Cache memories are small fast memories used to temporarily hold the contents of main memory that are likely to be referenced by processors so as to reduce instruction and data access time. In this paper, we represent analytical models of instruction fetch process for four types of instruction cache structures that can be used for superscalar processors. In the models, we define various kinds of architectural parameters and take cache miss and branch misprediction into consideration. To prove the correctness of the proposed models, we performed extensive simulations and compared the results with the analytical models. Simulation results showed that the proposed model can estimate the instruction fetch rate accurately within 10% error in most cases. Both analytical model and simulation show that the increase of cache misses reduces the instruction fetch rate more severely than that of branch misprediction does. However, the analytical model can explain the causes of performance degradation which cannot be uncovered by the simulation method only. The model is also able to provide exact relationship between cache miss and branch misprediction for instruction fetch analysis.


Using data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, the authors investigated whether there was evidence of intraindividual stability in behavior problems over time as well as whether children with higher levels of behavior problems at 24 months and more rapid increases in behavior problems prior to school entry performed more poorly on 1st-grade tests of cognitive ability and achievement than their peers. Three findings were noteworthy. First, there was evidence of both intraindividual and interindividual variability in behavior problems between 24 months and 1st grade. Second, children with higher initial levels of internalizing and externalizing behaviors at 24 months had lower cognitive ability and achievement scores in 1st grade. Finally, children with more rapid increases in internalizing behaviors over time had lower cognitive ability scores in 1st grade; this association did not exist for externalizing behaviors. Implications for future research are discussed.


Present paper reports the synthesis of pure TiO 2 and (Sn-Ti)O 2 nanocomposite, its characterization and performance as Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Sensor. Thick films of both the materials were prepared by using screen printing technique. After that these were investigated through SEM. SEM image of pure TiO 2 shows that grains are random in shape having pores. The grains observed on the (Sn-Ti)O 2 thick-film surface are spherical in shape and more porous than pure TiO 2 . Further at room temperature, the films were exposed to LPG in a controlled gas chamber and variations in resistance with the concentrations of LPG were observed. The maximum value of average sensitivity for pure TiO 2 and (Sn-Ti)O 2 thick-film were found 3.0 and 11 respectively for 2 vol.% of LPG. Sensor responses as a function of exposure and response times were also estimated and maximum sensor response for pure TiO 2 and (Sn-Ti)O 2 thick-film were found 207 and 1040 respectively.


This article investigates the determinants of pairing decisions in M&A activity of knowledgeintensive …rms. Using standard patent-based metrics from novel data on 2,378 M&A deals, I show that there is a positive assortative sorting on acquirer and target innovation output quality; conditional on participating in M&A activity, high quality targets pair with high quality acquirers. The positive sorting on innovation quality is consistent with the view that external innovation complements internal innovation output of …rms. I also show that the pairing probability in an acquisition decreases with distance between the acquirer and the target …rm in technology, product market, and geography. Furthermore, I show that sorting on innovation quality in acquisition of private …rms is weaker than in public …rms. This di¤erence has implications for acquirer returns in public-private acquisitions.


In order to effectively raise both utilization rate and additional value of fly ash, X-Ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-Ray spectrometer (EDS) were used to investigate the morphology, and chemical and mineral composition of the microspheres in fly ash from the Luohuang coal-fired power plant, Chongqing, southwestern China. The majority of fly ash particles are various types of microspheres, including porous microsphere, plerospheres (hollow microspheres surrounding sub-microspheres or mineral fragments) and magnetic ferrospheres. Maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) crystals with spinel octahedron structure regularly distribute on the surfaces of ferrospheres, which explained the source of their strong magnetism that would facilitate the separation and classification of these magnetic ferrospheres from the fly ash. Microspheres in Luohuang fly ash generally are characterized by an elemental transition through their cross-section: the inner layer consists of Si and O; the chemical component of the middle layer is Si, Al, Fe, Ti, Ca and O; and the Fe-O mass (maghemite or hematite) composes the outer layer (ferrosphere). Studies on composition and morphological characteristics of microspheres in fly ash would provide important information on the utilization of fly ash, especially in the field of materials.


Objective: Analyzing the association between Metabolic Syndrome (MS) risk factors and work absenteeism due to illnesses among University Hospital employees in Salvador City, Bahia, Brazil. Methods: Cross-sectional study comprised 1173 Bahia Federal University Hospital employees: 57.3% of them were federal employees (statutory officers) and 42.7% were civil servants (CLT employees). Participants were in the age group 41.5 years: 69.4% were female and 30.6% were male. Results: MS prevalence in employees reached 6.6%; women accounted for 69.7% of the total. The percentage increases with age and has similar proportion among directcare providers and ancillary supports personnel, 40.8% and 39.5%, respectively. The risk factor analysis showed 25% hypertension, 54.6% weight excess (18.4% obese and 36.2% overweight patients), 20% hypercholesterolemia, 9.9% hypertriglyceridemia and 6.5% diabetes mellitus prevalence. Absenteeism longer than one day within the studied population reached 40.1%. Osteoarticular diseases were the most common reason for absenteeism, accounting for 50.7% of it: 62.6% of whom were either overweight or obese. The mean cost with absenteeism per employee was R$5492.87 ($2347.00 US Dollars), and it corresponds to annual cost of R 2,587,139.53 ($1,105,610.00 US Dollars). The highest cost with absenteeism caused by illnesses was recorded for female workers; for federal employees who were patient caregivers, who worked in the Pediatric Centre and who worked at night shifts. Conclusion: The high Metabolic Syndrome risk factors and overweight incidence are responsible for the increased costs faced by hospitals due to high absenteeism rates.


Recently, new buildings are being designed considering natural sources such as natural ventilation as a passive technique. Solar chimneys are among those techniques of passive ventilation systems in buildings, to enhance the air quality and some times the thermal comfort. In this work, a numerical study of a solar chimney for forced ventilation is carried out. Also a parametric study varying the ambient air temperature, the solar irradiance and Reynolds number is considered. The dimensions of the solar chimney are 4.0 m high, and 0.35 m deep, the absorber surface of the solar chimney was 0.15 m thick of reinforced concrete. The conservation equations of mass, momentum, energy and two turbulence equations are solved under some simplifications such as: 2-D, incompressible, steady state turbulent air flow and conjugated heat transfer (conduction, forced convection and radiation). k-ω turbulent model was implemented and finite volume technique was applied to solve the conservation equations. In order to guarantee the right performance of the computer code, it was reduced to cases reported in the literature and verified; also, it was validated with an experiment. The variation of ambient temperature, solar irradiance and Reynolds number are analyzed in the parametric study. The heat transfer correlations for total Nusselt number (convective plus radiative) are introduced. From the results, it was found that the heat transfer increases as the Reynolds number increases for the hot surface of the solar chimney.Copyright © 2009 by ASME


Oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is thought to contribute to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Consistent with this idea, the antioxidant drug probucol reduces the risk of restenosis, a form of cardiovascular disease, in humans. However, a new study now suggests that the protective effect of probucol depends not on its ability to inhibit lipid oxidation, but on its ability to induce the stress-induced antiinflammatory enzyme heme oxygenase (HO)-1. This might explain why other antioxidants, such as vitamin E, fail to prevent cardiovascular disease in humans.


Abstract In this study, we suggest a method to measure the thickness of thin films nondestructively using the dispersion characteristics of a surface acoustic wave propagating along the thin film surface. To measure the thickness of thin films, we deposited thin films with different thicknesses on a Si (100) wafer substrate by controlling the deposit time using the E-beam evaporation method. The thickness of the thin films was measured using a scanning electron microscope. Subsequently, the surface wave velocity of the thin films with different thicknesses was measured using the V(z) curve method of scanning acoustic microscopy. The correlation between the measured thickness and surface acoustic wave velocity was verified. The wave velocity of the film decreased as the film thickness increased. Therefore, thin film thickness can be determined by measuring the dispersion characteristics of the surface acoustic wave velocity. Keywords: Scanning Acoustic Microscopy, V(z) Curve, Dispersion, Surface Wave Velocity, Thin Film Thickness[접수일: 2014. 3. 31, 수정일: 2014. 4. 17, 게재확정일: 2014. 4. 17] *한양대학교, **서울과학기술대학교, ***한국표준과학연구원 ✝Corresponding Author: Department of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul 139-743, Korea (E-mail: email@example.com)


ABSTRACT Early forms of entertainment in the Chinese immigrant society of Singapore took the form of festivals and festivities that invariably occurred on the streets. Celebration of festivals served religious and ethnic as well as moral functions, when values were reproduced and reinforced. People of the same kind gathered together to reproduce their ethnicity. Such festive events were as recreational as they were community-building and identity-bestowing. The character of leisure changed sharply when the entertainment went indoors, into amusement parks, cinemas, theaters, and dance and music halls. Leisure thus became less communal, more individualistic, more voluntary. Entertainment was becoming consumption, or consumption was displacing entertainment. One witnessed a profound moment of social transformation, because leisure had taken on a voluntary, individualistic character. The individual would labor to pay for his leisure and pleasure; pleasure was commodified—a sort of recreational consumption or consumptive recreation. At this moment of history, he reduced himself to a nonparticipant relationship with his objects of desire, maintaining a detached and alienated relationship with all, just like in the realm of work. The consumption of entertainment as offered later on the air, through radio and television, was made possible by the mediation of machines. Machines now came between the entertainer and the entertained, and created strangeness and anonymity. Increasingly, one listened to the radio, watched television, enjoyed a movie, all on one's own. A movie-goer faced the silver screen, alone, himself wrapped up in darkness. The completion of privatization of entertainment and leisure meant the ascendancy of the individual and the demise of community and tradition. PERSONAL INTERVIEWS Bai Yan & Mrs. Bai Yan, 21 February, 1997; 27 May, 1997. Foong Choong Hon, 10 May, 1997. Lee Fook Hung (ada Lee Dai Soh, Li Dasha), Oral History Centre (000260/07), Singapore National Archives. Shangguan Liyun, 28 May, 1997. Tan Giak, Oral History Centre (001040/02), Singapore National Archives. Weng Shu Dao, 10 May, 1997. VIDEORECORDING Singapore Broadcasting Corporation, Radio Singapore, 4 January, 1959. Singapore: Television Corporation of Singapore, c1998. WEBSITE The Shaw Story: 77 Years of Entertaining the World. http://www.shaw.com.sg/shawstory/shawstory.htm


