Hyper-spectral imaging (HSI) is a kind of optical remote sensor that can simultaneously obtain spatial and spectral information of ground targets. We are now designing a data processing system for a type of space-borne push-broom HSI, which has 128 spectral channels covering the spectral range from 400nm to 2500nm. With its large amount of spectral channels, the HSI collects large volume of spectral imaging data need to be efficiently and accurately processed and calibrated. In this paper, the detailed Level 0 and Level 1 data processing steps for the HSI were presented. The Level 0 processing refers to a set of tasks performed on the data downlinked from the spacecraft, including decoding to extract science data, separating the science data into files corresponding to different tasks (e.g. ground imaging, dark imaging, and onboard calibration), checking data integrity and instrument settings, data format conversion, and Level 0 files creation. The Level 1 processing performs several steps on Level 0 data. Firstly, it corrects the image artifacts (mostly the SWIR smear effect), subtracts the dark background, and performs the bad pixel replacement according to the prelaunch measurement; then it performs radiometric and spectral calibration based on the ground calibration results and onboard calibration collection. The detailed algorithms for bad pixel replacement, radiometric and spectral calibration were presented. After processing, the digital numbers downlinked from the spacecraft can be converted into at-sensor absolute spectral radiance of ground targets, thus providing accurate quantified spectral imaging data for various applications.


A study of nonlinear waves of small amplitude is presented in elastic and electroelastic media through an asymptotic iterative procedure known as ''Poincare's expansion.'' The controversy surrounding the nonlinear elastic solution derived by use of different approaches is resolved and the resulting expressions are compared to recent experimental verifications. After the reconciliation of the various theoretical and experimental results, the new version of Poincare's method is extended to electroelastic anisotropic solids. Analytical, as well as numerical, evaluations concerning the relative velocity change due to electroelastic nonlinearities are presented.


The following paper is a theoretical study on the development of scientific knowledge. This effort is necessary to deepen the understanding of scientific practice by avoiding, for example, the exclusive usage of lessons based on the hypothetical-deductive method in science teaching. Therefore, we must be careful when bringing science to the teaching/learning science. Through historical-cultural theory we will analyze the making process of this knowledge. In this sense, we present an alternative to apprehend the possible logical-structural modes of Galileo Galilei's thought. We turn our attention to his reports on the discovery of Jupiter's moons, in January 1610.


and NE– of the administered AD (intervention/experimental group, EG, n = 23). For detailed description of this PE/NE-modifying therapy, see online supplementary Material: "Experimental Group" (for all online suppl. material, see www. karger.com/doi/10.1159/000505855). The primary study outcome was measured using the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). In addition, we used the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Clinical Global Impression Severity, Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale, Well-Being Questionnaire WHO-5, and Questionnaire For Expectancies Regarding Medication (QEM, a selfconstructed rating of the outcome expectation towards AD therapy). For more details, see online supplementary Material: "Novel Outcome Measure". Intention-to-treat sample analysis was carried out by frequentist and Bayesian ANOVA as well as by methods for investigating clinical significance, see online supplementary Material: "Sample Size, Randomization and Blinding, Data analysis". Baseline characteristics of the groups are shown in online supplementary Table 1. At study endpoint, EG demonstrated significantly superior BDI-II scores compared to CG (Fig. 1) with large effect size (g* = –1.01, p = 0.002, NNT = 4) and very strong evidence (Bayes factor, BF = 41.79). This EG superiority applied to clinical significance, too (online suppl. Fig. 2 and Table 4), and largely to all additional outcomes (Fig. 1; online suppl. Table 2, g* ≥ 0.78, p ≤ 0.013, BF ≥7.84). Most outcomes had improved earlier in EG versus CG (i.e., significant interaction effect, p ≤ 0.004, BF ≥25), except for the BDI-II, where the interaction effect was statistically significant (p = 0.022), but really only of anecdotal evidence (BF = 2.56). Across the study, both groups received very similar AD treatments (online suppl. Table 6). On the whole, we found that a few psychotherapy sessions focusing on PE+/NE– of ADs could have improved the TAU of adults with moderate/severe MDD under AD therapy. On first glance, these results might only demonstrate that adding more psychotherapy or other attention to the TAU of MDD inpatients was followed by larger improvements in their symptoms. This could be simply explained with the allegiance bias of unblinded patients/therapists [6], which at its core is based upon the patienttherapist alliance, a well-known mediator of PE [2, 4, 5]. But how specific are these results regarding the PE+/NE– of AD? In response, we investigated what we held to be the key mediator of specific PE+, i.e., the patients' expectancy towards AD-induced positive outcome [2, 4, 5]. We found that the expectation of AD benefits (i) was significantly greater in EG versus CG with large effect size differences and high evidence (p < 0.001, g* = 1.44, BF = 1635), (ii) was significantly associated with all other improved outcome measures (r ≥ 0.701, p < 0.001), and (iii) was revealed by mediation analysis to be the most significant mediator of the relationship between EG and primary outcome (online suppl. Table 5, Fig. 3 and 4). Altogether, these results supported the Dear Editor, There exists convincing evidence that the effectiveness of antidepressants (AD) in treating major depressive disorder (MDD) seems to be based largely upon placebo effect (PE) [1–3]. This phenomenon and its converse, the nocebo effect (NE) are assumed to be influenced by the interplay between at least three mediators: positive/negative outcome expectation, conditioning, and patienttherapist alliance [2–5] – of note, all considered to be also common factors contributing to the effectiveness of psychotherapy per se [6]. Given the broad applicability of these effects among various interventions, we hypothesize that the PE and NE of ADs can be increased and decreased, respectively by "pinpointed" psychotherapy approaches [2–5]. Pioneering studies to enhance PE (PE+) and diminish NE (NE–) of treatment strategies for mental disorders, especially pain disorders, are underway [2, 7], and in this context of innovation, we aimed to examine the effectiveness of four adjunctive group psychotherapy sessions focusing on PE+/NE– of AD used within the inpatient treatment-as-usual (TAU) of adult unipolar moderate/severe MDD. We selected a "pragmatic" study design because it is impossible to achieve blinding of patients and therapists when psychotherapy interventions are assessed within real-life scenarios, including our setting [6, 8]. In these situations, randomization should control for false positives, regression to the mean and the natural course of the disease [2–5]. In the present study, 43 adult MDD inpatients (44.4 ± 11.9 years old, 46.5% females) were randomly assigned to a 4-week period of TAU (control group, CG, n = 20) and TAU plus weekly 30-min long group psychotherapy sessions designed to PE+ Received: May 4, 2019 Accepted after revision: January 9, 2020 Published online: February 18, 2020


This paper provides an assessment of the contributions of the 2011 Nobel Prize winners, Thomas Sargent and Christopher Sims. They received the prize 'for their empirical research on cause and effect in the macroeconomy'. The paper illustrates that Sargent entertained different interpretations of rational expectations during distinct phases of his research. And it shows that Sims shifted the focus from theoretical identification restrictions to identifying the main characteristics of the time series data, a shift of focus from theory to time series.


It is an inevitable tendency to construct professional fire-control army.Under the new condition,building a professional fire-control staff network is the inevitable choice for Chinese fire-control army to shouder legal duties,play a leading role and cope with the severe situation of anti-terrorism war in anti-terrorism rescues.The construction of professional fire-control army should focus on integrating the existing resources to promote modernized equipment、professional training and guarding duties,and improve official qualities.


Alumina-spinel castables were prepared by using tabular alumina as aggregates,fused white corundum,fused spinel,ultra-fine alumina and calcium aluminate cement(CAC) as matrix.Effects of calcium aluminate cement on the physical properties,hot modulus of rupture(MOR) and thermal shock resistance of alumina-spinel castables were investigated.The phase composition of samples were characterized by XRD.The results show that cold modulus of rupture of specimens increases with increase CAC content(2~6%),and then decreases with CAC content(6%).Hot MOR of samples fired at 1600 ℃ little changes in the temperature range of 600~1000 ℃ and rapidly decreases in the temperature range of 1000~1400 ℃.The residual modulus of rupture and modulus of rupture ratio of specimen are improved with increase CAC content,indicating good thermal shock resistance.The influence of CAC on the properties of specimens is mainly correlated to the reaction products of CaO and Al2O3.


A case of a five‐finger amputation and avulsion injury with salvage of two digits combined with island flap coverage of the remaining skin defect is reported. The salvaged digits were replanted onto the ulnar and radial borders of the hand stump and rotated to oppose one another. 1 Recovery of partial hand function is reported. © Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Novel expressions for the probability and the cumulative density function of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the output of an L-branch selection combining receiver, operating in Weibull fading, are derived. Capitalising on these expressions, the outage probability and the average output SNR are obtained in closed-form.


Y-gate process with short gate length (150 nm) and low parasitic gate capacitance (25%-reduction than conventional T-gate process) was successfully developed using an i-line stepper. This simple process is suitable for mass-production of high speed GaN high-electron mobility transistors (HEMTs). With this process technology, we fabricated AlGaN/GaN HEMTs and InAlN/GaN HEMTs, respectively. We confirmed InAlN/GaN HEMTs are superior to AlGaN/GaN HEMTs in terms of DC and RF characteristics. We could obtain high transconductance gm of 460 mS/mm and high current gain cutoff frequency fT of 70 GHz by combination of InAlN/GaN HEMTs and Y-gate process.


