Pure samples of H2O (D2O) ice IV and of H2O (D2O) ice XII were prepared by isobaric heating of high-density amorphous ice at a rate of ≈0.5 K min−1 up to ≈175 K and a pressure of 0.81 GPa for ice IV, and at a heating rate of ≈12 K min−1 and a pressure of 1.21 GPa for ice XII. The crystalline phases recovered at 77 K and 1 bar were characterized by X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). X-Ray diffractograms of D2O ice IV show that it transforms directly into cubic ice, and not via some amorphous phase as intermediate. The DSC scans of all four types of crystalline phases recorded on heating revealed three thermal features in this order: a reversible endothermic step, an intense exotherm from the phase transition to cubic ice, and a weak exotherm from the cubic → hexagonal ice phase transition. For H2O (D2O) ice IV the onset and end temperature of the endothermic step (Tonset and Tend) are at 139.8 ± 0.3 and 147.1 ± 0.2 K (at 146.2 ± 0.8 and 150.2 ± 0.8 K) on heating at 30 K min−1, and the increase in heat capacity (ΔCp) is 1.2 ± 0.2 (0.5 ± 0.1) J K−1 mol−1. On heating at 5 K min−1, the extrapolated peak onset and peak minimum temperature (Te and Tmin) of the phase transition to cubic ice is at 148.7 ± 0.3 and 151.1 ± 0.1 K (at 152.7 ± 0.1 and 155.3 ± 0.2 K), and the enthalpy of the phase transition to cubic ice is −938 ± 14 (−986 ± 14) J mol−1. The corresponding values for H2O (D2O) ice XII are for the endothermic step on heating at 30 K min−1: Tonset and Tend at 131.4 ± 0.8 and 139.5 ± 0.7 K (at 138.1 ± 0.4 and 145.0 ± 0.5 K), and ΔCp is 1.5 ± 0.2 (1.4 ± 0.2) J K−1 mol−1. On heating at 5 K min−1, Te and Tmin of the phase transition to cubic ice is at 149.9 ± 0.3 and 153.0 ± 0.2 K (at 154.0 ± 1.2 and 156.9 ± 0.9 K), and the enthalpy of the phase transition to cubic ice is −1233 ± 23 (−1408 ± 8) J mol−1. Therefore, ΔH for the H2O (D2O) ice XII to H2O (D2O) ice IV phase transition is −295 (−422) J mol−1, and ice XII is more metastable than ice IV at ≈150 K and 1 bar. For H2O (D2O) ice XII the endothermic step is separated by a plateau region from the beginning of crystallization, whereas for H2O (D2O) ice IV these two thermal effects overlap because its Tonset is higher by ≈8 K. Tonset and Te are separated by 4.9 K for D2O ice IV and 7.3 K for H2O ice IV. Thus overlap is more pronounced for the former, the endothermic step being cut off by the beginning of crystallization, which is consistent with the lower ΔCp value for D2O ice IV. The endothermic DSC features are interpreted as before for H2O ice XII by Salzmann et al.
 (Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2003, 5, 3507), in terms of relaxation of the frozen-in proton order–disorder toward equilibrium via proton order → disorder transition. When H2O (D2O) cubic ice is obtained on heating ice IV, its phase transition to hexagonal ice has a ΔH value of −20 ± 7 (−15 ± 5) J mol−1 which is lower than most of the values reported in the literature. We further present new low-frequency Raman spectra of ice XII and show that a peak at 127 cm−1 has its counterpart in the Raman spectra of Chou et al.'s new "High-Pressure Phase of H2O Ice"
 (Science, 1998, 281, 809). This supports our previous conclusion (J. Phys. Chem. B, 2002, 106, 1) that the Chou phase is in fact ice XII. We then conjecture on the solid–liquid phase boundaries of both ice IV and ice XII, and on a metastable triple point where ice IV, ice XII and liquid water are in metastable equilibrium.


Among the numerous topics covered in the 1912 survey, Lesjeunes gens d'aujourd'hui, certain statements regarding the role ofthe philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche in French intellectual life merit attention. Conducted by the French nationalists Henri Massis and Alfred de Tarde (writing under the pseudonym "Agathon"), this enquete alleged that the intellectual generation of 1912 was at profound odds with the previous generation of 1890: whereas their elders escaped from reality into subjective aesthetics, renounced hope in political and social action, and strongly rejected nationalism, according to Agathon, the youth of 1912 stressed physical vitality and action, optimistically searched for political order, and ardently espousednationalism, evento the point ofaccepting the inevitability of war with Germany.I While the youth of 1912 were pleased with the "heroic optimism of Zarathustra, who counsels a dangerous ideal," Agathon asserted thatNietzsche


The politics of outer space has in recent years been given attention from political elites and scientist due to increasing usage and reliance on space based assets, and due to increasing numbers of ...


This paper proposes a solution to the large start-up input current-inrush problem in a DC-DC converter without the use of a current-limiting resistor. The converter topology is H-bridge and designed to step up the input dc voltage. Resonance is achieved by resonating the transformer's leakage inductance with a suitable capacitor. The output from the transformer is rectified and filtered to provide a stiff DC voltage at the input to an inverter linking a utility grid. It is the inrush current to the filter capacitor that is under consideration. Evidence for the magnitude of the inrush confirms the problem. From an analysis of the problem it is deduced that traditional single-chip soft-start circuits are of limited use for this application. An extension of this analysis provides the basis of an algorithm to reduce the inrush current magnitude. From this it is shown that a DSP has the means of assisting this problem. Experimental results of a DSP-controlled resonant converter are presented in support of the technique. These confirm the basis of the analysis and proposed solution


monitor and regulate intracellular calcium and are ideal pharmacological targets for immunosuppression, fibroproliferative disorders, hypertension and various neurological diseases. However, the development of drugs specifically for these medically relevant channels faces serious challenges because there is no available crystal structure that could be used for structure-assisted drug design. We used the Kv1.2-Kv2.1 channel structure (pdb id: 2R9R) as a template to generate a homology model of the KCa3.1 channel transmembrane region using the Rosetta modeling method. Docking of small molecules that are known to block KCa3.1 channel currents using Rosetta generated structural models of channel drug complexes that can be validated using experimental approaches. Here we report the validation of the binding sites for the dihydropyridine nifedipine predicted by Rosetta's lowest energy stimulation of the KCa3.1 channel complex. We used a combination of site-directed mutagenesis and electrophysiological patch-clamp recording to test the identified amino acid residues located between the pore lining S5 and S6 segment. Blocking of the KCa3.1 channel by nifedipine was reduced by altering the side chains at positions L209, T212 and V278 to either alanine or valine, with T212 the most affected residue. Bulkier side-chain change to phenylalanine confirmed T212 as the main interacting site for nifedipine without compromising the channel's affinity for TRAM-34. Thus, by correctly identified the interaction of the dihydropyridine nifedipine with the KCa3.1 channel complex, Rosetta models can be used to understand the molecular mechanism of action of KCa channel blockers and gating modulators and assist with drug design efforts.


This Internet Appendix provides the bounds on the average and quantile treatment effects on the unemployment durations under censoring, selection and noncompliance, as well as the additional bounds on employment and unemployment durations under censoring and noncompliance. It also provides the sharpness proofs of the bounds mentioned in the main text of the paper. The second half of the appendix is devoted to reporting estimates used in the empirical assessment of the assumptions employed in the main analysis, as well as reporting numerical details and other supportive information for the empirical application. ∗firstname.lastname@example.com †email@example.com ‡email@example.com §firstname.lastname@example.com


The present invention belongs to the technical field of chemical synthesis, in particular to a method for purifying potassium Rasi Austria. Auburn invention for Lacy potassium purification method, the crude Rasi Austria for potassium in water and methyl isobutyl ketone was purified, adjusted to pH 6, the purified product with methyl isobutyl ketone and washed with water, purified by high yield, more than 90% yield, purity by HPLC, purity greater than 99.99%, higher than the pharmacopoeia standards.


Took the antioxidant activity as the evaluation target,the optimal douchi koji process was studied.Inoculation strains,culture time,inoculation density,and culture temperature were chosen as factors,to investigated the influence on·OHIC50,DPPH·IC50and Fe3+reducing power.Based on the single factor test,Box-Bechken design and response surface methodology were used to optimize the douchi koji process.The results were analyzed by Design Expert 8,the optimal koji maker conditions were the mixed bacteria aspergillus oryzae and rhizopus(1∶1),inoculation density 0.8%,culture temperature 25℃and culture time 73h.Under the optimal conditions,·OHIC50 was 4.14mg/mL,DPPH·IC50was 7.38mg/mL,Fe3+reducing power was 0.42.And compared with black bean,the antioxidant activity of douchi koji was enhanced by optimizing the process.


Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of different treatments for periarthritis of shoulder in the adhesion phase.Methods:Seventy-five patients were selected in accordance with the diagnosis of periarthritis of shoulder in the adhesion phase.Under anesthesia,36 cases in group 1 were treated with arthrolysis,shoulder blockage,and functional exercise,while another 39 cases in group 2 received shoulder blockage,massage and functional exercise.Results: A total of 72 cases received complete treatment and were followed up for 3 months to 26 months,averagely 13 months.In group 1,33 cases were cured,3 cases had excellent effect,and there is no ineffectiveness.In group 2,8 cases were cured,and there was excellent effect in 18 cases,fair effect in 8 cases and ineffectiveness in 2 cases.Conclusion:Arthrolysis of the shoulder is superior to massage in cure rate and markedly effective rate.


