PURPOSE: A fabrication method of dual damascene wiring is provided to easily achieve fine patterns and to easily control the size of a via hole or a trench by using a plurality of metal hard mask having different etching selectivity. CONSTITUTION: A diffusion barrier layer(34), an interlayer dielectric(35), a first metal hard mask(36) are sequentially formed on a semiconductor substrate(31) having a lower metal wiring(33). A desired portion of the first metal hard mask is partially etched to form a trench pattern by using a first photoresist pattern. A second metal hard mask having different etching selectivity is formed on the etched region of the first metal hard mask. A via hole pattern is formed by selectively etching the first metal hard mask using a second photoresist pattern. The interlayer dielectric is partially etched to form a via hole pattern by using the first metal hard mask. After removing the exposed first metal hard mask, a trench and a via hole are formed by selectively etching the interlayer dielectric using the second metal hard mask.


BENEFITS FROM A PROJECT ARE MEASURED AS THE SUM OF WHAT THE SOCIETY WOULD BE WILLING TO PAY RATHER THAN FOREGO THE PROJECT. THE POINT OF THIS PAPER IS THAT THE PRINCIPLE THAT IS SO WISELY APPLIED TO MEASURING BENEFITS IS NOT USUALLY CARRIED OVER TO THE MEASUREMENT OF COSTS AND THUS A BIAS IS CREATED. THE USUAL THEORY ASSUMES THAT THE OPPORTUNITY COSTS OF RESOURCES ARE ACCURATELY MEASURED BY THEIR MARKET PRICES. IT IS SHOWN THAT, UNLESS A PROJECT CONSUMES ONLY A MICROSCOPIC PORTION OF THE RESOURCES GOING INTO A LARGE NUMBER OF PRIVATE PROJECTS, THE INCREASE IN RESOURCE COSTS OCCASIONED BY THE RESOURCE USE OF THE PUBLIC PROJECT WILL CAUSE A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN CONSUMER'S SURPLUS FROM OTHER GOODS. THIS IS THE COST NOT USUALLY CONSIDERED. IN UNDERDEVELOPED ECONOMIES THE USE OF THE GENERALLY-ACCEPTED TOOLS OF BENEFIT-COST ANALYSIS IS ALMOST CERTAIN TO PRODUCE SERIOUS RESOURCE MISALLOCATIONS, IN THAT PUBLIC PROJECTS WILL BE UNDERTAKEN WHICH ACTUALLY COST MORE THAN THEY PRODUCE. /BPR/


Mankind is different from the animal,whos has his own value pursuit and choice.The essence of value is a problem of aim and transcendence.The highese target of value persuit is mankind himself,which is also the achievement of human nature,it,to enable a man to be a man.Thus the essence of value pursuit is the pursuit of human nature,and the riddle of value is that of mankind.The secret of the choice of value is the pursuit and choice of human nature.The persuit of human nature is the choice of human value,which is also the final concern and the highese farget.The choice of value in social transform is the choice of social ualue in essence.The choice of social value should start f4rom the subjects of socrety and human beings.Beginning from the "lifelike","featurelike","naturelike",the choice and persuit of social value should be cultivate to increase the human persuit state and the levels of value choice.


In order to study the factors that affect the following distance under the condition of the curve following scenario, based on the driving simulator, the curve of different radius was constructed, and the speeds of the lead vehicle were set. Thirteen drivers were selected for testing. Carry out parametric analysis of the following distance. The experiment designed four curve radiuses of 125m, 250m, 400m and 650m, and three following speeds of 60km/h, 80km/h and 100km/h. The vehicle finally reached a stable following state. The results showed that the curve radius and lead vehicle speed have a significant effect on the following distance, and there is no interaction between the two factors. It also gives the average value of the following distances for different curve radius and different following speeds.


Intelligent reflective surface (IRS) technology is emerging as a promising performance enhancement technique for next-generation wireless networks. Hence, we investigate the physical layer security of the downlink in IRS-aided non-orthogonal multiple access networks in the presence of an eavesdropper, where an IRS is deployed for enhancing the quality by assisting the cell-edge user to communicate with the base station. To characterize the network's performance, the expected value of the new channel statistics is derived for the reflected links in the case of Nakagami-<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$m$</tex-math></inline-formula> fading. Furthermore, the performance of the proposed network is evaluated both in terms of the secrecy outage probability (SOP) and the average secrecy capacity (ASC). The closed-form expressions of the SOP and the ASC are derived. We also study the impact of various network parameters on the overall performance of the network considered. To obtain further insights, the secrecy diversity orders and the high signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) slopes are obtained. We finally show that: 1) the expectation of the channel gain in the reflected links is determined both by the number of IRS elements and by the Nakagami-<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$m$</tex-math></inline-formula> fading parameters; 2) If the Nakagami-<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$m$</tex-math></inline-formula> parameter is no less than 2, the SOP of both User 1 and User 2 becomes unity, when the number of IRS elements tends to infinity; 3) The secrecy diversity orders are affected both by the number of IRS elements and by the Nakagami-<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$m$</tex-math></inline-formula> fading parameters, whereas the high-SNR slopes are not affected by these parameters. Our Monte-Carlo simulations perfectly demonstrate the analytical results.


suburbs and the slowly declining segregation in major metropolitan areas are important urban trends. The impact of changing residential patterns of blacks and whites is not yet adequately understood, but seems consequential in several ways. Mixedrace neighborhoods promote interracial contact, for example, as well as lower levels of racial solidarity among blacks; and interracial contact in turn, promotes more positive attitudes toward members of the other race, at least in some contexts. Of course, while taking place of residence and school performance into account reduces racial differences in attitudes toward the schools, in the Detroit area most whites live where


Electricity in an equipment to increase human life value. the level og electricity energy onsumption reflects the level of costumer welfare. Costumer welfare should be in balance between the right and the obligation to pay the electicity energy used monthly.


A. Additional Information of Datasets In Table 1 we provide additional information on the indistribution and out-of-distribution datasets. We use the entire test splits for each of these datasets and provide the respective test set sizes. Each out-of-distribution input is preprocessed by subtracting the mean of in-distribution data and dividing the standard deviation. MNIST, fashionMNIST and K-MNIST are padded by 2 in spatial dimensions and then extended to 3 channels. For STL10, SVHN, iSUN, Textures and Places365, the smaller sides of the images are resized to 32 and then center-cropped to 32×32. LSUN (crop) is a dataset created from LSUN by randomly cropping to 32×32 and LSUN (resize) is produced by downsampling each LSUN image to the size 32×32. As previously mentioned, these datasets span a range of complexities, and we present the average complexities per dataset. Table 1 also shows the negligible average compression latency per sample while the average inference time of a sample is 20 ms, using Nvidia 1080 Ti GPU card.


Postpartum infection and hemorrhage are the leading causes of maternal death in Indonesia. One of the causes is skin lacerations or birth canal tissue (10%). A study by Agnes (2009) found out that (57.8%) postpartum women suffered failed episiotomy stitches due to poor wound care. One method of conventional wound care is to apply Aloe vera compress. The objective of the study was to analyze the effectiveness of Aloe vera compress on the wound healing time (trials in mice). This research used Quasi experimental design involving 15 mice as the samples which were divided into 3 groups. The first group was the control group, the second group received Povidone Iodine compress, and the third group received Aloe vera compress. Total sampling technique was applied and REEDA mark observation sheet was administered to collect the data. The results showed that the wound healing time in mice given Povidone Iodine compresses was 6.86 ± 0.900 days. The wound healing time in mice given Aloe vera was 8.13 ± 0.835 days. There is a significant difference in wound healing time in mice given Povidone Iodine compress and Aloe vera compress with a t-count value of 2.831 (p-value = 0.014).


This thesis presents spiking neural architectures which simulate the sound localisation capability of the mammalian auditory pathways. This localisation ability is achieved by exploiting important differences in the sound stimulus received by each ear, known as binaural cues. Interaural time difference and interaural intensity difference are the two binaural cues which play the most significant role in mammalian sound localisation. These cues are processed by different regions within the auditory pathways and enable the localisation of sounds at different frequency ranges; interaural time difference is used to localise low frequency sounds whereas interaural intensity difference localises high frequency sounds. Interaural time difference refers to the different points in time at which a sound from a single location arrives at each ear and interaural intensity difference refers to the difference in sound pressure levels of the sound at each ear, measured in decibels. Taking inspiration from the mammalian brain, two spiking neural network topologies were designed to extract each of these cues. The architecture of the spiking neural network designed to process the interaural time difference cue was inspired by the medial superior olive. The lateral superior olive was the inspiration for the architecture designed to process the interaural intensity difference cue. The development of these spiking neural network architectures required the integration of other biological models, such as an auditory periphery (cochlea) model, models of bushy cells and the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body, leaky integrate and fire spiking neurons, facilitating synapses, receptive fields and the appropriate use of excitatory and inhibitory neurons. Two biologically inspired learning algorithms were used to train the architectures to perform sound localisation. Experimentally derived HRTF acoustical data from adult domestic cats was employed to validate the localisation ability of the two architectures. The localisation abilities of the two models are comparable to other computational techniques employed in the literature. The experimental results demonstrate that the two SNN models behave in a similar way to the mammalian auditory system, i.e. the spiking neural network for interaural time difference extraction performs best when it is localising low frequency data, and the interaural intensity difference spiking neuron model performs best when it is localising high frequency data. Thus, the combined models form a duplex system of sound localisation. Additionally, both spiking neural network architectures show a high degree of robustness when the HRTF acoustical data is corrupted by noise.


The features of glass furnace production are described,a self-tuning fuzzy PID control algorithm for temperature control of the glass furnace and its application on temperature control of glass furnace are present.Practical running shows that this project is rational and effective.


