TMDCs have attracted a lot of attention in recent years due to their unique indirect to direct band gap transition from bulk to monolayer thickness. Strong confinement in the out-of-plane direction enhances the Coulomb potential between the charged particles (e-h pairs) and thus increases the exciton binding energy dramatically. The lattice inversion asymmetry in a monolayer creates two non-equivalent (but degenerate in energy) band edges protected by time reversal polarisation via pseudo-spin. However, the presence of strong spin-orbit coupling in the valence band and weak spin-splitting in the conduction band results in the lowest lying exciton in WX2 (X = S, Se) being spin forbidden and optically dark. Because of their long life times, dark excitons (XD) are highly attractive for quantum optics and optoelectronic applications. To date studying XD emission is limited to cryogenic temperature or required very complex experimental configurations to observe them at room temperature (RT). Here, we demonstrate a novel approach of radiative decay of XD related emissions in 1L-WSe2 studied by micro and nano PL at RT. 1L-WSe2 flakes were sandwiched by noble metal (Au or Ag) substrates and PDMS nano-patches providing a strong local out-of-plane dipole moment with respect to the 2D plane. This strong dipole moment not only enhances the XD in WSe2, it also produces bound excitons due to extrinsic charge defects visible at RT. The spatial distributions of these XD related emissions were studied by TEPL with a spatial resolution < 10 nm confirming the confinement of these excitons within the PDMS nano-patches. Finally, by removing the nano-patches from the top of the flakes we are able to recover the bright excitons in the 1L-WSe2. Our approach paves the way for deep understanding and to harness excitonic properties in low dimensional semiconductors, thus offering a platform towards quantum optics.


The accuracy of strip thickness is important to measure the quality of the finished product. This paper proposes a strip thickness prediction algorithm using Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) with Improved Particle Swarm Optimization (IPSO). Due to the randomly selecting of the input weights and hidden biases in ELM, the generalization performance may be influenced as well as result in illcondition problem. In this paper, IPSO is used to choose the input weights and hidden biases, and Moore-Penrose generalized inverse is applied to analytically determine the output weights. IPSO applies jumping behavior to reduce the impact of the bad particles, and considers not only the RMSE but also the 2-norm condition number of the hidden output matrix, so the output weights with smaller norm are obtained. Finally, the optimized ELM is applied to predicting the strip thickness. The results of the comparison experiment show that the proposed algorithm reduces the prediction error, and improves the prediction accuracy and fitting degree.


By reviewing the urbanisation history in the recent 30 years,this paper reviews and analyses the development history of urban planning philosophies under the background of rapid urbanisation and especially generalises and analyses the urban planning devising system,technical contents,and analysing methods.


The Handbook offers an overview of pre-Christian religions in Europe. It is divided into two parts and is comprised of 28 contributions altogether. Following the introduction by the editors, Part 1...


This paper presents an investigation on a single phase Dynamic Voltage Restorer (DVR) topologies to mitigate voltage sag. Single Phase Matrix Converter (SPMC) is presented as a direct AC to AC converter replacing the Voltage Source Inverter (VSI) in a typical DVR system. A simulation was done using Matlab/Simulink software to observe the SPMC performance towards mitigating the voltage sag. Single line to ground fault was used to create the disturbance to the load and a Sinusoidal Pulse Width Modulation (SPWM) strategy was used as the switching technique to control the SPMC switches.


This paper proposes coordinated multi-point (CoMP) scheme using pre-coding in order to improve a performance in a wireless cellular communication system based on orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). In the conventional scheme, the performance of the system is degraded due to signal attenuation caused by inter-cell interference(ICI), which is interference between adjacent cells. The proposed scheme uses the CoMP scheme to improve performance. Additionally, the proposed scheme uses a destructive spatial phase coding(SPC) using the phase relation of the channels in order to suppress interference. Therefore, the proposed scheme can prevent the performance degradation caused by the interference signal.


Objective
To investigate the effects of bedside blinding method of active indwelling of nasojejunal tube combined with the nasogastric tube gastrointestinal decompression for patients with severe stroke.

Methods
50 patients with severe stroke were selected and divided into two groups by using random number tables, which are the observation group and the control group, with 25 cases in each group.The patients in the observation group were treated with bedside blinding method of active indwelling of nasojejunal tube combined with the nasogastric tube gastrointestinal decompression, while the patients in the control group simply received bedside indwelling of nasogastric tube.The enteral nutritional goal-rate of target feeding volume on the 7th day and the 14th day after admission and trace the incidence of gastric stasis, the reflux and aspiration, the aspiration pneumonia in the patients of the two groups within 14 days and the situation of the days of mechanical ventilation, the days in ICU and the 30-day mortality of patients were compared in the two groups.

Results
The enteral nutritional goal-rate of target feeding volume on the 7th day and the 14th day in the observation group were superior to those of the control group[The goal-rate of target feeding volume on the 7th day: 88% vs.64%, χ2=3.947, P=0.047; the goal-rate of target feeding volume on the 14th day: 80% vs.52%, χ2=4.367, P=0.037]. Meanwhile the incidence of gastric stasis, the reflux and aspiration, the aspiration pneumonia in the patients of the observation group within 14 days were significantly lower than those in the patients of the control group within 14 days[The gastric retention rate: 8% vs.56%(14/25), χ2=10.784, P=0.001; the reflux rate: 0% vs.24%(6/25), χ2=4.735, P=0.03; the aspiration rate: 8% vs.32%, χ2=4.500, P=0.034; the incidence of aspiration pneumonia: 24% vs.68%, χ2=9.742, P=0.002]. The days of mechanical ventilation and the days in ICU of the patients in the observation group are far less than those of the patients in the control group[The days of mechanical ventilation: (11.16±4.86)d vs.(13.72±3.67)d, t=-2.101, P=0.041; the days in ICU: (15.36±5.66)d vs.(18.72±2.99)d, t=-2.625, P=0.012]. While there was no significant difference between the two groups on the 30-day mortality(24% vs.32%, χ2=0.397, P=0.529).

Conclusion
The bedside blinding method of active indwelling of nasojejunal tube combined with the nasogastric tube gastrointestinal decompression can significantly improve the enteral nutritional goal-rate of target feeding volume for patients with severe stroke and greatly reduce the incidence of gastric stasis, the reflux and aspiration, the aspiration pneumonia, and limit the days of mechanical ventilation and the days in ICU.Accordingly, it has the value of popularization in the clinical application.

Key words:
Enteral nutrition; Stroke; Pneumonia, Aspiration


This article investigates selection of variables in high-dimension from a non-parametric regression model. In many concrete situations, we are concerned with estimating a non-parametric regression function f that may depend on a large number p of inputs variables. Unlike standard procedures, we do not assume that f belongs to a class of regular functions (Holder, Sobolev, ...), yet we assume that f is a square-integrable function with respect to a known product measure. Furthermore, observe that, in some situations, only a small number s of the coordinates actually affects f in an additive manner. In this context, we prove that, with only 𝒪(s log p ) random evaluations of f , one can find which are the relevant input variables with overwhelming probability. Our proposed method is an unconstrained l 1 -minimization procedure based on the Sobol's method. One step of this procedure relies on support recovery using l 1 -minimization and thresholding. More precisely, we use a thresholded-LASSO to faithfully uncover the significant input variables. In this frame, we prove that one can relax the mutual incoherence property (known to require 𝒪(s 2 log p ) observations) and still ensure faithful recovery from 𝒪(s α log p ) observations for any 1 ≤ α ≤ 2.


In this paper, we present a first attempt at rewriting the widely used fuzzer AFL++ as a frontend of LibAFL, our new framework for fuzzers development. This prototype, AFLrustrust as it is written in the Rust programming language, was evaluated in the SBST'23 Fuzzing Competition with great results even being just a first attempt with missing components that are still under development.


Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells traditionally harbor viral vectors that encode the CAR transgene in the genome. However, viral vector manufacturing typically is resource intensive, suffers from batch-to-batch variability, and includes several animal components, adding regulatory and supply chain pressures. Here, CAR T cells were generated within nine days using recombinant SpCas9 protein and nucleic acids, without any viral vectors or animal components. In comparison to traditional retroviral CAR T cells, nonviral CRISPR CAR T cells exhibit TRAC-targeted genomic integration of the CAR transgene, higher frequency of gene expression signatures associated with a memory phenotype, low receptor signaling prior to infusion, and potent cytotoxicity against GD2+ neuroblastoma in vitro and in vivo. This proof-of-principle study eliminating viral vectors and animal components during CAR gene transfer could enable more flexible and scalable manufacturing of clinically-relevant, high-quality CAR T cells to treat cancers, including solid tumors.


The author suggests that in the 1990s many people, even at government level, are beginning to question our demand for unlimited travel. The possibility of rationing or restricting travel in the future is considered. The need for an attitude where conspicuous consumption of travel is considered unreasonable and irresponsible is identified. Appropriate government policy and exemplar behaviour in restricting journeys are recommended. Travel demand is the result of our social structure, economic framework and lifestyle and it is here that major changes are needed. That politicians have begun to countenence measures that aim to modify transport demand indicates the importance of the issue. For the covering abstract of the publication see IRRD 857363.


A detailed comparison is made between theory and expérimental data regarding the évolution of the transverse magnetization for long times (~180 /xsec) in CaF2. There is no doubt that for such times a decaying oscillatory exponential gives the correct behav ior of the signal. The freeinduction decay (FID) which repré senta the évolution of the transverse magnetiza tion plays an important rôle in many NMR prob l e m s/ It is proportional to the Fourier trans form of the absorption (imaginary) part of the complex susceptibility and may also be directly measured by usual NMR techniques in solids.


This study aimed to determine the relationship between the secondary Mathematics teachers' level of ICT expertise, level of ICT use and students' problem-solving skills. It employed two data collection tools: the Mathematics Teachers' Survey Questionnaire (MTSQ) and the Mathematics Assessment on Problem Solving (MAPS). The samples encompassed 40 Grade 7 Mathematics teachers and 2,439 Grade 7 students from three school divisions in Ilocos Norte, Philippines. The results demonstrated that teachers are highly competent in basic ICT skills and applications, and they have positive beliefs about the use of ICT in teaching. However, because preparing ICT-enriched instruction takes more time, they only use ICT in teaching once or twice a week on average. According to the study's findings, teachers who are younger and have attended more ICT-related training are better equipped with ICT skills, use ICT in classroom instruction more frequently, and have a better disposition towards ICT integration in teaching. The study further discovered that when teachers believe they have a high level of ICT expertise, they are more likely to use ICT in their classrooms. Similarly, when teachers are more knowledgeable about using ICT, they are more inclined to support ICT integration in the classroom. Notably, the study reveals that students' problem-solving skills are significantly related to teachers' level of expertise, level of ICT use, and their beliefs about ICT integration.


We deal with the presentation and the analysis of the scattering formalism for the study of energetic aspects of a mechatronic system. This formalism has some similar properties to those of bond graphs and constitutes consequently one unified approach for the structured modelling of physical systems. We present a method which allows to succeed to the scattering matrix of the 2D arm of a six D.O.F robot. However, the representation of the translation inertia will be treated alone. Those scattering matrices will be exploited to formulate the useful mechanical power that must supply the actuator system to reply to the different constraints and specifications imposed on the arm. The specification structuring in terms of powers, will allow the exact knowledge of the power flow in the system and notably the power to install in the level of energy source as well as in the arm of the robot. In the phase of theoretical calculation, we used the software Maple V which is a very helpful tool. This allows to predict the dynamic behaviour that the robot must have in its operational environment. The measurement of the energy source of every articulation, in term of instantaneous useful power, is necessary to carry away the mechanical structure and respect consequently the specification conditions. All the mentioned treatments will be based on some conventional sizes such as strength, velocity, torque. In evidence, this phase provides help for the quantitative study and the measurement of components to verify the adequacy of all the robot actuators.


Visualizing the determinants of 21 century skills perceived by teachers was examined in this inquest. The aim was to classify and reveal underlying concerns confirming to those skills. It was also of interest elucidating the most influential factor and its attributes relatable to those skills in a more identifiable perspective. The inquiry was conducted under quantitative approach using Structural Equation Model; five variables were involved. The 21 century skills was the dependent variable. Conversely, ways of thinking, ways of working and tools for working were the independent variables; skills for living was an intervening variable. Instruments in the form of questionnaires were developed to assemble replies from 1,100 eligible respondents utilizing a Simple Random Sampling technique; 142 out of 250 questionnaires distributed were finally completed. Ten hypotheses were scrutinized and conclusively six of them validated by the analysis. It was finally obtained that the most noteworthy drive determined the 21 century skills was the ways of thinking. Additionally, the most vital attributes convincingly correspond to this factor were creativity and problem solving skills.


Purpose – The purpose of this study is to increase the knowledge about how legislative changes affect the business model of vehicle manufactures by studying a future allowance of HCT in Sweden. HCT, High Capacity Transports, is a generic term for trucks exceeding today's weight and/or length regulations. Reasons for implementing HCT include reducing costs and environmental consequences.Method – Effects of legislative changes have been studied through a case-study of how HCT would affect the Swedish transport system. In order to study business model implications for both vehicle manufactures and hauliers, interviews have been held with transport buyers, hauliers and drivers within long distance haulage of break bulk cargo. This has been complemented by continuous contact with the commissioning vehicle manufacturer and participation in HCT conferences.Findings – Findings indicate that there will be no major modal shift between railway and road since the railway infrastructure determines the modal choice and is unaffected by HCT. Furthermore findings show that vehicle manufactures risk to sell fewer vehicles in case of HCT allowance but a business model adaption can increase the value per vehicle. This can be achieved by reducing customer operating costs, increasing vehicle uptime and being the voice of the customer against authorities.Practical implications – The study has resulted in a HCT business model framework for vehicle manufactures. The framework shows that all present value areas should be included in a future business model and that several areas will increase in importance. In the effect of new conditions several areas will become more difficult to fulfill. Furthermore new areas will be added.Theoretical implications – This study expands current theories within business model changes by increasing knowledge about how legislative changes affect business models. Furthermore this study highlights the importance of studying the whole supply chain in the event of these changes. The reason for this is that legislations affect the conditions for several players with strong peer relationships. Thereby effects due to changed legislations will spread to other players in the chain.


We find and prove relationships between Riemann zeta values and central binomial sums. We also investigate alternating binomial sums (also called Apéry sums). The study of nonalternating sums leads to an investigation of different types of sums which we call multiple Clausen values. The study of alternating sums leads to a tower of experi mental resuIts involving polylogarithms in the golden ratio.


Resale price maintenance remains the perennial hot topic. For more than a year now, we have heard Attorney General Baxter and Chairman Miller state in various forums and press conferences that resale price maintenance should be considered under the rule of reason as simply another possibly permissible form of vertical restraint. In fact, last year, the Antitrust Division actually terminated a civil suit with the statement that "The alleged violation consisted, at most, of a vertical pricing arrangement between Mack [Trucks] and its distributors with no demonstrable horizontal purpose or effect."1


In article the new approach to the decision of the multicriteria task of formation of resources of a transport communication network based on a combination of one of methods of multicriteria optimization ‒ a method of restrictions and a simplex a method is offered. The task is decomposed also dares stage by stage. At the first stage the set of ways of an admissible rank is formed. On the second calculation structural reliabilities of the set of ways generated at the first stage is produced. At the final stage the choice optimal on the criterion functions characterizing cost and carrying capacity, set of ways of transportation of flows corresponding pairs of nodes which is reduced to the decision of the multicriteria task of formation of resources of a transport communication network by a method of restrictions is carried out.