In our country Pakistan, despite intensive awareness, treatment and prevention programs by public sector and NGO's, rapidly increasing rate of HCV infection has evolved as an epidemic over last decade. Genotype 3a predominantly found in Pakistan. The objective of this study was to analyze structural changes in NS5A region of HCV 3a genome and the subsequent possible outcome. We included five hundred patients in our study. Results of 12 selected samples being presented here. The gender selection was random, ratio of male to female patients was nearly equal. The study was performed in Department of Biotechnology, University of Karachi where nested PCR of HCV seropositive isolates was performed. Other lab parameters were carried out in Rahila Diagnostic Research and Reference lab (pvt) Ltd; including qualitative & quantitative RT-PCR and genotyping. We analyzed NS5A region in the span of residues (2213-2352) including the ISDR, PKRBD & short sequence outside PKRBD (2281-2335). Multiple mutations have been found. The most notable substitutions found in this region was Proline to Leucine (P2274L). The peptide epitopes in NS5A have been studied abroad in the context of vaccine development against HCV. Effective vaccine development is the major demand in healthcare field for therapy & prevention of HCV. Our study on HCV genotype 3a along with other peer research work in our country and other parts of world would provide new parameters and better understanding of structural changes in NS5A region of HCV genome that would be helpful to modulate therapeutic approach and vaccine preparation against Hepatitis C virus. In addition, it demonstrates the importance of application of bioinformatics tools for the study of proteins that are difficult to be investigated by other experimental procedures.


e20072Background: Metformin is a drug prescribed for the treatment of type II diabetes, a widespread disease worldwide. Ability of metformin to inhibit the growth of malignant tumors in tissue cult...


The fuzzy control technology is applied in the field of temperature and humidity control, which can realize the intelligent control of temperature and humidity. A temperature and humidity fuzzy controller is designed based on CAN bus. So that temperature and humidity can be realtime monitoring and controlled. The principles method and the hardware circuit of this fuzzy control are described. Simulation studies on the fuzzy controller were carried out. The simulation results show that the fuzzy controller has the features of quick response, small overshoot, accurate action and steady process. The control of temperate and humidity is very well.


The PELE3D code is a three-dimensional semi-implicit Eulerian hydrodynamics computer program for the solution of incompressible fluid flow coupled to a structure. The fluid and coupling algorithms have been adapted from the previously developed two-dimensional code PELE-IC. The PELE3D code is written in both plane and cylindrical coordinates. The coupling algorithm is general enough to handle a variety of structural shapes. The free surface algorithm is able to accommodate a top surface and several independent bubbles. The code is in a developmental status since all the intended options have not been fully implemented and tested. Development of this code ended in 1980 upon termination of the contract with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.


Objective: To study the skin irritation of Niushang Ling liniment. Methods: To apply hair-cut healthy rabbit with Niushang Ling liniment many times, then judge the results according to "Instructive principle for preclinic study of new Chinese drug". Results: No irritation reaction occurred in complete skin after applied Niushang Ling liniment many times and no reactions of erythema, dropsy, bleeding spots, pigmentation occurred in injured skin. Conclusion: The results indicated that the drug is effective and safe.Experimental Study on S


Letter from Homer K. Taylor to Joan McKesson discussing the possibility of the town of Sweetwater hosting the 1986 WASP reunion.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the risks associated with green retrofit projects in Sri Lanka in order to develop a risk responsive framework.

Design/methodology/approach
The survey method under the quantitative approach was selected as the research methodology as this research is required evaluating the risks associated with green retrofit projects. Both preliminary survey and the main questionnaire survey were conducted to collect the data. The survey data were evaluated and analysed by using mode value as a descriptive statistical analysis technique, and the risk rating matrix.

Findings
The overall results of risk assessment deliberated that there are ten "critical" risk factors, such as construction cost, inflation, energy saving uncertainty, warranty risk, delay in project completion, productivity and quality risks, requirement of permits and their approval, design changes, damage to structure or property and procurement delay influencing green retrofitting. Finally, a risk responsive framework was developed by proposing suitable strategies for mitigating the risks associated with green retrofitting.

Practical implications
The developed framework can be used as a basis to mitigate the risks associated with green retrofitting projects. An abundant upgrade of existing high-rise buildings into green can be reached.

Originality/value
A little attention paid on green retrofitting and the absence of proper risk management strategy for green retrofit projects in current practice have made this research a paramount need and a focal point.


The use of dispersive surface waves and spectral analysis methods is new to the nondestructive testing of airfield pavements. Such tests are to determine whether mechanical properties of the individual layers of a pavement structure are deteriorating. The problem becomes one of the proper analysis of test results and of the need for careful examination of the problem before applying common techniques of data processing. Dispersion analysis based on conventional methods of spectral analysis and data processing is shown to be inadequate. Special signal processing is required, and a new partial transform.


A CPW-fed slot antenna with rhombus patch radiator is proposed for 1.2276/1.5754/1.8/2.4/2.45/5.0/5.2/5.8 GHz wireless communication applications. The pentagon and rectangular slots are etched on the metallic layer of a single sided printed circuit board and rhombus patch radiator with a tuning stub in the feeding structure is embedded to form the proposed slot antenna. The dimensions of pentagon slot and tuning stub are changed to design and fabricate the antenna which can be operated at 1.2276/1.5754/1.8/2.4/2.45/5.0/5.2/5.8 GHz successfully. IE3D software is used to design this CPW-fed slot antenna and choose the better parameters to manufacture the proposed antenna. The influences of slot and stub dimension parameters of the proposed antenna on resonant frequency, input reflection coefficient expressed in decibel and impedance bandwidth are described. The proposed antenna with the volume of 100mm×80mm×0.6mm has been fabricated. The measured result shows that the proposed antenna can be successfully operated at 1.2-2.8 GHz and 3.35-7.56 GHz bands. These bands are suitable for IoT-based applications.


Purpose: To evaluate the usefullness of color vision test for early detection of abnormal choroidal circulation of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) Methods: We investigated the color vision defect in central serous chorioreinopathy at active and resolved phase on both eyes and to identify the relation between fluorescein angiography (FAG), indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) finding and color vision defect. We examined the color vision with the Neitz anomaloscope OT-II , Farnsworth-Munsell 100-hue test, Ishihara pseudoisochromatic plate in 72 eyes of typical acute CSCR patients. We also performed ICGA in 13 eyes revealed color vision defect in fellow eye and 13 eyes not revealed color vision defect in fellow eye at resolved phase. Results : Dyschromatopsia was detected in CSCR at active and resolved phase on both eyes. Most of them showed blue-yellow color defect. Location of leaking point was associated with red-green color defect in active affected eyes. Dyschromatopsia of fellow eyes at resolved phase was associated with abnormal choroidal circulation on ICGA finding. Conclusions: We suggest that color vision test, as a non-invasive screening test, might be useful for early detection of abnormal choroidal circulation of CSCR.


The invention relates to a manufacturing technique of a dyeing bamboo filament plate, belonging to the technical field of bamboo board. The technique comprises: material preparation, bamboo wood is made into bamboo filament, the color is adjusted, and the bamboo filament is dyed and then processed by gum dipping to form a plastic film; assembly, the bamboo filament is paved and assembled to be a plate blank and made into the dyeing bamboo filament plate by high temperature and high pressure agglutination. The invention integrally combines the latest research results of multiple subjects such as wood science, dyestuff chemistry, surface physical chemistry, organic chemistry, mechanical processing and the like into a new material, and the bamboo filament is processed by dyeing and recombination to simulate woody texture and color of precious woods such as red wood, teak and hickory, so that the bamboo filament is combined with the dye by chemical action and physical chemistry action, and the bamboo filament has a certain fast color, so that the visual characteristic and the added value of the bamboo wood can be improved. The manufacturing technique can be widely used for manufacturing high quality floor, slicing veneer bamboo, making furniture, decorating materials and the like, thus improving the processing utilization rate of the bamboo wood of China, enhancing the competitive strength of the bamboo wood product and expanding the application field of bamboo articles.


Background . Retrograde ring-stripper endarterectomy of iliac
arteries through an inguinal approach modified by combining interventional procedures. Material and methods. 52 iliac arteries underwent modified retrograde
ring-stripper endarterectomy. Passage of the lesions with a guide wire permits
endarterectomy over the wire as a central splint under fluoroscopic control. Residual
lesions are corrected by balloon or stent angioplasty. Results. Conversion to a conventional operation was required
in 8 limbs. Initial technical success was achieved in 44 limbs. Cumulative secondary
patience was 95.8% at 24 months (S.E. 4.7%). Conclusion. Modified ring-stripper endarterectomy with angioplasty
is a safe and effective procedure. Long-term results are required.


Small chiral molecules are excellent candidates to push the boundaries of enantiodiscrimination analytical techniques. Here is reported the synthesis of two new deuterated chiral probes, (R)- and (S)-[2H]-ethyl tosylate, obtained with high enantiomeric excesses. Due to their crypto-optically active properties, the discrimination of each enantiomer is challenging. Whereas their enantiopurity is determined by 2H NMR in chiral anisotropic media, their identification was performed by combining quantum chemical calculations and vibrational circular dichroism analysis.


By using the exponential inequality of widely orthant dependent (WOD, for short) random variables, we mainly investigate the complete consistency and convergence rate of the nearest neighbor estimator of the density function based on WOD samples. The results obtained in the paper generalize and improve some corresponding ones in the literature. In addition, the restriction on the dominating coefficients g(n) is much weak, even if the geometric growth of g(n) , the consistency result and convergence rate still hold by using the results that we obtained. Mathematics subject classification (2010): 62G05.


While large-scale studies of European anti-austerity movements exist, there is a need for in-depth, 'thick description' of anti-austerity activist cultures which explores the sustaining as well as motivating factors for political engagement. Furthermore, it is important to pay attention to differences, including gendered differences, within counterhegemonic movements to highlight the power imbalances that exist. This thesis utilises a cultural and affective approach combined with a gender lens to explore the lived and felt experiences of political participation and the gendered dimension of these. It contributes to developing a cultural and feminist approach to studying movements that takes account of emotion and gender by developing an in-depth understanding of a local anti-austerity activist culture.