Objective:To study the clinical efficacy and its safety of benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH) with transurethral resection of prostate electric(TUVP) . Methods:The sperm from the bladder neck to the mound first broke into the bladder of vaporization of the prostate,then both sides of the prostate,respectively gasification,gasification depth of occurrence of prostate surgery capsule,to see the white fibers when the surgical capsule,and accompanied by a small amount of bleeding. Gasification can be used at this time electrode hemostasis. After three chamber balloon catheter into the 22 F in order to flush the bladder. Results:The mean operative time was 46.8 minutes.One month after 65 cases of mild hematuria,2 cases of severe hematuria,after electrocoagulation after the bleeding,no other complication. The mean follow-up of 12 months IPSS score reduced from 24.8 to 5.4 points,the quality of life score also reduced from 4.9 to 2.1 points. Residual urine 108 ml reduced to 22 ml. 229 cases of urodynamic tests showed no bladder outlet obstruction,the remaining number of display cases of severe from preoperative to postoperative bladder outlet obstruction in mild obstruction. Conclusion:Transurethral resection of prostate is a new,easy to grasp the surgical methods,with less trauma,less bleeding,high security,fast recovery,mortality rate is low,efficacy and stability characteristics. And can be an alternative to traditional abdominal resection of the prostate.


the drum, everybody keeping very quiet until he finishes. The wand, fan, and incense are laid next to the moon (in back of the Chief Peyote) beside the rattle and drum top. The drum kettle still containing water and charcoal is passed to the left around the tipi. This water is considered holy and the participants put it on themselves by means of their drumsticks. When it gets back to the Chief the ceremony is finished, and he pours out the water between the moon and the fire. Then the people sit around a while discussing the dreams that they had during the night, as well as any mistakes one of their comrades made. After they leave, the tipi is taken down immediately. The moon is not destroyed, but left to weather away. At noon there is a big feast preceded by the Chief arising and asking some particular person to give the last prayer. Peyote is also considered to be beneficial outside the ceremony. On one occasion while driving through Oklahoma on a long trip, the author stopped at Concho (Cheyenne Agency) to procure some peyote. His Indian friends there advised him to take one button while driving as it would keep him awake. It is a good stimulant in small quantities and is often taken in the form of a tea. At the present time most peyote is bought from dealers in southern Texas, but according to my informants a few years ago the Cheyenne would go down into Mexico to collect it themselves.


The establishment of timely access to primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients holds great promise for improving quality of care and patient outcomes. As described in other sections of these conference proceedings, there are significant barriers to the establishment of the ideal system. Changes in policy will be required to overcome many of the obstacles that preclude the delivery of optimal care for all STEMI patients. Short- and long-term policy recommendations that can foster an ideal STEMI system environment are described below. These recommendations focus on how to maximize opportunities to improve the care of STEMI patients by enhancing the processes that are currently available but not fully implemented.

### Evaluation of Resources for STEMI Systems and Access to Primary PCI by State and by Region

To ensure that states have the resources available to effectively adopt an ideal system will require that a state or region interested in implementing such a system evaluate their existing resources and analyze how many financial and human resources they would be willing to commit. A state or region should evaluate its emergency medical services (EMS) capabilities and identify the number and location of primary PCI-capable hospitals within a safe distance that would allow for timely treatment of a STEMI patient with primary PCI. It should also assess the total number of STEMI patients that their hospitals receive on an annual basis. This information would help to better identify whether the existing primary PCI hospitals could handle the volume of patients who may be eligible for primary PCI.

### Evaluation of State Regulations and Pending Legislation

Another factor that should be considered when implementing a STEMI system is how existing state regulations and pending legislation may positively or negatively affect the implementation of a STEMI system. For example, in the state of Arizona, the director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, in consultation with the medical director of EMS, can establish protocols related …


In disaster scenarios, such as an area after a terrorist attack, security is a significant problem since communications involve information for the rescue officers, such as polices, militaries, emergency medical technicians, and the survivors. Such information is critically important for the rescue organizations; and protecting the privacy of the survivors is required. Normally, authenticated key exchange (AKE) is an underlying approach for security. However, available AKE protocols are either inconvenient or infeasible in disaster areas due to the very nature of disasters. To address the security problem in disaster scenarios, we propose two pairing-free identity-based AKE (ID-AKE) protocols that have unbalanced computational requirements on the two parties. Compared with existing AKE protocols, the proposed protocols have a number of advantages in disaster scenarios: 1) they are more convenient than symmetric cryptography-based AKE protocols since they do not require any preshared secret between the parties; 2) they are more feasible than asymmetric cryptography-based AKE protocols since they do not require any online server; and 3) they are more friendly to battery-powered and computationally limited devices than pairing-based and pairing-free ID-AKE protocols since they do not involve any bilinear pairing (a time-consuming operation), and have lower computational requirement on the limited party. Security of the proposed protocols are analyzed in detail; and prototypes of them are implemented to evaluate the performance. We also illustrate the application of the protocols through a vivid use case in a terrorist attack scenario.


................................................................................................... II LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................... VI LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................... VIII ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................... IX DEDICATION ................................................................................................ X CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION ................................................................. 1 1.1. Leukemia ..................................................................................................................... 1 1.1.1. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) ............................................................. 1 1.1.2. Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).................................................................... 3 1.1.3. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) ............................................................ 5 1.1.4. Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) .................................................................. 8 1.1.5. Lymphoma ..................................................................................................... 14 1.2. Non coding RNA ....................................................................................................... 21 1.2.1. Classes of lncRNAs and lncRNA Functionality ........................................... 23 1.2.2. lncRNA Functionality ................................................................................... 26 1.2.3. LncRNAs Deregulated in Haematological Malignancies ............................. 30 220.127.116.11. LncRNAs with Oncogenic Properties ........................................................ 33 126.96.36.199. LncRNAs with Tumor Suppressor Properties ........................................... 33 220.127.116.11. LncRNAs with Dual Functions .................................................................. 35 1.2.4. LncRNAs and Hematopoietic Malignancies ................................................. 35 22.214.171.124. LncRNAs Poorly Characterized in Haematological Malignancies ........... 35 18.104.22.168. LncRNAs Involved in Hematopoiesis ....................................................... 36 1.2.5. Regulation of the Expression of lncRNAs Involved in Haematological Malignancies ................................................................................................................ 37 1.2.6. MIAT (myocardial infarction associated transcript) ..................................... 39 1.3. Oct4 transcription factor .......................................................................................... 43 CHAPTER 2: SPECIFIC AIMS OF STUDY ............................................ 48 CHAPTER 3. MATERIALS AND METHODS ......................................... 50 3.1. Plasmids ..................................................................................................................... 50 3.2. Primers and Probes .................................................................................................. 53 3.3. DNA and Protein Marker/Ladder ........................................................................... 54 pageIV 3.4. Cell lines and Cultures ............................................................................................. 55 3.4.1. Cell lines ........................................................................................................ 55 3.4.2. Cell cultures ................................................................................................... 58 3.4.3. Counting the Cell Number ............................................................................. 59 3.5. Development of Lentivirus for shRNA Against Oct4 ............................................ 59 3.5.1. Plasmid Preparation ....................................................................................... 59 3.5.2. Production and Packaging of Lentiviral Particles ......................................... 60 3.5.3. Cell Plating .................................................................................................... 60 3.5.4. Co-Transfection with Calcium Phosphate Transfection Reagent.................. 61 3.5.5. Viral Particle Collection and concentration .................................................. 63 3.5.6. Viral Iteration ................................................................................................ 64 3.5.7. Transduction of Recombinant Lentiviral Particle ......................................... 66 3.5.8. Infection of Target Cells with Recombinant Lentiviral Particle .................. 66 3.6. Cloning of MIAT ORF ............................................................................................. 66 3.6.1. Restriction Enzyme Digestion ....................................................................... 66 3.6.2. Ligation .......................................................................................................... 67 3.6.3. Competent Cells ............................................................................................ 67 3.6.4. Transformation .............................................................................................. 68 3.6.5. Glycerol Stocks Preparation .......................................................................... 69 3.6.6. Manipulation of DNA .................................................................................... 70 3.7. Quantitative Molecular Assays ................................................................................ 72 3.7.1. RNA Assay .................................................................................................... 72 3.7.2. Protein Assay ................................................................................................. 79 3.8. Quantitative Cell Analysis ........................................................................................ 81 3.8.1. CellTiter-Glo® Luminescent Cell Viability Assay ....................................... 81 3.8.2. Caspase-Glo® 3/7 Apoptosis Assay .............................................................. 82 3.8.3. MTS assay ..................................................................................................... 83 3.9. Statistical Analysis .................................................................................................... 83 CHAPTER 4. RESULTS .............................................................................. 84 4.1. LncRNA MIAT is Differentially Expressed Among Leukemic Cell Lines .......... 84 4.2. CLL Patients Differentially Express MIAT Transcript ........................................ 88 4.3. Transcription Factor Oct4 Modulates MIAT Expression .................................... 90 4.4. Knockdown of lncRNA MIAT in leukemic cell lines ............................................. 93 4.4.1. Figuring out the most Effective Leukemic Cell Line for Chemical Transfection of Synthetic Oligos like siRNAs ............................................................ 93 4.4.2. MIAT Knockdown in CI1 and DB Cell Lines .............................................. 96