Case: A 71-year-old woman with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome suffered an atraumatic obturator dislocation status post direct anterior total hip arthroplasty. A closed reduction under conscious sedation was attempted, but was unsuccessful. Repeat closed reduction under full general anesthesia with paralysis and fluoroscopic guidance was successful at reducing the femoral prosthesis out of the pelvis and back into an appropriate position. Conclusion: Atraumatic obturator dislocations after total hip arthroplasty are exceedingly rare. General anesthesia with full paralysis is helpful for a successful closed reduction, and open reduction may be necessary to remove the femoral prosthesis from the pelvis.


This article gives some background to the recommendations of the report of the Victorian transport study group (the lonie report) including some of the submissions of the Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board and the Victorian railways.


This paper describes the first results on a sensor floor, which can be integrated in home environments to assist old and frail persons living independently at home. The sensor floor works with a dense array of piezo elements. Its purpose is not only to monitor the inhabitant's position within the room but also to analyze impact patterns for later activation of stable rescue procedures in case of fall or other emergency events. Algorithms were developed to gain information on steps of persons in the room from the piezo impulses. The sensors are invisibly integrated in the room's floor, which is part of a living lab (the Future Care Lab) developed and built within the eHealth project at RWTH Aachen University.


The deflected mode in the zone of the ring cavity of the cylinder body is considered. The numerical experiments have shown that the reliability of the deflected mode picture received in step-by-step calculations is insufficient, especially in stress concentrators. Thus, even at the preliminary phase of calculation of the deflected mode structures it is necessary to accept analytical models of mating parts assembly.


Despite the attention that various forms of ellipsis have received in the liter ature, the conditions under which a representation of an utterance may serve as a suitable referent for interpreting subsequent elliptical forms remain poorly understood. This fun damental question remains as a point of contention, particularly because there are data to support various conflicting approaches that attempt to characterize these conditions within a single module of language processing. We show a previously unnoticed pattern in VP ellipsis data with respect to the type of coherence relation extant between the antecedent and elided clauses. This pattern is explained by an account of how ellipsis resolution pro cesses interact with the inference processes underlying the establishment of these relations. The analysis also explains a similar yet distinct pattern in gapping constructions which are not accounted for by purely syntactic approaches. Finally, we discuss event reference and compare the resulting account to the dichotomy of types of anaphora posited by Hankamer and Sag (1976).


Currently, allocation and distribution of organs are the most controversial aspects of liver transplantation. The scarcity of deceased donor organs has forced transplant centers and patients listed for transplant to compete with other local programs and locally listed patients, respectively, for liver grafts. The requirements for an optimal organ allocation system are (1) evidence-based outcome measures, (2) justice and equity, (3) maximal utility and (4) transparency. Balancing justice and equity for all candidates and individual vs. societal utility for a scarce resource is one of the largest challenges. The change in the allocation system from a waiting time-based system to a risk-based system using the Model for End stage Liver Disease (MELD) score has lowered pretransplant mortality, without adversely impacting posttransplant survival despite increased severity of illness at the time of transplantation (1,2). This is a model of how data-driven policy changes can improve outcomes. In this issue of the American Journal of Transplantation, Merion et al. present a detailed analysis of the scientific registry of transplant recipients to determine the transplant benefit for various MELD scores using time-dependent Cox regression models (3). Transplant benefit was defined as the difference in the likelihood of 1-year survival if one undergoes a transplant at a given MELD score vs. remaining on the waiting list. There is an overall survival benefit of transplantation in the first year; however, the benefit varied markedly by MELD score. A significant survival benefit with transplantation was seen only for patients with high MELD scores (i.e. >18); the survival benefit continuing to increase as MELD score increased, with greatest survival benefit being achieved in those at the highest MELD scores. Conversely, there was increased mortality in the first year posttransplant compared to remaining on the waiting list for patients with lower MELD scores (<15), particularly those with MELD scores less than 12. These models were adjusted for other factors that might independently influence outcome, including age, sex, race, diagnosis, education, insurance coverage and the changes in MELD over time (delta MELD). The overall covariate adjusted mortality risk was 79% lower for patients transplanted compared to those remaining on the waiting list. However, the risk of dying in the first year posttransplant was almost four-fold higher than remaining on the waiting list for patients with MELD scores 6‐11 and two-fold higher for those with MELD 12‐14. A significant transplant benefit was seen for all candidates with MELD greater than 18, increasing exponentially at higher MELD scores with up to a 96% reduction in mortality risk for patients with MELD scores of greater than 40. The reason for this large difference is because pretransplant mortality risk increases exponentially rather than linearly for higher MELD scores. Though the risk of mortality posttransplant for high MELD scores is increased, it does not parallel the reduction in pretransplant mortality, resulting in increased survival benefit with each increase in MELD score. Over the range of MELD from 6 to 40, the impact on posttransplant survival was modest, 1.5-fold, compared to the over 300-fold change in the pretransplant mortality risk. These data need to be interpreted carefully. First, it analyzes the patient's risk at each MELD score at a given point in time. When patients transit from one MELD score to another score, they are no longer counted in the initial MELD score risk group. Thus, the transplant benefit is for a composite group of patients at any given MELD score. Second, the patients remaining on the waiting list at a given MELD may be fundamentally different than those transplanted; however, it is unlikely that a selection bias can account for the magnitude of the difference seen. At an individual level, transplant professionals want to advise their patients of all the likely outcomes, including the risk of disease progression. Patients may transit to higher MELD scores; does this analysis reflect their risk or will the transplant benefit change in the short-run? Fortunately, it appears individual short-run risk is accurately measured. The MELD scores


Introduction: Margin status following surgery for oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) is an important prognostic factor and frequently affects decisions regarding postoperative management. Frozen section analysis is the only currently available technique to determine whether an adequate resection has been performed. However, this method is influenced by sampling bias, is time consuming, and varies widely from surgeon to surgeon. Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) is a well established technology for noninvasive imaging of cellular and architectural detail using the backscatter of laser light. We hypothesize that RCM may offer surgeons a modality to scan the tumor bed in real-time for in vivo detection of residual microscopic tumor. As a prelude to in vivo use, we report an ex vivo feasibility study of RCM for margin assessment in OTSCC.


Filters are widely used in the pharmaceutical industry and hospital care for multiple applications such as API processing and purification, pharmaceutical and bio-pharmaceutical operations such as sterile filtration and protein purification, analysis of drug products, while administration to the patients and so on. A multitude of filters with different pore ratings and material of construction are available for use in various applications. The wide variety and type of filters available today also mean that we do not completely understand the nature of such filters and random or un-informed usage could introduce unwanted alterations in the quality or quantity of the product. Thus, one needs to be aware that filters could alter the stability, quality and safety of the product if the right choices are not made. Various mechanisms and examples are described wherein the final quality of the product was affected. Adsorption is the major mechanism of interaction between filters and drug product. Filters can adsorb formulation components such as active pharmaceutical ingredient, preservatives and other excipients which could lead to therapeutic failure or toxicity. Other mechanisms include leaching of filter materials into product during filtration which could adversely affect the product by changing the safety aspect of the product. Despite certain challenges involved while working with filter, usage of filters is the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industry is increasing day by day and many crucial operations such as meeting sterility in aseptic operations, purification of peptides/proteins/Active pharmaceutical ingredients, dissolution analysis etc rely heavily on the quality and right usage of the appropriate filters. It is necessary to minimize the adverse interaction between the filter and the drug product and thus deliver the best to the patient and health care for which the end user needs to thoroughly understand their application, nature of the material being processed and details of the filter to better understand the outcome of the filtration process.


Taxonomy, the science of naming and classifying organisms is the foundation of biology. Good taxonomy with correct identification of the species along with its ecological and evolutionary interpretation plays an important role in integrated pest control programs, and the conservation of biodiversity (Godfray er al., 2004; Samper, 2004). DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) barcoding is based on the premise that sequence diversity within a standardized segment of the genome can provide a "biological barcode" that enables identification at species level (Marshall, 2005). With the development of this technology for the production of molecular sequences, DNA taxonomy and barcoding arose as a new tool for evolutionary biology. DNA barcodes are particularly useful in studies of zooplankton, because the organisms are frequently rare, fragile, small and scattered throughout the pelagic realm (Bucklin er al., 2007). DNA barcoding provides an efficient method for species level identification and as such, will contribute powerfully to taxonomic and biodiversity research (Hajibabaei er al., 2007). The term, DNA barcoding is used to describe efforts to use the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (mtCOl) gene as a molecular marker to allow easier and more efficient identification of specimens of known and unknown species. The mtCOI is sufficiently variable to be useful to identify and discriminate the most closely related species, and also detect genetic divergence of conspecific populations associated with geographic isolation and cryptic speciation (Bucklin er al., 2007). The barcoding organizations may note that taxonomists have identified only about 15 percent


With global warming and the Kyoto Protocol the future of coal and also coal mining has come under the spotlight. South Africa, with its energy and carbon intensive economy, is no exception. Preliminary empirical estimates indicate that the South African coal mining industry appears to have significantly lower levels of methane (CH4) then previously suspected. This information alters the way in which South African coal mines position itself in an increasingly carbon constraint world. The paper reports on the preliminary results of a Coaltech 2020 research project and will explore implications for (a) the environmental branding of South African coal and (b) the use of Kyoto mechanisms, with specific reference to the clean development mechanism.