The research used a combination of qualitative research methods, including participant observation and semi-structured interviews with 30 anti-austerity activists in Nottingham. It reveals the central role of emotions in motivating and sustaining activism, uncovering the sustaining processes of solidarity and collective identity, and the importance of reasserting these in the face of an individualistic neoliberal capitalism. It identifies existing gendered barriers and exclusions to activism and ways of overcoming these, revealing that activism's negative effects are gendered, with women feeling anxiety and guilt for not "doing enough" of the 'right' type of activism (direct action). This prioritising of direct action denigrates online activism, which is constructed as its opposition, underlined by the talking versus doing binary construction. Despite its supposedly abstract, universal character, it emerges that the 'ideal perfect' activist is the able-bodied male. The implications of this are explored, revealing the 'dark side' of activism which is hidden from public view. The thesis also identifies the construction of the 'authentic' activist who has the required lived experiences to be a 'true' activist, raising issues of representation. It therefore unravels the tensions between participants' claim that "anyone and everyone can and should do" activism, and the constraints that prevent individuals from becoming politically active, including, problematically, how the 'activist' identity is constructed.

The thesis highlights the importance of 'care' within the context of austerity, demonstrating the 'retraditionalisation' of gender roles and norms, with the redrawing of the public/private divide. In response, it explores how activism can be redefined as a form of degendered care, drawing on participants' emphasis on empathy and universalist discourses. Overall, it contributes to social movement and feminist theory, as well as their overlap, by developing a cultural, affective, and feminist approach to studying social movements which takes account of gendered differences in activist experiences.


Three of 2000 diagnostic hysteroscopies revealed residual fetal bony fragments in women with abnormal uterine bleeding. Removal of bony fragments by hysteroscopy is associated with therapeutic success.


Aerospell is a supplemental spell check file that can be used as a resource for researchers, writers, editors, students, and others who compose scientific and technical texts. The file extends the general spell check dictionaries of word processors by adding more than 13,000 words used in a broad range of aerospace and related disciplines.


This paper first researches on the condition of audit foundation theories, then constructs audit foundation theories system based on the audit target, and finally sees the development trends of audit foundation theories system from various perspectives.


A centralized control system with single-chip microprocessor,which combines computer technology,digital electronic technology.Simulation electronic technology and EDA technology,can be used in the modernized heating management of the residential quarter.This paper elaborates a heating charging system controlled by single-chip microprocessor,which collects and trannsfers data with A/D conversion and frequency-divided technology,sends the final data processed by the single-chip microprocessor to the screen by the 8D flip flop.


With the rapid development of the world economy and population,global warming and air pollution are becoming more and more serious. Thus,the development of low carbon economy and green credit has gradually become the consensus of the world. The adjustment of industrial structure and consumption patterns' change in the wake of the development of low carbon economy make carbon finance become the focus of a new round of competition. Commercial banks,as the valve of credit and loan and the pivot of resource allocation,actively participate in carbon finance related business,and they play a vital role in supporting the development of the national low carbon economy and China's competitive power in global carbon finance. Although carbon finance market has a good prospect in China,commercial banks in this business are still facing a huge challenge. Therefore,China's commercial banks need to establish specialized organizations and to strengthen the training and reservation of related personnel in order to promote their professional capability in carbon finance. They also need to change the model of carbon finance service to meet the market demand. At the same time,they should take effective measures to control the carbon finance business risk.


Comparative historical analysis is performed and peculiarities of the main dimensions selection for electric machines are considered for two current conceptions of their development.


Simulation. Parameters of simulation were obtained from Meuwissen et al., (2001). Thus, LD was simulated by drift and mutation. First, 1100 generations of random mating were simulated in an effective population 100 (see figure 1). On generation 1000, population 1 was generated by expanded it to 500 males and 500 females that were randomly mated during three generations to obtain a training population of 3000 invididuals. In the case of population 2, three scenarios were considered, following the same process of expansion to 3000 individuals at generations 1005, 1025 and 1100, respectively.


Learning Objectives:

After studying this chapter, you should be able to:

• distinguish between the basic principles that determine the structural characteristics of complex human organisations
• discuss the role and importance of structural building blocks for structural arrangements
• examine the difference between mechanistic and organic
structural features
• distinguish between specialisation, coordination and
cooperation
• apply the principles of hierarchy in organisational design
to specific tasks and business environments
• illustrate and discuss types of organisational structure
and their strengths and weaknesses
• apply the principles of organisation design
• understand the role of management systems for coordination and how these can be applied.


AbstractLearning English using vocabulary is very useful for students at SDN 3 Bandengan, especially in the teaching and learning process in class. In teaching vocabulary, the teacher uses the Total Physical Response method so that children can understand English by playing. The purpose of this study is to analyze the teacher's method of teaching English using Total Physical Response: (1) the English teacher uses TPR to teach fourth graders at SDN 3 Bandengan, (2) the English teacher applies TPR in teaching English. The researcher used descriptive qualitative methods since the researcher completed a six-month internship at a school from August 1st, 2022 – December 2nd, 2022, the data has been assessed. The researcher conducted interviews with teachers to collect information. The finding of this study is that students can understand vocabulary in English lessons using TPR. Keyword: teaching; vocabulary; teaching strategies; total physical response


Investigating the factors affecting CO2 emissions has always been a challenge. One problem with existing studies is that these studies have been relied on mean-based regression approaches, such as ordinary least squares (OLS) or instrumental variables, which implicitly assumes that the impact of variables along the distribution of CO2 emissions is the same. Unlike previous studies, the present study will use the quantile regression developed by Koenker & Bassett, which is not limited to the assumption. So that, the purpose of this study is to investigate the impacts of technological innovation and renewable energy on CO2 emissions in selected countries of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) using quantile regression over the period 1990-2016. The results of this study exhibited that the impact of renewable energy on CO2 emissions was negative and statistically significant. This impact is also enhanced in high quantiles (countries with high pollution). In all the studied quantiles, the impact of technological innovations on CO2 emissions was positive, significant and initially decreasing, while increasing again over time. The results of the symmetry test also indicated that by increasing in the volume of CO2 emissions, the variable impact of renewable energy upraised. However, no incremental trend was observed in innovation.


This paper examines, as a case of a possible shift from the neoliberal agenda, recent changes of education policy in England where transformation of the culture of education from competition to collaboration is being encouraged by the Labour Government. After considering the nature of globalization basing on distinctions drawn by Ulrich Beck concerning globalization, globality and globalism, the paper defines that the neoliberal ideology dominating the world today as globalism. It also examines the characteristics of the neoliberal agenda focusing on the relationship between the individual and the state. It points out that, while the neoliberal agenda have strong momentum, there have been strong criticisms on them in terms of problems concerning equality and equity related to social class and of deterioration of true education culture by the penetration of the competitive culture in the education market. Then, the paper considers of educational policies of the New Labour Government in England in which the idea of collaboration and partnership has been increasingly emphasized in recent years and looks at the advocacy of the idea of personalisation by the Government. It concludes that at the policy level the Labour Government seems to be very serious in transforming the culture of education with collaboration placed at the core of the education system.


The focus of this study is upon the immigrant Hausa community in Ibadan, which is very largely concentrated in its own exclusive quarter of Sabo and which still retained in 1963 (when Dr. Cohen was doing his fieldwork) a large measure of self-government under its own Hausa chief. It was the growing cattle trade with the north which brought Hausa settlers to Ibadan in the early years of this century, and Sabo has always remained essentially a commercial community, its continuing raison d'etre being as a kind of staging-point of long-distance trade. Hausa traders have established and successfully defended a monopoly of the two most important branches of this trade between their old homeland and the Yoruba metropolis, in cattle moving south and in kola going north. Dr. Cohen presents a fascinatingly detailed account of the operations of these traders, which in spite of their scale and the very considerable sums of money and credit involved, are still conducted on traditional Hausa lines, without recourse to such' modern ' institutions as banks and insurance. The leading citizens of Sabo are the group of some 30 ' landlords ', who between them own most of the house property in the quarter, provide hospitality to visiting northern dealers, and monopolize, as brokers and produce buyers, the middleman role between them and the Yoruba butchers and farmers. Dr. Cohen argues persuasively that the retention of this traditional trading structure is not the result of a blind cultural conservatism, but rather represents a shrewdly realized exploitation of the most practicable and profitable methods in the prevailing social and economic environment. The key factor is the monopoly, in every stage of the trade, exercised by a single highly self-conscious cultural-ethnic group.


Tests were made of the electrical resistivity of twelve commercially used special refractory brick at temperatures up to 1300°C. Standard 9-inch brick were tested using apparatus which is standard equipment and readily obtainable. Temperature lag was eliminated by constant heating over a prolonged period of time at given temperatures. Results obtained indicate a decrease in resistivity with prolonged heating for some classes of refractories.

Those refractories composed of minerals of the same petrographic classification appear to undergo the least change.


The thesis demonstrates a review of the running of the project titled The Extension of the Soncek Kindergarten in Semic. The author of the thesis monitored the course of the construction work up to the completion of its third phase. First, the organisation of the project and the conditions for the construction have been demonstrated. What follows is the presentation of the organisation of the technological construction process: it describes the methods of executing the individual phases of construction work, including technology, organisation and safety at the construction site. Furthermore, the thesis examines the use and the implementation of a safety plan at the construction site during construction work. The original action plan has been presented and compared with the actual course of work. In addition, it has been complemented by the photos which were taken by the author of the thesis during her daily observations of work at the construction site. The final stage of the thesis offers the author's comments and suggestions for improvement which are meant as guidelines for investors and construction companies managing similar construction projects in the future.


