercise for both the congruent (12%) and incongruent (10%) Stroop tasks, compared to 8% with practice alone. Accuracy did not change after practice or exercise. HR changes after exercise correlated (p<0.05) with better accuracy and faster RT for the incongruent Stroop task. In general, a metabolic lag occurred in the neuronal deoxy- hemoglobin (Hb) signals behind the systemic oxy-Hb signals. PFC showed the highest effect sizes of Stroop task-responsive systemic hemodynamic changes compared to baseline irrespective of rest or exercise. Yet, PFC showed most significant (p<0.001) neuronal hemodynamic changes between the before and after exercise sessions, and these changes were opposite for right and left PFC, and opposite for congruent and incongruent Stroop tasks. Correlating the RT and mistakes with hemodynamics for both the Stroop tasks revealed that, after exercise, neuronal hemodynamic changes occurred at both PFC and MC associated with faster RT (p<0.05), and systemic hemodynamic responses occurred at PFC correlated (p<0.05) with mistakes. Overall, it was concluded that exercise changed the neuronal hemodynamic changes affecting speed; however, neuronal metabolic changes did not occur sufficiently to help improve accuracy in all subjects.


This paper presents a coupling algorithm between a non-local particle method (the volume compensated particle method, VCPM) and the classical finite element method (FEM) to bring together the advantages of both methods for fracture analysis in large structures. In this algorithm, the discrete VCPM particle and the continuum FEM domains are solved within a unified theoretical framework. A new10-partilces element is developed and used to solve the VCPM particle domain, which serves to provide a seamless linkage with the continuum FEM domain. A transitional technology is also developed to smoothly link the 10particles element with the traditional FEM elements to guaranty the continuity and consistencyat the coupling interface. The accuracy and efficiency of the coupling algorithm are tested by several benchmark problems.


Control efficacy of high efficiency gene engineering strain WG-001(WP) of Bacillus thuringiensis against second-generation of cotton bollworm in field in Xinjiang was invested. The results showed that the best period with WG-001 controlling cotton bollworm was peak-producing egg stage. During peak-producing egg stage, average control efficacy of the 500 fold of WP of gene-engineered pesticide WG-001 was 90.5%, and it made no difference on natural enemy after treated for 4 days, while after treated for 6 days natural enemy number in all was a little reduced, for instance spider and green lacewing, to syrphid making rather great influence, but to ladybird beetles without influence, while control efficiency of of thiodan 35% EC was only 76.2%, and with great disadvantageous influence on natural enemy. As a new kind of microbial insecticide, from control efficacy and safety to natural enemy, gene-engineered pesticide WG-001 is suitable to generalize and apply in cotton area of Xinjiang.


A review of 7 recently published perennial ryegrass cultivar trials (from 6 contrasting environments) with data expressed as an aggregate of seasonal harvests (autumn, winter, spring, and summer) revealed that the l.s.d. (P = 0.05) varied between 4 and 255% of the mean herbage yield of the trial in a given season, with 56 of 72 data points having an l.s.d. (P = 0.05) >10% of the trial mean. Power analysis of a perennial ryegrass trial that was conducted at Heywood (Vic.) from 1997 to 1998, with a 16% apparent difference in the total yield of a new synthetic and commercial cultivars, demonstrated that this difference would have only been detected 45% of the time. However, if the number of replications in the trial was increased from 4 to 8, then it was predicted that this difference would have been detected 70% of the time. In response to the data from this experiment, a trial was sown in 1999 that compared 4, 6, and 8 replicates to detect differences in the herbage yield of perennial ryegrass cultivars. In this trial, differences that were detected (P < 0.05) with 8 replicates would have routinely gone undetected when 4 or 6 replicate combinations were used. The use of a row–column design on the 8 replicates of the trial reduced the error variance of the trial by 5–12%, depending on the harvest. It was concluded that current pasture cultivar trials are routinely failing to detect differences between cultivars at an adequate level, given the rates of genetic gain in pasture species. In order to increase this precision, the number of replicates in a trial should be optimised on the basis of past data and the likely difference between control and test cultivars. Once the number of replications in a trial has been optimised then the use of row–column, or nearest neighbour designs, and analysis, will further increase precision for little extra cost.