The growth indexes for industrial production,individual consumption,and the employment market in the Tokai region were powerfuly recovered in the 2000s.The Tokai region is a leading area in the manufacturing industry of Japan.This paper examines the factors that determine business cycle fluctuations in three prefectures of the Tokai region,Aichi,Gifu,and Mie,and compares their regional characteristics. First,we compare the business cycle of the three Tokai prefectures in regards to turning point and duration based on DI(diffusion index)and CI(composite index).In addition,we show that three characteristics,the annual percentage rates of the real GDP,gross prefectural production,and the monthly percentage index of industrial production and index of overtime working hours,have a strong effect on the business cycle.Furthermore,the growth rate in the index of industrial production impacts on the duration of expansion. Second,we examine the factors that cause business cycle fluctuations in the three Tokai prefectures.The level of the peaks and troughs in business cycles fluctuate according to the capital composition of corporations.We measured the economic impacts of industrial compositions of each prefecture by factor analysis. JEL Classification:E32,L11,R11,R15


In view of the tenacity of viruses in the feathers, many workers have suggested the importance of using feathers as the diagnostic material for epidemiological surveillance of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus infections. In this study, we have compared the efficiency of two different processing methods, immersion method and trituration method for elution of HPAI H5N1 virus from the feathers of avian influenza negative ducks in terms of virus isolation in 9-to 11-day-old embryonated specific pathogen free chicken eggs and viral RNA detection by haemagglutinin gene based real-time RTPCR. The recovery of virus by immersion method in terms of percent infectivity in 3 replicates was 96.67, 93.33 and 96.67, whereas in trituration method, percent infectivity was 26.67, 20 and 16.67. In real-time RTPCR, viral RNA could be detected in 17 out of 18 samples by immersion method and from only 2 out of 18 samples by trituration method. The study revealed that the immersion method gave higher viral infectivity percentage and could also be easily detected by real-time RTPCR. We conclude that immersion method of virus elution could be useful for processing of shed duck feathers present in the environment for epidemiological screening against HPAI H5N1 virus infections.


The purpose of this intermediate-level course is to provide physical therapists and physical therapist assistants with a comprehensive overview of the many considerations surrounding knee replacement surgery, including the relevant anatomy, epidemiology, patient selection criteria, surgical considerations, common postoperative complications, and rehabilitation strategies.


Immune responses are suppressed in immunologically privileged sites, which may provide a unique opportunity to prolong allograft survival. However, it is unknown whether testicular immune privilege promotes transplantation tolerance. Mechanisms underlying immune privilege are also not well understood. Here we found that islet transplantation in the testis, an immunologically privileged site, generates much less memory CD8 (cid:1) T cells but induces more Ag-specific CD4 (cid:1) CD25 (cid:1) regulatory T cells than in a conventional site. These CD4 (cid:1) CD25 (cid:1) cells exhibited the suppression of alloimmune responses in vivo and in vitro. Despite the immune regulation, intratesticular islet allografts all were rejected within 42 days after transplantation although they survived longer than renal subcapsular islet allografts. However, blocking CD40/CD40L costimulation induced the tolerance of intratesticular, but not renal subcapsular, islet allografts. Tolerance to intratesticular islet allografts spread to skin allografts in the non-privileged sites. Either transfer of memory CD8 (cid:1) T cells or deletion of CD25 (cid:1) T cells in vivo broke islet allograft tolerance. Thus, transplantation tolerance requires both costimulatory blockade, which suppresses acute allograft rejection, and a favorable balance between memory and regulatory T cells that could favorably prevent late allograft failure. These findings reveal novel mechanisms of immune privilege and provide direct evidence that testicular immune privilege fosters the induction of transplantation tolerance to allografts in both immunologically privileged and non-privileged sites. The Journal of Immunology, 2005, 174: 6161–6168. Blocking CD40/CD40L interaction in vivo T cell proliferation T cell apoptosis


outstanding theorist, celebrated his 60th birthday. G F Krymski|̄ was born in the city of Olekminsk, Yakutiya, in the working family of F V Krymski|̄ and N N Krymskaya. Major scientific interests of G F Krymski|̄ became apparent as soon as he first set to work at the Institute of Cosmophysical Research and Aeronomics (ICPRA), the Siberian Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences (at that time, the Institute was incorporated in the Yakutsk Affiliated Centre of the Siberian Division). He began his scientific career in 1959, having graduated from the Physical Faculty, Yakutsk State University. Guided by professor A I Kuz'min of ICPRA, the young scientist soon found himself involved in the construction of the then unique underground spectrograph for recording high-energy cosmic rays. In the early sixties, this instrument was used to collect a wealth of experimental data which proved of great value for better understanding the physical principles of the interaction between cosmic rays and interplanetary medium. The potential for recording high-energy cosmic rays (10 ± 10 eV) was markedly enhanced due to a new method for conducting a global survey suggested and developed by Krymski|̄ which allowed a worldwide system of ground detectors to be employed as a single multidirectional instrument. The practical application of this approach greatly facilitated the progress in experimental investigations of the varying intensity of cosmic rays. When the conceptual basis for physics of interactions of cosmic rays with the interplanetary medium was being formulated in the early half of the sixties, G F Krymski|̄ fundamental research made a major contribution to the advance of this area. In 1964, he suggested a comprehensive explanation for the so-called diurnal variations in the intensity of cosmic rays. This phenomenon was shown to be related to the anisotropy the angular distribution of cosmic ray due to the modulatory effect of the solar wind while the peculiar direction of anisotropy was ascribed to the effect of the interplanetary magnetic field. A quantitative description of this and some other effects became feasible based on the diffusion equation for cosmic ray transfer derived by Krymski|̄ in 1964. This equation underlies the current theory of cosmic ray propagation and acceleration in interplanetary and interstellar media. In the early seventies, G F Krymski|̄ initiated a study on themechanisms of cosmic ray acceleration (generation). A big success was achieved in 1974 when he managed to predict the regular acceleration of charged particles at shock wave fronts. Like any great idea, the discovery of regular acceleration gave rise to a new research field in cosmic ray physics. The results of numerous experiments carried out in the interplanetary space leave little doubt that regular acceleration plays an important role in the formation of high-energy particle spectra in space. There is every reason to believe that a major part of the observable cosmic rays of galactic origin are generated in what remains after supernova explosions due to regular acceleration. The theory of cosmic ray acceleration in supernova remnants developed by Krymski|̄ and his disciples provides the basis for predictions which can be directly verified by experiment. Recent progress in highenergy gamma-astronomy gives hope that experimental evidence will soon be obtained that the bulk of cosmic rays are actually generated in remnants of supernovae. Krymski|̄'s theory is crucial for a deeper insight into this important problem. Krymski|̄'s works greatly influenced developments in cosmic ray physics. They are well-known to the scientific Uspekhi Fizicheskikh Nauk 167 (11) 1247 ± 1248 (1997) Translated by Yu VMorozov PERSONALIA PACS number: 01.60.+q


This paper discusses the unjustified assignment (based on calcareous nannofossils) of a large portion of the Maastrichtian strata in the Mezdra and Lyutidol synclines (West Fore Balkan, Bulgaria) to the Paleogene. The co-occurrence of Paleocene nannofossils, reported by some authors, and Maastrichtian macrofossil taxa in these sections indicates diachronism in the appearance of macro- and nannofossils across the K/Pg boundary. Thus, this boundary cannot be precisely localized except if the Maastrichtian fossils are assumed to have been redeposited, but there is no evidence of resedimentation. Maastrichtian macrofossils are found not only within the range of the Paleogene nannofossil zones, but also in sections overlying them in the Kajlâka Formation where new Maastrichtian macrofossil taxa, such as the echinoid Hemipneustes striatoradiatus (LESKE), appear and some inoceramid and cephalopod taxa range into this unit. These facts shed doubt over the applicability of nannofossils in determining the K/Pg boundary where this has already been firmly documented by macrofauna.


BACKGROUND
Preeclampsia (PE) is one of the most serious disorders of human pregnancy with a high rate of mortality for the fetus and mother. Several etiological factors are involved in the onset of this disease. Upregulation of IL-27 has been reported in placental tissue recovered from preeclamptic women, but the role of IL-27 has not yet been investigated in PE. The aim of the study was to investigate the association of IL-27 rs153109 and rs17855750 gene polymorphisms with PE; also, protein levels and susceptibility and severity of PE in Iranian women were evaluated.

METHODS
This case-control study was performed on 199 PE patients and 228 healthy women as the control group. IL-27 rs153109 and rs17855750 SNPs were genotyped using a PCR-RFLP method. Moreover, the levels of IL-27 were determined in 40 PE and 45 healthy women using ELISA method.

RESULTS
Statistical analysis indicated that there were no differences in genotype, allele and genotype combination frequencies in the SNPs between cases and controls. The plasma level of IL-27 was elevated in the mild form of the disease compared with controls (p-value: 0.006).

CONCLUSIONS
The effect of IL-27 in preeclampsia is not due to the studied cytokine polymorphisms, but the level of IL-27 might be associated with the severity of preeclampsia in Iranian women.


THE TALE OF TWO NARRATIVES: NATO AS A COLLECTIVE DEFENSE AND A COLLECTIVE SECURITY INSTITUTION Anna M. Rulska Old Dominion University, 2010 Director: Dr. Regina Karp The goal of this project is to determine NATO's present and future roles as a collective security organization and as a security alliance. In the past, NATO has dealt with both objectives under different and changing conditions. This paper argues that throughout the entirety of its history, NATO worked as both collective security and collective defense organization. The theoretical assumptions made within the paper are supported by the analysis of the past behavior of the Alliance in respect to the relationship between the narrative of collective security and that of collective defense, and changes within that relationship. Four specific periods will be taken into account: the creation ofNATO, the Cold War, post-Cold War to September 1 1th, 2001, and post9/1 1 in an effort to draw applicable lessons for the future of the North Atlantic Alliance. NATO traditionally and historically has been described as and considered to be an alliance. This project shows, however, that contrary to the common perception, the story ofNATO is that of two narratives: of an alliance and a collective security arrangement. While conceptually and theoretically separate, in the case of the North Atlantic Alliance those two narratives are linked together. Through most ofNATO's history, those two narratives reinforced each other to such an extent that neither would have been possible and durable without the other. The combination ofthose two narratives has been dependent on the structure of the international environment. In the past twenty years, with the change of the international structure following the end of the Cold War, the relationship between the two narratives changed as well. For the past two decades, the narrative of collective security has been dominating the collective defense nature ofNATO. Ultimately, the future ofNATO is based on both features, intertwined: collective security and collective defense. As the organization has managed to carry out both characteristics in the past, it now must find political will and commitment among its members to continue effectively and successfully its role as a collective security arrangement and a collective defense organization.