— The isotopic abundances of the noble gases in bulk samples of the Guangnan L6 chondrite and of the anomalous CV3 chondrite Ningqiang were measured. Guangnan yields a cosmic-ray exposure age of 2.9 ± 0.4 Ma and belongs to the group of L chondrites with low exposure ages. Ningqiang, however, shows a cosmic-ray exposure age of 42.2 ± 4.0 Ma, the highest for a CV3 chondrite. The concentrations of radiogenic 4He and 40Ar in Guangnan are the lowest observed in any ordinary chondrite. A U/Th-4He age of 27 ± 16 Ma and a 40K–40Ar age of 142 ± 14 Ma are calculated assuming L chondritic U, Th, and K concentrations. This assumption is justified considering the fact that a mineralogical composition typical for L chondrites was reported for this meteorite. The observed severe gas losses must have occurred at or before the onset of the exposure of the meteoroid to the cosmic radiation. For the Ningqiang carbonaceous chondrite concordant gas retention ages are obtained: The U/Th-4He age is 4170 ± 160 Ma whereas the 40K–40Ar age is 4260 ± 70 Ma, assuming average U, Th, and K concentrations for C3 chondrites.


Scores on the Inventory of Learning Process scales were analyzed for 86 students enrolled in freshman-level psychology classes who obtained course grades of A, B, C, or D. Analysis showed significant differences in scores on the Deep Processing and Study Methods scales between students with grades of A and students with grades of B, C, and D, respectively, and on the Elaborative Processing scale between students with grades of A and students with grades of C and D, respectively.


As the long-tail items are widely seen in various recommendation related applications, e.g., E-commerce and music recommendation, the long-tail recommendation consequently becomes an important research issue attracting both academic and industrial attentions. Apparently, it is a very challenging practical issue and the corresponding key challenges to address this task is to find the long-tail items which best match users' preferences but are sufficiently diverse to avoid recommending similar long-tail items. To address this issue, this paper proposes a novel long-tail item recommendation approach which is based on the multi-pointer co-attention mechanism and the determinant point process (abbreviated as CADPP). Specifically, we design the multi-pointer co-attention mechanism for extracting important feature embeddings to capture the common characteristics of multiple items clicked by the users. We also employ the determinant point process (DPP) to allow diverse long-tail items but are relevant to the target items. To evaluate the model performance, extensive experiments have been performed on two real-world datasets. The promising results have demonstrated that the proposed CADPP is superior to both baseline and the state-of-the-art approaches with respect to the widely adopted evaluation metrics.


Multipurpose health workers in Indias primary health care system maintain records of services they render and are required to submit monthly reports of their work. 210 multipurpose workers and 47 supervisors at the peripheral level in seven states in India replied to a questionnaire requesting information on the amount of time spent maintaining registers and preparing elaborate monthly reports. More than two-thirds worked in Gujarat while the rest worked in Himachal Pradesh Karnataka Kerala Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra and Meghalaya. It was found that on average multipurpose health workers spend 1.5 hours per day updating their records and 15.1 hours preparing each monthly report. Assuming an eight-hour work day and 22 work days per month they spend 28% of their working time recording and reporting. Supervisors spend an average of 1.6 hours daily and an additional 19 hours for monthly reporting or 31% of their working time. Government-published statistics therefore indicate that approximately US$45 million are spent annually on record keeping and reporting at this level. An urgent need clearly exists to develop a health management information system to reduce the record-keeping workload of health workers at all levels. A computer-based system is specifically recommended.


Aims: To evaluate a vision-related quality of life (QOL) scale (World Health Organization Prevention of Blindness and Deafness Visual Function 20—WHO/PBD VF20) and explore the impact of cataract visual impairment on vision- and health-related QOL in people ⩾50 years from Satkhira district, Bangladesh. Method: 217 cases visually impaired from cataract and 280 controls with normal vision were interviewed about vision-related QOL (WHO/PBD VF20), generic health-related QOL (EuroQol generic health instrument, EQ-5D) and socio-demographic information. The validity and reliability of the WHO/PBD VF20 were evaluated using standard psychometric tests and criteria. Results: Evidence for validity and reliability of the WHO/PBD VF20 was found. Worsening general functioning, psychosocial and overall eyesight scores were associated with increased visual loss (p for trend<0.001). Cases were more likely to report problems with each EQ-5D descriptive domain and had poorer self-rated health than controls with normal vision (p<0.001). Conclusion: Demonstration of the validity and reliability of the WHO/PBD VF20 in this population supports its suitability as a tool for assessing vision-related QOL in low-income settings. The poorer health-related QOL in cases compared with controls suggests an impact of cataract visual impairment on perceived health and well-being, beyond vision-specific experience.


SUBTITLE: US EXIMBANK AND THE EUROPEAN ECAS HAVE DIFFERENT WAYS OF WORKING: MICHAEL MARRAY ASKS WHO IS THE WINNER -- BOEING, AIRBUS, THE AIRLINES OR THE BANKERS.


High concentrations of free fatty acids (FFA) have been associated with the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes (T2D), making lipolysis regulation a priority in these patients. Through its insulin-mimetic actions and phosphodiesterase induction, zinc could regulate FFA release from adipose tissue. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of 24 months of zinc supplementation on fasting serum FFA concentrations in patients with T2D. For this purpose: fasting FFA by enzymatic colorimetric, plasma zinc by atomic absorption spectrophotometry, and biochemical and anthropometric parameter of interest were determined in 60 T2D patients who were randomly assigned to 30 mg/day of zinc supplementation (n= 30) or placebo (n= 30) for 24 months. The zinc group had lower serum FFA concentration at month 24 (p= 0.034). Body mass index change, gender, and zinc supplementation contributed significantly as predictors of serum FFA concentration at month 24 (R= 0.493, R2= 0.243, p= 0.001). Conclusion: Supplementation with 30 mg/day of zinc in patients with T2D had a significant effect in reducing serum fasting FFA concentration after 24 months of treatment. These results support the benefits of zinc as coadjutant in T2D treatment.


The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of using virtual laboratory in guided inquiry learning on students' mastery concept of heat material.  This study is quasi experiments with posttest only control group design. There were 58 respondents in this study which were divided into two group; experimental group and control group. The data were analyzed by using t-test. The results showed that experimental groups' mastery concepts significantly differed from the control group. It can be concluded that the use of virtual laboratory in guided inquiry learning model affects students' mastery concepts of heat material.


In this paper, we propose an improved particle swarm optimization algorithm, called Asexual Reproduction-based Adaptive Quantum Particle Swarm Optimization (ARAQPSO), for dual-channel speech enhancement. The foundation of a particle optimization algorithm is to intelligently generate and modify the initial randomized solutions. The proposed algorithm is based on Adaptive Quantum Particle Swarm Optimization (AQPSO) technique. Particles that search the problem space have the ability to reproduce asexually, where the fertility of particles is proportional to their fitness. The proposed algorithm applies an adaptive local search around the fitter particles that result in a comprehensive search in prosperous regions of the problem space. Experimental results indicate that the algorithm outperforms AQPSO, SPSO, and the gradient-based NLMS algorithm in the sense of SNR-improvement.


To apply much better Thiobacillus ferrooxidan in reality,growth of thiobacillus ferrooxidan in solid culture medium was studied in thesis.The influences on coagulant,the temperature,the pH to growth of thioba- cillus ferrooxidan were inspected.The best cultivating condition of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans was obtained;the agar was used as coagulant,the pH value was 2.5,the temperature was 30℃.


In this research a novel method of coarse wool slandering with minimum tensile strength reduction was explored. To obtain the optimum condition, the response surface methodology through the central composite design in Design of Experiments (DOE) was applied and the optimum values for application conditions were obtained. Test results showed that diameter and tenacity of the optimised samples decreased 16.5–20% and 42.7–53.1%, respectively. Biochemical treatment of the fibres with a cross‐linking enzyme (microbial transglutaminase) improved its tenacity by 52.4%. FTIR and Raman spectroscopy were performed for five categories of untreated, stretched and enzyme after‐treated wool fibres. It was evident that upon stretching the secondary structure of the fibres transformed from α‐helix to β‐pleated sheet conformation.


This study aims to determine the criteria for neglect of privately owned land and to determine the views of the community on abandonment of private land. The type of research used is normative juridical research, which is a type of research carried out based on the main legal materials by examining theories, concepts, legal principles and laws and regulations related to this research. The results showed, Criteria for determining the land has been abandoned, both under No. 11, 2010 is substantially the same which includes wasteland Object land rights, land rights and management that have a basic mastery land; These lands are not cultivated, not utilized or not utilized in accordance with the circumstances, or the nature and purpose of the rights or basic mastery Therefore land should be maintained. Wastelands is the land that has been granted by the the state in the form of Freehold Rights, Leasehold, Broking, Right of Use and Right Management, or basic control over land that is not cultivated, it is not used, or not used in accordance with the circumstances or the nature and purpose granting basic rights or mastery. Procedure Determination of Soil Abandoned by legislation in Indonesia is divided into four stages are: The first phase of the inventory of land rights or the basis of tenure indicated abandoned, second phase of identification and research of soil indicated abandoned, the third stage alert to the right holder, fourth phase determination of abandoned land Expected Role of Local Government with the authority possessed by him.