Introduction Bruce Kidd and Heather Dichter 1. Scandal and governance: inside and outside the IOC 2000 Commission John J. MacAloon 2. Athletes' rights and Olympic reform: a discussion with Johann Koss, Ann Peel and Alexandra Orlando 3. Towards better Olympic accountability Jean-Loup Chappelet 4. Paradoxes and contestations of Olympism in the history of the modern Olympic Movement Dikaia Chatziefstathiou 5. From Sydney to Beijing: the evolution of the photographic coverage of Paralympic Games in five European countries Athanasios (Sakis) Pappous, Anne Marcellini and Eric de Leseleuc 6. The interpretation of environmental sustainability by the International Olympic Committee and Organizing Committees of the Olympic Games from 1994 to 2008 Justine Paquette, Julie Stevens and Cheryl Mallen 7. Community capacity and the 2010 Winter Olympic Games Rob VanWynsberghe, Brenda Kwan and Nicolien Van Luijk 8. Rules and reform: eligibility, gender differences, and the Olympic Games Sarah Teetzel 9. A research agenda for Olympic reform Richard W. Pound


Social cooperation has historically played a pivotal role in developing socio-educational services for people with disability, thereby contributing to counteracting the social isolation often associated with this condition. Using a mixedmethod methodology, this study maps the diversity of perspectives on how the use of disability-related services run by social cooperatives impacts on and becomes meaningful to family life. One hundred twenty-nine interviews with family members of adults with different kinds of disability were studied using emotional textual analysis. It provides a multidimensional model to read and map the multiplicity of emotional meanings related to disability and the use of services, shedding light on key diversities in how family members emotionally make sense of care and support. The results reveal the importance of supporting family-carers on two main issues: accessing a less passive representation of their relative with disability; and being able to test and acknowledge limits without succumbing to a sense of powerlessness.


In the wide-band dispersion controlled optical fiber, the inner core having a diameter of d1, a refractive index of n1; Surrounding the inner core, and a diameter of d2, the refractive index n2 is higher with distance from the center of the dispersion controlled optical fiber outside the core which decreased gradually from the refractive index n1 of the inner core; The surrounding outer core, an inner clad diameter is d3, the refractive index n3; And surrounding the inner cladding, and a refractive index n4 of the outer cladding; The diameters 0≤d1 / d2≤0.8, 0.1≤d2 / d3≤0.5 the relationships are satisfied at the same time, the refractive indices are n1> n2≥n3≥n4, 0.0034≤ (n1-n4) /n1≤0.007, 0≤ (n2-n4) discloses a wide-band dispersion controlled optical fiber which satisfies the /n2≤0.0048, 0≤ (n3-n4) /n3≤0.0014 relationship. Wide-band dispersion controlled optical fiber as described above to control the position of the zero dispersion wavelength was able to use optical signals of various wavelength bands in the communication network of wavelength division multiplexing, by controlling dispersion slope and bending loss became available for long-distance transmission. Furthermore, O- band wavelength in the dispersion a negative value, in the C- and L- band wavelength band, respectively, by controlling the dispersion value of the deviation amount is small, not only the short-range transport of one type of fiber, long-reach there is possible to advantage.


The virioplankton and planktonic picocyanobacteria abundances in the deep and shallow waters of the Rybinsk reservoir during the freeze-up period (the water temperature within 0.3 - 0.9°C) varied within (37.1 - 84.1)×106 ((57.3±2.1)×106 on the average) particles/ml and (13.5 - 75.0)×103 ((48.7±3.4)×103 on the average) cells/ml, respectively. The fraction of picocyanobacteria with viruses attached to their cell surface was 6.5 - 29.0% (12.0±0.8% on the average). The proportion of visible infected cells was 0.7 - 7.6% (2.2±0.3% on the average) of the numbers of picocyanobacteriae. Apparently, viruses play an important role in the picocyanobacteriae abundance regulation during the freeze-up period.


A field experiment was conducted, to study the effect of plant growth regulators on growth, seed yield and seed quality of okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench] cv. GAO-5 under middle Gujarat condition. Among the different treatments GA 3 @ 100 ppm was the best for growth and seed yield characters viz., plant height (cm), number of leaves, number of internodes per plant, days to flower initiation, days to 50 (%) flowering and GA 3 @ 50 ppm was the best for growth and seed quality characters viz., average pod weight (g), 100 seed weight (g), seedling dry weight (g) and seedling vigour index-II, while the plants sprayed with thiourea @ 500 ppm yielded the best for growth and yield characters viz., leaf area (cm), LAI, total dry weight of plant (g), number of pods per plant, length of pod (cm), number of seeds per pod, seed yield per plant (g) and seed yield per hectare (q).


High-voltage direct-current power lines can have interference effects on the cathodic-protection systems of small-town gas-distribution systems. An important factor in the amount of interference is the configuration of the pipelines supplying the distribution systems. Tests conducted by Minnegasco to pinpoint those areas experiencing interference confirmed the need to install additional magnesium anodes in 15 towns surrounding the local power company's East Electrode.


Sequence alignment in genomics and proteomics is mostly done via dynamic programming (DP) based approaches. In this work, we show how computational results from DP can be reused to update alignments when analyzing new versions of a sequence. We derive relative tolerance bounds on node distances from a root node that guarantee that partial shortest path distances remain optimal. We then propose an algorithm that uses these bounds to skip all unperturbed parts of a sequence when recomputing an alignment. We also discuss techniques to reduce the memory requirements of the algorithm by focusing on the highly conserved segments of the sequence. Experimental results establish that our proposed alignment procedure can update alignment decisions of modified sequence with 4.6% to 18% of the number of computations required by the normal Needleman-Wunsch algorithm, depending on sequence length. Higher computational savings are achieved with longer sequences.


BlackRock and THL Credit have made a follow-on investment in A10 Capital. Financial terms weren't announced. A10 Capital, of Boise, Idaho, is a middle-market commercial real estate lender. PRESS RELEASE BOISE, IDAHO (PRWEB) SEPTEMBER 24, 2015 A10 Capital,...


The purpose of this comment is to take stock of recent developments regarding the EU's relationship with Western Sahara by discussing the recent Front Polisario judgments, their reception in the literature and their possible repercussions on the pending litigation regarding the territory before the Union Courts. The comment not only sheds light on these important developments, but also directly feeds into the burgeoning debate regarding the CJEU's approach to international law by examining how the Court approached questions of interpretation and application of cardinal principles of international law, such as the principle of self-determination.


The refractive indices of ordinary and extraordinary waves (no and ne) of congruent LiNbO3 (CLN) in the terahertz (THz) band are measured at different temperatures. Extended Cauchy equations are proposed to describe the temperature- and frequency-dependent refractive indices. With less than 0.5% deviation, both no and ne can be obtained accurately. The values of no and ne are ~7 and ~5.4, respectively, which are much larger than those in the visible band. The extremely high birefringence (~1.6) may lead to some interesting applications of linear, electro-optic, and nonlinear optical effects of CLN. As an example, true zero-order THz waveplates (WPs) could be obtained with considerable low loss based on thin CLN wafers. The working frequency can be tuned by changing the environmental temperature. Moreover, wide bandwidth achromatic THz WPs were also achievable by stacking four CLN wafers together with precise orientation control.


Myo‐inositol (Ins) is used as a backbone of inositol phosphate (InsP) and phosphatidylinositol phosphate signaling molecules, and is also a precursor for an alternative Vitamin C synthesis pathway. Oxidation of Ins by the enzyme myo‐inositol oxygenase (MIOX) produces D‐glucuronic acid, which is further altered to produce Vitamin C. The Arabidopsis genome contains four genes predicted to encode MIOX enzymes. It was shown that plants ectopically expressing the MIOX4 gene from Arabidopsis (MIOX4+) produced higher levels of Vitamin C. We are interested in whether the ectopic expression of the MIOX4 gene results in Ins signaling alterations, an important consideration for future Vitamin C genetic engineering efforts. To test this, we measured Ins and related metabolites by GC analysis of MIOX4+ tissues from several developmental stages. We found a significant decrease in Ins and Ins(1,4,5)P3 in seedlings. The decrease in Ins and Ins(1,4,5)P3 was accompanied by insensitivity to ABA, a plant drought hormone that uses Ins(1,4,5)P3 as a second messenger. This result suggests that MIOX4+ plants are compromised in their ability to synthesize Ins(1,4,5)P3 in response to ABA, and indicates that MIOX overexpression impacts Ins signaling as well as metabolism. NSF Award # MCB 0316705


To test the qualifications of various transistor types for use in places exposed to radiation (for example in or in the immediate vicinity of a reactor or accelerator), the variation of the static and dynamic characteristics of germanium and silicon transistors was measured during irradiation in the research reactor BER. In agreement with work by other authors, silicon transitors, an alloyed germanium high frequency transistor, and a dIffusion-alloyed germanium transistor showed good resistance to the effects of nuclear radiation. (tr- auth)


Abstract Three dimensional distribution of well-located seismicity is used to delineate the geometry of lithospheric plates comprising the Mendocino triple junction in northern California. After an understanding of the geometry of the plates is established, first motions of the best located earthquakes are analyzed to identify stress orientations within each plate. Using both the first motion data and the distribution of the earthquakes, the style of faulting within each plate is determined.