Two-dimensional nonlinear models are developed to account fo r abnormal surface ocean waves generation and propagation. These models ar e based on the KadomtsevPetviashvili equation, the 2D Benjamin-Ono equation and the 2D Gardner equation. Possible mechanisms of the waves formation suggested are the reson ant interaction between semi-plane waves or waves with curved fronts or the transvers e instability of a plane surface wave.


A new algorithm of self-adaptability for digital audio watermark with energy quantization is put forward in this paper. First, the visually recognizable binary watermark image should be converted into the one-dimensional sequence in the algorithm. The watermark sequence is permuted and encrypted through Amold transformation, then carve up the original digital audio signal to audio data segment and do the DCT and DWT to every audio data segment. Finally choose the quantization step by self-adaptability according to the masking properties of human auditory system and the watermark signal is embedded to low- frequency components of audio data signal segment. The experimental results of simulation show that the algorithm not only has great imperceptibility but also has great robustness to the co-attack of superposition noise, low pass filter and resample.


The purpose of this study was to review a group of youths in a municipality which all had committed criminal acts. The study is based on 66 youths between the ages of 13 and 20 that were all matter ...


a creative role, and the critic, pragmatically choosing the mode of interpretation which he finds most productive (as there can be none which is objective), is a virtuoso performer in his own right. But at the same time there are clearly real facts about the Met. that render it particularly suitable for this style of interpretation. Peter Brown is cited on the dust-jacket as welcoming W.'s rescue of the Met. from 'monolithic interpretations'. His taste is that of the age, but (unpalatably) those of us who allow some possibility of objectivity in interpretation are compelled to believe that interpretations are not false because monolithic and may wonder whether W.'s Apuleius squares entirely with the philosopher who endorsed Platonism and told audiences how it was. This may cause hesitation before considering Isis to be only a possible answer or viewing Cupid & Psyche as a detective story based on the mystery Who is Psyche's husband? (p. 90). However, such caution expressed, it is at once clear that W.'s book must have a decisive impact on the dialectic of Apuleian scholarship: he has successfully redefined the areas of dispute and presented a position from which all future Apuleian scholars will need to start. In particular, the meaningless novel, I hope, and the novel of increasing nausea with the world, I fear, have been wrecked beyond repair. But perhaps W.'s major service to the author is that he makes it worthwhile (indeed, he provokes you) to look with care at the details of the Master's text. Lector, intende!


Objective: We previously reported that a diet high in oxidized frying oil (OFO) is less adipogenic but induces glucose intolerance in rodents, a situation somewhat is similar to that in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)-fed mice. The present study compared the lipid and glucose metabolism effects of dietary OFO and CLA to clarify how the OFO diet compromises glucose tolerance. Methods: C57BL/6J mice were divided into four groups in which the CLA and CLA control (CC) groups received a low-fat diet supplemented with or without 1 g/100 g of CLA (1:1 mixture of cis-9, trans-11 and trans-10, cis-12), and the OFO and OFO control (CO) groups received a high-fat diet containing 20 g/100 g of OFO or fresh soybean oil, respectively. Results: When compared with their respective controls (CLA versus CC and OFO versus CO), the OFO and CLA diets resulted in deprivation of adipose and downregulation of adipocyte marker genes, but a totally different response of lipid metabolism in the liver was observed, i.e., anabolism was enhanced by the CLA diet but catabolism was enhanced by the OFO diet. In contrast to the insulin resistance that occurred in CLA-fed mice, the glucose intolerance induced by the OFO diet was accompanied by decreases in insulin and C-peptide levels during an oral glucose tolerance test. Analysis of vitamin E and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances in the liver showed the OFO diet, but not the CLA diet, compromised vitamin E status. Conclusion: The impaired glucose metabolism resulting from OFO feeding is not related to CLA. In contrast to the hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance induced by the CLA diet, the OFO diet-induced glucose intolerance is mediated by impairment of insulin secretion. © 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


Cytochrome P450 2D6 is a highly polymorphic enzyme in the human. It mainlymetabolizes cardiovascular drugs and antipsychotic drugs.The mutation of CYP 2D6 allelesleads to the variation of enzyme activities and levels, which accounts for the individualizationof drug effects. By the use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragmentlength polymorphism (RFLP) assays we can distinguish the different genotype of CYP 2D6Probe-based assays can predict the phenotype of CYP 2D6 as ultrarapid metabolizer, extensivemetabolizers and Poor metabolizers. The further studies of CYP2D6 will aid in individualizedtherapy in clinical practice and reduce or avoid advcrse drug reactions in chemotherapy.


Objective: The purpose of this study was to: (1) understand the factors affecting university students' choices of dietary protein (2) To identify the most frequently consumed protein foods in the diets of the tertiary student at 3 different universities in Trinidad (3) To examine possible relationships between protein food choice and demographic characteristics of the students (4) To compare dietary habits with respect to protein choices across the 3 main universities in Trinidad.


In the present work we characterize sputtered iridium oxide films (SIROF) by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), x-ray, and impedance spectroscopies. We show that a crystallization transition occurs at ca, 230 °C, and suggest a bilayer model for the sputtered film. The transition results in a crystalline mixture of iridium metal and iridium oxide; this suggests a decomposition-crystallization process of the type 2Ir_2O_3 ⇉ Ir + 3IrO_2. In the bilayer model proposed by us, the layer closer to the substrate would reflect the combined influence of the sputtering conditions and of the substrate, while the properties of the second layer depend on the sputtering conditions alone. The bilayer structure is supported by results obtained by impedance spectroscopy.


Objective To investigate the efficacy of lamivudine( LAM) combined with thymosin α1 (Tα1) on young patients with chronic hepatitis B. Methods Sixty six chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients aged from 12 to 16 years and weight greater than 33 kg were divided into the LAM + Tα1 group and the LAM group; in LAM + Tα1 group,Tα1 was administered 1.6 mg hypodermic once daily and after 5 days it was changed to 1 6 mg hypodermic, twice in two weeks, and the drug was stopped after 26 weeks, while LAM had been administered 100 mg each time once daily for 52 weeks. In LAM group, only LAM had been administered 100 mg once daily for 52 weeks. The serum level of HBV DNA, HBV markers and the ALT were measured before and after treatment Results After the treatment, the rate of serum HBV UNA turned to negative in LAM + Tα1 group was 100 % , and that in LAM group was 93.7 % ; recovery ratios at 52 weeks of LAM+ Tα1 group was 87.1% ,and that of LAM group was 78. 1% .After 52 weeks, the HBeAg serum conversion rate of LAM + Tα1 group was 58. 1 % , and that of the LAM group was 21.9%. Comparing the results of the two groups, the difference was remarkable. Conclusion The efficacy of Tα1 combined with LAM on young patients with chronic hepatitis B is superior to that use of single LAM


Veale responds to Brice's request for a tablet photo from Lamberg-Karlovsky's files from the Yahya expedition, but states she cannot find the key to lockbox the files are stored in.


The patients with diseases that cause severe movement disabilities was noticeably increasing. These disabilities made patients unable to carry out their daily activities or interact with their external environment. However, the existence of human-computer interfaces (HCI) gave those patients a new hope to be able to interact once again. HCI enabled these patients to communicate with their environment by recognizing the movement of their eyes. Eye movements are recorded by an electro-oculogram (EOG) through some electrodes that are put vertically and horizontally on the eyes. In this paper, EOG vertical and horizontal signals were analyzed to detect six eye movements (up, down, right, left, double blinking, and center). Three deep learning models namely convolution neural network (CNN), visual geometry group (VGG), and inception had been examined on filtered EOG signals. The experimental results reveal the superiority of the inception model in providing the best average accuracy 96.4%. Accordingly, a writing system is presented based on the detected movements.


This study comprehensively explores the factors affecting product innovation performance in small e-businesses. The effects of the broader composition of digital eco-dynamics on the performance of product innovation of small businesses are little understood. This study tries to fill in the gaps and investigate the interdependencies above. This study offers the novelty of using RICH as a construct that can improve innovation performance, expanding on a digital eco-dynamic that has not been developed for ten years. Confirmatory factor analysis, descriptive statistics, construct reliability, average variance extracted, and the RMSEA model of fit test was used to analyze data from 300 useable responses. The test reliability and validity of the empirical model were evaluated through linguist reviews and statistically tested with construct reliability coefficients and confirmatory factor analysis. The findings also suggest that IT capability, dynamic capability, environmental uncertainty, and resource induce coping heuristics positively impact product innovation performance in small e-businesses. This research will contribute to developing innovation theory by offering RICH as a solution. The finding that RICH is positively and significantly related to innovation performance is significant for business actors, mainly because it is in the context of developing countries. For entrepreneurs, the findings of this study suggest that developing resources in a manner consistent with the RICH strategy for companies to be more entrepreneurially oriented. In this way, the development and actualization of cognitive resources can reduce uncertainty and lead to resource acquisition and resource protection by entrepreneurs


ABSTRACT Aircraft cockpit system design is an activity with several challenges, particularly when new technologies break with previous user experience. This is the case with the design of the advanced human machine interface (AHMI), used for controlling the Advanced Flight Management System (AFMS), which has been developed by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Studying this new User Interface (UI) requires a structured approach to evaluate and validate AHMI designs. In this paper, we introduce a model-based development process for AHMI development, based on our research in the EUs 7 th framework project "Human". Categories and Subject Descriptors D2.2 [ Software Engineering ]: Design Tools and Techniques – Modules and interfaces; user interfaces . D2.m [ Software Engineering ]: Miscellaneous – Rapid Prototyping; reusable software . H.1.2 [ Information Systems ]: Models and Principles – User/Machine Systems . H5.2 [ Information interfaces and presentation ]: User Interfaces – Prototyping; user-centered design; user interface management systems (UIMS)


Terrestrial and aquatic habitats of North American and the European Arctic and Subarctic were sampled for the presence of thermophilic, mesophilic, and psychrophilic bacteria. Thirteen geographic regions of Alaska, one in northern Canada, and seven in Norway were studied. In general, the number of thermophiles was low, and in many cases they were completely absent, particularly in samples of fresh water. They were found in highest numbers in materials which had been contaminated by human or animal sewage; in water, from hot springs and adjacent soils; in soils, particularly in Norway, which had been cultivated without the addition of organic manures; in soils which had been disturbed; and for unknown reasons they were present naturally in highest numbers in certain soils of northern Canada, where there was, in most cases, no known history of sewage contamination or cultivation. Although warmblooded animals may be the original source of some of these microorganisms, there is strong evidence to suggest that some strains occur naturally in waters and soils of these regions.