Abstract. —The Spectacled Guillemot (Cepphus carbo) is a seabird endemic to northeastern Asia. It is listed as a "Vulnerable" species in Japan, though little is known of its population status. Population surveys were carried out during 2011–2014 throughout their range in northern Japan. Twenty-eight known and six suspected breeding colonies were reported in this region during 1875–2010. Fourteen known and four suspected breeding colonies were found in the 2011–2014 surveys, with 1,169 individuals and 294 nests. Based on our analysis of the two survey periods, 19 colonies have apparently disappeared, and populations have decreased in 12 of the current colonies. Our models indicated that colonies with small numbers of individuals were most likely to disappear, whereas other environmental factors (i.e., colony type, latitude, and SST trends) had relatively minimal effects on local colony extirpation. Our study shows that the population status of the Spectacled Guillemot has deteriorated in Japan.


The enthusiastic development of non-autogenous bone graft materials to correct oral cleft defects in dentistry is founded on arguments of post-operative morbidity and quantity limitation when using conventional iliac crest bone grafts. While success in tooth movement is usually reported for the grafted extraction socket, the results cannot be extrapolated to congenital alveolar clefts as there are differences in terms of vasculature and soft tissue support. This paper provides an overview of the dental and skeletal anomalies in cleft patients, followed by the orthodontic implications of cleft correction and, lastly, a review of the available evidence in bone grafts used for alveolar clefts alone. The nonautogenous grafts used are derived from another human (allografts), animal (xenografts), synthetic bones (alloplasts) or the latest tissue-engineered graft material. The main advantage of using these grafts is a reduction in the number of operative sites. The drawbacks are cost, reduced tooth movement, possibility of root resorption and host reaction. Tissue-engineered grafts seem promising but there is still a lack of clinical trials in human subjects. Important properties related to orthodontics are the graft resorption rate, along with the effect on root resorption and tooth movement rate. To date, autogenous bone grafts remain the first choice for cleft repair.


We consider the problem of optimizing parameters in a trial function that is to be used in fixed-node diffusion Monte Carlo calculations. We employ a trial function with a Boys-Handy correlation function and a one-particle basis set of high quality. By employing sample points picked from a positive definite distribution, parameters that determine the nodes of the trial function can be varied without introducing singularities into the optimization. For CH as a test system, we find that a trial function of high quality is obtained and that this trial function yields an improved fixed-node energy. This result sheds light on the important question of how to improve the nodal structure and, thereby, the accuracy of diffusion Monte Carlo.


The present disclosure is directed to a configured eyewear as an input device for such interaction with the computing device. Eyewear includes tap, press, swipe, and outputs a signal indicative of user interaction with the eyewear through like pinch, for example, arranged on the frame of the glasses, a multi-touch sensor set. Use sensor processing logic, input data corresponding to the signal, the program, for example, can be provided to the program to be user interaction.


Based on the data of the life cycle degradation of lithium ion batteries in Maryland University, this paper analyzes the life degradation process of lithium ion batteries and selects the empirical degradation model. A method for the prediction of lithium ion battery based on EKF / KF is proposed. The EKF algorithm is used to estimate the historical data. Then, the remaining useful life of the lithium ion battery is estimated based on the KF algorithm. The validity of the algorithm is verified by the lithium ion battery data of the University of Maryland, and the algorithm is evaluated by the MAE index.


: We report 217 cases in which blood alternatives and surgery based on Patient Blood Management (PBM) were performed in patients who are Jehovah's Witnesses. The diseases included 4 cases of esophageal cancer, 51 of gastric cancer, 75 of colorectal cancer, 37 of liver cancer, 16 of bile duct cancer, 25 of pancreatic cancer and 10 of other organ tumors. Forty-one patients with anemia were treated by employing preoperative blood augmentation, all of whom were enabled to receive planned resection. The frequency of using autologous blood transfusion was 48% overall, in which most of the high-level hepato-biliary-pancreatic surgeries were integrated by a combination of hemodilutional and salvaged autotransfusion. Postoperative care included administration of an iron infusion and minor components if needed. Postoperative complications were observed at the rate of 3.1%, all of which were well-managed by closemonitoring of surgical drainage. PBM, which consists of multidisciplinary management involving blood augmentation and autologous blood transfusion, enabled surgical treatment of Jehovah's Witness patients that contributed to their better prognosis.


An active contour models for object tracking using prior contour are investigated. The proposed algorithm uses edge with color feature for tracking and also uses the prior contour information for robust characteristics. The orthogonal search to contour extends search range and reduces computational burden compared with conventional snake algorithms. The conventional algorithms have many problem for tracking, so model based techniques are noticed in tracking with snake. The tracking with models such as eigenvector model and dynamic model are suggested. But they need complex procedures such as training, estimation and matching. The proposed algorithm suggests the tracking scheme such like Kass's one, energy minimization. But it uses the prior contour as a model defining smooth similarities with two contours. The algorithm searches normally and uses dynamic programming to solve energy minimization problem. The main drawbacks of conventional snake algorithm-shrinking, limited search range, sensitive to noises-improved with the proposed algorithm. The external energy using color is also introduced. It can be adopted in RoboCup to detect ball or patch-tracking application because of the ability to be able to use shape and color information in the same time.


Oversampling techniques have always been favored in the field of imbalanced data classification. Noise processing plays an important role in the field of unbalanced data classification because the noise data directly affects the distribution of newly synthesized samples. We propose a new anti-noise hybrid clustering oversampling technique for imbalanced data classification to synthesize high-quality samples (ANCO). The algorithm is the first to propose a combination of noise filtering and optimization in an oversampling method. Firstly, based on the sample location information, the processing strategy of noise filtering and optimization is designed. Then, sample nearest neighbor interpolation is used to create a new sample. To compare the performance of our approach with representative oversampling, five datasets with variable imbalance rates in KEEL are chosen for testing. The results show that the ANCO algorithm improves the classifier's overall performance.


NAD(P)+-dependent malic enzyme that is present in the mitochondrial matrix space was proposed as a possible source of intramitochondrial pyruvate. In this study, we examined mitochondria from liver and from six transplantable hepatomas of different growth rates for NAD(P)+-dependent malic enzyme and for malate-de-pendent pyruvate formation. The NAD(P)'-dependent malic enzyme was absent or of low activity in liver mitochondria for the assay of NAD(P)'-dependent malic enzyme activity. Total activity was estimated by adding the activity of the fractions constituting the NAD(P)'-linked malic enzyme peak and dividing the sum by the total mitochondrial protein value from which the extract was derived. The fractions comprising the peak activities of the NAD(P)'-dependent malic enzyme were pooled (11) so as to exclude malic dehydrogenase. Kinetic measurements on the pooled enzyme were performed at 334 nm with an Eppendorf photometer or at 340 nm with a Gilford model 250 spectrophotometer. The Eppendorf fluoro-metric attachment was used to measure saturation curves for NAD' and NADP". The apparent K, values for malate, NAD', and NADP' were derived from straight line double reciprocal plots by the least squares method. NAD' and NADP" stock solutions were assayed as Klingenberg Stock malate


Health care costs in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) vary widely according to patients' severity. In patients followed up in a community-based project, it is of interest to determine cost variations over time, as a result of treatment and CKD progression. The aim of the study was to estimate the costs incurred by the health care system for CKD patients in an Italian region.

 Patients recruited in the Emilia-Romagna (Italy) PIRP project in the years 2007-2014 with CKD stage 3a to 5 were included in the study. Patients were stratified at baseline into 7 groups at different risk of progression according to the CT-PIRP classification (Rucci et al., A clinical stratification tool for chronic kidney disease progression rate based on classification tree analysis, NDT 2014). To calculate the annual medical costs, we multiplied the number of services used by the respective unit cost. Per capita costs were obtained dividing overall costs by person-years. We used DRG tariffs as a proxy of costs for hospital admissions, the regional nomenclator for outpatient visits and lab tests, and cost unit for prescribed drugs. Mixed effects generalized linear models were used to estimate the annual direct costs of CT-PIRP groups, adjusted for calendar year of entry in PIRP and local health authority of residence.