The study reported here explores the experienced discrepancy between organization theory and practice by adopting a discourse analytic approach and investigating in close detail how selection decisions are made in situ. The findings show that selection decision is not informed by technical rationality as prescribed by prevalent selection models but by a considerably different logic, namely practical deliberation. It challenges the commonly held views that the discrepancy between theory and practice in selection decision is either related to a failed transfer of knowledge between academia and practice or to a poor collaboration between practitioners and researchers in the production of knowledge. Instead, the findings suggest that the main reason to the discrepancy is that most theories assume that selection decision is based on technical rationality when it is not. It is argued that as long as we continue to produce theories that impose technical rationality on the practice of selection decision the discrepancy will remain.


By measuring the skinfold thickness of triceps and subscapular, this paper studies the effects of physical exercise on body composition of girls during puberty. The result shows that the value of skinfold thickness increases with age. The physical exercise group has thinner skinfold thickness and lower percentages of body fat than control group. There is significant different between the age of 12 to 16. The growth in weight of control group is mainly from subcutaneous fat and that of physical exercise group from lean body mass. It suggests that the subcutaneous fat of girls during puberty increases rapidly with growth. The girls who do physical exercise can keep low body fat and well developed lean body mass. Physical exercise is a key factor to body composition during ages of 12 to 16.


Abstract : The effects of adenine and various nucleosides on adenine nucleotide metabolism in red cells, as well as on other factors related to the storability of blood were compared during six weeks of storage under blood bank conditions. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and total adenine nucleotides were maintained at higher levels, and higher ratios of ATP to adenine diphosphate were observed, in blood containing citrate-phosphate-dextrose (CPD) solution than in blood containing acid-citrate-dextrose (ACD) solution. Higher levels of ATP and total adenine nucleotides were maintained in blood containing ACD together with both adenine and inosine than in blood containing ACD alone or together with only one of the two purines. ACD-adenine was more effective in maintaining adenine of the purines. ACD-adenine was more effective in maintaining adenine nucleotides than was ACD-inosine. Addition of uridine did not have any effect on adenine nucleotides in red cells. ATP and total adenine nucleotides were maintained at higher levels in CPD-adenine than in CPD alone. The effect of CPD-inosine or CPD-adenine-inosine was not investigated. (jes)


White sherry wines were treated with three fining agents (activated charcoal, PVPP and Riduxhigh), in addition to an initial treatment with casein and bentonite, in four different combinations. The wines were stored at 20 or 30 degrees C for 1 year with a view to examining changes in their flavan-3-ol fraction and differences in their degree of sensitivity to browning. Flavan-3-ol monomers and dimers, as well as browning measured as absorbance at 420 nm, increased during storage in all the wines. After this period the wines treated with fining agents containing activated charcoal, PVPP and Riduxhigh exhibited less marked browning, with no significant differences among them at both 20 and 30 degrees C. However, taking into account the higher initial colour of bottled wines treated with Riduxhigh in relation to those treated with activated charcoal or PVPP, this fining agent showed higher capacity to control browning.


This paper describes the operation of a magnetic defect sensor for early detection of damage to escalator handrails. We performed magnetic field analysis by using the Finite Element Method (FEM) in order to determine the output voltage of the sensor calculation, and then calculated the output voltage from the two-dimensional magnetic field analysis. Next, we compared the measured values of the output voltage with the calculated ones, and found that they matched relatively well. Finally, we designed four models with defect widths of 1, 2, and 4 mm and considered how the output voltages are affected by changing the core gap in each model. As a result, we found that a core gap of the same width as the defect gives the maximum voltage in all models.


FTA is the second-best choice for the USA where multilateral negotiation yields no fruit.At present,the USA tends to treat FTA as a strategic instrument,trying to make a bilateral agreement at regional level at first where multilateral negotiation fails,and then gradually step up to the multilateral arena.US-harnessed NAFTA and FTA bearing "WTO-plus" color are the product of development of US-modeled FTA;they also indicate in the future multilateral negotiations will be greatly influenced and developing countries have to face much dilemma while negotiating at multilevel as well as at bilateral level with USA,to which we should be highly alerted so as at maximum level to safeguard our national economic safety and benefits.


The main trending narratives about Africa tend to focus either on its emergencies or its economic promises for the future, failing to paint a broader picture of the complexity of the issues that are at hand today in the African continent. In this already unbalanced scenario, cities in Africa suffer from an even more acute form of misrepresentation, with most publications grouping many of them under the "African cities" label, failing to represent the reality of their forms and practices, and ultimately, their own specific identity. This research attempts to change approach towards the analysis of an African city, by eliminating any pre-conceptualizations and hierarchies between global and developing cities, situating itself within the ordinary cities framework, as proposed by Jennifer Robinson, and focuses its analysis on one specific city: Accra, capital of Ghana, and its latest business district, Airport City. Through the analysis of the narratives of those who have worked on its construction and the forms that resulted from it, the research summarizes some of the specificities of Accra highlighting the real potentials and challenges that lie behind the narratives when it comes to its urban development


Sparse code multiple access (SCMA) is a promising uplink multiple access technique that can achieve superior spectral efficiency, provided that multidimensional codebooks are carefully designed. In this letter, we investigate the multiuser codebook design for SCMA systems over Rayleigh fading channels. The criterion of the proposed design is derived from the cutoff rate analysis of the equivalent multiple-input multiple-output system. Furthermore, new codebooks with signal-space diversity are suggested, while simulations show that this criterion is efficient in developing codebooks with substantial performance improvement, compared with the existing ones.


In this paper, we propose an efficient algorithm to reduce the ringing and temporal noise artifacts in block based video coding. This algorithm operates adaptively on an 8x8 block basis. Temporally non-static blocks are spatially filtered, whereas temporally static blocks are filtered in both spatial and temporal directions. Experimental results show that the presented method considerably improves the subjective and objective quality of video sequences.


Parasites and infectious diseases constitute an important challenge to the health of group-living animals. Social contact and shared space can both increase disease transmission risk, while individual differences in social resources can help prevent infections. For example, high social status individuals and those with more or stronger social relationships may have better immunity and, thus, lower parasitic burden. To test for health trade-offs in the costs and benefits of sociality, we quantified how parasitic load varied with an individual's social status, as well as with their weak and strong affiliative relationships in a free-ranging population of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Social resources may also protect against infection under environmentally challenging situations, such as natural disasters. We additionally examined the impact of a major hurricane on the sociality-parasite relationship in this system. We found that both weak and strong proximity partners, but not grooming partners, were associated with lower protozoa infection risk. Social status was not linked to infection risk, even after the hurricane. Overall, our study highlights the buffering against infection that affiliative partners may provide, suggesting individuals can compensate for the health costs of sociality by having partners who tolerate their presence.


Anthracene could send out hyperfluorescence within the scope of 400~500 nm in chloroform solvent or solid state.It could be used as a kind of blue light-conversion agent in agricultural film.The growth and nutritional quality of pakchoi [Brassica campestris L.ssp.chinensis(L.) Makino.var.communis Tsen et Lee] were studied by pot experiments.Compared to ordinary plastic sheeting,growth and nutritional quality of pakchoi was significantly increased with the application of blue light-conversion agent,and the content of vitamin C and soluble sugar were 4.37 mg/100g and 20.8% higher than that of the ordinary plastic sheeting respectively.It laid the foundation for further study of agricultural film.