The quality defect 'pale, soft, exudative' (PSE) pork is caused by an acute stress response of the pig preslaughter and is estimated to cost the Australian pig industry in excess of $20 million per year. Dietary tryptophan has been reported to reduce the stress response of horses to trucking and to alleviate laying hysteria in hens. This preliminary experiment investigated the influence of excess dietary tryptophan on pig behaviour during lairage at the abattoir and subsequent meat quality of the carcass. Fifty entire male Large White x Landrace pigs weighing 85 to 90 kg were randomly allocated to a dietary treatment: (i) tryptophan, five g of tryptophan/kg of feed for five days pre-slaughter, and (ii) control, zero tryptophan added. Pigs were last fed at 0730 hours, were transported to the abattoir at 1300 and allocated to two pens at the abattoir where the number of aggressive acts (one pig bites/slashes at another) and number of mounts (one pig mounts another) were recorded in five minute time blocks using video cameras. After 17 hours in lairage, pigs were slaughtered and chilled and the initial pH (pHi) and ultimate pH (pHu) and colour in the loin (M. longissimus thoracis) and ham (M. quadriceps femoris) were measured. Data were analysed by analysis of variance using the pig at each time period as the experimental unit for the behaviour data and the carcass as the experimental unit for the meat quality data. The chi-squared test was used to compare the incidence of PSE and DFD between treatments. The tryptophan-treated pigs had a lower number of aggressive acts (2.4 vs 4.6 per five minute period, s.e.d. = 0.531; P<0.001) and a lower number of mounts (3.2 vs 4.9 per five minute period, s.e.d. = 0.70; P<0.05) averaged over the three hours in lairage. Figure 1 presents the cumulative number of mounts and aggressive acts/pig over the three hour recorded lairage period. There were no differences (P>0.05) between treatments in pHi, pHu or colour of the LT or QF muscles. Tryptophan-treated pigs produced 24% PSE (pHi<6.0) and 4% DFD (pHu>6.0) carcasses compared with 35% PSE and zero DFD carcasses in the control group (P>0.05 for all). Preliminary conclusions are that dietary tryptophan reduced aggressive behaviour and mounting of pigs in lairage. Although not evident in this experiment, dietary tryptophan may be beneficial in reducing the occurrence of PSE in pork carcasses under conditions where pigs are stressed pre-slaughter because of genetic propensity to stress or adverse environmental conditions, and warrants further investigation.


Three species of sonniniid ammonites, previously described under Fontannesia Buckman, are placed in a new genus, Newmarracarroceras; Dorsetensia clarkei Crick is designated type species. These West Australian species differ from other known Fontannesia by having smooth body chambers, flanks which slope gradually toward the umbilical seam without development of an umbilical edge or wall, and simple septal sutures. Biometric studies show that 'Fontannesia' whitehousei Arkell is a smaller and more compressed variant of N. clarkei (Crick), with a complete gradation between the two 'species' for most morphological characters. While well-dated European Fontannesia occur in the uppermost Aalenian concavum Zone and lowermost Bajocian discites Zone, new dating of the circum-Pacific Pseudotoites faunas, with which Newmarracarroceras occurs in Western Australia, indicates correlation with the higher ovalis or laeviuscula Zones (lower Bajocian). An associated specimen of Sonninia playfordi Arkell is described.


The following doctoral thesis collects the papers the author has written with his coauthors on e-Learning and statistical software. The chapters 2 to 5 are devoted to selected aspects of e-Learning, the chapters 6 to 9 describe the development of the statistical programming environment Yxilon. In chapter 2, coauthored by Wolfgang Härdle and Sigbert Klinke, the question whether and how computational elements should be integrated into the canon of methodological education and where e-techniques have their limits in statistics education is discussed. Chapter 3, coauthored by Wolfgang Härdle and Sigbert Klinke, gives reviews of different e-learning platforms for statistics and reveals facts that may be taken into account for future e-learning platforms in statistics and related fields. Chapter 4, written with Wolfgang Härdle and Sigbert Klinke, discusses two papers published in International Statistical Review which both offer a technical solution to improve the understanding of statistics by students. Chapter 5, coauthored by Wolfgang Härdle and Sigbert Klinke, describes web-related techniques for teaching statistics. It furthermore introduces the Quantnet platform, a framework to manage scientific code and data. In chapter 6, coauthored by Wolfgang Härdle and Sigbert Klinke, the requirements for a statistical engine are discussed. Chapter 7, written jointly with Yuval Guri and Sigbert Klinke, explains ideas which led to the reimplementation of the XploRe language. In chapter 8, coauthored by Wolfgang Härdle and Sigbert Klinke, the implemented client/server structure of the Yxilon platform is laid out in terms of technical features. The server and the communication protocol are described together with the developed Java client featuring the Jasplot graphics engine. Finally chapter 9 describes the structure of the Yxilon environment in its present form.


This study aims to investigate the nexus between small-scale freshwater aquaculture and poverty-related factors like income generation and food security in rural Madagascar. Evidence of this relationship is scarce in the Global South, particularly in island states. Using linear and logistic regressions and data collected from fish farmers and consumers across six regions in Madagascar in 2021, we obtained significant findings. Extension services, integrated production systems, and higher education are positively correlated with fish-based income generation. For instance, membership in a cooperative can double an aquaculture farmer's total annual income compared to that of other producers. Wealth is a key determinant of food security, but female decision-makers, fish consumption, and education are also positively correlated with food security. These insights emphasize the vital roles of small-scale aquaculture and women in the household in enhancing livelihoods and food security, underscoring the need for targeted support and policy interventions to foster inclusive and resilient freshwater aquaculture in island states.


A medical diagnostic device includes a wirelessly transmitted time data receiver and processor. Associated devices, methods and functionality are also described.


This paper presents the results of a rotorcraft preliminary design problem, solved as a multiobjective design optimization problem. A lift- and thrust-augmented coaxial compound configuration is us...


With the constant availability of new designs at extremely low prices, the production and disposal of clothing have increased significantly, leading to the need for the sustainable management of processes. The implementation of established craft practices in modern sustainable mass production requires the development and application of software and hardware computer tools as well as production machinery. Although the management of textile waste for interior design articles is addressed in the scientific literature by various techniques, there is still limited data and strategies based on the use of specific algorithms. Therefore, in this research, an algorithm is proposed, with the help of which textile waste resulting from upholstery production can be reused in the creation of interior decoration parts. The algorithm is implemented in the GNU Octave 6.4 programming environment, which makes it easily redistributable and accessible. The algorithm consists of a total of six stages, offering an option for arranging the textile elements and analyzing their color characteristics. The arrangement is performed with a Voronoi diagram, and the colors are represented by a four-color circle. Moreover, data on waste textile fabrics are presented, as well as their application in the conception of interior design elements. The proposed algorithm allows designers to focus on the visual design rather than compatibility checks and constraints. The present paper provides an algorithm for reusing textile wastes, which come in a variety of shapes and colors and are produced throughout the fabric cutting phase of upholstery manufacturing, in order to identify the most optimal combinations in matching irregular waste shapes and combinations of colors, create a suitable pattern for new interior design items, and contribute to improving the sustainable management of textile waste that is produced in considerable amounts.


The article presents the results of analysis of the main chemical composition values (total moisture, dry matter, intramuscular fat, protein and ash contents) and physical properties (pH1, pH16, pH24, water-holding capacity) of the longest back muscle for different genotypes of pigs of different genetic combinations under two weight conditions (100 and 120 kg).It was found that the acidity levels and water-holding capacity of meat of animals from all study groups were within the limits established in the processing industry and fitted into the European category NOR (normal). Autolytic processes in the muscle tissues of high-intensity foreign genotypes are more intensive than those of native genotypes. An increase in the pre-slaughter liveweight from 100 to 120 kg had no effect on the water-holding capacity of meat, but its active acidity (pH) tended to decrease as the animals gained weight. It was found that the meat of pigs from intensive commercial genotypes of foreign selection had higher protein levels and lower fat and ash contents compared with meat of native pig breeds. With an increase in the pre-slaughter weight from 100 to 120 kg the intramuscular fat content in the meat of animals of all genotypes under study increased due to reduction in the protein and moisture levels. It was further found that the use of these genetic combinations led to a decrease in the water-holding capacity and active acidity levels. The meat of pigs produced by combination of native genotypes (UVB-1×UVB-2)×UVB-3 has the best physicochemical properties. Animals produced by mating a combination of sows (Yi ×Li ) and (Li ×Yi ) and boars of synthetic MaxGrow and MaxTer terminal lines had the highest protein levels in their meat both with the 100 kg and 120 kg pre-slaughter weight.
Key words: meat, musculus longissimus dorsi, quality, physicochemical composition, terminal boars, active acidity, water-holding ability.


Leasing is a very popular way of acquiring fixed assets, but despite its importance and presence the users of financial statements are often not in a position to realistically consider reporting entity's lease transactions and their impact on entity's financial position and performance. For years, current financial reporting for leases has been subject to many critiques. The reason for this primary lies in the fact that it left a lot of opportunities for manipulation during the lease classification into finance and operating leases, whereby the former must be reported on balance sheet, and the latter remains off it. Bearing in mind that operating leases have favourable effects on lessee financial statements and a number of accounting ratios, the practice of lessee to deliberately structure lease contracts to circumvent capitalisation of requirements was noticed. Attempts to reform lease accounting have been intensified and their termination might be expected in a form of a new approach, which would be based on the "right of use" model, hence leading to reporting of almost all leases on balance sheet. Nevertheless, numerous dilemmas complicate the process of achieving comprehensive solutions. It should be considered that radical changes in lease accounting could have effects on lease taxation as well, particularly in the countries where stronger relationship between financial and tax reporting exists. It is also important to recognize the effect of a new approach to lease accounting from the sale and leaseback perspective. This transaction is particularly attractive in the conditions of economic crisis, primary because it enables companies to achieve liquid assets. However, if leases are classified into operating ones, favourable effects on financial reporting seller/lessee should not be neglected either.


One of the urgent problems in feed production is considered – how to save nutritious value of forages with the help of preserving agents and a set of control devices for feed grain conservation process. A bacterial preparation is offered for wet feed grain making instead of currently used organic acid-based chemical preservatives. The designed metering pump, thermal probe, and sampling unit together with the above bacterial preparation have demonstrated significant economic effect, low-hazard operation for personnel, and lower environmental risks.