 The study cohort includes 7737 CKD patients, aged 73.2±11.6 years, 64.5% males, mostly in CKD stage 4 (3136, 40.5%) and 3b (2799, 36.2%); 697 patients (9.0%) entered the study at stage 5. The CT-PIRP classification and frequency distribution is shown in Tab.1. After 4 years, 5017 (64.8%) were still alive, 1743 (22.5%) died, 546 (7.2%) were on ESKD and 422 (5.5%) were lost. The overall direct costs of patients while still enrolled in the PIRP project decreased from 36.89 million € in the first year to 32.22 in the fourth year, while the per capita annual median costs were stable around 2200 €. The cost breakdown showed a decrease of hospitalization and drugs costs and an increase in specialty visits costs (Fig.1).
 The model-estimated average annual costs were significantly higher for proteinuric, low GFR patients of CT-PIRP groups 2 and 3 (7239 € and 8825 € respectively), while non-diabetic, younger patients of group 5 determined a significantly lower burden (3350 €).


Faro S, Soper D. 720 pages. Philadelphia: WB Saunders; 2001. $129.00. ISBN 0721673791. Order phone 800-545-2522. Field of medicine: Women's health, clinical obstetrics and gynecology, and infectious diseases. Format: Hardcover book. Audience: Primary care physicians with an interest in women's health, clinical obstetrician-gynecologists, infectious disease specialists, and trainees. Purpose: To act as a source reference of common, important infections in women. Content: The book begins with a limited review of common microbial pathogens. The remainder is divided into sections on obstetric infections, gynecologic infections, other infections, sexually transmitted diseases, antimicrobial agents, and laboratory diagnosis. Highlights: Several well-written chapters provide detailed, useful information that is not readily available in other textbooks. The chapter on toxoplasmosis is outstanding in its thorough review and management of this complicated infection in pregnancy, and the chapter on Candida vaginitis is superb and exhaustive. The chapter on parvovirus provides detailed, useful information not found in other texts on risk for infection in adult pregnant and nonpregnant women, fetal risk and outcomes, and management. The chapters on pediatric vulvovaginitis and infection and infertility are well written and unique in content. Chapters on epidemiology of sexually transmitted infections and HIV in pregnancy also provide interesting, timely information. Limitations: Some chapters are inconsistent in their depth of discussion and review and in use of tables, graphs, and pictures. Listeriosis in pregnancy and tuberculosis, both important infections in pregnant women, are not covered. Separate chapters in different sections cover cervicitis, pelvic inflammatory disease, gonococcal infections, and chlamydial infections, creating unnecessary redundancy. With the exception of the chapters on urinary tract infections and pyelonephritis, the section on other infections is not useful because standard infectious disease textbooks cover the chapter topics are better and in more detail. The disappointing section on antimicrobial agents provides only limited information and inconsistent data review and analysis about use of these agents during pregnancy and lactation. Related reading: No other textbooks specifically address infections in all women. The book under review provides more information and detail about the pregnant patient with specific infections than does Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases (Churchill Livingstone, 2000). Pastorek's Obstetric and Gynecologic Infectious Disease (Raven Press, 1994) and Sweet and Gibbs' Infectious Diseases of the Female Genital Tract (Williams & Wilkins, 1995) are similar in scope and detail but less current. Gleicher and Buttino's Principles and Practice of Medical Therapy in Pregnancy (McGraw-Hill, 1998) includes a comprehensive section on infections in pregnancy but does not cover infections in the nonpregnant woman.


In the solution to Problem 93.2.3 by Paolo Paruolo, γ* ≡ (β, ,Ik)′ should be replaced by γ* ≡ (βí,I*)′ throughout the text; the same change should be made for *; γ should be replaced by γ* in the second line and two lines before the references; "left-hand side" should be "right-hand side" in the second line after (4); "column" should be replaced by "row" in the last line before the references. Finally, reference \1] is Preprint 1992.2, Institute of Mathematical Statistics, University of Copenhagen; submitted to Econometric Theory.


The design of a high-speed reconfigurable analog-to-digital converter in 65-nm CMOS is described. Accuracy requirements are met without compromising the high-speed performance by using trimming-based offset cancellation. The ADC can be configured to work as a 3-bit, a 4-bit, or a 5-bit ADC with maximum integral nonlinearity (INL) and differential nonlinearity (DNL) of 0.48LSB and 0.35LSB respectively. The ADC achieves a figure-of-merit of 0.46pJ/conv-step and the active area is 0.13 mm2.


Wide-bandgap semiconductors are more advantageous for betavoltaic batteries due to their high conversion efficiency and strong radiation resistance. However, there has been little comprehensive analysis of how wide-bandgap semiconductors lead to efficiency improvements. In this work, we proposed a simulation model to predict the output performance of betavoltaic batteries based on 4H-SiC, hexagonal-GaN, and diamond, in which the Monte Carlo code and COMSOL Multiphysics software were combined. The energy deposition of a [Formula: see text] source in semiconductors and the electrical characteristics of p–n junctions were investigated and compared. Our simulation results showed that the mass density and atomic number of semiconductor materials will cause the difference in energy deposition distribution, further leading to the different electron–hole pair generation rates. Then, the internal efficiency of batteries is co-determined by the energy band structure, depletion region width, built-in potential barrier, and minority carrier lifetime. The batteries based on wide-bandgap semiconductors can achieve the larger open-circuit voltage, further leading to higher efficiency. Additionally, to optimize the energy converter structure, the output parameters were calculated with a variation of doping concentrations and thicknesses of each region. Under the irradiation of a [Formula: see text] source, the diamond-based battery with a p–n junction structure has the highest internal efficiency of 31.3%, while the GaN-based battery has the lowest one (16.8%), which can be attributed to the larger carrier recombination rate.


Abstract In the North Bilaspur Forest Division in Madhya Pradesh, India, the sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) population is ecologically isolated, and some bears have developed aggressive behavior. Available bear habitat is highly fragmented and degraded and is interspersed with human habitation. In this study we assessed habitat use patterns of sloth bears with the goal of establishing management guidelines to reduce human–bear conflicts. Goodness-of-fit comparisons showed that expected use of each habitat category differed from habitat availability. Bear sign was most frequent in sal forest followed by land near water, sal mixed forest, and mixed forest. However, bear use of terrain categories was not different from expected use. A large number of bear dens were near water and human settlements. Bears regularly used more than 50% of observed den sites. Because of nearness to human settlement and degraded habitat, bears largely depended on villages for food, resulting in frequent human–bear encounters, some of which led to maulings and fatalities. One management priority is to protect highly preferred habitats of sloth bears. Bear population control and translocation of bears from isolated habitat patches to more suitable areas may be carried out simultaneously with education and awareness programs to conserve this species and to mitigate human–bear conflicts on a long-term basis.


The paper uses an important event happened in Chinese health consulting market in 2010,i.e.Zhangwuben event,to conduct an exploratory case study.Using the abundant second-hand materials circled on Zhangwuben event,the paper identifies successfully the dimensions of knowledge quality assessment,and finally builds out the model of knowledge quality assessment,which uses signal,process,ontology and application dimensions totally containing 16 assessment items to assessment knowledge quality.This model is supported soundly by the experience data and provides a base to further knowledge quality theory.Also this model means some important strategy for knowledge transaction and government to govern knowledge markets.


Guest value priorities in relation to online peer-to-peer accommodation are an underexamined area. This study examined social and economic benefits among Airbnb guests. The relationships between guests' benefit priorities were tested in relation to satisfaction and behavioral intention. A total of 693 Airbnb guests were recruited from the U.S. and China. A framework to examine how cross-cultural differences moderate the associations between constructs was employed to examine the influences of the two cultures, one characterized by collectivism (China) and the other by individualism (U.S.). Confirmatory factory analysis and partial least-squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) were used to test variable relationships. PLS-SEM analysis indicated that social and economic benefits both significantly influenced satisfaction and behavioral intention (satisfaction also influenced behavioral intention). Multigroup analysis was employed to test a framework examining cultural differences. It was found that social and economic benefits influenced behavioral intention differently for Chinese and U.S. Airbnb guests. The results suggest the importance of social and economic benefits in a peer-to-peer accommodation setting, as well as the need to understand cultural differences in the sharing economy.


The potential risk of fire and burns is one of the biggest disadvantages of using wood as a building material. The cone calorimeter method was used to experimentally determine the burning process of spruce wood, which allows the reaction to the fire class according to the official EU classification system according to EN 13501-1: 2018. Using the experimental data, the dynamics of temperature change in different sample thicknesses was determined. The time required for moisture to evaporate closer to the surface of the flame is shorter than away from the surface, and the rate of temperature rise is much faster. When processing the experimental data, it was found that the influence of the sample thickness is significantly preserved up to the degree of 3, which indicates that the temperature distribution surface is inflection in relation to the thickness. The proposed mathematical model for the determination of temperature changes in wood during its combustion process shows a sufficiently good agreement with the experimental data and can be used to determine the temperature distribution in wood during the combustion process.


Review(s) of: Tallow: The Curse of the Bond Riders, Book 1, by Karen Brooks, Woolshed Press, $27.95 tpb, ISBN 9781741664355, October.