The management of international agricultural research
faces many challenges especially with regard to
priority setting. Research managers have to provide
clear direction in pursuing long-term strategic goals,
and at the same time be responsive to change and
demonstrate accomplishment of short-term objectives.
They also need to address international development
concerns and respond sensitively to wishes of a broad
array of beneficiary and stakeholder groups...


Visual analytics is increasingly being recognized as a source of competitive advantage. Yet, limited research has examined the factors deriving it organizational adoption. By integrating the technology acceptance model (TAM) with the task-technology fit (TTF) model, this research developed a model for visual analytics adoption in business enterprises. To test the research model, data was collected through a questionnaire survey distributed to 400 business professionals working in a variety of industries in Jordan. Collected data were tested and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) technique. Findings of this research confirmed the applicability of the integrated TAM/TTF model to explain the key factors that affect the adoption of visual analytics systems for work-related tasks. Specifically, the results of this research demonstrated that the task, technology, and user characteristics are fundamental and influential antecedents of TTF, which in turn has a significant positive effect on the perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of visual analytics systems. Additionally, there are significant positive effects from perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use toward users' intention to adopt visual analytics systems, and a firm relationship between perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of visual analytics systems. Together all these constructs explain 59.9% of the variance in user's intention to adopt visual analytics systems at the workplace. Findings of this research provide several important implications for research and practice, and thus should help in the design and development of more user-accepted visual analytics systems and applications.


ABSTRACT
 Polazzodus coronatus, gen. et sp. nov., is a pycnodontiform fish from two proximate Late Cretaceous fossil sites near Polazzo, in northeastern Italy, where it is relatively abundant. Its autapomorphic characters are the presence of a distinctively shaped second dorsal ridge scale with an anterior projection; the presence of an olfactory fenestra on the premaxilla; an axe blade-like morphology of the maxilla; and the presence of a conspicuous posterodorsal process on the cleithrum. Polazzodus coronatus, gen. et sp. nov., is closely related to the pycnodontids Oropycnodus, Pycnodus, and probably 'Coelodus' gridelli and Tergestinia. Although their phylogenetic interrelationships will be tested when the last two forms are revised, Polazzodus coronatus is assigned to the subfamily Pycnodontinae within the Family Pycnodontidae, because it possesses the autapomorphies of both latter groups; for instance, the presence of an exposed part of the endocranium, without overlying dermal bones, which is an autapomorphy of the Pycnodontinae. The shape and large size of the supraoccipital bone in Polazzodus, together with the arrangement of the other occipital bones, indicates that this exposed portion of the endocranium is most likely formed by the endochondral supraoccipital bone.


-------------------------------------------------------------ABSTRACT--------------------------------------------------------Conventional clustering approaches suffer with the scalability of number of attributes based on which the clustering is performed. There are approaches to cluster data points with multiple attributes but suffers with overlapping and multiple iteration needed to perform clustering , also the measure computed for the variation of data points between cluster also will not be effective when doing with multiple attributes. To overcome the problem identified we propose a new graph based approach which represents the relation between the data points and clusters. The relational graph consists of various vertices and edges, each vertex represent a data point. There will be an edge between two different edges only if there is a multi-attribute closure between them. We compute the attribute closure, using all the attributes of the data points. We use threshold method to select the data point has closure to other one and the value of threshold is set based on number of attributes the data point has. The proposed method produces good results compare to other approaches discussed in this era and we have evaluated the proposed method with various data sets.


The steady growth in the adoption of video surveillance systems emphasizes the need for privacy protection techniques. In this paper, we present a method inspired from image abstraction and non-photorealistic rendering elds for creating privacy protection lters. The eectiveness of the proposed lter has been demonstrated by assessing the intelligibility vs. privacy vs. pleasantness in a subjective evaluation framework using dierent videos.


This chapter reinterprets the production of black newspapers as a "production" of Race men. It examines Robert S. Abbott's efforts to groom his nephew, John Sengstacke, to succeed him during a crisis for the nation and for the paper. This crisis was the Great Depression, which presented the Defender with a number of financial challenges. Yet, focusing especially on private letters Abbott and Sengstacke exchanged between 1931 and 1934, Abbott worked to train Sengstacke to confront these challenges by teaching him to be a self-made man. Sengstacke embraced parts of Abbott's conceptions of manhood, while also embracing conceptions coming from labor activists and Depression era racial and political organizing. Sengstacke eventually married the two and founded the Negro Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), which he marketed to other members of the black press as a fraternity. With the black press organized within this masculine framework, many black newspapers worked to unite nationally to fight segregation in the armed forces and major league baseball by the 1940s.


Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) is a neurodegenerative disease that causes progressive ataxia in affected young adults. Disease progression is typically monitored by clinical rating scales, including the Friedreich Ataxia Rating Scale (FARS). The FARS consists of 3 subscales: a general score for ataxia, a score for activities of daily living, and a neurological examination (FARS-Neuro), which is typically used to assess neurological function in clinical trials. Although the FARS-Neuro is widely used and has been validated in FRDA, it may suffer from limited sensitivity. Alternatively, the timed 25-foot walk speed (T25FW) for ambulation and Cardio Pulmonary Exercise Testing (CPET) — which includes measuring maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max in L/min) and peak workload performance (in watts/kg) — may have greater sensitivity and reproducibility in certain situations, as they can quantitatively measure mobility and cardiovascular performance, respectively. Using the data from a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 19 FRDA patients testing RT001 a linoleic acid derivative, baseline FARS-Neuro scores were compared with T25FW and CPET to measure peak workload/kg and peak oxygen consumption (VO2 max). Spearman's rank correlation coefficients among the FARS rating scale, the inverse of T25FW measure (T25FW), peak workload/kg, and VO2 max measure were calculated. Linear regression was used to approximate the rates of decline of log peak workload/kg, VO2 max, and T25FW as a function of the FARS rating scale. Data were analyzed using SAS version 9.2. Locally weighted scatterplot smoother (LOESS) curve-fitting line approximations were calculated using the SAS LOESS procedure. Informed consent for this study was given by all patients. The study was approved by the University of South Florida Institutional Review Board in Tampa, Florida, and Collaborative Neuroscience Network in Long Beach, California. The study found high correlations between FARS-Neuro and T25FW, peak workload/kg, and VO2 max. The FARSNeuro scores negatively correlated with peak workload/kg (R 5 0.81), VO2 max (R 5 0.60), and T25FW -1 (R 5 0.91); see Figure 1. The patients' mean scores on the measures were 57.1 for the FARS-Neuro, 0.66 6 0.51 watts/kg for peak workload/kg, 1.2 6 0.57 L/min for VO2 max, and 0.08 6 0.07 for 25 ft/s T25FW. The FARS rating scale had a sample correlation of 20.820 with peak workload/kg, 20.600 with VO2 max, and 20.908 with T25FW -1


On the basis of literature review of articles on the major concepts of cooperative learning and its characteristics in accordance with physical education,its perspectives of inter-action,goal-setting,teacher-student relationship, teaching approaches, goal-structure, and evaluation are analyzed and summarized in order to understand,apply and deal with it correctly in physical education.