A straightforward and intuitive method is desired for the derivation of the transfer theory developed recently by Streibl [ J. Opt. Soc. Am. A2, 121 ( 1985)] for three-dimensional image formation of optically weak objects by transmission microscopy. The derivation described here establishes the relationship between three-dimensional imaging and the well-known theory of two-dimensional image formation.


Extremely broadband femtosecond pulse sources with well defined carrier-envelope phase evolution have been a field of intense research over the past years [1–3]. The time-domain motivation for the push towards increased bandwidth is the generation of optical pulses that approach the single-cycle regime and can be used for phase-sensitive nonlinear experiments [4]. The frequency-domain motivation is the interest in extending the bandwidth over which optical frequencies can be precisely synthesized and subsequently used for absolute optical frequency measurements or comparisons [1, 5, 6]. Nonlinear frequency conversion is one route to overcome the bandwidth limitations of current systems based on one femtosecond laser. A second attractive route is linking two femtosecond lasers with overlapping emission spectra. Phase-locking the repetition rates of two femtosecond lasers with different gain media has recently been demonstrated. Here, we use a Ti:sapphire laser and a Cr:forsterite laser to extend this approach and additionally equalize the rate at which the carrier-waves move underneath their pulse envelopes. In other words, we link the absolute position of the two frequency combs, thereby establishing a true phase-coherence between all modes of their combined spectrum. The laser repetition rates are phase-locked by using a nonlinear cross-correlation technique.


An adaptive front light system (AFS) is put forward by the Society of Automotive Engineers and Economic Commission for Europe as a means of enhancing vehicular lighting. Traditionally, AFS can be divided into three parts: (1) a leveling subsystem to make lighting parallel to the road surface; (2) a swiveling subsystem to change light distribution along with the angle of the steering wheel; (3) a dimming subsystem to reduce or intensify the lighting. In this paper, a new hybrid multi-sensor fusion framework combining Kalman Filter with neural network is proposed to adjust two stepper motors controlling the vehicles headlights pitch and yaw. Kalman Filter as the frontend is used to deal with redundant sensor signals that are collected from sensors in the different places. Fuzzy Neutral Network as the backend is used to generate adjustment of leveling and swiveling angle through the integration of different type signals. An adaptive parameter adjustment is accomplished by the proposed fusion framework with the varying filter coefficients. The simulation and experiment of leveling angle are conducted using the predefined experimental data. The evaluation results of leveling angle prove that the proposed algorithm can effectively filter out high-frequency perturbations and provide reliable outputs for stepper motor. The same results can be obtained for a swiveling subsystem. Consequently, the hybrid fusion framework is a feasible approach for AFS design to accomplish data processing and nonlinear mapping.


The Alzheimer's amyloid precursor protein (APP) is a key factor in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Essentially the processing of APP results in the production of Abeta, a toxic peptide found deposited in the amyloid plaques of individuals with AD. It is unclear whether under conditions of cellular stress APP processing is affected, potentially increasing the amount of Abeta being produced. Further the molecular alterations induced by cellular stress, and associated with AD, could present attractive molecular markers for the diagnosis of AD. Bearing these questions in mind we set out to identify cellular stress-related alterations in APP processing and altered expression of APP and other proteins. When monitoring potential molecular markers we had in mind several findings describing that both abnormal protein phosphorylation and oxidative stress can contribute to the disease condition. Thus, we investigated phosphorylation-dependent APP processing during cellular stress. The data confirmed that APP secretion is reduced under stress, and that the effect is similar in both neuronal like and non-neuronal cell lines. The present results reveal that PMA, even under stress conditions (1 mM sodium azide), can affect APP processing, increasing sAPP (a fragment secreted following the processing of APP) production which can potentially reduce Abeta production. The hypothesis whereby affecting Abeta production in a phosphorylationdependent manner and that this may be of clinical relevance appears to hold true even under stress conditions. The results also revealed that induction of sAPP upon addition of phorbol esters, or okadaic acid, under conditions of stress was not the same. This contrasts markedly with control conditions where both phorbol esters and okadaic acid produce the same effect in terms of inducing sAPP production. Hence, it appears that these pathways can be dissociated under conditions of stress, which may in fact reflect altered APP processing during adverse conditions. In the experiments addressing the expression levels of other potential molecular markers, alterations in apparent expression levels of several proteins could be detected. These molecular markers provide interesting targets for further validation and potential candidates for a future molecular diagnosis of AD. Proteins thus far identified are important from a signal transduction point of view and they include, protein phosphatase1, HSP70, PARP and APP itself. The effect of cellular stress on APP


Review(s) of: Don't spoil my beautiful face: Media, mayhem and human rights in the Pacific, by Robie, David, Little Island Press/Pacific Media Centre, Auckland, 2014, ISBN 9 7818 7748 4254, 362 pp., NZ$40.00.


Equations for collisions involving two potential surfaces are presented in the impact parameter approximation. In this approximation, a rectilinear classical trajectory is assumed for the translational motion, leading to a time‐dependent Schroedinger's equation for the remaining degrees of freedom. Model potentials are considered for collisions of alkali atoms with diatomic molecules that lead to a particularly simple form of the final equations. Using the Magnus approximation, these equations are solved for parameters chosen to model the process Cs+O2→Cs++O2−, and total cross sections for ion‐pair formation are obtained as a function of energy. The results exhibit oscillations that correspond qualitatively to those seen in recent measurements. In addition, the model predicts that the oscillations will become less pronounced as the initial vibrational level of O2 is increased.


The aim of this research to determine the closeness of the relationship between organizational culture, knowledge management and personality with the performance of lecturers. This research use a mixed method with sequential explanatory design. Population in this research is permanent lecturer at Private Academy of Midwifery in City of Jambi, Indonesia amounted to 131 lecturers. The number of samples in this research were 99 lecturers obtained by Slovin formula and regression test was used to examine the correlation between variables. Based on the results of quantitative and qualitative research, this research found: (1) There is a highly significant positive relationship between organizational culture and performance of lecturer with correlation coefficient = 0.61 (p <0.01), and coefficient of determination r = 0.377 or 37.7%; (2) There is a highly significant positive correlation between knowledge management with performance of lecturer with correlation coefficient = 0.479 (p <0,01), and coefficient determination = 0.229 or 22.9%; (3) There is a highly significant positive relationship between lecturer's personality and performance of lecturer with correlation coefficient = 0.454 (p <0,01), and coefficient of determination = 0.206 or 20.6%; (4) There is a highly significant positive relationship between organizational culture, knowledge management and lecturer personality together with lecturer performance with correlation coefficient = 0.594 (p <0,01), and coefficient of determination = 0.353 or 35.3 %. Based on the research findings, the stronger the organizational culture, the more effective the knowledge management and the stronger the personality of the lecturers together will result in the higher level of performance of lecturer.


The military tactical vehicle currently being operated is manufactured by improving the parts of commercial vehicles. In addition, the power supply system is applied by installing a separate converter inside the communication room to secure the operating environment of communication equipment. On the other hand, due to electromagnetic radiation noise, there are problems in frequent noise and deterioration in communication sensitivity during wireless communication in vehicles. To improve these, an advanced power supply system is applied, which is also equipped with an alternator to receive power required for communication equipment reducing broadband electromagnetic radiation noise. An additionally installed alternator, which is located in the engine room, is separated from the communication room where communication equipment is operated and is expected to reduce the effect of electromagnetic radiation noise generated from the power supply system. To verify these, a broadband radiation test was performed on a previous and advanced one. As a result, the broadband radiation noise of vehicles with an applied advanced power supply system satisfied all of the domestic vehicle safety standards and reduced in most of the sections except for some frequencies compared to previous typed vehicles. In particular, broadband radiation noise was decreased by up to 10.751 dBμV/m in the vertical sections in 170 to 200 MHz on the right side of the vehicle.


Investigation and teaching related to the economic and management aspects of communication have centred on two scientific disciplines: the media economy and the mediabusiness. Presently, the economic and business traditions in media studies have been articulated around two differentiated scientific communities: the critical school and the functional school. This paper expounds upon the historical development of the economy and management of media through the most prominent investigators of its stages of introduction, growth,and maturity. To this end, we consider manuals or monographs of reference produced and disseminated by each of the three traditions: the political economy of communication, the media economy, and the communication business. Finally, we present a brief assessment of the achievements and challenges of the media economics and management as an academic discipline.


Big data has the characteristics of large quantity, diversified data, low value density and fast speed. It provides unique and brand-new thinking through technology, and establishes our learning innovation, scientific and technological innovation and management innovation. With the arrival of the big data era, the modernization of government governance capacity has put forward realistic needs for big data, but there are still many specific directions worth in-depth study. In the future, government governance driven by big data should further clarify the concept and core value of big data from the perspective of government governance, focus on the research of big data application in specific governance areas, pay attention to the research of government big data platform construction, and deepen the technology driven research of big data on deepening government system reform. In the era of big data, for public managers, their information literacy will have a great impact on the actual work efficiency and significance. This paper analyzes the important role of information literacy from the perspective of the development of the times and the specific work needs of public managers. Today is an era of big data. Data sharing and data change the future. Nowadays, data is affecting our lives. With the popularization of the Internet and the development of network technology, an era of big data aggregation with huge quantity, unprecedented scale, and extremely fast generation and update speed contains unprecedented social and commercial value. The Internet has changed people's lives. At the same time, network information is also changing people's psychological activities. It is also necessary to focus on analyzing the difficulties of the current network public opinion guidance model, and put forward scientific suggestions on how to establish a sound public opinion guidance mechanism. It is hoped that the research in this paper can further optimize the existing public opinion guidance model and provide an important guarantee for stabilizing the network environment.