Abstract : The Taymyr Peninsula, having Cape Chelyuskin for its northernmost point, reaches 77 deg 43 min N; this peninsula is the northernmost projection not only in Eurasia but also in the entire world. The vegetation, the animal kingdom, and particularly the Taymyr soils, have been poorly studied. At the same time, certain data provide evidence that the tundra lands on Laymyr, especially its western and central parts, abound in wild game and birds. As yet, their development is the most realistic form of involving the tundra biogeocenoses in economic use. However, the development of industry in the southern part of the peninsula will require the organization of a local dairy and vegetable base for the growing population.


Nowadays, the use of the computer science is an unquestionable fact in all sections of our society. In Brazil, some public and private incentives have been permitting to take for some teaching institutions a little of this reality. Therefore what we can question today is not if the computer should be used in schools since this is unavoidable, but how technology has to be incorporated in the school context in order to provide the learning process and universalization of knowledge. In this sense, a great deal still needs to be developed and investigated in a way to guarantee that the new technologies do not just arrive at schools, but that they are appropriately used in classroom. This article shows the results obtained in a research work that had as an objective the evaluation of the use of different methodologies and resources in teaching learning in a physics discipline.


Patients with Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) may develop neurodegeneration and significant CNS sequelae, affecting a significant proportion of the patients. We here aimed to investigate the neuropsychological consequences in more detail.


Abstract Unit process, open-water (UPOW) treatment wetlands are a unique type of constructed wetlands that are designed to promote photo- and microbiologically mediated natural water treatment proc...


This book provides a rich and comprehensive analysis of the process of Kosovo's unilateral secession from Serbia and the establishment of its state structure during the period from the First Balkan...


In Estonia, the building of a national intellectual property (IP) system started during the first independent Republic of Estonia (1918-1940), and was completed more than 50 years later, after the re-establishment of independence in 1991. The purpose of this article is to provide a historical overview of the Estonian legislation pertaining to copyright and related rights, to address some issues of its enforcement, and to focus on the perspectives in the European and global context. The main emphasis is on the aspect of "law in law books". Implementation, enforcement and case law, which in practice are as important as legislation, are covered in a more general way to illustrate the main subject.


congressional activism in the 1970s, the resulting policy influence was not markedly different than that exercised by the Congress in the years immediately after World War II. Furthermore, between these two periods, the Congress played a continuous, if less noticeable, role in foreign policy. At present, Congress seems to be returning to its more normal secondary role in the foreign policy process. The book is divided into three parts and nine chapters, roughly organized chronologically from the Truman years to the present. The first three chapters focus on the early Truman years and the crucial role of Congress (especially that played by Senator Arthur Vandenberg of Michigan) in the shaping of postwar and cold war policies. The second part begins with Truman's second term and runs through the Nixon administration, but this part also includes three chapters that examine the Congress more directly. The first of these analyzes Congress' influence on policy toward various regions of the world (e.g., Europe, Asia, Middle East); the second on specific issues (e.g., trade policy, foreign assistance, the selection of executive personnel); and the third on "congressional values" in international affairs, treating such items as congressional deference, the role of partisanship, the impact of ethnic groups, and the influence of public opinion, among several others. The last part of the volume, consisting of two chapters, discusses congressional activism in the 1970s and early 1980s and assesses the role of the Congress versus the president in the future.


A two layer quasi geostrophic model forced by surface friction and radiative relaxation is used to study numerically the phenomenon of subcritical instability in baroclinic atmosphere.The numerical experiments show that when nondimension parameter β ≥0.25,the phenomenon of subcritical instability can exist in two layer baroclinic atmosphere.The occurrence of subcritical instability is relative to the selection of the initial disturbances in model.The latitudinal gradient of Coriolis parameter is also an important factor that affects the strength of baroclinic stability,the larger its value is,the smaller strength of the baroclinic stability is.


Reality Orientation (RO) intervention represents the first significant attempt at rehabilitation programming for the disoriented, institutionalized elderly. Early anecdotal accounts reported sweeping positive effects. A first sign of hope for this severely disabled population, RO rapidly became widely implemented and continues to be a commonly accepted approach by numerous disciplines. However, careful examination of the research and clinical practice literature reveals many difficulties with the conventional RO classroom programme. Reliable research is limited and weakly supports a modest, temporary gain in verbal orientation after involvement in conventional classroom RO. The actual significance of these gains for these severely disabled elderly persons and their caregivers is doubtful. Although not yet clearly articulated, other approaches (eg. sensory stimulation, environmental manipulation) and a reformulation of RO itself are showing promise of effecting a broader range of functional behaviours (eg. self-feeding). Orientation information presented for reassurance, not re-articulation, is proving to be both more nurturing for clients and more clinically significant.