This study will examine the impact the use differentiated instruction, based on cognitive styles, has on students' self-efficacy. In order to accomplish this, students will be asked to explore what cognitive styles they ascribe to. Then after varied lessons attributing to different learning styles, students will complete a survey to gauge their level of self-efficacy. The goal of this sequence is to determine whether there is a relationship between cognitive styles and selfefficacy. It will also provide insight on how to create the best learning environment to promote academic success through the use of cognitive styles and attention to self-efficacy of every student in the classroom. Introduction As a future teacher, it is important take time to consider what type of classroom environment and instructional strategies will allow students the highest chance of academic success. As one prepares for leading a class, is essential that one becomes very aware of what factors best promote academic success for students. Two main factors of academic success are cognitive styles and self-efficacy (Sankar 2011). With the intention of creating the best learning environment for students, I will need to understand the major factors that impact student learning. The idea of cognitive styles was created on the basis of the statement "people do not all think the same way." The use of cognitive styles has become popular in educational settings for that same reason; if students do not all think the same way how can they be expected to all learn the same way? Through the use of differentiated instruction, based on cognitive styles, all students are given the opportunity to explore topics and concepts through their own cognitive styles. The use of multiple cognitive styles in classrooms also allows for all students to be engaged and active in their learning. It is vital teachers understand how to incorporate student COGNITIVE STYLES IMPACT ON STUDENT SELF-EFFICACY 4 cognitive styles in the classroom in order to create a positive learning environment. Belief in one's ability to succeed at a task is known as self-efficacy. This a major factor for student academic success. If a student feels they cannot succeed in a lesson their motivation for trying and their ability to focus decreases. That is why attention to self-efficacy is important in education. It is crucial teachers understand how to promote positive self-efficacy for students in all subjects and concepts. As a future teacher, one needs to take the time to understand how these two major factors of student success connect. This study will examine the impact the use differentiated instruction, based on cognitive styles, has on students' self-efficacy. In order to accomplish this, students will be asked to look into what cognitive styles they ascribe to. Then after varied lessons attributing to different learning styles, students will complete a survey to decipher their level of self-efficacy. The goal of this sequence is to determine whether there is a relationship between cognitive styles and self-efficacy. It will also provide insight on how to create the best learning environment to promote academic success through the use of cognitive styles and attention to self-efficacy of every student in the classroom. Literature Review Cognitive styles and self-efficacy are key factors in determining student success. They are factors that determine how much a student is benefiting from the instruction and assessment provided to them in and out of the classroom. These factors have been studied and research by numerous groups worldwide in hope of understanding how they work in order to increase the odds of student achievement. Cognitive styles are the psychological differences between how people obtain information. They are defined as the indicators of how students perceive, interact with, and respond to different learning environments (Sankar 2011). It is important for individuals to COGNITIVE STYLES IMPACT ON STUDENT SELF-EFFICACY 5 understand how they learn. Cognitive styles are biologically imposed (Dunn 1990). By understanding which cognitive styles an individual ascribes to he or she can better prepare studying and learning methods to help them obtain the greatest amount of information. While each cognitive style is different, no one is better than any other (Sternberg, 2005). People all learn differently and understanding how each individual learns best will give that individual the best chance of success. The importance of understanding cognitive styles impacting academic success is a large reason why it is studied so often. Cognitive styles can be categorized in numerous ways. The educational world often looks at Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences (Dunn 1990). Howard Gardner classified cognitive styles into eight different categories: logical-mathematical, linguistic, musical, visualspatial, bodily kinesthetic, naturalist, interpersonal, and intrapersonal (Morgan, 1996). Logicalmathematical intelligence is "Sensitivity to, and capacity to discern, logical or numerical patterns; ability to handle long chains of reasoning." Linguistic intelligence is "Sensitivity to the sounds, rhythms, and meanings of words; sensitivity to the different functions of language." Musical intelligence is "Abilities to produce and appreciate rhythm, pitch, and timbre; appreciation of the forms of musical expressiveness." Visual-spatial intelligence is "Capacities to perceive the visual-spatial world accurately and to perform transformations on one's initial perceptions." Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence is "Abilities to control one's body movements and to handle objects skillfully." Naturalist intelligence is "Sensitivity to features of the natural world." Interpersonal intelligence is "Capacities to discern and respond appropriately to the moods, temperaments, motivations, and desires of other people." Intrapersonal intelligence is "Access to one's own feelings and the ability to discriminate among them and draw upon them to guide behavior; knowledge of one's own strengths, weaknesses, desires, and intelligences." Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences was a breaking ground for pushing schools to COGNITIVE STYLES IMPACT ON STUDENT SELF-EFFICACY 6 differentiate material for all students to be capable of learning. Research has shown that the use of cognitive styles in the classroom has a strong, positive correlation with academic success outside of the classroom. G. Hwang, H. Sung, C. Hung, C., I. Huang, and C. Tsai (2012) created a role-playing online game that was adapted to students' cognitive styles of the individuals in the experimental group. The results of the experiment concluded that students' being taught with their personal cognitive style has a direct correlation with learning achievements, for students who played the personalized version of the game demonstrated higher levels of achievement then the students who played the standard version of the game. R. Dunn (1990) found in her research that students whom understood their cognitive styles found higher academic success. This is why cognitive styles are so important to use in all settings. The education world greatly benefits from the use of cognitive styles in schools. R. Dunn (1990) found that when a students is properly diagnosed and instructed on how to use their cognitive style to study and learn there is a significant increase in academic achievement, attitudes towards school, and retention while there is a decrease in school tension. The use of cognitive styles in the classroom has a positive impact on all parts of the school. The biggest impact can be seen on students' achievement in the classroom. R. J. Sternberg and Z. Li-fang (2005), through their observations of one hundred and twenty-four students between the ages of twelve and sixteen distributed among four schools, concluded that students achieved higher levels of academic success when their cognitive style matched their teacher's instructional style. This study determines in order for students to gain the most benefit from instruction or assessment, part of the instruction or assessment must match their cognitive style. The use of cognitive styles in schools has been shown to increase academic success and positive school


One of the overriding topics in education is determining how well students retain knowledge from a particular course. In this study, we wished to evaluate not only the improvement of problem solving skills during the Fall semester but also the retention of those skills to the beginning of the Spring semester. Therefore, in the Fall Semester of 2010, we administered a Pre-Test during the first week of the Introduction to Engineering I course. The Pre-Test content included the engineering problem solving topics to be covered during the upcoming semester. During the Fall semester, we administered two, in-class, closed-notes, closed-book exams. In addition to the Pre-Test and the exams in the Fall, students were unexpectedly presented a PostTest on the Introduction to Engineering I material during the first week of their Introduction to Engineering II course in the Spring 2011. Student performance improved remarkably between the Pre-Test and the in-class exams. Although student performance dropped slightly from the inclass exams to the Post-Test, many key concepts and skills were retained.


Concerns about the sustainability of agriculture in Canada came to the forefront in the 1980's as questions arose about the impact of our land management systems on soil quality, in particular for the prairie region, soil erosion, organic matter and soil salinity (Fairbairn, 1984, Sparrow, 1984). Consensus regarding the deterioration of soil quality over time was general, however, regarding the issue of rate of decline and whether significant deterioration was continuing, opinion was less than unanimous, even among the scientific community. This was largely due to the fact that baseline data sets with which to make such evaluations were not available for many regions. Information on problem soils was largely study specific and not suitable for use as a basis for long term analysis and comparisons of trends with time.


The reversibility is one of the important requirements in watermarking techniques used for medical images. Application of reversible watermarking in colored medical images has not been explored to fullest. In this paper we propose a reversible watermarking technique for colored medical images using Histogram shifting method. The colored medical image is converted to YUV image and the watermark is embedded in the Luminance (Y) component. Histogram shift method is also evaluated by applying the technique on RGB components individually. The two techniques are evaluated on the basis of MSE and PSNR.