In this article, wave refraction and shoaling in coastal areas were investigated and used to derive the bathymetry. With its high spatial resolution, which can achieve up to 1 m in SpotLight mode, and its low cut-off wavelength, the TerraSAR-X satellite provides images that are particularly suitable for the observation of wave behaviour in transient and shallow waters. By computing the two-dimensional (2D) spectra, shoaling waves were tracked from the open sea to the shoreline. The observed wave refraction and shoaling were compared with wave refraction laws and first-order wave theory (Airy theory). The retrieved bathymetry was compared against depth data from other sources such as ETOPO1, the US Coastal Relief Model and sea charts from the British Admiralty. A further aim of this article was the investigation of breaking waves showing up as near-shore image patterns. A theory is presented of how to derive the height of breaking waves by use of this pattern. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images with azimuth as well as range travelling waves were investigated. As test sites, we chose the entrance of Port Phillip near Melbourne (Australia) and the Duck Research Pier in North Carolina (USA).


The utility model provides an automatic assembling machine of a clamping spring type synchronizer assembly. The automatic assembling machine comprises a positioning disc and a pressing disc. The positioning disc is of disc-shaped structure, an installing hole used for installing a clamp spring is formed in the upper end surface of the positioning disc, and a cable installing hole perpendicularly intersecting the central axis of the positioning disc is formed in the circumference of the outer circle of the positioning disc. An installing hole used for installing the clamp spring is formed in the lower end surface of the pressing disc, the positioning disc is provided with a first sensor used for detecting a gear sleeve, a second sensor used for detecting a gear hub, a third sensor used for detecting a sliding block and a fourth sensor used for detecting the clamp spring, and the pressing disc is also provided with the fourth sensor for detecting the clamping spring; the first sensor, the second sensor, the third sensor and the fourth sensor are all electrically connected with a PLC. The assembling machine is accurate in positioning, good in installing quality and efficient and greatly saves installing cost.


INTRODUCTION: Superficial tumors are treated with electron beams. Shielding blocks are used to conform to the shape of the tumor. These shielding blocks are usually kept at lower level of the applicator which is near the skin surface. The scattering property of electron may increase the surface dose which will increase with increasing electron energies. The purpose of this study is to compare electron beam transmission of different energies with two different block materials at different placement positions within the applicator. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Cerrobend alloy (50%bismuth, 26.7%lead, 13.3%tin and 10%cadmium) and 1mm thick lead sheets (94%lead, 6%alloy) in Varian Clinac2300C/D linear accelerator with electron energies 6,9,12,16 and 20MeVs using 10x10 applicator at 3 different holding levels was used. Measurements with RW3 Slab phantom (Water equivalent), PPC05 Parallel Plane Chamber, Dose 1 electrometer was done. The slab phantom 30x30x10 cm3 aligned with PPC05 Parallel Plane Chamber (at R85 of respective energies). Readings measured for open and block fields, for different thickness of shielding material, at different placement positions within the applicator. The percentage transmission calculated manually. RESULTS: Using electron energies 6,9,12,16, and 20MeVs respectively the transmission% were: with lead sheet 1mm thickness-2.48%,8.69%,16.05%, 28.03% and 39.50% at lower placement position, 1.19%,3.76%,7.75%,15% and 23.99% at centre placement and 0.96%,3.02%,6.15% and 20.27% for upper placement; with 2mm thickness-0.89%,1.62%,3.66%, 8.95% and 16.35% at lower level, 0.60%,1.28%,2.54%,5.74% and 10.72% at centre level and 0.57%,0.94%, 2.12%,4.85% and 9.22% at upper level; with 3mm thickness-0.80%,1.53%,2.88%,5.29% and 9.42% at lower position, 0.52%,1.25%,2.06%,4.03% and 7.36% at centre position and 0.51%, 0.90%,1.78%,3.66% and 6.43% at upper position; with 4mm thickness- 0.75%,1.40%, 2.71%,4.81% and 7.76% at lower level, 0.50%,1.18%,1.95%,3.68% and 6.31% at center level and 0.51%,0.80%, 1.70%,3.34% and 5.65% at upper level; with 5mm thickness-0.73%, 1.30%,2.57%,4.56% and 7.20% at lower level, 0.45%,1.06%,1.81%,3.48% and 5.68% at center level and 0.47%,0.79%,1.61%,3.13% and 5.24% at upper level. For Cerrobend material 5mm thickness, the transmission at lower level are 0.79%,1.50%,2.98%,5.58% and 10.39%, at center level are 0.52%,0.99%,2.09%,4.12% and 7.67% and at upper level are 0.49%,0.91%, 1.82%,3.75% and 6.90% for the energies 6,9,12,16 and 20 MeV's respectively. CONCLUSION: There is not much difference in the transmission values at centre and upper levels so as to keep nearer the skin, the centre position in electron applicator may be optimum. Lead sheets can be used since easy to prepare especially for rectangular or square shapes.


Entrepreneurial decisions are of great value as well as importance in the field of entrepreneurship by playing an exceptional role in all major entrepreneurial activities. Given the unique characteristics of entrepreneurial activities, entrepreneurs are prone to decision making biases in their decisions. Because these biases directly affect enterprises, they are of crucial importance in the field of entrepreneurship. On the other hand, because these biases emanate from a lot of important factors and differ from one person to another (given their subjective nature), their identification needs an elaborate study. Having concluded that identifying the main factors influencing entrepreneurial decision making biases is vital for entrepreneurship-related studies and there is no comprehensive research study in this regard, this paper conducted a grounded theory approach by interviewing 20 Iranian entrepreneurs. According to our findings, personal (individual), environmental and organizational factors are the main categories influencing the genesis of decision making biases in entrepreneurs.


Surface reflectance can be derived from satellite measurements for the top of atmosphere and provides an important dataset for monitoring land change reliably. In this study, the Sentinel-2A surface reflectance was generated using the Sentinel-2 atmospheric correction (Sen2Cor) processor. To evaluate this dataset, surface data at 40 sites of the aerosol robotic network over North America from January 2016 to August 2017 were collected and processed. The surface reflectance reference was derived from the second simulation of the satellite signal in the solar spectrum–vector (6SV) code. The aerosol optical thickness (AOT), water vapor, surface reflectance, and three spectral indices generated by Sen2Cor were evaluated using the metrics including the accuracy, precision, and uncertainty (A, P, and U). The results show that due to the limitations of Sen2Cor aerosol retrieval algorithm, the Sentinel-2A AOT was significantly overestimated, with the relative accuracy over 160%. The Sen2Cor surface reflectance is generally overestimated, especially for the bright pixels, except for the cirrus band. For the 12 Sentinel-2A bands, the mean values of relative A , P, and U are 4.15%, 13.44%, and 14.92%, respectively. Among the three spectral indices, the normalized difference vegetation index performs best, with a correlation coefficient of 0.973 against the surface data. Furthermore, the Sen2Cor surface reflectance was compared with other satellite products. The mean correlation coefficient between Sentinel-2A and Landsat 8 surface reflectance is found to be 0.761. This study suggests that a better AOT retrieval is critical for improvement of Sen2Cor in the future.


The explanatory and predictive failures of political science theories on ethnonationalism have generated a movement towards disciplinary self-criticism in the post-Cold War era. Attempts at more robust theorizing on problems of nationalism and ethnicity have been part of larger debates on the distinctions between rationalist and constructivist approaches, as well as differences between comparative politics and international relations, in terms of analytical tools and conceptual categories. Evaluation of Greek data from the Youth and History study of the formation of historical consciousness among European adolescents suggests that material and ideational/constructive factors must receive equal attention as causal forces in the formation of national identity. Furthermore, the Greek data point to a combination of global, regional, and domestic variables in shaping patterns of ethnonationalism.


Obesity suppresses brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression and increases the expression of pro‐inflammatory cytokines. Herein, we assessed whether exercise training (ET), melatonin administration (MT), or their combination can affect the expressions of BDNF and cytokines in the cerebellum of high‐fat diet (HFD)‐fed rats.


:- This research was conducted to reveal the metaphors in the ritual speech of Rambu Solo' . The use of this metaphor aims to show the social status of the deceased and their families. This research is a type of qualitative descriptive analysis. The source of the data in this study is the speech or tominaa language used in Rambu Solo' , a funeral ceremony in Toraja-Indonesia. Data is collected with recording techniques, note-recording techniques, and interview techniques. Determination of data used as samples is done purposively or in accordance with research needs. Metaphors contained in Rambu Solo' ritual speech include (1) Metaphor uses a celestial object (astronomorfik metaphors), (2) Metaphor uses animal (fauna metaphor), (3) Metaphor uses plants (flora metaphor), (4) Metaphor uses jewellery (Jewelry metaphor); (5) Metaphor uses hyperbolic (Hyperbolic metaphor).