Background and Objectives:Recently, there has been an increase in olfactory disorders due to many etiologies. Many the- rapeutic methods have been tried with some favorable results. Some of the therapeutic methods are functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS, oral and topical steroids, and other pharmacologic therapies (vitamin A, aminophylline, zinc sulfate, etc. In this study, we tried to find out the transition of olfactory recovery in patients with olfactory disturbance. Materials and Methods:Sixty-one patients with olfactory disturbance were studied. There were 25 patients who had chronic sinusitis with nasal polyp, 10 patients who had chronic sinusitis without nasal polyp, 12 patients who had upper respiratory infection, 5 patients who had congenital disorder, 4 patients who had head trauma, and 5 patients who had nasal septal deviation. Chronic sinusitis was treated by functional endoscopic sinus surgery, nasal septal deviation was treated by septoplasty and others were treated by drug therapy and topical steroid. The degree of olfactory disturbance and recovery was scored with a KVSS test (Korean Version of Sniffin Sticks test prior to treatment and also three and six months after the treatment. Results:Tw- enty-one patients with chronic sinusitis with nasal polyp (84% showed improvement of olfaction on the third postoperative month, and 6 months later (p<0.01. Seven patients with chronic sinusitis without nasal polyp (70% also showed improve- ment of olfaction (p<0.01. But seven patients with upper respiratory tract infection (58% did not show significant impr- ovement of olfaction, and it would be necessary to follow up these patients longer. Patients with congenital disorder, nasal septal deviaton, and head trauma did not show significant improvement of olfaction. Conclusion:The mentioned test can aid in investigating the etiology of olfactory disturbance, and in accurately assessing the degree of the olfactory disturbance. (Korean J Otolaryngol 2000;43:844-8


A reduced-moderation water reactor (RMWR) is an innovative light water reactor comprising tight-lattice fuel assemblies with a gap clearance of around 1.0 mm for a reduction in water volume ratio to achieve a high conversion ratio. By taking into account recent experimental findings from 37-rod tight-lattice bundle thermal-hydraulic tests indicating that the critical power tends to be higher for a peripheral peak local power distribution than for a flat power distribution, the viability of fuel assembly designs with fewer types of plutonium enrichment of MOX fuel, which may result in a large local peaking factor in peripheral rods, was assessed in this report. Critical powers of 217-rod bundles with peripheral peaks for upper and lower MOX regions of the double-flat core of the RMWR were calculated by a subchannel analysis code NASCA. Peripheral peaking with the corresponding local peaking factor for a uniform plutonium enrichment design yields almost the same critical power as that for a flat power distribution. Thus, a reduction in fuel fabrication burden may be possible by decreasing the number of types of plutonium fuel enrichment while maintaining the same thermal-hydraulic margin as the fuel assembly design with five enrichment types of MOX fuel.


The synthesis and crystal structure of [Co(Hbiim)(2)(H(2)biim)](2)(p-OOCC6H4COOH)(2).H2O (2) is presented. The cobalt(III) complexes are bridged by terephthalates and water molecules, giving a rare, five-fold interpenetrated, net built from 3-connected nodes. The vertex symbol (topology) of this net is determined to 4 122 122, 4 126, 12(4) 12(6) 12(6), or 4 12(2), 4 12(2), 12(3), using the Wellsian point symbol system. However, depending on the interpretation of the hydrogen bond pattern, this structure may also be interpreted as a single self-interpenetrating net via a water bridge. Quantum chemical calculations (DFT and semi-empirical methods) were used to investigate which is the more appropriate description by estimation of the directional forces in the structure. This approach favours five interpenetrating nets.


The structure of compound I: poly-diaqua(μ-imidazole-4,5-dicarboxylato-N,O; -O′; -O′′, -O′′′) calcium(II) monohydrate [Ca(C5H2N2O4)(H2O)2·H2O] is built of molecular sheets in which imidazole-4,5-dicarboxylate ligands bridge the metal ions using both carboxylate groups, each bidentate. Ca(II) is coordinated by six oxygen atoms and one hetero-ring nitrogen atom distributed at the apices of a capped tetragonal bipyramid. The basal plane of the pyramid is formed by two carboxylate oxygen atoms [d(Ca–O2 = 2.374(1) Å, d(Ca–O4) = 2.412(1) Å] and two water oxygen atoms [d(Ca–O5) = 2.384(1) Å, d(Ca–O6) = 2.455(1) Å], the capped position is occupied by the carboxylate oxygen atom O3 [d(Ca–O3) = 2.325(1) Å], the hetero-ring nitrogen atom [d(Ca–N2) = 2.523(1) Å] and the carboxylate oxygen atom O4 [d(Ca–O2) = 2.412(1) Å] form the apices of the prism. The solvation water molecule plays a significant role in a framework of hydrogen bonds responsible for the stability of the crystal. The structure of compound II: trans-tetraquadi(H-imidazole-4,5-dicarboxylato-N,O) calcium(II) monohydrate, [Ca(C5H3N2O4)2(H2O)4·H2O] consists of monomers in which the Ca(II) ion is located on a centre of symmetry. The coordination around the Ca(II) is a strongly deformed pentagonal bipyramidal with the imidazole-4,5-dicarboxylate (4,5-IDA) ligands in the trans arrangement forming a dihedral angle of 68.3°. An imidazole-ring nitrogen atom [d(Ca–N) = 2.632(2) Å] and one carboxylate O atom [d(Ca–O) = 2.531(2) Å] from each ligand coordinate to the metal ion. The coordination is completed by four water oxygen atoms [d(Ca–O) = 2.393(2) Å] and [d(Ca–O) = 2.367(2) Å]. The coordinated water molecules act as hydrogen bond donors and acceptors to the unbonded carboxylate oxygen atoms in adjacent monomers giving rise to a three-dimensional molecular network.


Francine Norris is Director of Education at West Dean College. Formerly she was Dean and Head of the School of Crafts and Design at the University of the Creative Arts. She studied architecture at Manchester University and worked in architectural practice in London before moving into design education. Her ongoing research is concerned with the impact of architectural space on the teaching of creative practice.


Abstract In the history of Russian philosophy of language, Bakhtin and Shpet are two very important figures. As scholars having reached the peak of academic humanities, they both scored great achievements in many fields. The contributions they made to semiotics have a direct impact on the semiotic view of the Moscow-Tartu School and other scholars who later represented the highest achievements of Russian semiotics. It was many years earlier than Bakhtin that Shpet put forward views similar to those of Bakhtin. But Bakhtin surpassed Shpet and extended semiotics to a broader humanistic space.


The analytical expression of the Geometric Factor(G Factor) of γ-ray self-absorption and shield attenuation for cylindrical fissile material with dual shields were given.Approximations valuable for practical applications and the 4π-Space distribution pattern of G factor for cylindrical fissile material were also deduced.One fast way to solve the geometric information,i.e.,height and radius of the cylinder,was verified by numerically calculated G factor.


The invention discloses a preparation method of gradient alloy. According to the preparation method, a donor and a receptor are included, the donor is an object of which the binding phase content needs to be reduced, and the receptor is an object of which the binding phase content needs to be increased. The preparation method sequentially includes the following steps that firstly, the end face of the end, of which the binding phase content needs to be increased, of the receptor is ground, surface roughness is lowered, the donor is machined to be in the shape matched with the end, of which the binding phase content needs to be increased, of the receptor, meanwhile the face, making contact with the receptor, of the donor is ground, and surface roughness is lowered; secondly, the ground end face of the receptor makes tight contact with the ground face of the donor, the donor and the receptor are heated to 1340 DEG C to 1470 DEG C, the temperature is kept for 5 minutes to 120 minutes, and the donor and the receptor are cooled to the room temperature after being taken out. The preparation method has the beneficial effects that the size and mechanical property of an original workpiece can be changed easily, the requirement that the same workpiece has different performance in different positions when used on different occasions is met, or the whole workpiece is prevented from being scrapped by increasing the working allowance of the workpiece.


With the capability of reducing multi-path fading and raising channel capacity by obtaining spatial diversity gain, cooperative communication is effective in functionality improvement of wireless networks. In this paper, based on the characteristic of distribution and time-variance in cognitive radio ad hoc networks (CRAHNs), a dynamic game framework is proposed for studying the interactions between source node and relays, and choosing adaptive relays to join the cooperation. The constraint optimization problem is further formulated for each user to maximize throughput while avoiding interruption to primary users. We model the scene as principle-agent game and prove the existence of subgame perfect Nash equilibrium by backwards induction. Moreover, we develop a distributed algorithm to make the secondary users improve their throughput and power allocation among them. The simulation results show that the proposed scheme can significantly increase the power efficiency and decrease the average power consumption.


The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of plyometric training and weight training on agility of Volleyball players. To achieve the purpose of the study 60 members Inter collegiate volleyball players were selected from Dr.YSR Horticultural University , were selected as subjects at random and their age ranged between 18 to 21 years were selected as subject at random. The study was formulated as pre and post test random group design, in which 60 were divided into three equal groups. The experimental – 1 (n=20, PT) underwent polymeric training, the experimental group-2 (n=20, WT) underwent weight training and group-3 (n=20, CG) served as a control group did not undergo any training. In this study, two training programme were adopted as independent variables, i.e., polymeric training and weight training. The agility was chosen as dependent variable. It was tested by T-test jump and performance recorded in seconds. The selected two treatment groups were performed twelve groups, as per the stipulated training programme. The capacity of agility was tested by before and after the training period. The collected pre and post data was critically analyzed statistical tool of analysis of covariance, for the observed the significant adjusted post-test mean difference of two different groups. The Scheffe's post hoc test was used to find out pair-wise comparison between groups. To test the hypothesis 0.05 level of significant level was fixed. The result of the present study proved that the two training interventions have produced significant improvements on agility.


We study the existence of solutions for some classes of pðxÞ-Kirchho¤ equation with critical exponent and an additional nonlocal term on Sobolev spaces with variable exponent. We use a version of the Concentration Compactness Principle.