The purpose of this paper is to explore the views of key stakeholders on corporate social and environmental responsibility (CSER) practices and reporting in Bangladesh. The paper addresses a salient gap in the CSER literature evidenced by the dearth of studies that explore the views of non-managerial and economically less powerful stakeholders from an emerging economy such as Bangladesh. This study applied qualitative research method and utilised philosophical notions such as constructivist ontology and interpretive epistemology. A series of in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted with 14 key stakeholder groups, complemented by utilizing observations with pragmatic local working knowledge from one of the researchers. By using the predominant system-oriented theories such as legitimacy theory, stakeholder theory and institutional theory, this research found that stakeholders expect more institutional involvement including media, NGOs, regulatory authority and civil societies' support to ensure more CSER practices and reporting by Bangladeshi companies. The findings also report that stakeholders are not satisfied with the current CSER practices and reporting due to organisations' focus on marketing and profit making objectives. This study suggests that local standard setting bodies along with institutional involvement can play a significant role in fulfilling stakeholders' expectations towards CSER reporting in Bangladesh.


This article finds a disjuncture between the practices associated with being a citizen of a town and those associated with being a citizen of a nation. The practices on which it focuses are the knowing of a town's history and the knowing of a nation's history. It looks at how townspeople in west Mexico talked about the history of their town, Tapalpa, in relation to how they talked about Mexico's history. In principle, the knowing of Tapalpa's history was linked to the knowing of Mexico's history. In practice, there was a disjuncture such that townspeople could aspire only to a mimetic role in the knowing of Mexico's history. The article concludes by suggesting that this was typical of the relation between being a citizen of Tapalpa and being a citizen of Mexico.


No real process can be carried out with complete precision. This would require an infinite free-energy difference between a desired reaction and another to be discriminated against. That is, some reactant other than the one desired can always utilize a given pathway at a finite rate, and/or an alternate pathway, and products exist even for an accurately selected reagent. This problem is particularly acute in biology because the evolution of one biochemical from another insures that a variety of structurally similar compounds will confront the cell. In spite of this unfavorable chemical similarity among substrates, large polymeric molecules must be constructed. During their synthesis and accumulation, every one of hundreds or thousands of synthetic steps are usually carried out correctly. Therefore, the accuracy of biosynthesis, e.g., the apparent production of a homogeneous protein, presents an immediate puzzle, and the study of this topic has become a subject in itself. Recent progress in understanding some contributions to the accuracy of translation makes this a good time to try a summary. Most of what is known applies to the production of a protein with amino acid a rather than b (e.g., valine rather than isoleucine) at a given position in an otherwise accurately fashioned molecule. We discuss this type of error below, though there are other routes to substitution errors (e.g., incorrect binding of tRNAs on the ribosome), and errors of initiation and termination also occur and may be important. WHAT IS THE OVERALL ERROR RATE OF TRANSLATION? At the moment, data...


Because of the special characteristics of the ad hoc networks, such as highly dynamic topology, open access of wireless channels, and the lack of regular network infrastructure, the routing and user data communication are more vulnerable. Therefore the nodes risk assessment is very important. The traditional assessment is subjective and unreliable due to the fact that some nodes reveal little information and quantity of samples is limited in ad hoc networks. This paper proposes a risk assessment method for mobile ad hoc networks based on a combination of grey theory and vector projection, which can deal with the small samples, case of incomplete information, and lack of experience. The risk assessment analysis and assessment example show that the method in this paper is suitable for the true mobile ad hoc network environment.


The essay is a cross section study whose aim was to examine if the Children's sense of coherence scale (CSOC) is useful instrument for children in ages between 7- 10. The CSOC scale was compared to two other: Latter of Life and I think I am, which are due to measure similar qualities. A correlation study was made between the instruments. We have also examined if the results agree with Antonovsky´s salutogenic theory as well as we have looked for existence of differences in gender. Inquiry was carried out in public school there the sample consisted of 103 children (49 girls and 54 boys) in 1st to 4th Grades. Generally the boys have had slightly higher mean values than girls. Gender differences were also manifested in background variables. Significant differences were found between the girls in sample and in comparison group. Correlation between the instruments of 4th Grade supports Antonovsky´s hypothesis that sense of coherence affects on psychical health. Correlation between the instruments regarding primary department varied from faint to none. The conclusion is that CSOC as a self-form can be used in Grade 4 and for younger children we suggest individual administration.


In this paper we examine the existence of correlation between movie similarity and low level features from respective movie content. In particular, we demonstrate the extraction of multi-modal representation models of movies based on subtitles, audio and metadata mining. We emphasize our research in topic modeling of movies based on their subtitles. In order to demonstrate the proposed content representation approach, we have built a small dataset of 160 widely known movies. We assert movie similarities, as propagated by the singular modalities and fusion models, in the form of recommendation rankings. We showcase a novel topic model browser for movies that allows for exploration of the different aspects of similarities between movies and an information retrieval system for movie similarity based on multi-modal content.


Experimental studies on reduction behaviors of Fe and Ni in Fe-Ni-O-C systems(NiO+C,Fe2O3+C,NiFe2O4+C,NiO+Fe2O3+C,and Ni+Fe2O3+C) under different conditions were carried out by differential scanning calorimetry(DSC) analysis and X-ray diffraction(XRD) detection.The results show that due to the formation of NiFe2O4 and Fe-Ni alloys,the starting temperature of the NiO+Fe2O3 system is higher than that of pure NiO,while both of the temperatures corresponding to the maximum reduction rate and ending point are lower than those of pure Fe2O3.Compared with the system of NiO+Fe2O3,the reduction of NiFe2O4 shows higher starting and ending temperatures and lower reduction rates.The reduction of Fe2O3 by C could be divided into three stages,and the presence of Ni can obviously promote the transfer of iron oxides(Fe2O3,Fe3O4,and FeO) into metallic Fe.The data reveal that the reduction process of NiFe2O4 by C can also be divided into three stages,and the products in different stages show great difference.


Simple Summary To understand mitochondrial genome fragmentation in bird lice, we sequenced the mitochondrial genomes of 17 species of bird lice in the families Menoponidae and Laemobothriidae. Of the 17 species, four species of Menoponidae have fragmented mitochondrial genomes, whereas the other 13 species of both Menoponidae and Laemobothriidae retain the typical single-chromosome mitochondrial genomes. Our phylogenetic analyses showed that mitochondrial genome fragmentation occurred multiple times independently in these two families. We also found derived mitochondrial minichromosomal characters shared between bird lice in the same genus and among different genera. We conclude that while mitochondrial genome fragmentation as a general feature does not unite all the parasitic lice that have this feature, each independent mitochondrial genome fragmentation event may produce shared derived mitochondrial minichromosomal characters that can be useful for resolving the phylogeny of parasitic lice at different taxonomic levels. Abstract Mitochondrial (mt) genome fragmentation has been discovered in all five parvorders of parasitic lice (Phthiraptera). To explore whether minichromosomal characters derived from mt genome fragmentation are informative for phylogenetic studies, we sequenced the mt genomes of 17 species of bird lice in Menoponidae and Laemobothriidae (Amblycera). Four species of Menoponidae (Actornithophilus sp. 1 ex [pied oystercatcher], Act. sp. 2 ex [masked lapwing], Austromenopon sp. 2 ex [sooty tern and crested tern], Myr. sp. 1 ex [satin bowerbird]) have fragmented mt genomes, whereas the other 13 species retain the single-chromosome mt genomes. The two Actornithophilus species have five and six mt minichromosomes, respectively. Aus. sp. 2 ex [sooty tern and crested tern] has two mt minichromosomes, in contrast to Aus. sp. 1 ex [sooty shearwater], which has a single mt chromosome. Myr. sp. 1 ex [satin bowerbird] has four mt minichromosomes. When mapped on the phylogeny of Menoponidae and Laemobothriidae, it is evident that mt genome fragmentation has occurred multiple times independently among Menoponidae and Laemobothriidae species. We found derived mt minichromosomal characters shared between Myrsidea species, between Actornithophilus species, and between and among different ischnoceran genera, respectively. We conclude that while mt genome fragmentation as a general feature does not unite all the parasitic lice that have this feature, each independent mt genome fragmentation event does produce minichromosomal characters that can be informative for phylogenetic studies of parasitic lice at different taxonomic levels.