Fashion is often described as asserting or reinforcing social or professional bonds, but rarely is such a fixed bond established as when garments physically link one body to another. We may be familiar with shared garments in dramatic costume, as in Chinese dragons or pantomime horses, but there are also examples of everyday garments designed to contain multiple bodies. Examples include Lucy Orta's collective wear, Dana Karwas and Karla Karwas' Party Dress worn by five women simultaneously, and Aamu Song and Johan Olin's Dance Shoes for Father and Daughter. These garments not only assert relationships between wearers, but make that relationship inescapable by physically binding bodies together. By linking or binding bodies, these shared garments restrict movement, and ensure choreographed motion, forcing the wearers to move as one. This establishes a hierarchy, placing one wearer in control of motion, and others in subservient positions. This paper will discuss the wearing of shared garments, focusing in particular on how forced choreography affects issues of identity, interpersonal relationships, and social hierarchy. It will observe how shared garments may challenge or reinforce ideas about the relationship between fashion and identity, and will explore the social motives behind the design of such garments. The conflicting idea that clothing can simultaneously assert the need for conformity as well as difference is at the heart of numerous debates about fashion. This essential dialogue is never so vital as in the wearing of shared garments – garments which contain the multiple bodies. Shared garments bind wearers together, in a physical manifestation of interpersonal relationships and group identities. In becoming bound to one another, wearers must sacrifice individual identity, and the associated freedom of movement, so that every action becomes a precisely choreographed collaboration. Audiences and consumers are not familiar with the shared garment because it has yet to infiltrate fashion. However, there are artefacts which are more commonly encountered, and from which we can learn about how a shared garment may be used and perceived. The Chinese lion or dragon, and pantomime horse, are two relatively common artefacts with similar properties to shared garments. They are both designed to be worn by several people at once. The pantomime horse usually contains two wearers, one playing the role of the head, and the other the hind legs. In Chinese lions, the number of wearers playing the role of the legs is multiplied, often many times. In both cases, …


SARS-CoV-2 caused a large-scale global pandemic between 2020 and 2022. Despite efforts to understand its biology and mechanisms of pathogenicity, the viral impact on the neurological systems remains unclear. The main goal of this study was to quantify the neurological phenotypes induced by SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in neurons, measured by in-vitro multi-well micro-electrode arrays (MEAs). We extracted the whole-brain neurons from the newborn P1 mice and plated them on multi-well micro-electrode arrays and administered purified recombinant spike proteins (S1 and S2 subunits respectively) from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The signals from the MEAs were transmitted from an amplifier to a high-performance computer for recording and analysis. We used an in-house developed algorithm to quantify neuronal phenotypes. Among all the phenotypic features analyzed, we discovered that the S1 protein of SARS-CoV-2 decreased the mean burst numbers observed on each electrode; This effect was not observed for the spike 2 protein (S2) and could be rescued by an anti-S1 antibody. Finally, our data strongly suggest that the receptor binding domain (RBD) of S1 is responsible for the reduction of burst activities in neurons. Overall, our results strongly indicate that spike proteins may play an important role in altering neuronal phenotypes, specifically the burst patterns, when neurons are exposed during early development.


Environmental context. The Clean Air Act amendments of 1990 identified mercury and associated compounds as hazardous air pollutants of particular concern to human health and the environment. Coal-fired power plants and municipal solid waste incinerators are significant sources of mercury-containing emissions. Adsorption represents a common technique used to alleviate mercury contamination. The present study uses molecular simulations to study the correlation between key surface characteristics of the adsorbent and its mercury capturing ability with a view to the selection and design of novel adsorbents. Abstract. In the present study, Monte Carlo simulations were used to model the physical adsorption of oxidised mercury (mercuric chloride) by zeolite NaX and activated carbon in the temperature range of 400–500 K. In particular, we considered zeolite NaX with spherical cavities and sodium cations, as well as activated carbon with slit carbon pores and hydroxyl, carboxyl and carbonyl sites, and layers of calcium hydroxide. The adsorption capacity and affinity of zeolite NaX were compared with those displayed by activated carbon with different acid sites and calcium hydroxide by assessing the impact on mercuric chloride adsorption within a practical range of magnitudes of the electrostatic interactions considered, namely charge-induced dipole and charge-quadrupole interactions, as well as dispersion interactions.


Scaling and oil anti-scaling mechanism were introduced,including the four main factors affected on scale inhibition,such as,relative molecular weight,molecular composition and structure,and the quality of water.Meanwhile,several kinds of fields used in oilfield were enumerated,and the development trends of inhibition in oilfield in future were put forward.


Abstract An effective accident prevention program, coupled with sound safety management is essential if any operating or service company in the petroleum industry is to achieve continued, long term improvement in safety performance. The structure and implementation of both may vary from one company to another, but to be effective, the two must be successfully integrated as a unit. It is clear that safety management cannot stop at a set of management principles at the upper management level. Nor can communication and implementation be one way, from the top down and be restricted to policy statements and procedures handed to the general employee population. To be successful a program must establish a vehicle to encourage open and honest two way communication from the lowest level to the manager. Accident prevention programs, by their design and structure, must be proactive and focus on prevention, and not be limited to a reactive mode. They must also integrate the concepts of safety management with the realities of the working environment, and combine all of the required essentials into a program that is easily implemented but comprehensive, and which can become part of the normal working routine of the employee. This paper describes an accident prevention program which works from the bottom up, focusing on early hazard identification and elimination. A team concept is utilized to involve all levels of employees, and the basic fundamentals of safety management are integrated into the program, resulting in improved safety performance over time.


(pp. 33-6). Only four of these are, in fact, directly relevant to his ' *C-t/k/p ', two of them being sets for ' one ' and ' six '. The WT cognate for the former, gcig, is in the ' high ' class in the Reading-style pronunciation of WT; the WT cognate for the latter, drug, is, admittedly, in the Reading Style's ' low' class; but I see no need to follow Matisoff in reconstructing a *d prefix for this set, as in his PTB ' *d-krok '. The clue to the alternation of the initial velarity supported by his Lahu form khi?, and implied by the Ichof WrittenBurmese (WB) khrok, with the initial alveolarity of the Reading-style pronounciation of WT dris probably to be sought in the process of alveolarization (tf dr), in the Reading Style and in most current Tibetan dialects, of former rhotacized velar initials (kf gr), extant in Khapalu Balti, e.g. kjlm, grOI ' law, village ' (khrims, grong ; Reading Style, and Lhasa, -tflm, -tjD:). This alveolarization is, fortunately for the comparatist, postorthographic ; but an earlier, and preorthographic, process of alveolarizing rhotacized velar initials is suggested by the remarkable success of this process in Tibetan, together with a comparison of WT drwith the velar initial of Lahu kho? and the khrof WB khrok, further supported by rhotacized velar initials in the Northern Monpa dialect of Tibetan, e.g. gro ' six ' (drug), krocin ' early morning' (dro-). The evidence for PTB *C-t/k/p as a source of Proto-Loloish •LOW is, therefore, in need of strengthening ; it will be interesting to see whether further ' visits ' bring further evidence to light.


The best way to deliver effective medical education in large or small group teaching sessions is by ensuring that the sessions are interactive and interesting for the students so that they actively participate in the sessions. However, it is important to acknowledge that a teacher has to do a proper preinstructional planning for this to happen. A teacher has to specify the specific learning objectives of their session and convey the students what they expect students to take away from the session. At the same time, the teacher has to carefully decide on the method of assessment during the interactive session, as the selected method should drive learning, easy to administer, and should not extend the overall duration of the session. The assessment method can target any of the domains of learning depending on the nature of the topic and should aim to test different levels of learning in each domain. In conclusion, assessment and feedback play an instrumental role in the entire process of teaching–learning. Thus, it has to be encouraged as it offers a wide spectrum of benefits to the students as well as the teachers.


– The purpose of this paper is to present and validate some improvements to the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) for solving radiative heat transfer in a participating medium. Validation of the model is performed by investigating the effects of spatial and angular discretizations and extinction coefficient on the solution. The error analysis and the order of convergence of the scheme are also reported., – LB scheme is derived from the radiative transfer equation, where isotropic scattering and radiative equilibrium condition are assumed. Azimuthal angle is discretized according to the lattice velocities on the computational plane, while, concerning the polar angle, an additional component of the discrete velocity normal to the plane is introduced. Radiative LB scheme is used to solve a 2‐D square enclosure benchmark problem. In order to validate the model, results of LB scheme are compared with a reference solution obtained through a Richardson extrapolation of the results of a standard finite volume method., – The proposed improvements drastically increase the accuracy of the previous method. Radiative LB scheme is found to be (at most) first order accurate. Numerical results show that solution gets more accurate when spatial and azimuthal angle discretizations are improved, but a saturation threshold exists. With regard to polar angle, minimum error occurs when a particular subdivision is considered., – The paper provides simple but effective improvements to the recently proposed lattice Boltzmann method for solving radiative heat transfer in a participating medium.


Modern cloud data storage services have powerful capabilities for data-sets that can be indexed by a single key - key-value stores - and for data-sets that are characterized by multiple attributes (such as Google's BigTable). These data stores have non-ideal overheads, however, when graph data needs to be maintained; overheads are incurred because related (by graph edges) keys are managed in physically different host machines. We propose a new distributed data-storage paradigm, the key-key-value store, which will extend the key-value model and significantly reduce these overheads by storing related keys in the same place. We provide a high-level description of our proposed system for storing large-scale, highly interconnected graph data - such as social networks - as well as an analysis of our key-key-value system in relation to existing work. In this paper, we show how our novel data organization paradigm will facilitate improved levels of QoS in large graph data stores.


In order to realize heterogeneous data transparent accessing, this paper mainly presents a heterogeneous data integration platform model based on components of J2EE. The platform utilizes components technology to integrate heterogeneous data source produced by the MIS. It provides an effective technology in data transparent accessing for the users.


The objective of this work is to explore the perceived visual and functional characteristics of computer generated sketches, compared to human created sketches. In addition, this work explores the possible biases that humans may have towards the perceived functionality of computer generated sketches. Recent advancements in deep generative design methods have allowed designers to implement computational tools to automatically generate large pools of new design ideas. However, if computational tools are to co-create ideas and solutions alongside designers, their ability to generate not only novel but also functional ideas, needs to be explored. Moreover, since decision-makers need to select those creative ideas for further development to ensure innovation, their possible biases towards computer generated ideas need to be explored. In this study, 619 human participants were recruited to analyze the perceived visual and functional characteristics of 50 human created 2D sketches, and 50 2D sketches generated by a deep learning generative model (i.e., computer generated). The results indicate that participants perceived the computer generated sketches as more functional than the human generated sketches. This perceived functionality was not biased by the presence of labels that explicitly presented the sketches as either human or computer generated. Moreover, the results reveal that participants were not able to classify the 2D sketches as human or computer generated with accuracies greater than random chance. The results provide evidence that supports the capabilities of deep learning generative design tools and their potential to assist designers in creative tasks such as ideation.