The purpose of this research is to develop teaching materials use Approach of Indonesian Realistic Mathematics (PMRI) on Cube and cuboid material for grade VIII students of SMP Negeri 13 Lubuklinggau and to know the quality of teaching material is seen from the aspect of validity and practicability. RME or in Indonesia is better known by PMRI is a learning approach mathematics oriented to everyday life close to the world of students, it aims to make it easier for students to understand problems and solve mathematical problems. This research is development research with the development model of ADDIE ( Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation). phase analysis includes student needs analysis and curriculum analysis, the design phase includes the preparation of the map needs of teaching materials, the establishment of teaching materials structure and the making of research instruments. Development phase includes the preparation of teaching materials and validation of teaching materials on the expert, the implementation phase includes teaching experiments on 3 students (one to one), small group (small group) and field test. The evaluation phase includes the assessment of teaching materials by teachers and students. The research used Approach of Indonesian Realistic Mathematics (PMRI) on cube and cuboid material, the result of research showed that (1) the quality of teaching material is seen from aspect of validity and practicality included in criterion either based on four expert lecturer (Expert Content / Mathematics, Media Expert and Expert Language).Keywords: PMRI, Cube, Cuboid, ADDIE


In this paper, we study the gradient Ricci soliton equation on a complete Riemannian manifold. We show that under a natural decay condition on the Ricci curvature, the Ricci soliton is Ricci-flat and ALE.


Collection Essay Nicola Marschall, Artist and Soldier Having highlighted The Filson's War of 1812 collections for the bicentennial of that conflict in the last issue of Ohio Valley History, we return in this issue to the Civil War. Previous essays have focused on The Filson's manuscript collection and Civil War exhibit, highlighting photographs, prints, portraits, letters, documents, broadsides, and artifacts. This essay focuses on Nicola Marschall, an artist who created visual records of the war that help us to remember it. The German-born painter lived in Alabama during the war and served intermittently in the army. Unlike war artists who documented the tragic conflict, its participants and victims, through drawing and painting, Marchall's fame arises from designing the first Confederate national flag and the gray Confederate army uniform, and from his portraits of many Confederate veterans. Marschall moved to Louisville, Kentucky, in 1873, where he lived until his death in 1917. A popular and successful portrait painter, he had many Kentucky veterans, mostly those who wore gray, sit for him. The Filson's collection includes both primary and secondary sources documenting Marschall's life and work. Of particular interest and importance are portraits he painted and a scrapbook of ephemera and sketches that he compiled. Born in St. Wendel, Prussia, on March 16, 1829 to Emanuel and Margaret Mohr Marschall, young Nicola worked for the family's successful tobacco and wine business.1 From an early age, however, he had a serious interest in art and music. He received a good education, including training in painting, drawing, and music. The political unrest in Germany in the late 1840s probably contributed to Marschall's decision to seek a new life in the United States. The government excused him from compulsory military service and gave him permission to immigrate to the United States. On April 27, 1849, he sailed on the Jane H. Glidden to America and a career as an artist. Photograph of Nicola Marschall, c. Civil War.


The optimal initiation delay of gimbaled warhead is much more different from the initiation delay of conventional uniform warhead,and the related research is insufficient. The fragments dispersion data is obtained through static explosion experiment. On the basis of the data,the damage arrange of the gimbaled warhead has been calculated out. In conjunction with the conclusion of optimal initiation distance,the optimal initiation delay of gimbaled warhead is deduced by calculating residual flight time using the parameters detected by the seeker and fuse. The simulation results indicate the validity of the model. And for avoiding the target reaching to the optimal initiation point before being detected by the fuse,the cone angles should be greater than or equal to 8. 2°.


The present invention relates to a microporous film-like artificial skin, comprising a piezo-conducting properties and a layer of natural skin layer polymer composite formed biomimetic dermis. The film-like microporous skin layer mainly made of polyvinylidene fluorine and / or copolymers of polyvinylidene fluoride - trifluoroethylene composition, the dermal layer is a collagen membrane. The preparation method includes: preparing a film-like microporous skin layer; polarization treatment of the skin layer; dermal composite, double-layer artificial skin preparation. After the artificial skin of the present invention is in use, the extrusion may be generated by dressing similar bioelectric stimulation intensity, thereby promoting healing of skin wounds. At the same time, the artificial skin epidermis was microporous structure, the structure of pore size smaller than the size of the bacteria, can effectively isolate bacteria to prevent infection; the same time, the wound can effectively control the evaporation of water, have good air permeability and flexibility.


A new design method of pipelined multiplier for double precision floating point data based on IEEE754 standard was proposed.The method is faced for digital signal processor with 32 bit data path.Each 64 bit operand was divided into two 32 bit data and the multiplication of significand was accomplished by 32 bit×32 bit unsigned array multipliers.By transferring partial products and their selection signals synchronously,only one 66 bit adder was used to add all four partial products.A method for rounding was also proposed.The whole operation was divided into 10 pipeline stages.The correctness and performance can be confirmed by simulation results.


AbsrtactAn intrusion detection system (IDS) is a device or software application that monitors network or system activities for malicious activities or policy violations and produces reports to a Management Station. Some systems may attempt to stop an intrusion attempt but this is neither required nor expected of a monitoring system. Intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS) are primarily focused on identifying possible incidents, logging information about them, and reporting attempts. In addition, organizations use IDPSes for other purposes, such as identifying problems with security policies, documenting existing threats and deterring individuals from violating security policies. IDPSes have become a necessary addition to the security infrastructure of nearly every organization. Different methods can be used to detect intrusions which make a number of assumptions that are specific only to the particular method. Hence, in addition to the definition of the security policy and the access patterns which are used in the learning phase of the detector, the attack detection capability of an intrusion detection system also depends upon the assumptions made by individual methods for intrusion detection. The purpose of an intrusion detection system is to detect attacks. However, it is equally important to detect attacks at an early stage in order to minimize their impact. I have used Dataset and Classifier to refine Intruders in Networks.


Thesis deals with the theme of suffering in extra-biblical literature and biblical tradition. The work is the attempt of historical examination because it starts from understanding the suffering in the documents that were created prior to the Bible to the suffering in the New Testament. The first part shows the suffering in extra-biblical writings of Egypt and Mesopotamia and points out the similarities and differences with the understanding of the suffering in the Old Testament, in particularit is associated with the biblical Job.
The second part deals with the suffering in the biblical tradition. It begins with a general understanding of the suffering in the Bible about its cause-and-effect relationship with sin. The central part of the work deals with the problem of prophets suffering and wisdom literature. In particular discusses the suffering of righteous Job. At the end the work briefly represents the perspective that the New Testament provides in Jesus Christ as the model of suffering human.


Child support enforcement is among several contexts in which work requirements are enforced by incarceration for noncompliance. Rather than creating barriers to employment, such incarceration threats may pressure subjects to work more, under worse conditions. We test for this using Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study data on respondents' child support, labor market, and criminal justice experiences in twenty cities. We exploit intercity variation in absolute and relative reliance on different child support enforcement techniques, especially punitive ones, such as incarceration, versus financially extractive ones, such as wage garnishment. As predicted, heavier reliance on incarceration sanctions is associated with more hours of work and lower wages among noncustodial fathers most vulnerable to incarceration.


This experiment research on the twin-screw extruder cooking,extrusion cooking hot relaxation food.taking the wheat flour and soybean protein isolate as the extrusion cooking raw material.This study uses orthogonal design optimization hot food formula is:hot content is 0.8%,ziran content is 0.7%,majiao content is 0.4%.


Abstract. Bottom pressure observations on both sides of the
Atlantic basin, combined with satellite measurements of sea level anomalies
and wind stress data, are utilized to estimate variations of the Atlantic
Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) at 11∘ S. Over the
period 2013–2018, the AMOC and its components are dominated by seasonal
variability, with peak-to-peak amplitudes of 12 Sv for the upper-ocean
geostrophic transport, 7 Sv for the Ekman and 14 Sv for the AMOC transport.
The characteristics of the observed seasonal cycles of the AMOC and its
components are compared to results from an ocean general circulation model,
which is known to reproduce the variability of the Western Boundary Current
on longer timescales. The observed seasonal variability of zonally
integrated geostrophic velocity in the upper 300 m is controlled by pressure
variations at the eastern boundary, while at 500 m depth contributions from
the western and eastern boundaries are similar. The model tends to
underestimate the seasonal pressure variability at 300 and 500 m depth,
especially at the western boundary, which translates into the estimate of
the upper-ocean geostrophic transport. In the model, seasonal AMOC
variability at 11∘ S is governed, besides the Ekman transport, by
the geostrophic transport variability in the eastern basin. The geostrophic
contribution of the western basin to the seasonal cycle of the AMOC is
instead comparably weak, as transport variability in the western basin
interior related to local wind curl forcing is mainly compensated by the
Western Boundary Current. Our analyses indicate that while some of the
uncertainties of our estimates result from the technical aspects of the
observational strategy or processes not being properly represented in the
model, uncertainties in the wind forcing are particularly relevant for the
resulting uncertainties of AMOC estimates at 11∘ S.


The design parameters are one of the important factors to ensure the quality of asphalt pavement design. In "Highway Asphalt Pavement Design Specification" (JTGD50-2017), the stander of China, used the asphalt mixture anti-pressure resilience modulus at a single temperature of 20 ℃ as the design metrics. However, asphalt mixture, as a sticky-bullet plastic material, shows different mechanical properties at different temperatures. China is a vast territory, and there are great differences between the high and low temperature value (m and n) of each region. Therefore, it is unreasonable to design asphalt pavement only with the asphalt mixture anti-pressure resilience modulus value at 20 ℃. Studies show that the design parameters using PG technology can improve the high temperature anti-rutting and low temperature cracking performance of asphalt pavement.


Approximately a quarter of U.S. state and local workers' pension plans are not covered by Social Security. This is problematic and sometimes surprising for many public sector workers, who may receive limited or no Social Security benefits upon retirement due to insufficient or no contributions paid into the system throughout their careers. While non-covered public pension plans are legally obliged to provide a comparable degree of coverage, the lack of a de-facto partial federal guarantee on pension funding has interesting implications explored in this paper. We find that pension plans not covered by Social Security have lower funded ratios and are more volatile due to greater dependence on potentially more aggressive plan investments, assumptions, and performance. We also find that the funded ratio deteriorates over time for both types of plans, and this deterioration might be faster for Social Security covered plans.