Lord Mansfield: Justice in the Age of Reason Norman 5 Poser McGill-Queen's University Press (2013); 432 pages (hardback); £27.99; ISBN-10: 0773541837; ISBN-13: 978-0773541832Professor Norman Poser's biography of England's greatest judge and longest-serving politician to have hailed from Scotland cannot be recommended highly enough.The first section of the book covers Lord Mansfield's early life as a pupil at Westminster School and an undergraduate at Christ Church, Oxford. He studied hard and learned to network compulsively to overcome the prejudice he experienced as a Scot with aristocratic lineage but without wealth. Poser describes Lord Mansfield's career rise from his days at the bar living off food parcels from relatives to his appointment as Solicitor General, Attorney-General and Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench. Critically, the author then sets that rise against the backdrop of the constitutional and political currents of the early 18th century, which were to have an impact on Lord Mansfield's judicial and political philosophy.Poser identifies that prime among those influences, which he references adeptly throughout his book, was Jacobitism. That was the campaign to restore to the throne of Great Britain the descendants of the Catholic James II (Latin, Jacobus) who was ousted by the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and replaced by the Protestant William of Orange and Queen Mary. It attracted a great deal of support, especially among the Tory opponents to the various Whig administrations of the time. Although not Catholics, many Scots Protestants supported it, hoping that the restoration of the Stuart line would mean the end of the Act of Union between England and Scotland.To his later chagrin, Lord Mansfield's family could hardly have been more supportive of James's son, James Edward Stuart (the Pretender), and of his grandson Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie). Lord Mansfield's father stopped just short of joining the 1715 rebellion; his brother joined the rebellion and then became an adviser to the Pretender in Paris and his mother billeted Bonnie Prince Charlie in Perth during the 1745 Jacobite rebellion. Mansfield had, in 1725, sent a letter of support to the Pretender and spent the rest of his life hoping that it would never come to light, all the more so when he advised various ministries and became effectively the consigliere to George III.To counter that concern, Mansfield led the 1747 prosecution of Lord Lovat, one of the supporters of Bonnie Prince Charlie, at his trial for treason before the House of Lords. He also advised the government to prosecute the ringleaders of the rebellion, including Flora McDonald, who was instrumental in Bonnie Prince Charlie's flight when the rebellion failed. On Poser's fullyjustified theory, that sense of concern was also the reason why Lord Mansfield ruled in favour of virtually any government attempt to preserve its privileges and power in the law courts and supported that line in debates in Parliament, especially in the face of the American Revolution.Other early influences that Poser covers include the massive 18th century increase in trade for Great Britain, which inspired Lord Mansfield to uphold commercial interests as much as he could as a judge. He maintained the common law rule that any attempt by workers to combine in order to force improvements in their conditions on employers was conspiracy. In another case the question before the Court of Kang's Bench was whether the stench of a laboratory in London, which burnt bones to extract ammonia for sulphuric acid, was a nuisance to the neighbours. Lord Mansfield instructed the jury that the processes in the factory did not constitute a nuisance. He explained that the production of home-grown sulphuric acid would obviate the need to import it and overrode the inconvenience. …


Abstract If all N individuals x i in a certain sample are taken. out of one and the same normal parent population with the mean µ and the standard deviation it holds true that the sample's mean and variance in accordance with ,Student.-Fisher's theorem obey the frequency function


This report presents the cross-sectional findings from GoWell's community surveys for the years: 2006, 2008 and 2011.
The report compares residents' satisfaction with their neighbourhood, perceptions of neighbourhood improvements and attractiveness, local facilities and the environment, antisocial behaviour, levels of empowerment and the psychosocial benefits of the neighbourhood across GoWell's five intervention area types (IATs): Transformational Regeneration Areas (TRAs), Local Regeneration Areas (LRAs), Peripheral Estates (PEs), Housing Improvement Areas (HIAs) and wider areas surrounding multi-storey flat redevelopments (WSAs).


Editor—Lester's article on first episode psychosis is welcome,1 given that general practitioners have a low index of suspicion for the presence of psychosis and little confidence in diagnosing it.2 But the article omitted two essential considerations—namely, the need to ask about hallucinations and about the risk of self harm and of harm to others; these may be closely related when command hallucinations instruct the person to commit self harm or harm others.

Exploration of suicidal ideation (which may be independent of depression) is essential. Suicide is the chief cause of premature death among people with schizophrenia, with 4-13% of such people committing suicide and 25-50% making a suicide attempt.

The risks may be further compounded by misuse of alcohol and drugs, precipitating impulsive self harm or harm to others. Identification of comorbid substance misuse may be crucial in managing this group, given the increased attendant risks and the strong association between first episode schizophrenia and substance misuse.3 Substance misuse is likely to be related to suicidal ideation and warrants early attention.4,5

Regrettably, little systematic study has been done of people with first episode psychosis, but the development of a positive trusting relationship with a single mental health key worker as early as possible is advisable. Probably the best results come when the person with schizophrenia and the key worker search for common ground. The key worker should avoid a premature confrontation about the explanatory model of the illness and deliver treatment in as flexible a manner as possible.


A tetralogy containing "Spring Snow", a love story, "Runaway Horses", with a protagonist a right-wing terrorist, "The Temple of Dawn", where a Thai princess is mystically linked with the heroes of the preceding works and, written under the shadow of the author's death, "The Decay of the Angel".


The article analyzes the existing spatio-temporal data model, including space-time cube model, sequent snapshot model, base state with amendment model, space-time composite model, event-based model, object-oriented spatial-temporal data model, and atlas model. The details and comparisons of the data models have been discussed.


In this paper, a linear active mass damper is proposed and developed to reduce vibration of long-span bridges subjected to wind loads. The system was designed and built for a scaled bridge deck model. Laser sensors measure the dynamic response of the bridge deck model subjected to wind loads, and the linear active mass dampers control vibration in the vertical direction and rotation using the measured data. Linear Quadratic Gaussian (LQG) algorithm determines the controlling force of the dampers using the collected bridge deck response data. Wind tunnel tests were carried out to evaluate the performance of the linear active mass damper system. Test variables consisted of the natural frequency of the bridge deck, moving mass of the linear active mass damper, effective damping ratio of the damper, number of dampers activated, and wind load condition. Test results showed that the linear active mass damper system was able to control wind-induced torsional rotation and vertical displacement with high efficiency.


The speculations of my friend and col-league, John Croese (this issue) aboutthe biological significance of excessivehost responses to 'abnormal' hookworminfections, appear superficially attractivebut demand a response, for they areflawed with inconsistency and internalcontradictions. Essentially, he proposes two funda-mental but interrelated hypotheses: (1) the tissue response to hookwormsrepresents a remarkable, if not unique,'scorched earth' strategy which, whilecausing the host a degree of misery,achieves its ultimate and beneficial goal of eradicating the interloper; and(2) hookworms provoke exaggeratedresponses only when in the wronghost; life in their natural hosts is har-monious, because immune reactions arenot stimulated.Both proposals, their implications,and their weaknesses, are analysed here,and an alternative explanation for hook-worm host-specificity is proposed.