This chapter examines how witnesses animate places, both those reconstructed in narrative and those displayed on camera. Moreover, this chapter delves into the question of catastrophe as bodily perception. Memories of radical physical alienation, kinetic maneuvering, and topographical orientation all contribute to the witness's notion of history. For witnesses testifying in Israeli and North American settings, their physical environments support different narratives of disembedding. Witnesses' sense that something about themselves and the world has drastically changed can be affirmed by the physical scenery of today, which is, in fact, very different than the one within which they were born. Witnesses testifying in Yiddish in Lithuania have substantially different spatial guidelines when telling their stories. In this setting, progression in time is not matched by movement in space. The cities of Kovna, Vilna, and Shavl provide images of both prewar origin and postwar destination. Even dark places—ghettos and shootings pits—can intermingle with the geography of the everyday.


Objective To investigate the effect of comprehensive psychological intervention combined with midazolam on the preoperative stress response in sterile females.Methods Sixty sterile women were randomly divided into three groups,each with 20 cases.Group Ⅰ(control group): routine preoperative preparations,group Ⅱ(psychological intervention group): receiving 2-3 times psychological interventions during preparation of operation.Group Ⅰand group Ⅱ received no preoperative sedative.Group Ⅲ(psychological intervention combined with midazolam group): receiving 2-3 times psychological interventions during preparation of operation,and receiving muscular injection of midazolam(0.05 mg/kg) 30 min before entering operation room.Blood samples(4 mL) were taken in the next morning after admission and after entering the operation room.The serum concentrations of corticosteroid(Cor),adrenocorticotropic hormone(ACTH),angiotensin Ⅱ(AT-Ⅱ),plasma glucose(PG) and recorded with heart rate(HR),blood pressure(BP),oxygen saturation(SpO2),Zung anxiety grade and depression grade(SAS,SDS) scores were all examined.Results There were no significant differences in HR,BP,serum concentrations of Cor,ACTH,AT-Ⅱ,PG,and SAS,SDS scores between the three groups at the admission(all P0.05).After entering operation room,the above data in group I were significantly increased(P0.01 or 0.05);no other changes(all P0.05) except that significantly lower SAS,SDS scores were found in group Ⅱ(all P0.05);and all the data in group Ⅲ were significantly decreased(P0.01 or 0.05).Compared with group Ⅰ,the item levels of group Ⅱand Ⅲ were significantly decreased(P0.01 or 0.05),and also those of the group III were significantly lower than those of groupⅡ(P0.01 or 0.05).Conclusion Comprehensive psychological intervention can effectively improve the psychological health of sterile patients,lover the preoperative stress response level;besides,midazolam can enhance the effect of psychological intervention.(Shanghai Med J,2009,32: 888-891)


Anchor frame beam is a method for strengthing expansive soil cutting slope, it can effectively prevent the shallow and deep sliding of the expansive soil slope, so as to prevent the further deformation of the slope mass. In this paper, combined with engineering example, the construction technology of anchor frame beam is described,the stability of the anchor frame beam protection system is calculated through using geo-slope software. The field monitoring data verifies that the anchor frame beam can effectively protect the expansive soil slope, this kind of protection method realizes the organic combination of traditional engineering protection and vegetation protection. The method has a good effect and is worthy of popularization.


There is widespread agreement on the need for architectural change in the Internet, but very few believe that current ISPs will ever effect such changes. In this paper we ask what makes an architec...


Controversy exists regarding the success of myoblast transplantation. The purpose of this study was to determine the survival of transplanted myoblasts in a rat tongue reconstruction model by using fluorescently labeled myoblasts and surgical stains to mark the location of the pocket into which transplanted cells were delivered. We evaluated tongue histology after myoblast transplantation under the hypothesis that myoblast transplantation will promote muscle regeneration and result in minimal scar tissue formation.


Social Change in Tikopia. By Raymond Firth. George Allen & Unwin. London. 1959. Pp. 1–360. Illustrated. Price, 45/– sterling.

History and Traditions of Tikopia. By Raymond Firth. Published by the Polynesian Society (Incorporated), Wellington, New Zealand. 1961. Pp. 1–203. Price, £1/5/– N.Z.


Extending the notion of probability of commuting pairs in [2, 6, 7, 8], it is introduced that of generalized commutativity degree. Its influence on the group structure is investigated.


The causes of the browsing intensity are not fully understood and even less for this non-preferred and economically valuable tree species. Browsing pressure on spruce trees (Picea abies) caused by fallow deer (Dama dama) around supplemental feeding sites was investigated. Trees were classified in three different categories to cover the variability in height i.e. trees 4m. The study was performed in southwestern Sweden, within an estate with an artificially maintained high deer density. I quantified the browsing pressure on spruce and investigated which factors had a significant effect on the found browsing pattern in relation to supplemental feeding sites.
A total of 25.7% of the surveyed trees were affected by browsing, being the smaller category the less consumed probably due to a higher content of secondary metabolites. Using model selection procedures the factor browsing pressure on pine appeared as the most important explaining up to 40% of the response variability. Other important factors were the distance from the feeding sites, the shape of the spruce trees and the structural complexity (multi-layered forest stand). However not all the important factors had the same effect in relation to the different response variables. Deciduous tree density and amount of shrub species did not exert a significant effect on browsing. These high browsing values on spruce were caused by the attraction exerted by the supplemental feeding sites and the high density of herbivores maintained, even though artificial food was supplemented ad libitum.


The main aim of this paper was to examine specific approaches to determining the discount rate for comprehensive computation of investment projects efficiency in the oil and gas industry. The objective of the study was to develop a scientific approach for determining the discount rate for integrated oil and gas projects. The authors analyze dynamic methods for determining the efficiency of investment projects in the oil and gas industry and conclude that they are advisable for oil and gas projects due to the high capital intensity of the projects and their long payback period. Regarding the need to implement dynamic indicators of efficiency, the authors set the task of deter-mining the proper discount rate as a factor having a significant impact on effectiveness evaluation. The discount rate is proposed to be evaluated by solving the equation and finding the break-even point where the NPV (net present value) of the integrated project will be equal to 0 (taking into account the revenue of the subprojects included in the complex). The practical implementation of methodological approaches to assessing the discount rate for integrated projects is relevant due to the execution of large, systemically important and integrated projects. As a result of the study, the authors put forward a methodological algorithm for determining the discount rate of an integrated project which assumes an assessment of cash flows for the subprojects included in the complex; determination of the target rate of return for subprojects; and calculation of prices for products at which a complex project become break-even. The practical implementation of methodological approaches to assessing the discount rate for integrated projects is relevant due to the execution of large systemically important integrated projects.


Taking the construction of the library website of Wuhan Bioengineering Institute as an example, this paper analyzes the significance of the construction of the library website of private colleges, puts forward some design ideas for the construction of the library website of private colleges, of the library website of private colleges, and expounds the concrete design and implementation of the library website.


Objective:To investigate the incidence of dental fear in children aged 4 to 14 and to analyse its cause.Methods:The children of different ages were educated and guided using different methods.And their cooperation was graded.Results:There was a significant difference in dental fear between children of different ages and sexes.Conclusion:In order to help children overcome dental fear and help them to cooperate with dentists in the treatment,children of different ages and sexes should be dealt with in different ways when they are treated.


The observable phenomena of SLA early linguistic approaches to explaining the observable phenomena of SLA sociolinguistic approaches to explaining the observable phenomena of SLA cognitive approaches to explaining the observable phenomena of SLA the approach to SLA based on universal grammar parametric variation and transfer in SLA parametric variation and incompleteness in SLA parametric variation, staged development and cross-learner systematicity in SLA parametric variation, variability and the limits of the explanatory power of universal grammar in SLA explanations of variability hypothesis creation and revision the development of language processing approaches to learner strategies towards a model of SLA.