And the window lifter rails are provided with a pulley 16 and a pulley cover 28, the pulley cover 28 may be fixed to the window lifter rail (18) at various positions, so that more assembly units to provide flexible use Implementation and it can reduce production and installation costs.


This study compares site productivity and soil nutrient cycling processes, including characterizing the microbial communities involved, and their effects on planted and natural regeneration under clearcut (CC) and alternative (retention) silvicultural systems 12 years after harvesting on the Montane Alternative Silvicultural Systems (MASS) field trial site (est. 1992) on Vancouver Island. The alternative silvicultural systems implemented at MASS were Green tree (GT), Patch cut (PC) and Shelterwood (SW). Preliminary results indicate foliar N concentrations in natural and planted western hemlock and amabilis fir regeneration were in decline and at deficient levels 12 years after harvest. There were no significant differences in foliar N or S among silvicultural systems. While the total supply of inorganic N tended to be predominantly ammonium, supply rates of ammonium were highest in the CC, intermediate in the PC and GT, and lowest in the SW. Nitrate levels were generally low and varied little among silvicultural treatments. Supply rates of P and the base cations, Ca, Mg, and K were generally lower in the CC than the other silvicultural systems. There were no significant silvicultural treatment effects on decomposition (mass loss of veneer strips) at the soil surface or at a depth of 5 cm. At 10 cm below the surface decomposition rates were significantly lower in the CC. Preliminary analysis of the soil-extracted PLFA detected distinct seasonal differences in total microbial biomass and concentration of various lipid fractions. Distinct differences were also found in the overall composition of soil microbial communities among the different silviculture treatments, as well as differences in particular groups of organisms.


This paper describes the implementation and assessment of a multi-day engineering design activity for Software Engineering students. This activity required students to work in teams of 16 to develop and implement four sub-systems of a digital spaceship. The Unity video game engine with a custom "spaceship sandbox" were used to drive student intrinsic motivation for the task, and to limit the complexity of the spaceship implementation.
Student feedback of the activity was captured through a survey given immediately following the second day of the activity, and through a focus group conducted with four students later in the term. The feedback on the activity was largely positive, with teamwork, collaboration, and the software to accomplish it (Git) as major learning outcomes identified by students. Several improvements are planned for the fall 2019 version of the activity based on both instructor observation and student feedback.


The objective of financial control is to manage the conflict of agent contract between investors and managers.Based on institutional game theory,we can find the mechanism of financial control.Firstly,the institutional cost is the key factor effecting performance of financial control.Secondly,the function of financial control is able to transform outside cost of anti-agent contracts into manager,cost.Finally,as the cause of dynamics game,financial control should be improved and perfected.


Purpose:  Electroencephalography–functional magnetic resonance imaging (EEG‐fMRI) coregistration has recently revealed that several brain structures are involved in generalized spike and wave discharges (GSWDs) in idiopathic generalized epilepsies (IGEs). In particular, deactivations and activations have been observed within the so‐called brain default mode network (DMN) and thalamus, respectively. In the present study we analyzed the dynamic time course of blood oxygen level–dependent (BOLD) changes preceding and following 3 Hz GSWDs in a group of adolescent and adult patients with IGE who presented with absence seizures (AS). Our aim was to evaluate cortical BOLD changes before, during, and after GSWD onset.


The present invention discloses a frame structure of a bridge induced joints, a housing is provided to improve the long seam construction concrete stress induced cracks and leakages at the joint section of the frame and jacking frame in the bridge, belonging to the technical field Jacking. Which comprises inducing slit provided in the frame of the bridge, are equipped with the induction seam sealing plate (7), on both sides of the frame of the sidewall induced crack at intervals along the direction of the height of the frame is provided with a plurality of longitudinal direction along the frame steel shear pin (5) disposed in said steel shear pin (5) through the sealing plate (7), respectively outside the inner roof frame joints is induced, and the outer sides of the frame sidewalls with a waterproof layer. The present invention has simple structure, can effectively improve the frame structure due to stress cracks on concrete phenomena occur more frequently, which reduces multi-section frame divided into a top jacking generated cumulative deviation, improved quality, and can greatly shorten the construction period, reduce construction costs.


Abstract The Partitioned Aquaculture System (PAS) provides a promising intensive aquaculture technology that is efficient and profitable, while simultaneously solving a variety of culture problems. This creates a sustainable aquaculture technology, which is environmentally safe and economically feasible. The PAS eliminates water discharge and reduces land usage and ground water requirements. The PAS system production process was modeled for catfish production using a growth model developed from observed data. The results of the PAS economic analysis were compared with two traditional catfish production scenarios. Comparisons were made between estimated investment requirements, operating costs and internal rates of return and breakeven points for alternate production systems and land ownership status. The results look promising, but research is ongoing on how best to manage the filter feeder component of the PAS.


The importance of the calcar femoris as a supporter of the femoral prosthesis has been often emphasized in total hip replacement (T. H. R.) which has been reportedly proved by finiten element method, tension optical experiment or hip joint simulation.T. H. R. or revision operation is sometime indicated for the case which is complicated by resorption of the calcar femoris which usually develops secondary to pseudarthrosis of the femoral neck fracture or loosening and sinking of the femoral prosthesis.In 1978, Prof. J. Eichler developed a trochanter plate for such a case. This plate is shaped like a japanese sword quard and placed on the transsected surface at the intertrochanteric level. The collar of the femoral prosthesis seats on the plate. Both the plate and the prosthesis are fixed with bone cement.We have used this plate in 6 cases complicated by the resorptin of the calcar femoris. Even though they have been followed only for a short time, they are doing as well as the ordinary case of T. H. R. so far.


Objective: To assess the role of quantification of retinal nerve fiber layer for early detection of anterior visualpathway lesions.
Study Design: Case-control study.
Place and Duration of Study: Armed Forces Institute of Ophthalmology, Rawalpindi, from Jan to Jul 2019.
Methodology: A total of 100 cases of anterior visual pathway lesions of varying clinical presentations wereincluded in the study. There were 100 matched controls who were selected from the community without anyophthalmological abnormality using non-probability consecutive sampling technique. Retinal nerve fiber layer(RNFL) thickness was measured with the help of optical coherence tomography in both the cases and controls.Mean retinal nerve fiber layer values were compared in both the groups. Student's t-test was applied to look forany significant difference between the two groups.
Results: Mean age of the patients was 39.14 ± 3.925 years while mean age of the controls was 39.23 ± 2.415 years. Mean retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in the case group was 72.21 ± 9.615 µm while on the control group was 101.34 ± 9.615 µm. A statistically significant difference was observed between cases and controls in terms of mean retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (p<0.001). Subjects with retinal nerve fiber layer thickness <85 µm were more likely to exhibit anterior visual pathway lesions (OR= 15.915 [6.278-40.346]; 95% CI, p<0.001).
Conclusion: Decreased retinal nerve fiber layer thickness can serve as a predictor for anterior visual pathwaylesions. Optical coherence tomography should be incorporated for routine screening of high-risk cases in order.........


In Tagore's prose poetry there are three artistic features,namely it takes the plain for its beauty,the casual for its strongpoint,and the tranquil for its amplitude.Poetry of Song China has the features of prose poetry,as provides us with a coincident point around which we may make a comparative study of his prose poetry.Tagore has a strong Chinese complex and he once carefully studied some great Chinese philosophers' books and many great Chinese poets' works.In Tagore's prose poetry there are the aesthetic qualities of the Chinese poetry and therefore it is particularly easy for the Chinese reader to read his prose poetry.Tagore's achievement in the literary creation may be objectively regarded as an active result of the Chinese culture that spreads abroad.


Background & objectives: Benches play a basic role in students sitting in the correct posture for a long period. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of ergonomics of common school benches on the electrical activity of selected muscles of healthy female students or with lumbar lordosis. Methods: For this purpose, 24 students with an average age of 10.26±1.78 years were selected and divided into two groups of 12 healthy subjects or with lordosis by convenience sampling. The students were sat down on two types of common benches in the school. At the beginning of sitting, a 30-second signal was taken from their selected muscles (rectus abdominis, spinal extensors, rectus femoris and biceps femoris), then a half-hour educational video was shown to them, and at the end, a 30-second signal was taken from their muscles. Statistical analysis of covariance was used to analyze the data. Results: There was a significant difference in the electrical activity of the muscles of healthy and lordosis students in attached benches in rectus femoris, biceps femoris and spinal extensors ( p <0.001). There was no significant difference in rectus abdominis muscle ( p <0.19). There was a significant difference in the electrical activity in the detached benches of the rectus femoris muscles ( p <0.001). However, there was no significant difference in rectus abdominis ( p <0.24), biceps ( p <0.37) and spinal extensors ( p <0.09). Conclusion: The results showed that sitting on attached benches was more inappropriate for students with lordosis. Therefore, it is recommended to design ergonomics standard table and benches based to the students' static anthropometric measurements.


The utility model discloses a natural-gas online calibrating device, comprising a standard meter (100) which can measure the flow rate of natural gas. The standard meter (100) is provided with a gas inlet (101) and a gas outlet (102); and the gas outlet (102) is communicated with a burner (200). In the natural-gas online calibrating device, whether the meter of a user is qualified can be calibrated.


In this study,agrobacterium-mediated transformation was undertaken to integrate Hva1-hv gene coding LEA3 protein from Tibetan hulless barley(H.nudum) to wheat variety Bobwhite(T.aestivum).Four transgenic wheat strains from T0 to T2 generation were identified by herbicides screening and molecular identification.The result showed that the imported Hva1-hv gene was expressed in transgenic plants under drought stress by RT-PCR.Transgenic plants had significantly lower WLR(Water loss rate) of excised leaves than control under the drought stress.These results indicated Hva1-hv had potential application value in wheat breeding against drought stress.