Objective To research the changes in fibroblasts proliferation and collagen synthesis by adding tripterygium. Methods All of the experiments were detected in vitro culture system. We cultivated fibroblasts derived from keloid tissue. They were divided into two groups?押 one was the control group, another was the trial group, adding tripterygium into culture medium for fibroblasts. We evaluated fibroblasts proliferation and collagen synthesis by microscope observation, MTT assay, flow cytometry, chloramines T measure for hydroxyproline and lactate dehydrogenase activity determination. Results Comparing with the control group, cells proliferation were reduced(P0.05), collagen synthesis suppressed(P0.05), the ratio of G2-M phase in cell cycle increased in the trial group (from 5 μg/mL)(P0.05). Lactate dehydrogenase content was inside reference value range in tripterygium group, and it exceeded beyond concentration of 500 μg/mL. Conclusion With effective concentration, scar fibroblasts proliferation and collagen synthesis can be inhibited by tripterygium.


Background:
 Statin therapy was reported to be associated with lower risk of recurrence of stroke and better functional outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke. However, the effect of statin therapy in patients with acute large vessel occlusion (LVO) was not well scrutinized. Thus, we evaluated the effect of statin administration after the onset of stroke on functional outcome based on the large registry study of acute LVO.

 Methods:
 RESCUE-Japan Registry-2 was a physician initiated registry study enrolled consecutive patients with acute LVO who were admitted within 24 hours of onset. We compared those with and without statin after onset in terms of modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at 90 days. We estimated the common odds ratio (OR) for a shift towards better mRS adjusting for confounders.

 Result:
 Among 2420patients registered, 2399 patients were eligible. Mean age was 75.9 years and men accounted for 55%. Statin were administered in 447 patients(19%) after admission. There are more atherothrombotic cerebral infarction (statin group: 34.2% vs non-statin group: 12.1%, p <0.0001), younger age (73.4 vs 76.5, p <0.0001), and lower NIHSS on admission (14 vs 17, p <0.0001) in the statin group. The adjusted common OR of the statin group was 1.22 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04 - 1.37; p =0.02) compared with the non-statin group. The safety profile was similar between groups. The mortality at 90 days was 4.7 % in the statin group lower than 12.5 % in the non-statin group (p <0.0001). The adjusted OR of statin group for mortality was 0.36 (95%CI 0.21 to 0.62, p = 0.022).

 Conclusions:
 Statin administration after onset of acute LVO was significantly associated with better functional outcome and mortality within 90 days. Our findings should be attested by randomized clinical trials in patients with acute LVO in future


Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis is a rare chronic inflammatory lesion of breast which
presents as a spectrum of diseases and is diagnosed only histological. It is often a diagnosis of
exclusion in most of the cases. Medical and surgical treatments have been tried with varied
success rates and till today no standard protocol could be made in its management though
excision remains the treatment of choice in refractory cases which is associated with
morbidity more due to psychological factors. In the present case, medical treatment was tried
in the initial phase followed by wide excision.


It has been demonstrated that certain members of cyclophilins (CyP) family are related to tomurigenesis, which might result from the role for Cyp in cell proliferation. Most members of Cyp family express specifically in tumor tissue in contrast to in normaltissue and cancer-brink tissue. It is possible that a novel approach to cancer therapy and diagnosis would be appeared through exploring the relationship between Cyp and tumor.

Key words:
Neoplasms;  Cyclophilins


Background: Pattern of a disease is studied with the idea of getting information about the clinical presentation, the morphology and the causative factors. The testicular tumors constitute 4 most common cause of death from neoplasia in younger males. Though the etiology of testicular cancers is not well understood, various factors like cryptorchidism, trauma infections and genetics play role in the disease. The testicular tumors are histologically diverse. Aim: Our study was undertaken to study the clinical presentation and morphological patterns of the testicular tumors. A total number of 50 cases of testicular tumors were studied. The majority of the cases i.e. 48 (96%) were of germ cell origin. Only 2 cases (4%) of testicular lymphoma were reported. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out in two parts – retrospective (2005-2007) and prospective (2008-2010). During this period a total number of 50 cases of testicular tumors were diagnosed on small biopsies and orchidectomy specimens. Results: The study work comprised of 50 cases of testicular tumors among which 44 (88%) cases were malignant and 6 (12%) were benign (Table 1). The majority of the testicular tumors i.e. 48 cases (96%) were of germ cell origin. Only 2 cases (4%) of testicular lymphoma were reported (Table 2). No case of sex cord stromal tumor, mixed germ cell sex cord tumor and metastatic tumor was reported. Conclusion: Tumors of the testes present a great variety of histological types with many structural variations. The present study fairly provides an insight into the clinical presentations, prevalence and patterns of testicular tumors.