Stephen Waterman, Ricardo Cortés Alcalá, and Philip Spradling. The United States–Mexico border is one of the world's busiest frontiers, reflecting extensive commerce, tourism, and migration between the two countries. Over 13 million persons live in the US counties and Mexican jurisdictions adjacent to the international boundary [1]. Mexico is the most common foreign tourist destination for US travelers (32% of all foreign trips [2]). More Mexicanborn persons live in the United States (12 million) than foreign-born persons from any other country; the majority live in California and Texas, but about one-third live in nonborder states [3]. Viral hepatitis is a disease of public health importance to the United States and Mexico. It is most commonly caused by infections with the unrelated viruses hepatitis A virus (HAV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) [4]. HAV is transmitted by the fecal-oral route, while HBV and HCV are spread by blood and bodily fluids of infected persons. Infections with any of the 3 viruses can produce acute disease characterized by nausea, malaise, abdominal pain, and jaundice. HBV and HCV infections also pose a risk for chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma. We reviewed disease trends in both countries and on the border to examine the extent to which the interrelationship of border crossing populations influences viral hepatitis transmission patterns. In 2010, the United States reported 1670 cases of acute hepatitis A, 3374 cases of acute hepatitis B, and 849 cases of acute hepatitis C [5]. Mexico does not routinely gather national statistics on specific viral hepatitis diagnoses but reported 23 603 cases of viral hepatitis in 2010 [6]. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Mexico Secretariat of Health recently reviewed border region surveillance data on hepatitis due to HAV, HBV, and HCV from 2000 through 2009 gathered by the US– Mexico Border Infectious Disease Surveillance (BIDS) project [7]. Data were obtained from sentinel sites in clinics in hospitals in border cities in both countries. The incidence of hepatitis A in the United States has declined dramatically since 1995 as a result of universal childhood immunization with HAV vaccine. The overall US incidence of hepatitis A in 2010 was 0.54 cases/100 000, the lowest rate ever recorded; the rate among Hispanics was 0.72 cases/ 100 000. Periodic serosurveys in Mexico suggest that the hepatitis A incidence has gradually decreased over the last 20 years, while the median age at the time of infection has increased [8]. BIDS data indicate that hepatitis A case rates were >3 times higher in Mexico sites than US sites; the median age of case patients in Mexican border sites was 7 years, compared with 31 years in the US sites. Hepatitis A represented 69% of all BIDS hepatitis cases from Mexico. Forty-five percent of US case patients with hepatitis A in the border region reported cross-border travel, while 41% of Mexican case patients had household contact with a known case patient. Hepatitis A rates in border counties during 1999–2009 were over twice those in US states that do not border Mexico (CDC, unpublished data). Hepatitis B incidence has also declined in the United States since the mid-1980s as a result of vaccination efforts. The 2010 hepatitis B incidence in the United States was 1.10 cases/ 100 000, compared with 0.64 cases/ 100 000 among Hispanics. The estimated seroprevalence of HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) in Mexican-born persons living in the United States is 0.49%, with an estimated 56 000 Mexican-born persons with chronic hepatitis B [9]. HBsAg seroprevalence studies in Mexico indicate higher prevalence in Mexico City and in northern and southern border regions with significant migrant populations [10]. Hepatitis B case rates in BIDS sentinel sites in Mexico were 37% lower than US rates; hepatitis B represented 14% of all BIDS acute hepatitis cases from Mexico. The median ages of acute hepatitis B case patients in border sites were 38 years in the United States and 33 years in Mexico. Injection drug use was the most commonly reported risk factor among both Mexico (40%) and US (29%) border case patients. Hepatitis C is the most common bloodborne infection in the United States, with an estimated 3.2 million persons chronically infected. The overall incidence of acute hepatitis C in the United States in 2010 was 0.29 cases/ 100 000, compared with 0.14 cases/ 100 000 among Hispanics; rates in the


Abstract The evaporation rates of small (radius 3–9 μ), freely failing water droplets were determined. The droplets, produced in a diffusion cloud chamber, were allowed to fall through air of known relative humidity (95–99%) and at three ambient temperatures (25, 30 and 35C) in. a vertical drift tube. The rates of evaporation were ascertained by recording the drop positions on film at fixed time intervals. The results are compared with several existing theories, and are found to lie between the formulation of Kinzer and Gunn and the quasi-stationary theory based on Maxwell's equation.


To separate the usable fraction from 36 tons of metal whose average concentration exceeded the 200 MWD/ton limit, a method of sorting by means of underwater radiation measurements was developed in the 105F storage basin and put into operation in the 200N Area. The sorting was done by 200 Area Operations with the assistance of 100 and 200 Technical. Approximately 75% of the material was classified as usable. The present memorandum describes the technical aspects of the process.


33 Background: Processing operative instrumemt sets is a major cost for surgical cancer care. Optimizing standard sets requires availability of instruments reflecting varied surgeon preferences while minimizing unnecessary instruments. Additionally, increasing utilization of oncoplastic reconstruction after mastectomy and lumpectomy requiring breast and plastic surgery sets further expands the number of instruments required. The goal of our study was to optimize standard sets used for cases combining breast and plastic surgeons and to determine cost savings Methods: Baseline data was recorded over a 2 week period (13 cases) including number of instruments available and number unused for non- flap breast-plastics combo (BPC) cases. An independent observer timed instrument set-up times. 22 breast and 14 plastic surgeons were polled for their requested instruments for designated cases. A BPC set was designed based on this data and reviewed with surgeons to update preference cards. After a 6 week implamentation/education period, repeat data was recorded (18 cases). Cost of instrument processing was based on labor and supply cost of $0.22/instrument.

RESULTS
Two breast surgery sets (65 and 97 instruments) and one plastics set ( 93 instruments) were used at baseline. The median number of available instrumeets was 172.5/case, with median 126.5 instruments unused. A mean of 3.8 separately packaged instruments were required per case with mean set-up time of 4m46s. The new BPC set contains 103 instruments. A median of 106.5 instruments were available after implementation. The median number of unused was reduced by 53% to 59.5, with a drop in number of separately processed instruments to 2.5. Mean set-up time was reduced to 2m16s. Reducing the size of of standard sets reduced processing costs by $12.10 or $19.14/case (depending on the breast set used for comparison). Combining sets resulted in an additional cost savings of $6.56/case by reducing extra packaging costs.

CONCLUSIONS
combining breast and plastic sets and eliminating unnecessary instruments resulted in cost savings of $18.66-$25.70/case. It also reduced OR instrument set-up time by 2.5 minutes/case which has significant impact at high volume centers.


Functional orthopedic appliances are mostly used to treat Class II malocclusion originated from mandibular retrusion. Removable or fixed functional appliances are available to advance the mandible. Fixed appliances can be treated in tandem with multibarcket therapy, thus making it a single-phase treatment. The major disadvantage of fixed functional appliances is proclination of lower anterior teeth. To reduce this proclination, miniplates or miniimplants are being used; negative torque is added to the lower incisors. Despite these additions, the proclination could not be eliminated but minimized. This case report documents the successful treatment of skeletal Class II in late stages of puberty using forsus fatigue resistance appliance with soldered hooks placed distal to the lower canines.


The harmful impact of air pollution has drawn raising concerns from ordinary citizens, researchers, policymakers, and smart city users. It is of great importance to identify air pollution levels at the spatial resolution on time so that its negative impact on human health and environment can be minimized. This paper proposed the CNN-BILSTM-IDW model, which aims to predict and spatially analyze the pollutant level in the study area in advance using past observations. The neural network-based Convolutional Bidirectional Long short-term memory (CNN-BILSTM) network is employed to perform time series prediction over the next four weeks. Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) is utilized to perform spatial prediction. The proposed CNNBILSTM-IDW model provides almost 16% better prediction performance than the ordinary IDW method, which fails to predict spatial prediction at a high temporal period. The results of the presented comparative analysis signify the efficiency of the proposed model. Received on 20 June 2020; accepted on 29 November 2020; published on 15 January 2021


We consider nondiagonal elliptic and parabolic systems of equations with quadratic nonlinearities in the gradient. We discuss a new description of regular points of solutions of such systems. For a class of strongly nonlinear parabolic systems, we estimate locally the Hölder norm of a solution. Instead of smallness of the oscillation, we assume local smallness of the Campanato seminorm of the solution under consideration. Theorems about quasireverse Hölder inequalities proved by the author are essentially used. We study systems under the Dirichlet boundary condition and estimate the Hölder norm of a solution up to the boundary (up to the parabolic boundary of the prescribed cylinder in the parabolic case).


(57) Abstract: The organic polymer binder, water, a mixture of one or more inorganic mixed material, to form the matching sheet performance criteria overlooking the fibrous material and any admixture, together with appropriate amounts produced by a composition for producing a sheet having a highly matrix inorganic filled, methods and apparatus are provided. Mixture inorganic-filled first extruding the mixture (40), is formed on the sheet by passing between rollers (50) of the extruded one set of materials. Utilizing the rolled rollers and / or drying chamber is heated sheet accelerated to dried making substantially cured sheet. Sheet inorganic filled may have paper, paperboard, polystyrene, plastic, or a sheet substantially properties similar made until now of conventional materials such as metal. Such a sheet is wound takes, or compressed, or nicking, or perforations, or folds can be adhered. This is particularly useful in the mass production of goods such as food and beverage containers and packaging materials.


The authors have developed a simple technique to quantify strain in bonded Si films and used it to compare the strain induced by two distinct wafer bonding methods. This method consists of patterning sets of moire/spl acute/ gratings on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates prior to bonding using a G-line stepper. After planarization, bonding, and etch-back, the same lithography step is performed on the flipped patterns. The resultant interference between upper and lower gratings produces moire/spl acute/ fringes which is a measure of the strain. In the experiments, the sensitivity of the measurement is approximately 20 nm. This approach has been used to compare two methods of wafer bonding. The first method, a manual bonding technique, yielded strain of up to 100 nm/mm. The second method employed a commercial-grade bonder and resulted in film strains below 40 nm/mm. In the bonding schemes the authors have studied, they believe strain results mainly from induced wafer bow during bonding and stress contributions of deposited films. This scheme was developed to address wafer strain that arises from a direct-alignment double-gate MOSFET fabrication scheme (Meinhold, 1994).