Information technology is currently one of the things that almost all universities widely adopt. The development of information technology requires universities to manage potential resources effectively and efficiently. as stated in the regulation of the Minister of Research, Technology, and Higher Education Number 62 of 2017 concerning the governance of information technology in the university environment that is to support the achievement of increasing access, relevance, quality of higher education, innovation, and strengthening governance and accountability of a university. The consequence of the application of information technology is the emergence of information security risks, the threat of this attack is a concern that every university must be wary of to secure network infrastructure from these attacks. Open access provides great potential for everyone to commit crimes against network infrastructure. as explained that computer network security is part of a system that is very important to be maintained, for that it is necessary to make efforts that can be made by the party responsible for securing the University X network from DDoS attacks. the method used to secure the network infrastructure makes a filtering policy to block DDoS attacks, the results obtained from the application according to the filter rules applied to the proxy device successfully block DDoS attacks.


When three presidential commissions are held in less than five years to address an issue, it means two things: we are facing a real problem, and we have not been able to solve it. This is the case of private health insurance in Chile and its effects on overall health financing. Let us assume that the challenge is to integrate a dimension of equality in the healthcare system and that the whole of society demands health to be recognized as a social right and not a commodity; then the key factor to address these changes is a significant reform of health financing. The problem is real


The invention discloses a method for removing metal impurities from silicon germanium alloy by directional solidification. The method comprises the following steps: taking the silicon germanium alloy which contains metal impurities, such as Ca, Fe, Al and the like as the raw material; melting the raw material at normal pressure under the protection of inert gas, and carrying out heat insulation at the temperature of 1400-1700DEG C for 10-90 minutes; then, carrying out directional solidification and refining on fusant at the solidification rate of 2-90mu m/s; in the condensing process of the fusant, and growing and enriching the metal impurities on the tail and the head of an ingot together with crystals; and cutting off the head and the tail of the obtained ingot to obtain a silicon germanium alloy product with high purity. In the process, the strainaway rate of impurities such as Ca, Fe, Al and the like can be above 95%. The invention is a method for purifying the silicon germanium alloy, which has the advantages of short technical flow, low cost and low environment pollution and satisfies the requirement on alloy materials in industrial production, military and communication fields; moreover, the regeneration and recycling of secondary resources can be realized.


This paper presents information regarding the use of primary abrasion for ageing Siskins. 96% of the Siskins examined could be aged from the degree of primary wear, juvenile outer primaries usually being more abraded than adults. A four point scale was used to classify the degree of abrasion. This ageing technique may be useful for other species of passerines that undergo a partial post‐juvenile moult and the adults a complete post‐breeding moult.


A plenary paper given at STRAIT to the future, 8th Asia-Pacific Specials, Health and Law Librarians Conference, Hobart, 22–26 August 1999 The explosive growth and overwhelming use of World Wide web resources have led to the often misguided, but understandable belief that one can find any information on the web. In business, direct marketing on the web has produced big success stories in sales and marketing which have led to the conclusion that the long-foreshadowed process of 'dis-intermediation' has begun.


In wireless communication systems oscillators are basic components in the transmitter and receiver unit. However, the design process of an oscillator is very challenging. At first, an appropriate topology has to be selected and then the circuit has to be dimensioned. For this purpose, a high dimensional design space has to be considered in order to meet given specifications. Usually this design step is supported by a simulation tool like Cadence Spectre in which a vast of parametric simulations are performed. With the aid of these simulations, the designer tries to determine a proper dimensioning of the circuit. This iterative procedure is time consuming depending on the knowledge of the designer. Therefore, a systematic design process is desirable. In this contribution, a design concept is introduced based on a self-consistent Carleman linearization technique allowing to approximate the steady state behavior of the oscillator, thus examine the specification in dependency of the design parameters. This procedure is applied for the widely used LC-tank oscillator as an example.


Recent advances in computer processing power and network communications have brought acoustic sensing back into the forefront of battlefield surveillance. In particular forward-deployed networks of unattended ground sensors are becoming increasingly popular. Using these networks it is envisaged that vehicle tracking, identification and gun battery location could be achieved. Along with a multitude of new processing options comes a vast number of decisions that will determine how cost efficient and robust the system will be. Design parameters such as sensor density, dimensions of each network node, processing power required at each node, number of sensors on each node all affect the cost and effectiveness of the system. In this paper a method of determining the sensor density required for a given system accuracy is presented. From simulation and statistical analysis of the bearing-calculation and triangulation functions, the accuracy of the source location estimate for any network configuration can be calculated. Using this technique we are able to determine the number of sensors needed to cover an area to the required accuracy. Using the same analysis the array configuration on the node can be determined so that for the given dimensions of the array (which is often restricted by the deployment method) an optimal configuration can be produced. In this paper the statistical methods used for the location accuracy analysis, and the relationship to the sensor density and array configuration are presented. 1.0 INTRODUCTION Unattended ground sensors (UGS) have undergone a renaissance due to the advances in mobile phone technologies. Advances in communications now make it possible to distribute large numbers of sensor nodes to form ad-hoc networks capable of transmitting sensor data from remote parts of the battlefield back to the central command post. These advances have opened new possibilities in the way that battlefield sensing is approached. In particular there is potential for individual vehicles or battle groups to be tracked through the whole sensor coverage area helping to form the digitisation of the battlefield and thus supporting the Netted Enabled Capability (NEC) initiatives. It is hoped that in the future the NEC will provide increased, persistent and robust coverage of the battlefield. Along with this they must offer the same capability as current in-service sensors systems. The requirements the network of UGS must fulfil can be split into the sensing requirements and the system requirements. The sensing requirements demand an unambiguous tracking capability along with a weapon locating capability, both of which must be achieved to a required accuracy. In order that the concept is viable the system requirements demand that UGS be easily deployable and hence light and small and that they must also be disposable hence cheap. The acoustic sensor presents itself as a sensor technology capable of fulfilling many of the requirements. In terms of sensing requirements small arrays of acoustic sensors can be used for tracking and they have a well established pedigree in weapon locating systems. In terms of system requirements they are passive, low power, inexpensive, provide non-line-ofsight coverage and are robust. However the system requirements concerning UGS and network infrastructure conflict with demands on the overall system accuracy. The necessity of small nodes for easy UNCLASSIFIED/UNLIMITED Paper presented at the RTO SET Symposium on "Capabilities of Acoustics in Air-Ground and Maritime Reconnaissance, Target Classification and Identification", held in Lerici, Italy, 26-28 April 2004, and published in RTO-MP-SET-079.


In a systematic search for an oxygen-stoichiometric phase, Sr3(FeMo)O7, in a range of iron-to-molybdenum ratios greater than 1:1 that typically give phase mixtures, we have found an n = 2 Ruddlesden−Popper phase, Sr3Fe5/4Mo3/4O6.9, as supported by synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction (SPXD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HREM), and powder neutron diffraction (PND) results. By SPXD, this oxygen-deficient, B-site disordered, two-dimensional analogue of Sr2FeMoO6 adopts tetragonal I4/mmm symmetry (a = b = 3.92449(5) A; c = 20.3423(3) A) with vacancies at the O(1) oxygen site and with a composition that refines to a nominal stoichiometry Sr3Fe5/4Mo3/4O6.9. The two-phase SPXD refinement includes Sr3Fe5/4Mo3/4O6.9 (95.7%) and a double-perovskite (DP) intergrowth, Sr2FeMoO6 (4.3%), consistent with HREM studies in which DP intergrowths but no individual DP grains were found. The G-type antiferromagnetically (AFM)-ordered structure of the phase, with the magnetic cell am = ∼ 5.548 A, cm = c ∼ 2...


In order to provide a spacer for insulating glass panes are available, which can be deformed on the one hand in the cold bending process to conventional systems, which, however, at the same time offers the greatest possible thermal resistance, it is proposed that the spacer comprises a profile body made of a plastic material, which has a substantially rectangular cross-section with having first and second mutually parallel side walls and an opening extending between the first and the second side wall inner wall, and a located between the first and the second side wall, substantially parallel to the inner wall, extending outer wall forming a closed hollow profile with the profile body, being arranged parallel to the axial direction of the spacer profile in the inner wall of a first and a second wire-shaped primary reinforcement element, said first primary reinforcement member in a first Abs chnitt of the cross section of the profile body is arranged in the inner wall adjacent to the first side wall, and wherein the second primary reinforcement member is disposed in a second portion of the cross section of the profile body, in which the inner wall adjacent to the second side wall, such that the first and second primary reinforcement elements at most about 50% are arranged in the first and the second side wall with respect to their cross-sectional area and that the distance between the centroids of the cross sectional areas of these reinforcing members is about 40% of the distance between the side walls or more, but at least ca. 4 mm.