Teachers who work with children with unusual and atypical learning patterns, and who are searching for another diagnostic-prescriptive "cookbook," will probably find the last section of this book useful. This last section is called "Remediation," and at first glance, it appears that the authors are going to provide a redundant series of test based clinical teaching ideas designed to affect a child's score on the ITPA. However, it is not simply an ITPA based remed iation plan. Rather, the authors first offer all the familiar admonitions about teaching to the test, remediating splinter skills, and so forth, and then they follow these warnings with many excellent prescriptive teaching activities, which are keyed to the subtests of the ITPA. Although these activities are keyed to the subtests, they are based on observable classroom behavior. They rely on an hypothesis testing model and suggest the necessary adaptations in the learning environments as well as the teaching presentations that are required by the unique and atypical learning patterns of the children. The last section of the book also includes a comparison of various validated diagnosticprescriptive teaching strategies that further extend the book's description of teaching activities and recommendations. Additionally, this last section of the book includes a cogent compari son between channel, level, and process disabilities, as well as a discussion of how these limitations affect teaching strategies. The first three sections of the book offer a basic discussion of the development, construction, and use of the ITPA. This discussion seems to add little to what had already been


From a solution of the Boltzmann equation by a 13moment approximation extended to a plasma, the equations for the ohmic heating of a completely ionized plasma were established. The effect of a magnetic field was neglected. As further approximation, the anisotropic fractton of the pressure tensor and the heat currrnt vector in the orthogonal series development for the probability density was neglected so that a local Maxwell distribution resuited. The approximations were established individually. The collision integral, which occurs in the combined equations, was calculated for a Coulomb potential isolated in the Debye radius. A simultaneous system of differential equations is obtuined which is suitable for a practical calculation of the ohmic heating in any strong electrical fields. (tr-auth)


The article discusses compound formation involving proper names from a comparative perspective. While proper names can appear within compounds in English, this is not possible in Greek. The article argues that this follows from a basic difference between English and Greek: English, but not Greek, allows phrases as non-heads of right-headed compounds. As proper names in English are referential in the absence of a determiner, due to the process of D-N merger, they can still be recognized as such within compounds. This is not possible in Greek, where proper names require the presence of a determiner to establish reference.


Therapeutic Deep Eutectic Systems (THEDESs) are a mixture of components, including an active pharmaceutical ingredient, that have recently emerged because of their interesting properties for drug therapies. In general, they have been recognized to increase the solubility and permeability of some drugs, and consequently, their bioavailability. Moreover, they have also been used for novel formulations of pharmaceuticals. Despite the potential benefits of THEDESs, concerns about their safety and toxicity remain. In this review, we summarize previous studies that have investigated the toxicity of THEDESs. These studies evaluate the toxicity of THEDESs using various methods, including cell cultures, animal models, and human trials. The results of previous findings suggest that THEDESs are generally well-tolerated and have low toxicity. However, further research is needed to fully understand the long-term effects of these systems on human health and to identify any potential adverse effects.


Aim of the study: This study was done to evaluate and compare the accuracy of implantplacement using three differently constructed surgical guides (3D printed, laser sintered and CAD/CAM milled surgical guides).Materials and Methods: Eighteen implants were placed in partially edentulous patients havingmaxillary bounded edentulous areas. Based on the method of construction, patients were dividedinto three groups: group I, received 3D printed surgical guides, group II: received laser sinteredsurgical guides and group III: received CAD/CAM milled surgical guides. Implant placementevaluation included the difference between the planned and the actual implant sites regardingthe point of implant insertion (coronal deviation), apex position (apical deviation), and implantangulation (angular deviation)Results: The highest deviation values were obtained from group III (CAD/CAM milled surgicalguides) followed by group II (laser sintered surgical guides), while group I (3D printed surgicalguides) showed the least deviation values. There was a statistically significant difference betweengroup I (3D printed surgical guides)) and group III (CAD/CAM milled surgical guides) regardingcoronal deviation and apical deviation, also there was a statistically significant difference betweengroup II (laser sintered surgical guides) and group III (CAD/CAM milled surgical guides) regardingcoronal deviation and apical deviation, while there was no statistically significant difference betweengroup I (3D printed surgical guides) and group II (laser sintered surgical guides), besides there wasno statistically significant difference between the three groups regarding angular deviation.Conclusion: 3D printed surgical guides had the best accuracy (minimal deviation) followedby laser sintered surgical guides and the least accurate were the CAD/CAM milled surgical guide


Dataset used in publication of "USE OF PUBLIC DATABASES AIMING A FEASIBLE GENOMIC PREDICTION IN TROPICAL MAIZE".This link has the script, BLUPs, two Kinship matrix and group information


Shangguan Yi is the leading figure of post-court poetry in the early Tang Dynasty.He inherits the neo-change style of Yu Shinan and Li Baiyao,initiates Shen Quanqi and Song Zhiwen's movement in the pursuit of rhymes and enjoys high popularity.His poems are admired,appreciated and imitated by his contemporaries,which form the first style in Tang Dynasty named after a poet's surname.His poems are featured by elegant diction,beauteous state,and meticulous rhymes,exerting far-reaching historic influence.And therefore,he makes unique contributions to the development of Tang poetry.


AIM:To evaluate the effects of Zhichuan capsule on expression of TGF-β1,Smad-2,and Smad-7 in TGF-β1 signal transduction path in airway remodeling of bronchial asthmatic rats.METHODS:The model was established by different density ovalbumin(1%,2%,3%),then sensitized and activatived in pro- longed and repeated exposure.The rats were randomly divided into normal control group,model group,Zhichuan capsule group,dexamethasone group,and Zhichuan capsule plus dexamethasone group.General histological changes were observed by hematoxylin and eosin stained sections after 4 wk activation.The expression of TGF-β1, TGF-β1 mRNA,Smad-2 mRNA,Smad-7 mRNA,and the airway were examined by immunocytochemistry and RT-PCR.Statistical comparison was performed by ANOVA followed by Fisher LSD test.RESULTS:The expres- sion of TGF-β1,TGF-β1 mRNA,and Smad-2 mRNA in model group are higher than those in nomal control group (P<0.05 or P<0.01).The expression of TGF-β1,TGF-β1mRNA,and Smad-2 mRNA in Zhichuan capsule group,Zhichuan capsule plus dexamethasone group,and dexamethasone group are lower than those in model group(P<0.01 or P<0.05).The level of Smad-2 mRNA is higher in Zhichuan capsule group than that in dex- amethasone group.CONCLUSION:Zhichuan capsule could down-regulate the expression of TGF-β1,TGF-β1 mRNA and Smad-2 mRNA,up-regulate the expression of Smad-7 mRNA,and suppress airway remodeling.


objective: To observe the changes in the level of myocardial myeloperoxidase post severe burn in rats and to explore its correlation with the development of myocardial damage at the early stage post burn. Method: Rats were divided randomly into experiment group and normal control groups. In experiment group, rats were burned to 3rd degree with an area of 20 % TBSA. Determination of myocardial myeloperoxidase level and serum CK- MB and cTn- T levels in animals in both groups was conducted at different times. Result: At 2 hours post burn, myocardial myeloperoxidase level and serum cTn - T level increased significantly and remained at high levels for 48 and 72 hours. Serum CK - MB level began to increase at 4 hours and lowered down at 24 to 48 hours post burn. Correlation analysis showed that the increase in the level of myocardial myeloperoxidase was positively correlated to the increase in the level of serum cTn - T. Conclusion: Significant increase in the level of myocardial myeloperoxidase was closely correlated to the development of myocardial damage at the early stage post bum. Long time aggregation of neutrophils in the heart tissue was closely correlated to myocardial damage. Determination of the level of myocardial myeloperoxidase is helpful to the study of the prevention of myocardial damage at early stage post severe burn.


With the application of information and communication technology (ICT), the modern power system has gradually been updated to a typical cyber physical power system (CPPS). The deployment of distributed measurement devices enriches the application range of power communication services. However, due to the easy accessibility of distributed devices, it also creates favorable conditions for distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. In this paper, we focus on the security performance and defense strategies of the CPPS against DDoS attacks. In order to construct a coordinated defense in the power and information space, the cyber-attack process with a complete data flow of the CPPS needs to be described precisely. Therefore, a co-simulation technology-based platform is utilized to coordinate various layers in the CPPS and provide a unified research tool for the attack-defense test. On this basis, OPNET is used to replicate DDoS attacks in the information layer. Then, through the load frequency control (LFC) service of a multi-area interconnected power system, the influence of delays resulting from attacks on the control effect of the power layer is analyzed. Finally, to cope with the attack effects in both layers, detection measures of information and recovery measures of power quality are coordinated to eliminate attack consequences. Therefore, the stable operation of power services can be enabled.