In Q1 2018 Industry Adaptability Index notably fell (Fig. 1) – just 74% of enterprises have assessed their main indicators as "normal". Such negative change in consolidated indicators has not been registered since the crisis of 2009, when Index fell by 10 points. Note, that in Q1 2015 adaptability Index fell by only 2 points.


For many years it has been customary for writers on the work of Pablo Picasso to attribute to his encounter with African Negro sculpture certain unfamiliar features that began to appear in his work about 1906 or 1907. African Negro art is said to have caught the attention of the younger painters in Paris about 1905. Vlaminck and Derain were among the first amateurs in this field. Their lead was followed shortly by Matisse and others. About the same time in Germany a similar interest attracted the young painters of the Dresden Brucke group. It was not unreasonable, therefore, to conceive a possible affinity between these unfamiliar features of Picasso's work of 1907 and thereabouts and African Negro art on the basis of certain formal characteristics which appeared to afford a closer resemblance to that art than to any better-known source of inspiration. In the spring of 1939, however, a statement by Picasso on the subject, reported by Christian Zervos in the second volume of his comprehensive catalogue of ...


In this paper, we investigate the behaviour of a relativistic quantum oscillator under the effects of Lorentz symmetry violation determined by a tensor (KF )μναβ out of the Standard Model Extension. We analyze the quantum system under a Coulomb-type radial electric field and a uniform magnetic induced by Lorentz symmetry breaking effects under a Cornell-type potential, and obtain the bound states solution by solving the Klein-Gordon oscillator. We see a quantum effect due to the dependence of the angular frequency of the oscillator on the quantum numbers of the system, and the energy eigenvalues and the wave-function of the oscillator field get modified by the Lorentz symmetry breaking parameters as well as due to the presence of Cornell-type potential.


Post-coital bleeding is defined as bleeding or bloody discharge occurring after intercourse, at a time separate from menstruation. The only exception is after first intercourse, when some bleeding may occur following break-down of the hymen. It is a condition experienced by 0.7–9% of women during their lives. There are a number of causes of post-coital bleeding ranging from ectropion to gynaecological malignancy. It is the role of the GP to identify and assess women with this symptom, referring patients for further gynaecological assessment where appropriate.


Uber is the best example of sharing economy. Technology has enables taxi services to be easient way for hassel-free experience. Uber has redefined the taxi industry. Uber in a very short span has gained recognition across geographies. The taxi service is well known for its sophisticated services and affordable prices for rides. This study focuses on the challenges the Uber drivers face providing their services to the consumers and the satisfaction derived by the consumers after the ride. The tool used for analysis is descriptive statistics –mean, medium, mode and standard deviation. It was found that


The tuberculin curve discloses, as known, the fraction of individuals in a given human material which reacts positively on tuberculin at the various ages. If we disregard the understatement inherent in all tuberculin tests, but which may by repetition of the tests be reduced to very small proportions, the curves accordingly give the fraction of individuals with tubercular infection as a function of the age of the individual.


4648 Background: Sipuleucel-T is an autologous cellular immunotherapy designed to stimulate an immune response to prostate cancer. P-11 is a phase III study in men with prostate specific antigen (PSA) progression after radical prostatectomy. Following 3 to 4 months of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), men were randomized 2:1 to treatment with sipuleucel-T or control.

METHODS
Quality of life (QoL) was assessed at baseline (following ADT and prior to randomization) and at Wks 13 and 26 after treatment. The global rating of change evaluated overall QoL (about the same, worse, or better) compared to baseline. The brief fatigue inventory (BFI) scored fatigue level (now, usual, and worst in last 24 hours) and fatigue interference with general activity for 6 activities. Fatigue scores ranged from 0 (none) to 10 (worst). The linear analogue scale (LAS) was based on self-assessment of state of health (0 to 100, with 100= "perfect health"). Missing data were not imputed.

RESULTS
176 patients were randomized to sipuleucel-T (n=117) or control (n=59). 98% of subjects had a baseline QoL assessment, and 92% of subjects had at least 1 post-treatment assessment. As expected with ADT, in the 3 months prior to sipuleucel-T, QoL measures declined and were comparable in both arms. Following initiation of study treatment, no significant differences in QoL were observed between treatment groups (Table).

CONCLUSIONS
Sipuleucel-T can be administered without negative effects on QoL in this patient population. [Table: see text].


2014 We investigate the influence of the elastic collisions on a population of charged particles, which constitute a dilute medium, and which are confined by a quadrupolar radio-frequency field. The investigation is carried out with a unidimensional model, with the aid of a Markov process associated with the evolution of the population. After the establishment of the specific equations03BB which allow the determination of the interesting parameters, we investigate these equations numerically, and we deduce conclusions for the energetical properties of charged particles. The theory also shows that it is possible to improve the trapping, if a light gas is introduced. This result is confirmed by previous observations. LE JOURNAL DE PHYSIQUE TOME 37, JUIN 1976, PAGE


Aerobic heterotrophic andfacultative anaerobic bacteria were isolated fromalldevelopmental stages of thesugar beetrootmaggot,Tetanops myopaefor-mis (vonRoder). Two distinct bacterial symbiotic relationships were observed. Serrcatia liquefticiens andSerratia marcescens were foundtobeassociated withalldevelopmental stages. Bacterial symbiont transmission occurred fromone generation tothenext. Symbionts were transferred fromthemalereproductive systemtothefemalereproductive system, where bothan internal infiltration oftheegg chorion andan external smearing oftheeggsoccurredduring oviposition. Pseudomonas maltophilia was foundinassociation withthelarval gutandtheinner surface of thepuparium. Electron microscopy oftheinnerpuparial surface revealed symbionts withinthechitinous wall. Invitro symbiont chitinase production was found, using bothnephelometric (turbidimetric) andNacetylglucosamine assays.A relationship appeared toexist betweenadultflyemergenceandenzymatic chitin degradation ofthepuparium bythebacterial symbionts. Insect-microbe symbiosis isthought tooccurinallspecies ofinsects (26). However, theexactnature oftheassociation isnotalwayseasily ascertained. Factors whichinfluence insect-microbe interrelationships mayinclude thelife stage oftheinsect, thegeographical andecological characteristics, seasonal variability, microbial mutations, andhostselectivity. Thesefactors arealsorelated tovariation ofthemicroflora oftheinsect; however, truesymbionts remain regardless ofenvironmental changes. A commonfactor ofallinsect-microbe symbiotic relationships isthecontinuity oftheinterrelationshi p fromone


In this paper, we investigate the secrecy performance of a dual-hop cooperative relaying network, where a source node communicates with a destination node via an amplify-and-forward relay node and via direct link in the presence of a passive eavesdropper. In this network, the eavesdropper exploits the advantages of both direct and relay links. We assume that the source, relay, and eavesdropper nodes are mobile, and the destination node is stationary. Moreover, we consider that the source-relay, relay-destination, and source-destination links experience Rayleigh fading, whereas source-eavesdropper and relay-eavesdropper links undergo double-Rayleigh fading. Examples of such scenario are encountered in vehicle-to-vehicle communication and/or vehicle-to-infrastructure communication under cooperative vehicular networks. In particular, we derive new tight closed-form expressions for the secrecy outage probability and ergodic secrecy capacity of the considered system under mixed fading environments. In addition, we present an effective secrecy diversity order within the main-to-eavesdropper ratio ranges of practical interest, and demonstrate that the secrecy diversity order of 2 can be achieved. Finally, the numerical and simulation results corroborate our analytical findings, and show the occurrence conditions for secrecy outage probability and ergodic secrecy capacity floors, and impacts of channel conditions and relay and eavesdropper positions on the system secrecy performance.


issue of 2002, 27:4. Both papers are from the Dept of Logopedics and Phoniatrics at Lund University in Sweden. In the Ž rst article, authors Hansson and Nettelbladt use grammatical production, language comprehension and phonology data from 42 children to discuss the assessment instruments, their diagnostic value and usefulness in cross-linguistic studies. The focus of the second paper, by Hulterstam and Nettelbladt, is the client-clinician interaction during language intervention and in particular how the clinician's elicitation strategies affect child participation. Two different types of phonological interventions were compared and both kinds of therapy showed an adult dominating pattern of communication. The School of Art Education at Stavanger University College contributes a study of muscle activity in the classical singer's shoulder and neck region. The study was conducted by Pettersen and Westgaard and included 16 conservatory singing students. An overuse of the trapezius muscle was observed, and could be lowered using biofeedback. LPV Forum appears again in this issue and the topic this time is collaborative approach to diagnosis and management of persistent dysphonia in performers. LPV readers are reminded that comments and other contributions to our new Forum are most welcome!


A key intermediate compound of 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-tetraacetic acid,1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane hydrochlorate,was synthesized by microwave technology.Comparied with the traditional method,the reaction time is decresed and the yield is increased.


Since 20th century,the time of consumer society was coming.Consuming was no longer the activity to satisfy human need alone and became the ideology of consumer society.With people's psychological acceptance,mass consuming was organized as a key factor of the economic system by the works of mass media and advertisements.Meanwhile,the legality of society was proved.That is how the ideology of consumer society works.What we must know is that consumerism ideology appeared in the special phrase of modern history as a result of development of society,and it is a new form of conrtrol in this days,and it surely brought us alienation life with ourselves.