Introduction: Early puberty in girls is one of the best examples of adolescent mental health problems including anxiety. The results of Riskesdas show that based on reports of respondents who have experienced menstruation, the average age of menarche is 13 years (20%) with an earlier occurrence at the age of less than 9 years and some delaying up to 20 years. Objective: To determine the effect of health education with audiovisual media on anxiety facing menarche in students of Elementary Schools 006 Long Iram. Methods: Experimental research design with pre-experimental design one group pretest posttest. Results and Discussion: It was found that before the intervention providing education with audiovisual media, most of them experienced moderate anxiety as many as 21 people (61.8%), after the intervention most of the anxiety became a mild category as many as 21 people (61.8%). A total of 18 people had anxiety after the health education intervention with audio-visual media about menarche decreased compared to before the intervention. Conclusion: There are differences in student anxiety before and after being given health education with audio-visual media about menarche at Sekolah Dasar 006 Long Iram students


In our fervor to transform schools, we use language that may actually be crippling our thinking about the process of school improvement. Mr. Buxton recommends that we come up with a more suitable metaphor than slaying dragons. ********** Recent commentaries in the pages of this magazine and in Education Week have suggested that our research-based reforms are not entirely satisfying. And dark rumblings in the bellies of the research factories themselves about "postpositivist research," "deconstructed research," and similar divergences suggest that all is not well, despite the constant outcry on every side for more "research-based" solutions to our nagging educational problems. In the October 2006 Kappan, Stanley Pogrow lamented the polarization of education reform. The national conversation, he argued, seems to be made up of "oscillating versions of hyped certainty." He complained that "those of us who try to create a science of balance find that there is no constituency for the knowledge generated." (1) At about the same time, in the Commentary pages of Education Week, Harry Brighouse observed that current research in education often fails to account for contexts and values and that this failure leads to a distorted product with a compromised utility. (2) Then in the very next issue, Will Fitzhugh of the famous Concord Review lamented that he could not get funding for research on how frequently nonfiction books are assigned in the history classes in American high schools. He argued that this is a serious issue that reflects on the health of the republic. In the same issue, professors Dennis Shirley and Andy Hargreaves noted, "Right now data-driven instruction, results-oriented improvement, and evidence-based education are the watchwords." They observed that these hyphenated eye-rollers serve both political and journalistic ends even as they drive the most simplistic of reforms--from the top down. (3) These complaints are the most recent expressions of a long-standing unease with reformist research. The most common criticisms have been that * its methods encourage a narrow and formalized kind of fact gathering and analysis that avoids the closely controlled experimentation that would justify its pretensions to being scientific; * its research products are unconnected to the realities of practice; * the research fuels polarized debate; and * the research substitutes data for judgment. To address these discontents, let me remind readers of the story of St. George and the Dragon. Hero George appears in his shining armor. He is every inch the reformer. His is an idealistic orthodoxy, and he defends it by means of a conventional technology: horse, lance, and steel plate armor. He defeats the powers of sin by slaying the evil dragon. By applying an orthodox technology, he engineers an absolute solution to a simple problem defined in orthodox ways. But let's think a bit beyond the allegory. Unlike ingenious Ulysses, who must deal with a wife who may or may not be faithful to him in a situation complicated by emotional gods, culture, kinship, and history, St. George does not require complex methods to confront his problem. Indeed, he doesn't even see his problem as complex, nor does he consider it in unconventional ways. The dragon is evil and must be dispatched; superior technology can be applied to this simple problem. No subtle negotiation of conflicting values is required. But when we begin to wonder about the failure of our research orthodoxies to suggest solutions to the problems we confront in our schools, we might want to start by looking carefully at the historical context of those orthodoxies. Any culture is made up of shared assumptions policed by controlling metaphors and implied narratives. We gather in a national tent meeting that unites us in a language of conventions, attitudes, and pieties. …


One of the main problems of the data acquired by power utilities is the presence of outliers affecting the database measurements in the electrical system. In this way, the distribution scenario analysis is damaged by false and/or absence data. This work proposes a new module to complement the Smart Meters. Two algorithms for outlier correction were developed using artificial intelligence techniques: fuzzy logic and neural networks. To demonstrate the developed methods applicability, a case of study is performed with real substation data. The results were relevant and demonstrated the two proposed algorithms feasibility.


In the actual operation,it is difficult to ensure reliable connection between the shunt and the tank shell and easy to form small air gap,because the tank may be affected by the movement of the floating roof,mechanical stress,aging,oil,metal corrosion and other factors.If the tank is struck by lightning,it would be easy to cause spark discharge.To analyze risk of gap discharge between the shunt and the tank shell,the breakdown voltage between the shunt and the tank shell was calculated by Townsend theory and the shunt spark discharge experiment was carried out by using 1.2 /50μs impulse voltage wave.The relationship between breakdown voltage of shunt and distance of air gap was analyzed.The results showed that it is easy to cause spark discharge between the shunt and the tank shell when the contact between shunt and tank shell is poor.When air gap distance is equal to 0.1cm,the average air breakdown voltage between the shunt and the tank shell is only 5280V.With the increase of air gap distance,the air breakdown voltage increases correspondingly.The experiment data agree well with Townsend avalanche theory.Finally,based on the above conclusions,the improvements for avoiding shunt gap discharge risk of the floating roof tank were proposed.


A fluid turbine lightning protection system includes at least one air termination device, formed at least in part of an electrically conductive material, that can be positioned on a shroud of a fluid turbine and placed in electrical communication with a down conduction system. The down conduction system is in electrical communication with an earth-termination system configured to dissipate electricity transferred thereto to the ground. The at least one air termination device is configured to intercept a lightning strike and direct it through the down conduction system, the earth-termination system, and into the ground.; The at least one air termination device may be positioned on a turbine shroud based on a "Rolling Sphere" derivation wherein the "Rolling Sphere" derivation is derived from the equation r = 10 I0.65, where I is the peak current in kiloamperes and r is the rolling sphere radius in meters.


ABSTRACT Paris-Plages is unique in that it offers a range of ambiances and experiences which are cut off from the city centre yet entirely anchored in it. This escape from the routine city environment may be understood as a temporary and original process in which one takes on a tourist role through a reversal of places (from the city to the beach) and practices (from city-dweller to seaside holiday-maker). Our empirical analysis reveals a set of tourism-related codes drawn from the world of seaside holidays that are mobilized in this temporary environment then re-appropriated by the 'seaside tourists', including practices related to relaxation and mixing with others. Paris-Plages bears witness to the role of tourism as a referential in urban and spatial organization strategies, by suggesting that the city-dweller 'play the tourist' in an urban environment that has been temporarily but profoundly transformed.


Joan Webber. The Eloquent T : Style and Self in Seventeenth-Century Prose. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press, 1968. xii-j298 pp. $8.50. Impressed by a heightening of self-awareness in the seventeenth century, and by the limitations of means of its expression, Joan Webber explores the lives and writings of eight authors of the period 1620 to 1680. Ihese authors, to list them in their order of consideration—Donne, Bunyan, Lilrttirne, Burton, Baxter, Browne, Milton, and Traherne— reflect two modes of self-knowledge, "conservative Anglican,' and 'radical Puritan.' Their self-consciousness leads Miss Webber to explore three topics that provide her with organizing principles: self as subject (the T ) ; self as style; self as seen by the reader (the 'eye'). Style links T and 'eye' in the autobiographical 'genre' Webber delineates. Her approach involves the consideration of a large number of paired opposites: action vs. meditation; time vs. eternity; nationalism vs. universality; .clarity vs. ambiguity; life vs. art; allegory vs. symbolism. She attempts both their separation under the generai rubrics of Puritan and Anglican respectively, as well as a consideration of their meetings in the writings of each author. Her method invites, on the one hand, the divisions she argues, while, on the other hand, it creates an unintentional fuzziness, blurring the distinctions, Thus, for example, Browne's negative rhetoric, wc are told, asserts positive meanings, and Milton's acceptance of a temporal vocation allows time and eternity to meet in his work. While these paradoxes maybe true, the separations Miss Webber offers initially cannot stand. The distinctions, she admits, are arbitrary, less well-suited to some figures than to others. Although Miss Webber offers stimulation on almost every author she handles, her critical language frequently hinders the progress of her argument.


CONCERNS HAVE BEEN RAISED THAT THE IMPLEMENtation of shorter duty hours for residents may erode the professional allegiance of these physicians to their patients. Those who trained before duty hour regulations often dismiss current physicians in training as lifestyle oriented and not committed to the profession. Even residents who completed their internship training before 2011 have become instant "grandfathers," sharing in these sentiments. Yet old values do not simply die in a new system. Despite duty hour restrictions, today's trainees continue to exhibit behaviors consistent with "nostalgic professionalism," defined as consistently placing a patient's or the profession's needs above one's own personal needs. However, at times these behaviors directly conflict with the current system of medical training. This creates a challenge for medical educators: how can the conflict between nostalgic definitions of professionalism and the new model of medical training be reconciled? Answering this question requires a deeper understanding of specific circumstances in modern residency training in which resident actions consistent with nostalgic professionalism conflict with mandated regulation.


The cause of death in white tigers at the MC Zoological Park, Chhatbir, Chandigarh, India, was investigated. The blood smears of 12 tigers were examined when 3 white tigers had died and one smear from a dead female tiger revealed organisms referable to Babesia sp. in the erythrocytes. The piroplasms were either single, amoeboid, ring or paired forms. The parasite appeared to belong to the small group of Babesia sp.


Hyperspectral image (HSI) is often contaminated by mixed noise in the acquisition process. In this paper, a hyperspectral image low-rank restoration method based spectral-spatial total variation (LRSSTV) is proposed. The spectral high correlation is exploited by low-rank representation and the sparse noise is represented by the /i-norm. Furthermore, to remove the Gaussian noise and enhance the edge information, spectral-spatial adaptive total variation prior knowledge is utilized. Both simulated and real-world data experimental results show that the proposed method can work well in detail preservation and noise removal.