It is shown that, provided the nonlinearityis strictly convex, a discontinuity in the initial valueu0(x) of the solution of the equation @ @t u(t;x)+ Z t 0 k(t s)(u(s;x) u 0(x))ds +(u)x(t;x)=0; wheret>0andx2 R, is not immediately smoothed out even if the memory kernel k is such that the solution of the problem where is a linear function is continuous fort>0. 1. Introduction and statement of results The purposeofthispaper isto showthat, providedthe nonlinearity is strictly convex, a discontinuity in the initial value u(0;x )= u 0 ( x) of the solution of the equation


Population-based studies of childhood adversity and adulthood trauma have shown varying prevalence and incidence rates due to differences in conceptualization and assessment of these events. Adverse childhood and adult events are prevalent in the general population and have deleterious effects on adult health over the life course. Exposure to adverse childhood events (ACEs) (i.e., household dysfunction) and adverse adult events (AAEs) (i.e., history of military combat or incarceration) can shape health behaviors, overall health, and disease trajectories. Despite the well-known lasting health effects of ACEs and AAEs, little is known about these events' singular and cumulative effects on cognitive health in mid to late life. The objective of this study is to examine if AAEs moderate the relationship between ACEs and cognitive functioning. Data was utilized from the 2010–2018 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) (N =3,320). Latent Growth Curve Modeling indicated that one or more ACEs were associated with a significant decrease in cognitive functioning (β=-0.19, p < .05). However, one or more AAEs were not significantly associated with a decrease in cognitive functioning (β=-0.19,p>.05). Finally, moderation analysis shows that AAEs do not significantly moderate the relationship between ACEs and cognitive functioning (β=-.32, p>.05). A better understanding of the timing and distribution of exposures to ACEs and AAEs can support targeting interventions and prevention screening measures. Inclusion of ACEs and AAEs in cognitive assessments could provide information about modifiable risk factors to reduce the potential negative impact of these stressors on cognitive aging trajectories in mid to late life.


The main reasons for why stereotypes of police officers about criminals are dangerous and affecting the legal system are: firstly, having stereotypes and misconceptions about typical criminals is damaging witness's ability to correctly identify and/or remember the offender's features; secondly, stereotypes determine the peculiarities of interrogations; thirdly having stereotypes hinders the identification of individuals who actually commit crimes. 270 university students of Law and Police Activity program participated in the study and gave their opinion on the portrait and likely activities of a potential perpetrator. The Criminal Stereotype Questionnaire-Revised (Sparks & MacLin, 2011) was used to evaluate students' judgment concerning the potential perpetrator's socially desirable/undesirable personality traits, early years of family life history and childhood and adolescence activities. The results of this study revealed that future law and public security officers refer to delinquent activities during childhood and adolescence as well to adverse parental family life circumstances when predicting criminal behavior rather than personality traits. Furthermore, they have some preconceptions about gender, race and criminal behavior in advance.


Persistent fifth aortic arch is a heterogeneous vascular anomaly with variable anatomical presentations and physiological consequences. This unusual embryological remnant represents a management challenge, particularly in critical right sided obstructive heart lesions where accurate delineation of sources of pulmonary blood flow is essential.
 This is a newborn 2 kg premature male born at 34 weeks of gestation with prenatally diagnosed tetralogy of Fallot. Post-natal echocardiogram confirmed diagnosis with evidence of moderate-to-severe pulmonary stenosis, restrictive ventricular septal defect, and a right aortic arch. CT angiogram ordered to delineate the head and neck vessel anatomy showed an exceedingly rare finding of an isolated connection of the left subclavian artery (LSCA) to the main pulmonary artery (MPA) via a left sided ductus arteriosus. Blood flowed from the common carotid arteries, through the circle of Willis, and, in a retrograde direction, into the LSCA. Prostaglandin E was initiated due to concern for ductal dependent pulmonary blood flow, but after clinical observation it was discontinued without subsequent onset of cyanosis. Repeat echocardiograms were reassuring in showing persistence of the left ductus arteriosus. The patient was discharged home at 5 weeks-old and at 4 months-old he underwent complete repair after developing progressive desaturations and worsening sub-valvar and valvar pulmonary stenosis. The surgical repair included ventricular septal defect closure, transannular patch, extensive right ventricular myomectomy and reimplantation of LSCA onto the left common carotid artery. The post-operative course was uncomplicated. This rare case of persistent fifth aortic arch with retrograde flow to the LSCA demonstrates the complementary roles of noninvasive imaging modalities in guiding medical therapy and surgical management. This unusual blood flow pattern and initial concern for duct dependent pulmonary blood flow complicated early management, but a conservative approach with repeat imaging allowed for eventual complete repair.


Vasopressin and oxytocin, as well as their biosynthetic congeners, the neurophysins, have been described in fiber tracts originating from several hypothalamic and limbic structure^.^^'.' lhrget areas of these fiber systems appear to be located in the lower brain stem, including the nucleus of the solitary tract and the dorsal column the intermediolateral column of the spinal cord;6 and limbic forebrain structures including the lateral septum, the medial nucleus of the arnygdala, and the lateral habenular Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) vasopressin levels, although influenced by osmotic stimuli and hemorrhage, do not always parallel the vasopressin concentrations in plasma, suggesting that CSF vasopressin is derived from central release rather than the bloodstream or posterior pituitary gland.'o.L1 Behavioral and autonomic changes described after administration of these peptides either intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) or locally into specific brain areas include alterations of learning and memory processes, development and maintenance of tolerance to and dependence on ethanol and opiate^,^^-^^ hypothermia and antipyresis,'**' analgesia," changes of cardiovascular f~nction,'~-'~ an influence on intracranial self-stimulation,'' and spontaneous behavioral changes.'*-" The induction of grooming and scratching behavior in mice after acute i.c.v. injection was first described by Delanoy et al. in 1978.'* The present report describes studies on the behavioral characteristics, pharmacology, structure-activity relationship, and possible sites of action for grooming and scratching behavior induced by vasopressin and oxytocin.


This report describes various traffic data which the Transport Research Laboratory has collected since 1990 for use in the development of bridge loading rules. The purpose of the report is to make potential users aware of the data available, and to present some analyses of them. The data are as follows: traffic loading data for the M5 and M6 motorways, traffic behaviour in free flow and jam conditions, and dynamic wheel load measurements. (A) (The data is also available on CD-Rom or video).


failures, all with a great wealth of detail. In particular, the comments highlight the often unrecognized role of fishing boats requisitioned during the two world wars and prove that civilian boats contributed more than might be thought to the war effort. Among the appendices, the data on the shipowners, which are particularly complete, should be praised. All that is missing in this remarkable book is a synoptic chapter showing how navigation and fishing techniques evolved over the last three decades, a period of enormous industrial growth, and situating Fecamp shipowners in a more general context. Yet the main technical developments are not totally ignored, since they are mentioned in the chapter concerning the ship on which they were first installed. For instance, the SACIP deep-freeze process was first installed on the trawler Leon Poret in 1932. The book is without doubt a reliable reference work. And the format could be advantageously copied by others.


Homoeroticism in the Biblical World: A Historical Perspective, by Martti Nissinen. Translated by Kirsi Stjerna. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1998. Pp. vii + 208. $24.00. For its brevity and accessibility, Martti Nissinen's book on same-sex eroticism is remarkably global-geographically and chronologically. Where else can one find a convenient study of primary texts on homoeroticism from Mesopotamia, the Hebrew Bible, classical antiquity, Judaism, and the NT? The subtitle notwithstanding, the interest is not purely historical. Hermeneutical concerns emerge in an introduction on modern explanations of homosexuality and gender, and in a conclusion that considers how problematic it is to correlate ancient and modern understandings of homoeroticism. Thus, the discussion of ancient texts stands under the question of how it is possible to make comparisons between different cultures and different ages. Ten illustrative plates, an appendix on "Creation, Nature, and Gender Identity," and extensive annotation complete the book. Nissinen, Reader in OT at the University of Helsinki, appropriately establishes precise terminology and cautions against equating modern and ancient issues. Homosexuality designates homosexual orientation, and homoerotic designates sexual interaction between members of the same sex. A discussion of attempts to explain sexuality as inborn (essentialist) or as a product of social relations (constructionist) ends conventionally in a stalemate, without diminishing its importance for both author and reader. The book maintains that gender is a social construct. Thus, the gender of sexual partners inevitably presupposes social roles. The chapter on Mesopotamia includes a brief reference to Egyptian mythology, in which Seth's sexual abuse of Horns demonstrates his dominance. More germane is the love between two males in the Epic of Gilgamesh (though Gilgamesh and Enkidu are more than human). But Nissinen interprets this relationship as a rejection of a world that includes females for masculine asceticism. A discussion of Middle Assyrian Laws indicates that male homoeroticism is regulated on analogy with adultery, though penetrating a social equal shames him by implying altered gender roles. On the other hand, Assyrian omens indicate that a male who penetrates another gains dominance. Pertinent also is IStar's gender ambiguity (masculine as a morning star, feminine as an evening star) and a cultic functionary known as assinnus, who played ambiguous gender roles, perhaps including castration. These roles were, however, more asexual than homoerotic. Little novel appears in the discussion of texts from the Hebrew Bible. Nissinen locates the texts in their socio-historical setting (the Holiness Code is postexilic) and employs comparative history of religions. He emphasizes the dearth of evidence for explaining why the Holiness Code prohibits sexual acts between males but also suggests that cultic purity was driven by ancient (antiquated?) taboo linked with a strategy to maintain communal identity. Sodom and the Levite's wife (Judg 19) receive the now commonplace explanations that hospitality is violated. Additionally, sexual infractions in these stories manifest domination. Taking "seeing nakedness" as a euphemism for sexual intercourse, Nissinen interprets Ham's curse as a result of a homoerotic act that reverses Noah's sexual role. Given the equality of David and Jonathan (neither is active with respect to a passive other), their relationship is evaluated as homosocial rather than homoerotic. The longest chapter is devoted to classical antiquity. Greek and Roman male homoeroticism are distinct enough to merit separate discussions. In Greek culture pederasty (an unequal relationship between a pubescent boy and a mature man who cannot automatically be equated with modem homosexuals) did not challenge social norms and was viewed as normal in the development of youths. As is well known, Plato evaluated pederasty as superior to marriage. …