This paper deals with both external and nontraditional degrees. As used here, an external degree is an off-campus degree offered by a traditional campus-based institution. Off campus refers to the fact that all requirements for the degree can be completed without a period of residency on the central campus. External degrees are, in some sense, nontraditional, for many institutions have long required a period of residence for granting any degree. The residence requirement has been regarded as the means of insuring that a graduate student spend a period of time in a situation where he or she can interact with other graduate students and graduate faculty members and enjoy advantages of a range of facilities and resources perhaps not otherwise available. In addition to these obvious advantages, many persons have long assumed that the scholarly life not only required interaction with and support from other scholars but also sufficient time both to contemplate and concentrate so that understanding, insight, and creativity might ensue. Originally, the campus-based graduate degree symbolized, in fact, largely a life of scholarship involving seminars in which students and faculty interacted in discussing and reporting research. Over time, graduate programs have incorporated many characteristics of undergraduate education and have come to depend, in great part, upon traditional credit and class hour specifications, residency requirements, rigidly defined course and examination requirements, and availability of extensive resources in library, advising, laboratory, and learning materials. Though originally requirements were not intended necessarily to be enforced rigorously upon each student, the waiver or the ignoring of any requirement for a particular individual came to be regarded as favoritism and possibly contributing to a reduction of standards. And so, rather than risk that accusation, advisers and students themselves tended to fulfill stated requirements rather than indulge in flexibibility and individualization of programs. The time required to complete graduate degrees tended to expand far beyond that specified even if graduate student credit loads equaled those of undergraduates. The research product and examination requirements, even when clearly embedded into the program, were likely to consume much time. In particular, the unfortunate tendency to postpone research activity until completion of all other requirements also tended to produce


increased nuclear factor (NF)-KB activity is associated with enhanced tumor cell survival in multiple myeloma (MM). The function of NF-KB is inhibited through binding to its inhibitor, IKB. Release of activated NF-KB follows proteasome-mediated degradation of IrcBrv resulting from phosphorylation of the inhibitor and finally conjugation with ubiquitin. We report that myeloma tumor cells show enhanced NF-KB activity. In addition, these patients possess polymorphisms of IKBc~ at sites important in the degradation of the inhibitor protein. Exposure of myeloma cells to chemotherapy leads to an increase in IKB~ phosphorylation and reduces the levels of this inhibitor of NF-kB function. Chemoresistant myeloma cell-lines have increased NF-KB activity compared to sensitive lines. An inhibitor of NF-ICB activity, the proteasome inhibitor PS-34 I (Millenium Inc, Boston, MA), showed consistent antitumor activity against chemoresistant and sensitive myeloma cells. The sensitivity of chemoresistant myeloma cells to chemotherapeutic agents was markedly increased (I OO,OOO- to I ,OOO,OOO-fold) when combined with a noncytotoxic dose of PS-34 I. In contrast, this combination had little growth inhibitory effect on normal hematopoietic cells. Similar effects were observed using a dominant negative super-repressor for IrcBa. These results suggest that inhibition of NF-KB with PS-34 I may overcome chemoresistance and allow doses of chemotherapeutic agents to be markedly reduced with antitumor effects without significant toxicity. Semin Oncol 28:626-633. Copyright 0 2OOi by MB. Saunders Company.


The electrical junction box (10) comprises a housing (11) and a relay (20), the relay (20) is accommodated in a housing (11) and is provided with an electrical element housing (20a) and a terminal portion (20b), the a terminal portion (20b) is performed through the attached electrical component housing (20a) and having a fixed contact (FC) and is formed in the electric element housing (20a) inside the movable contact (MC). Relay (20) is arranged at a position inside the outer end of the housing (11). Since the outer end position of the housing (11) of the housing of heat (11) is easily released to the outside position, so that the relay (20) is disposed at the outer end position of the housing to further promote temperature relay (20a) of reduced, so that the case can be prevented in the presence of the relay housing (20a) of moisture condensation and freezing on the fixed contacts (FC) occurs.


Under‐ or overdosing of N‐acetylcysteine (NAC), when used to treat paracetamol toxicity, is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. This study evaluated the effect of a weight‐based dosing chart (WBDC) introduced to decrease NAC prescription errors.


Landfill Gas to Electric Energy Generation and Transmission at Chautauqua County Landfill, Town of Ellery, New York. The goal of this project was to create a practical method with which the energy, of the landfill gas produced by the decomposing waste at the Chautauqua County Landfill, could be utilized. This goal was accomplished with the construction of a landfill gas to electric energy plant (originally 6.4MW and now 9.6MW) and the construction of an inter-connection power-line, from the power-plant to the nearest (5.5 miles) power-grid point.


The effect of solid and liquid reinforcing phenolic resins on the processibility and curing characteristics of NR compound,and the physical properties of its vulcanizate was investigated.The results showed that the processibility of NR compound improved,the energy consumption in mixing decreased,the Mooney scorch time reduced,and the hardness and modulus at 100% increased by adding the reinforcing phenolic resin;the liquid reinforcing phenolic resin was more effective than the solid one;and the better reinforcing and stiffening effect also could be obtained by using the solid reinforcing phenolic resin instead of the liquid one in the radial tire formula only if the formula and mixing technology was properly modified.


The characterization of Si-O-N films on PET substrates by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition for transparent barrier application was investigated.The films were prepared by interelectrode capacitively coupled type apparatus and on conditions with carrier gas Ar_2,O_2,N_2,and monomer Tetramethyldisiloxane(TMDSO) or Hexamethyldisiloxane(HMDSO),discharge frequency of 13.56MHz.The film properties,such as compose and structure,flexibility,water vapor transmission rate(WVTR),and oxygen transmission rate(OTR) were tested.The characteristics of thin films were investigated through Fourier transform infrared adsorption spectroscopy(FTIR).


The purpose of the present study carried out with Patu in Democratic Republic of Congo, was to inventory the non-timber forest products (NTFP). For that to make, of the direct observations on the land, of the socio-economic investigations, and of the interviews concerning including the aspects of consumption of the non-timber forest products (NTFP) have been organized in the sector of Patu. These investigatings had for goal to get some information concerning use and the merchandising of the PFNL by the populations of the farming zones. The results obtained indicate that the consumption and marketing of the non-timber forest products (NTFP) show the socio-economic importance which they have in the life of the populations.


One of telecommunication project in Indonesia is shut downing the obsolete telecommunication infrastructure such as Sentral Telephone Otomate in Tanjungsari Bandung. This project is a modernization project of fiber optic network for 334 locations in Tanjungsari Sub-district. To compare actual performance of the scope, schedule and cost with planning for making right decisions in project's status and performance, required controlling by using Earned Value Management method since it can integrate these three things at the same time. Status and index of project performance on the 22nd day indicate that project was behind schedule that caused loss revenue of Rp 2,600,000.00 with 98% of delays from planning and project get 94% of overruns budget from issued value with amount of Rp 7,410,000.00. In addition, forecasting is done as a corrective action of past project status and performance. It is estimated that the project duration to complete work is 31 days with total cost for the remaining work (EAC) of Rp. 140,170,00.00 from previous project performance. It is also estimated that cost for remaining work until the project is completed or ETC is Rp. 7,770,000.00 with size of the project's forecasting status is a deficit from VAC value that calculated about (Rp 7,410,000.00) and the project will complete based on the TCPI forecasting calculation.


This article presents insights on the increasing importance of services in the economic growth of Latin America and its complex evolution towards a service society. The article then illustrates the strategic role of services management in this new era of service competition, discussing managerial and research challenges being faced by service organizations and academic institutions in this region. The article concludes by providing a framework aiming to integrate a community which, sharing the common intellectual passion for service, would work towards the development of science, art and practice of services management, in order to contribute to the progress of this important field in Latin America.


This article proposes a dialectical reflection on the wave of "rolezinhos" (flash mobs by lower class youths in shopping centers) that took place in Itaquera, Sao Paulo, and in various Brazilian cities in late 2013 and early 2014, and whose reflections are still present. It places on the agenda the locus of the poor youth in society due to prejudice, stereotypes and stigmas that are still enrooted today.


ABSTRACT Most women in the criminal justice system are drug-involved, and although African American women are disproportionately arrested, prosecuted, and convicted for drug-related offenses, little is known about their mental health. Depression is of particular concern, as it is highly comorbid with substance abuse and strongly associated with stressful life events, including discrimination. We studied factors associated with depression in 78 community-dwelling African American and White women previously convicted of a felony drug offense. Exposure to trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder, and alcohol dependency predicted depression in the sample as a whole, but individual predictors varied significantly by race. Notably, social support decreased risk depression for White women, but increased risk for African American women. Implications for practice, policy, and future research are addressed.


Abstract This study aims to critically re-evaluate existing explanations for the scale and significance of rape during the 1641 Rebellion in Ireland, using a contextual analysis of the legal testimonies of English Protestant settlers, known collectively as the '1641 Depositions', analysing as far as possible the veracity of reports of rape, the circumstances in which rape occurred, and the identities of - and relationships between - victims and perpetrators. This study considers how women reported rape, comparing the Depositions to similar processes of legal testimony in early modern England. Rape perpetrated by combatants in contemporaneous conflicts is also considered, and the existence of - and adherence to - ad hoc codes of military conduct in Irish rebel ranks is investigated. Most reports of rape during the Rebellion appear highly credible, and almost all perpetrators were known to their victims as members of the same communities. There is a multiplicity of possible motivations for these crimes, with no clear pattern other than opportunism within situations where standards of ethical and military conduct were collectively ignored by rebel soldiers.


Introduction Afterburning explosives such as aluminized TNT have been used extensively as warhead fills since WW-I, however only recently has research has been conducted into the late-time combustion processes for such explosions in air. Delayed energy release is characteristic of multi-phase explosive mixtures, and it is now known that the coupling of reactive chemistry with the hydrodynamic processes during the entire expansion of the fireball affects the blast performance of such explosives [1,2]. The fireball dynamics and combustion processes are affected by the charge casing and shape, available ambient oxygen, as well as the interaction and quenching effects from confining surfaces. Hence many variables of the entire charge configuration require consideration in such studies beyond the intrinsic properties of the fill. An exploratory series of blast field experiments are described in which new diagnostic methods have been applied to resolve the radiant characteristics of the expanding fireball as well as blast-wave generation from explosive charges exhibiting various degrees of afterburning. Results are given comparing the blast and fireball from charges of C4 (89%RDX, 11% wax), TNT, tritonal (80%TNT, 20%Al powder), and tritonal heavily-cased in steel. The results show distinctive differences in the fireball and blast characteristics from these charges, and give new insights into afterburning processes of non-ideal explosives. The utility of a special spectral imager as a remote-sensing diagnostic instrument is highlighted.