Over the next decade, Spain (as in most Western countries) will face an acute shortage of newly qualified engineers. In addition, the professional career of these engineers will evolve in an international and multicultural environment that requires additional skills that are not part of the traditional curricula imparted in technical education. The Comillas University of Madrid is seriously concerned about this problem and is consequentlyacting in several different ways. The most important actions are the very well-known Erasmus program and the changes needed to adapt to the new European Higher Education Area (EHEA). This paper is devoted to a different and very innovative one: the 'Inside Tech USA' Summer Course. 'Inside Tech USA' is the fourth edition of a theory-based and practical summer course taking place in July in Boston and Washington D.C. The course is organized by the Spanish Comillas University's School of Engineering (ICAI) in conjunction with the Georgetown University CIED (Center for Intercultural Education and Development) in the United States.


The invention provides microbial pesticide special for preventing and controlling wheat diseases and pests .The microbial pesticide is composed of, by weight, 21-29 parts of dinotefuran, 9-17 parts of solvent, 16-24 parts of emulgator, 5-9 parts of cosolvent, 3-7 parts of an antifreezing agent, 3-7 parts of a penetrating agent, 3-7 parts of a thickening agent .3-5 parts of radix notoginseng extract, 1-3 parts of bromothalonil, 1-3 parts of vinblastine and 1-3 parts of metamorphic glucose powder .The invention further provides a preparation method of the microbial pesticide special for preventing and controlling wheat diseases and pests .By means of the microbial pesticide special for preventing and controlling wheat diseases and pests and the preparation method thereof, the prepared microbial pesticide is special for prevention and control of wheat diseases and pests, and the prevention and control effect is extremely good; the antibacterial effect of wheat is good; the yield of wheat is obviously raised, as wheat is deeply rooted, the water absorption depth of wheat roots is raised, and the falling resistance rate of wheat is greatly raised .


Abstract Contact mechanics of rough surfaces is becoming increasingly important in understanding the real behaviours of machine elements in contact. Due to the complicated physical, chemical and mechanical phenomena occurring at surfaces, especially in boundary lubrication, a multiphysics numerical model is essential to capture the behaviour. Boundary Element Method is a well-known numerical approach to model such a problem because of several advantages. Firstly, it is far faster than Finite Element Method since only the boundaries of the solids are discretised. In addition, there is no problem of remeshing the contacting bodies due to plastic deformation and wear. Conventional Boundary Element models simulate movement of contacting surfaces by shifting matrices of numbers in one direction. In this new proposed approach, the big matrices of surfaces are cut into small matrices which indicate the part of surfaces that are in contact. The influence matrix is also cut into a smaller square matrix corresponding to the size of surface matrices. This approach enables matrix implications in smaller sizes than the original big surfaces and reduces the computational time.


Delaminated carbon nitride nanosheets were prepared by high-temperature H2 treatment of bulk carbon nitride with defects being introduced during this treatment. Although the defects can act as traps for charge carriers, reducing photoluminescence lifetime, they also form highly active photocatalytic sites for hydrogen evolution. The nanostructured materials exhibit substantially enhanced photocatalytic activity due to a synergistic effect between delamination, the presence of defects, and associated band gap changes.


Using a novel approach, the analytic expressions of the ABCD parameters for the symmetric coupled three-line in an inhomogeneous medium (SCTLIM) are derived in this paper for the first time. The expressions of the ABCD parameters for the SCTLIM are given in forms of the normal mode parameters. These expressions are explicit in expression and clear in conception. Using the matrix operation, the presented expressions have been verified by results derived from the Z-matrix. It is also shown that the novel method presented in the paper is very effective. The ABCD parameters given in the paper will provide a powerful theoretical tool for the application of the SCTLIM in microwave integrated circuits and three-dimensional (multilayer) microwave integrated circuits.


This paper is based on the interpretation of the ring of additive polynomials in one variable over a finite field Fq, as a maximal R-order inside a certain skew-field D, R being a principal ideal domain isomorphic to Fp[T]. The classical (1930's) structure theory of maximal orders in global fields is used to solve enumeration questions involving the iteration of members of Pages from .


The aerodynamic derivatives of a single turbo-prop aircraft at a specified flight condition for the best deduction of the dynamic characteristics are estimated by using the modified maximum likelihood estimation method which is known to be unbiased, efficient, and consistent. The flight test data, necessary to the estimation of aerodynamic derivatives, is obtained by implementing the six degree of freedom nonlinear flight simulation to consider the effects of several control input types, control deflection amplitudes, and intensity of turbulence. The simulated data is added with the measurement noise, which is regarded as the actual flight test data. The 6-DOF nonlinear equation is algebraically linearized so that the linear state equation contains aerodynamic derivatives in a state-space term. This linear state equation is used in the maximum likelihood method. The aerodynamic derivatives are estimated by considering the effects of input types, deflection amplitude, turbulence intensity, and measurement noise, and quantitative analysis of the results is followed and discussed.


Cardiovascular malformations comprise a broad spectrum of anomalies of the heart
and blood vessels, including congenital heart malformations (CHM) and aortic
aneurysms, the two main topics of this thesis. These conditions lead to significant
morbidity and mortality both in infancy and adulthood.
A substantial proportion of cardiovascular malformations have a genetic background,
including large chromosomal abnormalities, submicroscopic chromosome
deletions or duplications, and single gene mutations. However, the majority of
cardiovascular malformations is thought to be due to multifactorial inheritance,
involving a multitude of mutations in susceptibility genes superposed on unfavorable
environmental and life style factors.
In the past decade, great progress has been made in the unravelling of genes
involved in cardiovascular malformations. This made it possible to understand the
genetic pathways and underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms, and develop
therapeutic and preventive measures. It also led to the need for multidisciplinary
cardiogenetic clinics in order to improve diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular
diseases. Such a multidisciplinary cardiogenetic clinic has been established in the
(Paediatric) Cardiology Department of the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam. In
this setting most patients described in this thesis were studied. With the enthusiastic
participation of these patients, their families and physicians, scientific studies were
initiated to understand the genetic cause of cardiovascular malformations.


We consider a UV-complete field-theoretic model in general dimensions, including d=2+1, which consists of two copies of the
long-range vector models, with O(m) and O(N-m) global symmetry groups,
perturbed by double-trace operators.
Using conformal perturbation theory
we find weakly-coupled IR fixed points for N\geq 6N≥6 that reveal a spontaneous
breaking of global symmetry. Namely, at finite temperature the lower rank group is broken,
with the pattern persisting at all temperatures due to scale-invariance.
We provide evidence that the models in question are unitary and invariant under full conformal symmetry.
Furthermore, we show that this model exhibits a continuous family of weakly interacting field theories at finite N.


Objective: The aim of this study is to explore medical and care staff's experiences of leading the implementation of the management innovation, named value-based healthcare (VBHC) at a large Swedish University Hospital. Methods: In this study an explorative design was used. Data was collected with individual open-ended repeated interviews with 20 members of four teams leading the implementation of VBHC. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and qualitatively analysed. Results: Findings from this interview study showed that not all participants were comfortable with being appointed as leaders for the VBHC implementation process. Some found it rather too challenging instead. Participants described characteristics such as openness, visibility, approachability, and the ability to be a role model as necessary when leading implementation work. Leadership strategies emphasized were participation and involvement but also the ability to control implementation processes. Anchoring was effectuated by means of a pedagogical approach including dialogues and feedback before making step-by-step changes in everyday work itself. Conclusions: This study shows that leadership is a challenging experience in the context of a team responsible for implementing VBHC, however commendable the management innovation in itself may be. The expectations connected to the leadership role in the context of VBHC implementation must be clarified. Awareness is needed of the extent of the mandates accorded to the care and medical staff appointed as leaders of VBHC teams, especially since care and medical staff are formally speaking not as managers.


This article deals with the history of pre-Islam Arabia. It talks about, politics, economics, cultures and religions. It tries to explore the situation of the civilization which was decline, while the civilization of Arab rise up. Most of Arabia is the victim of natur amaligna. The geological process is responsible for its shape and outline, a huge quadric lateral placed between two continents. At the time, trading, breeding and farming was most populer in society south arabia and north-arabia, but in Hijaz (Mecca) was impossible because the area is wiped out. They believed on paganism, because Judism and Cristianity were not popular


Objectives: 1) Identify technical considerations involved in performing oncologic resection while maintaining laryngeal function. 2) Analyze on a case-by-case basis what type of treatment protocol to implement and when lesions persist or recur. Methods: A retrospective review was performed to identify all endoscopic laser resections of glottic carcinomas performed over a 4-year period. Records were reviewed to identify technical factors that led to cure vs. recurrent disease; disadvantages of extensive resection vs. adjuvant radiation; when and how often patients returned to the operating room for further resection; how to push surgical limits while maintaining good functional results; and what to expect on examination in the post-operative healing process. Results: Twelve patients were treated during the study period. Difficult exposure was not a contraindication to endoscopic resection, if the lesion did not extend to the anterior commissure. For patients with deeply invasive disease who cannot afford lengthy vocal downtime, radiation therapy is the answer. However, radiation leads to dysphagia and contralateral vocal fold injury that is avoided with surgery. Additionally, good voice can be achieved in patients undergoing intramuscular cordectomy, but it does cause longer vocal downtime compared to radiation. The key to optimal vocal results is achieving glottal closure. Patients should be counseled pre-operatively regarding the possibility of additional surgery. Conclusions: Endoscopic resection can be tailored on an individual basis based on both cancer stage and the patient's personal needs. Patients should be counseled pre-operatively regarding the advantages and disadvantages of surgery vs. radiation, including side effects and voice results.