The study analyses the economics of coconut production under organic farming in Coimbatore District of Tamil Nadu. Participatory Guarantee Scheme (PGS) was studied in accordance to how farmers get their organic farming certification under PKVY scheme in Tamil Nadu. The estimated variable cost was Rs. 43,025/ha. The total cost of cultivation was Rs.82,216/ha. The net income over operational cost was Rs.2,95,888/ha and net income over total cost was Rs.2,56,697/ha. Total yield was increasingly responsive with higher application of farm yard manure and bio- fertilizers. Results of scale efficiency shows majority of the farms were operating in optimum return to scale. Inadequate supply of labour and inadequate market for organic products poses as major constraints to organic coconut farming in the area of study.
Aim: The purpose of the study was to find out the profitability level and responsiveness of yield with input application of organic farming through Participatory Guarantee Scheme (PGS) and how farmers actively involved in organic farming to conserve natural resources.
Design of Study and Methodology: The study was conducted in Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu (2020) with 60 sample respondents. Purposive sampling was adopted for the study and two blocks were selected based on the leading operator of PGS scheme. The data were collected through well-structured interview schedule which was prepared through pre-tested survey. The analytical methods followed in the study included cost and returns estimation, resource use efficiency and data envelopment analysis to reveal the exact scenario of organic farming practices.
Findings of the study:
The study showed about

Organic coconut is found to be one of the most important and sustainable crop options.
Estimates of Resource Use Efficiency show that coconut yield was relatively higher with use of farm yard manure and bio- fertilizers, compared to all other organic inputs
Nearly, 32.5 per cent of the farms considered under study were found to be operating in constant returns to scale.
The major marketing constraint faced by the sample farmers through organic farming was inadequate supply of labour and price fluctuations of coconut.


Given a fibration $f$ between two projective manifolds $X$ and $Y$, we discuss the effective generation of the higher direct images $R^{i}f_{\ast}(K^{m}_{X})$, where $K^{m}_{X}$ is the $m$-th tensor power of the canonical bundle of $X$. In particular, we answer two questions posed by Popa--Schnell in [PS14].


Every year 424,000 fatal accidents occur, they are the second cause of unintentional death after road traffic injuries. The difference between fatal and not fatal accidents often is the presence of other people able to promptly provide first aid or call for help. Unfortunately, even during the practice of group activities (e.g. team sports) an accident can happen when a person is alone or out of sight; thus, the availability of devices able to detect if a serious accident is occurred and consequently arise an alarm to other people is an important issue for the safety of people. Starting from these considerations, in this paper we propose a wearable device able to detect accidents occurring during the practice of running. The device uses a one class SVM trained only on the normal activity and classifies as anomalies all the unknown situations. Then, in order to avoid alarms related to non dangerous events, the output of the classifier is analyzed by an additional stage responsible to detect if the person is or not unconscious after an abnormal event. In the former case an alarm is arisen by the


Abstract A method of calculating the potential due to a substitutional impurity in a nearly-free-electron metal is presented. The solvent is approximated by a free-electron gas and the impurity potential incorporates the potential due to the core of the impurity, the potential due to the uniform electronic density, the screening potential and a correction for exchange. The impurity potential is calculated self-consistently using a method similar to that used by Islam and Ball (1970) to calculate the potential of a pseudoatom in a pure metal. With their original method, the calculated potentials have a long range and the results are not in agreement with experiment. To make the potentials more physically realistic, they are reduced outside the impurity cell by an exponential cut-off factor. Phase-shifts for LiMg, LiAg, LiCd, LiIn, NaCd, NaIn are presented and the spin-flip scattering cross-sections [sgrave] are calculated. The results are in good agreement with experiment, especially when the dilatation of...


Periodic permanent waves in shallow water are stable to periodic disturbances in the same direction, but are unstable to certain oblique periodic disturbances. A computer-assisted stability analysis is made of such waves for oblique disturbances with wavelengths comparable to and long compared with the fundamental wavelength. Regions of instability are calculated, and an explanation is given for the occurrence of instability. It is shown that disturbances in the same direction with a small margin of stability may cause a greater modification to the permanent wave in practice than do oblique unstable disturbances.


.....................................................................................................ii TABLE OF CONTENTS......................................................................................iv INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................1 METHODS......................................................................................................5 Study Area......................................................................................................5 Evaluation of Leaf Area Estimators.........................................................................6 Production Efficiency Analysis..............................................................................7 RESULTS......................................................................................................14 Evaluation of Leaf Area Estimators........................................................................14 Production Efficiency Analysis.............................................................................14 DISCUSSION.................................................................................................20 CONCLUSION................................................................................................28 REFERENCES................................................................................................29


In this paper, a dense Internet of Things (IoT) monitoring system is considered in which a large number of IoT devices contend for channel access so as to transmit timely status updates to the corresponding receivers using a carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) scheme. Under two packet management schemes with and without preemption in service, the closed-form expressions of the average age of information (AoI) and the average peak AoI of each device is characterized. It is shown that the scheme with preemption in service always leads to a smaller average AoI and a smaller average peak AoI, compared to the scheme without preemption in service. Then, a distributed noncooperative medium access control game is formulated in which each device optimizes its waiting rate so as to minimize its average AoI or average peak AoI under an average energy cost constraint on channel sensing and packet transmitting. To overcome the challenges of solving this game for an ultra-dense IoT, a mean-field game (MFG) approach is proposed to study the asymptotic performance of each device for the system in the large population regime. The accuracy of the MFG is analyzed, and the existence, uniqueness, and convergence of the mean-field equilibrium (MFE) are investigated. Simulation results show that the proposed MFG is accurate even for a small number of devices; and the proposed CSMA-type scheme under the MFG analysis outperforms two baseline schemes with fixed and dynamic waiting rates, with the average AoI reductions reaching up to 22% and 34%, respectively. Moreover, it is observed that the average AoI and the average peak AoI under the MFE do not necessarily decrease with the arrival rate.


In recent decades, much attention has been devoted to the study of primates in the wild. There has, however, been little research done on primates in captivity. This study focuses on a captive chimpanzee troop in the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas which was studied as part of a physical anthropology class project for the Wichita State University under the direction of Dr. Peer Moore-Jansen. A research method was developed in which four behaviors were observed for the entire troop simultaneously. Behaviors were chosen which may be indicators of social status and organization as they are for chimpanzees in the wild. The results of our study indicate that troop behavior in captivity may be quite different than in the wild. Introduction The study of chimpanzees is important because of the relationship between chimpanzees and humans. According to Wilson and Sarich (1971), chimpanzees are the most closely related animals to humans genetically. Using the serum albumin molecule from one type of animal and injecting it into another, they determined the genetic closeness of the animals. The amount of white blood cells the second animal produced could be measured, and the genetic distance determined (the more white blood cells the injected animal produced, the farther apart they were said to be). The genetic distance between chimpanzees and humans has been determined to be only 2 percent. Chimpanzees are divided into two species Pan paniscus and Pan troglodytes and several other subspecies. The chimpanzees at the Sedgwick County Zoo all


Cropland transfer is crucial in dealing with the contradiction between agricultural modernization with rural household contract responsibility system.It may overcome the disadvantages of Chinese traditional system of land equalization and boost the sustainable use of cropland.With the nonfarm process of rural households'livelihood, many migrating households tend to transfer their cropland out.And those rural households with lower migrating labor rate may engage in large-scale agricultural production.Therefore,understanding the impact of rural households'nonfarm employment on cropland transfer is essential to clarify the driving forces of cropland transfer.In the article,the impact of rural households'nonfarm employment on cropland transfer was systematically analyzed in rural and environmentally fragile areas in Changting County of Fujian Province,based on the survey of 358 households in 6 villages.The logistic regressive model was established to examine the impact of rural households'nonfarm employment on cropland transfer.The independent variables of the logistic regressive model included: number of household agricultural labors,average age of household agricultural labors,cropland area per capita,the proportion of income from managing cropland to total household income per year,and proportion of employees at non-agriculture to total labors.The results indicated that rural households'nonfarm employment remarkably promoted the cropland transfer out.The relationship between rural households'nonfarm employment and cropland transfer was a positive feedback relationship.The agricultural labor scarcity and agricultural labor opportunity costs resulted from out-migration and local off-farm employment were the primary cause of the cropland transfer out.Moreover,nonfarm employment as a whole impeded cropland transfer in.In detail,agricultural labor opportunity costs hindered the cropland transfer in,while the decrease of land rent promoted the cropland transfer in to some extent.Finally,conclusions and policy enlightenment were summarized.The conclusions contained three parts.Firstly,the relationship between rural livelihood nonfarm trend and cropland transfer out was a positive feedback other than a simple one-way linear relation.Secondly,agricultural labor scarcity and agricultural labor opportunity costs resulted from rural nonfarm employment was the most important cause of cropland transfer out.In addition,the higher opportunity costs and decreasing cropland rent were key factors of cropland transfer in.Therefore,in order to promote cropland transfer and sustainable management,some measures should be taken such as accelerating rural labor forces transfer into non-agriculture,boosting the cropland centralization and large-scale management, increasing overall support for large-scale agriculture,and optimizing the management of cropland transfer.


The Best Index Slope Extraction (BISE) is proposed as an alternative to the Maximum Value Composite (MVC) as a way of reducing noise in Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) time-series from Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data. The BISE method retains more valuable elements of an NDVI profile than the MVC. NDVI profiles prepared using the BISE method show strong differences in the development characteristics of various West African vegetation types.


This report shares a study that explored the perceptions pre-service teachers have of middle school students. Participants were asked to complete the Adjective Checklist (ACL) by endorsing the words they considered most characteristic of a typical middle school student. Items most frequently endorsed indicated a predominantly negative perception (e.g. "awkward", "confused" and "emotional"). Implications for pre-service teacher training are discussed.