To construct large rainwater collecting and storing projects in line with local conditions in gullied rolling loess area of the Loess Plateau can effectively utilize the rainwater resources and provide services for soil and water conservation measures and production and life of the local people. The large rainwater collecting and storing projects have the characteristics of easy management and protection, high level of automation and the collected and stored rainwater clean. The paper puts forward a method of planing and design for the project and makes case analysis.


The breakdown mechanism for SOI (silicon-on-insulator) n-type MOSFETs is discussed. It is proposed that by reducing the channel lateral electric field at the drain that breakdown can be increased. A two-dimensional finite-element modeling program was used to design a treble diffused drain-sources (TDD) implant profile which would increase the breakdown voltage. The modeling showed that a linearly graded structure would lower the electric field in the channel and would subsequently increase drain-source breakdown voltage by over 20%. Transistors fabricated in e-beam recrystallized material verified these predictions.<<ETX>>


Small-angle neutron scattering techniques developed in the preceding paper [Berk & Hardman-Rhyne (1985). J. Appl. Cryst. 18, 467-472] are used to obtain microstructural parameters of high-purity alumina powder. The values of the particle size, volume fraction and surface area have been obtained and are compared to data from techniques such as laser light scattering, X-ray sedigraph and scanning electron microscopy. The particles exhibit a log-normal distribution and are spherical in shape with a mean particle size of 342 nm determined from SANS analyses of both beam broadening and Porod regions.


&NA; Physical therapists often employ written education materials to provide exercise‐ and activity‐related instruction to patients. The purpose of this clinical perspective article is to demonstrate an approach to evaluating the comprehensiveness regarding exercise and activity and suitability of written patient education materials. Education materials for patients following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is used as an example. Five currently available written patient education materials were evaluated for content using a checklist and suitability using the Suitability Assessment of Materials Instrument. All of the materials included information pertaining to activity guidelines, self‐monitoring, and aerobic exercise. Only some of the materials included information pertaining to relaxation exercise, mobility exercise, good body mechanics, energy conservation, and good posture. None of the materials included information pertaining to breathing exercises. Suitability scores ranged from a low of 29% to a high of 85%. Written patient education materials currently available do not address all applicable exercise‐ and activity‐related content areas and are not necessarily suitable for patients following CABG surgery.


Swedish society is characterized by secularization, and at the same time, as a result of migration, the country has become more pluralistic. An important consequence of this is the increasing possibilities for cooperation between different religious communities, and a variety of inter-religious cooperation are currently taking place in Sweden. The aim of the article is to show how inter-religious cooperation arises and is maintained at a local level in Sweden today, but also to highlight what the hurdles are. The article is based on interviews with people who in different ways were involved, or had chosen not to be involved, in inter-religious cooperation at a local level in Sweden. It is also based on participation in five local inter-religious groups during 2010 and 2011. The study shows that inter-religious cooperation at local level in Sweden is largely influenced by differences in conditions between religious communities. These differences mainly derive from the positions the religious communities have in society, i.e. there is a strong power imbalance between the religious communities that is clearly reflected in the inter-religious cooperation.


Aim. To assess motor evoked potentials parameters in a complex of intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring at the time of discectomy for a herniated intervertebral disc under general anesthesia, to determine their dependence on age, sex, height. Methods. Intraoperative motor evoked potentials monitoring during microdiscectomy under inhalational anesthesia was conducted in 43 patients for the herniated disc at L4-L5 or L5-S1 levels. In all patients, the herniated disc diagnosis was confirmed by the magnetic resonance imaging data. Monitoring was performed using the «Neuro-IOM» device («Neurosoft», Russia). Latency and amplitude of muscle response for m. abductor hallucis and m. tibialis anterior were analyzed. Results. . The obtained data suggest that the motor evoked potentials allow to objectify the presence of motor disorders, which persist at the end of microdiscectomy. The data on the relationship between latency of muscles responses on the side of radiculopathy and the healthy side with patients' age, body height and weight are obtained. The motor evoked potentials amplitude had a direct correlation with the patients' body weight. Increase in latency of transcranial motor evoked potentials on the side of the clinical motor fall-out compared with the healthy limb was defined. Due to the expressed variability of motor evoked potentials responses amplitude under general anesthesia, significant differences for a given parameter were not obtained. Conclusion. There is relationship between latency of motor evoked potentials and patients' age, body height and weight; an increase in the latency of transcranial motor evoked potentials on the side of the clinical motor fall-out compared with the healthy limb was revealed.


IN a review of the theories regarding hybrid vigor Collins1 has attempted to show that the two objections which were long upheld as precluding the possibility of dominance accounting for heterosis were without foundation. The suppression of deleterious factors, he considers, is adequate to account for the observed facts without considering the phenomenon of linkage. The two objections which were raised against the hypothesis of dominance as a factor in hybrid vigor before the importance of linkage became generally known are as follows: (1) Dominance of independent factors would give an asymmetrical distribution to the progeny populations of those individuals which show an increase in growth when crossed. (2) Free assortment would make possible a recombination of all the dominant favorable growth factors into a homozygous fixed race which would not be reduced by inbreeding. Neither of these objections holds when linkage is taken into consideration. Collins believes that they also do not apply when linkage is left out of consideration. Collins shows numerically and graphically that with a large number of factors involved the skew curve of the theoretical distribution of independent dominant factors approach's the type of the normal curve. He points out that, with characters dependent upon a large number of factors, only populations with larger numbers than have been dealt with statistically would exhibit any noticeable tendency toward skewness. This is a good point well brought out which previously had been neglected. But this would apply only to progenies which have a restricted range in comparison with their parental populations. In those cases where the range of the segregating generations with small numbers nearly equals the combined range of the original races as exhibited by the characters which show heterosis the number of main factors which govern the expression of this particular character can not be large. Therefore, if it were merely a mat-


This paper proposes an Iterated Function System (IFS) based image-restoration method. The proposed method can restore images corrupted by impulsive noise according to self-similarity represented by the IFS. Since the IFS is usually used for image coding, it has never been applied to image restoration; and it cannot be utilized for the image restoration as it is. In order to adapt the IFS for image restoration, this paper reforms the conventional criterion for the computation of the IFS parameters to suit for image restoration, and as preprocessing we apply a median filter to the contaminated images prior to computing the IFS parameters. Some simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of this method.


In June 2001, the Peruvian government of president Valentin Paniagua designated a Comision de la Verdad y Reconciliacion (from now on CVR) to investigate the events of what was termed Guerra Interna (1980-2000). This internal war began with the armed insurgency of the Peruvian Communist Party: Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) during which, according to the Commission's report, more than sixty-nine thousand individuals were killed or disappeared while torture and the rape of women were common practices. Three out of every four were Quechua-speaking peasants. (1) The investigation lasted two years and was an extraordinary work because of its extent and depth, as well as the breadth of accounts produced: testimonies from the Public Hearings, the final report (both the electronic version and the abridged version Hatun Willakuy), the photographic memoire Yuyanapaq: para recordar, and the photographic installation-exhibit under the latter title at the National Museum. The most important outcome was the final report (Informe final from now on Informe) of ten volumes. It included: victims, perpetrators, and accomplice testimonies; information on the genesis and evolution of the conflict; political, sociological, and anthropological analyses; sections with assignment of responsibilities; and a whole chapter with still-unaccomplished recommendations to reform state institutions and compensate the victims. (2) One of the most important findings, along with the victims' testimonies, was the need for a new narrative to examine and represent the Guerra Interna as well as the whole of Peruvian history. The CVR tried to develop this narrative using the professional, academic, or pastoral experiences of its members, incorporating ideas and discourses of human rights, law, sociology, politics, and anthropology. (3) In this sense, this article focuses on the performance of the CVR in two scenes associated with the production of testimonies and the Informe, when it tried to "listen" to the victims and then develop a suitable narrative for the events. The first scene, in the initial public hearing (audiencia publica) in the city of Huamanga, shows the way the Peruvian state had previously addressed and represented society. In the second scene, at the ceremony marking the delivery of the Informe at the government palace in Lima, the CVR presents a new narrative expressing its desire for establishing an inclusive and multicultural discourse for Peruvian politics. This discourse, they hoped, could confront both the official society and the model of nation-state historically articulated through social and cultural discrimination. Finally, an examination of the term pacto in the Informe's general conclusions, which is a core element of this narrative, will show the need to develop political agency among the marginal and excluded sectors of Peruvian society. The objective here is to examine, with textual analysis carried out from a literary perspective, the change in language and enunciation produced by this narrative both before and after the CVR hears testimonies and finds the common graves. Also, the purpose of this article is to examine how the CVR performs while obeying a mandate, in the etymological sense of the Latin aboedire or ob audire: of listening and knowing how to listen. In other words, I will examine not only how the writing and performance of the CVR obey the mandate of the Peruvian state and of the victims to represent specific events, but also how this mandate affects the very narrative used to represent them. (4) Scene One: Hearing and Testimony, The Nation's Ear and God's Eye? On April 8th 2002, the CVR began the public hearings in the Andean city of Huamanga, Ayacucho, the most devastated region in the war. This event was held at an auditorium at Huamanga University. In attendance were: ten members of the CVR; victims and witnesses chosen to express their testimonies; twelve international guests and observers who worked on cases of human rights violations around the world; national and local authorities; the local audience from Huamanga; and television and radio reporters who were broadcasting the event. …