The diatom has been variously regarded as the major source, as an accessory source, and as a doubtful source for California petroleum. The two main lines of evidence cited by upholders of the first view are: (1) the intimate association of diatomaceous deposits with the majority of oil producing areas in the state, and (2) the observed ability of living diatoms to manufacture oil, which under favorable conditions could be stored in contemporaneous sediments. Opposed to this view are the facts that (1) some petroliferous areas in the state produce from horizons high above the postulated diatomaceous source beds, (2) some diatomaceous formations have shown no indication of being oil producers, ( 3) diatomite generally contains little or no hydrocarbons or fixed carbon, and (4) certain organic, siliceous shales, generally admitted to be source beds, contain relatively small amounts of recognizable diatom remains. An intermediate viewpoint holds that California petroleum is polygenetic, asphaltic oils having been derived from vegetable remains, including diatoms, paraffin oils having been derived from marine animals, such as foraminifera. It has been known since early days of geological exploration in California that diatomaceous deposits are extensively developed within the state. Strata rich in diatom remains range in age from Cretaceous to late Tertiary, although by far 1the greatest volume of diatomaceous "shales" occurs in 26 FIELD AND LABORATORY the so-called Monterey group, of Miocene age. Organic, siliceous shales of the Monterey type attain thicknesses up to 5,000 feet, in many sections consisting of some hundreds of feet of hard, thin-bedded opal or chalcedony, overlain by soft diatqmaceous shale. Layers of volcanic ash, siltstone, limestone, and sandstone are commonly interbedded with the shale (29, pp. 163, 188; 18; 24) 1 • The diatomaceous deposits are extensively developed on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley from the extreme southern portion to Mount Diablo on the north. On the west side of the Coast Ranges they are extensive from the Los Angeles Basin northward to Point Arena. The facts that diatomaceous deposits are locally impregnated with bituminous substances, and are associated with a great many Californian oil fields, have led some geologists to believe that diatoms have been a major source for much of . the state's oil and gas. Occasionally it has been maintained that wherever diatomaceous beds are lacking, chances for discovering petroleum are small. On this matter, however, there has been some diversity of opinion. It is the purpose of this paper to set forth, insofar as i.s possible from a survey of the literature, the salient arguments for and against the theory that the diatom has been a source for much of California's petroleum. The manuscript was originally written by the senior author for a course in Petroleum Geology offered at ~ryard University by Professor K. F. Mather, who suggested certain changes. Circumstances preventing the immediate recasting of the manuscript by the original author, the paper was entrusted to the junior author for rewriting. The writers wish to express their appreciation to Professor Mather for his criticism of the paper. Evidence Favoring Diatomaceous Source of California Petroleum .(1) Close Relationship of Diatomaceous Deposits with Many Oil Fields. It has been estimated (34, p. 462) that approxim:ately 75% of the source rocks of California are. of 1N umbers in parentheses refer to articles listed in the bibliography at the end of this paper.


This article is devoted to the investigation of Marangoni-driven pattern formation at the interface between two immiscible fluids filling a Hele-Shaw cell, each of them containing a reactant of an exothermic neutralization reaction. In such a system, convective patterns arise when one reactant diffuses through the interface to react with the other chemical species in one of the fluids. A chemo-hydrodynamical pattern appears due to Marangoni instabilities taking place because of heat and solutal driven changes of the surface tension. The mathematical model we develop consists in a set of reaction-diffusion-advection equations ruling the evolution of concentrations and temperature coupled to Navier–Stokes equation, written in a Hele-Shaw approximation. In our analysis, the time-dependent convectionless reaction-diffusion base state is first obtained and studied in detail. Next, we perform a linear stability analysis of this base state with regard to thermal and solutal Marangoni effects to determine the par...


Government is confronted with making a choice between secreting information and throwing daylight on it in time during the course of dispose of information, this choice is a tradeoff between risk and return. This paper proves government's optimum choice in the game between secreting information and throwing daylight on it in time through setting up government's utility function.