SUMMARY Yesterday, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit held that, consistent with the Supreme Court's ruling in Central Bank of Denver v. First Interstate Bank of Denver, 511 U.S. 164 (1994), secondary actors cannot be held liable for violations of the anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities laws based on their knowing participation in a "sham" transaction that was used by another party to make fraudulent misstatements or material omissions. In re Charter Communications, Inc., Securities Litigation, No. 05-1974 (8th Cir. Apr. 11, 2006). The Eighth Circuit's ruling marks the first decision by a United States Court of Appeals to address the impact of the Supreme Court's holding in Central Bank on allegations of securities fraud against secondary actors based on Rule 10b-5(a) and (c). The decision is important as it reinforces Central Bank's holding that a private plaintiff may not bring a claim for aiding and abetting a violation of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 10b-5. The decision is particularly noteworthy as it comes at a time when the plaintiffs' bar is increasingly testing the boundaries of Central Bank, seeking to recover against banks, auditors and other third parties by asserting "scheme to defraud" allegations as a means of extending the anti-fraud provisions of the securities laws.


For evaluating the characterized curve errors of helicoidal surfaces, it is very important to separate the errors into form errors and angle errors. The existence of abnormal data reduces the quality of the measurement data to a great extent, and results in inaccurate separation results for the characterized curve errors. Hence how to detect and remove abnormal data is very critical for evaluating the characterized curve errors. The common characteristic of the existing methods for detecting abnormal data is that they strongly depend on the prior knowledge and sample size of the primary measurement data, and need large amounts of calculation. Unfortunately it is difficult to get large sample sizes in some measurements. The existing methods are therefore limited in applications. Based on the dynamic GM(1,1), this paper presents a novel effective method for detecting abnormal data. The model by implementing the dynamic GM( 1,1) for the primary measurement data can be a good approximation to normal data, while insensitive to abnormal data. Through comparing the model with the primary measurement data, abnormal data can be effectively detected. Then the least-squares method is used to separate the characterized errors into form errors and angle errors.


For the present, insufficient attention is paid to the phenomenon of platitude in the studies of the philosophical and aesthetic type, while the recourse to it seems relevant because this phenomenon manifests itself not only in many aspects of daily life, but is also reflected in the contemporary cultural context and in works of art, especially in literature. To clarify the aesthetic meaning of the notion "platitude", we should refer to the etymology and semantics of the word. In all the aspects, platitude is such a phenomenon that "kills" the idea of dignity and brings spiritual and ethical values of a person to vulgarization, to the level of philistine understanding, where the narrow-minded understanding of the "meaning of life" turns into a life moral principle. Thus, platitude can be considered in the context of aesthetics as an integral element of society and of an individual`s spiritual existence.The purpose of this article is clarification of the aesthetic meaning of such a notion as "platitude", its understanding in different historical periods and its conceptualization, primarily in the Russian literature of the XIX century.We find it interesting to consider the aesthetics of platitude in the light of the works by the classics of the Russian literature – N.V. Gogol and A. P. Chekhov, who laid the basics of the platitude image in the Russian literature. If in the first half of the nineteenth century platitude was understood only as externally ugly and ridiculous attempt to look greater and more significant, then nowadays platitude is just falseness and parody, claiming to be the truth. This understanding of platitude relevant for our time can be traced in the works of the Russian writers.


A general method to describe a second-order phase transition is discussed. It starts from the energy level statistics and uses of finite-size scaling. It is applied to the metal-insulator transition (MIT) in the Anderson model of localization, evaluating the cumulative level-spacing distribution as well as the Dyson-Metha statistics. The critical disorder $W_{c}=16.5$ and the critical exponent $\nu=1.34$ are computed.


Editorial for "Decoupling of Gray and White Matter Functional Networks in Medication-Naive Patients With Major Depressive Disorder" The lifetime prevalence of mental disorders worldwide has been estimated to be one in three individuals. The cost to society in terms of healthcare and reduced workforce is thus high. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become a common tool in the research of mental disorders. However, as a clinical neuroradiologist, my interactions with psychiatrists have been minimal compared to the consultations on MR images requested by other physicians who treat disorders and illnesses involving the brain, including neurologists, neuro-oncologists, neurosurgeons, and radiation oncologists. Unfortunately, there is usually a lag between the achievements of the MRI research community and translation into clinical practice. In the past, psychiatric disorders were assumed to only involve the mind, without any significant physical manifestations in the brain. Imaging of the brain might be ordered for a patient presenting with a suspected mental disorder just to exclude an obvious brain lesion, mass, or other obvious structural abnormality. However, modern image analysis can detect structural differences in the brains of patients with mental disorders compared to normal subjects, even if the abnormalities are not obvious by visual inspection of the MR images. For example, voxel-based morphometry has demonstrated decreased gray matter, predominantly in the medial prefrontal and insular cortices, in both major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder. The analysis also showed differences between the two disorders, such as a greater decrease in volume of gray matter in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and left hippocampus in patients with major depressive disorder. More recently, functional MRI (fMRI) based on the blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) effect to indirectly assess neural activity has been increasingly common in the research of mental disorders. Resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) is fMRI acquired with the patient or subject in a state of rest, in contrast to task-based fMRI, which is acquired with the subject alternating between periods of rest and periods of performing a goal-oriented task. In rs-fMRI, resting-state networks can be defined by areas of the brain that are temporally correlated based on the fluctuating BOLD signal. Disorders or other alterations of mental state can result in changes in the networks and functional connectivity. There have been many studies demonstrating that rs-fMRI can detect differences compared to healthy control subjects in patients with a wide range of disorders affecting the brain, including neurodegenerative, psychiatric, traumatic, epileptic, and neoplastic. The current issue of the Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging includes an article by Zhao et al, entitled "Decoupling of gray and white matter functional networks in medicationnaïve patients with major depressive disorder." The authors compare patients with major depressive disorder with healthy control subjects using rs-fMRI and identify several alterations in the networks and their connectivity. The authors also discuss how their findings relate to known neuropsychiatric abnormalities in patients with depression. I read this with great interest, since the development of MRI biomarkers to help diagnose mental disorders and follow treatment response might enable clinical imaging to contribute more to mitigating the mental healthcare problem. However, there are a few obstacles to overcome before this can happen. Adequate reproducibility and specificity for a set of biomarkers derived from rs-fMRI must be achieved. There is evidence that rs-fMRI parameters can be measured with good reproducibility. However, the adequacy of the reproducibility can only be assessed after there is a clearer understanding of the size of the change that needs to be detected. Achieving reproducibility at multiple imaging sites will also likely depend on standardization of the MRI pulse sequences, scanners and other hardware, and data/image processing methods. Specificity may also be difficult to achieve, since there is evidence that dysfunctions in several of the resting-state networks are common in multiple disorders. Although much research has been done, many of the studies compare one group with a specific mental disorder with a healthy control group. More research including multiple groups with different disorders may be helpful in developing more specific biomarkers. Even if not highly specific, biomarkers with adequate measurement reproducibility may still be useful for monitoring changes, although


This study builds on Taivalkoski-Shilov's (2015b) work on the reception of Foucault's Histoire de la sexualité in Finland, as translated by Kaisa Sivenius in 1998. It examines how two non-interdependent factors that proved central to the reception of Sivenius's translation in Taivalkoski-Shilov's study – paratexts and readers' academic background – affect how readers react to a translated academic text. Our empirical study on Finnish university students reading Sivenius's translation consisted of two parts: an eye-tracking study followed by short interviews and a reading task given to some participants with a request to write a narrative report. The participants were divided into five different groups with six to eight participants. We studied the effect of paratexts on three groups in an eye-tracking study, prior to which each group read a different paratext. The effect of academic background was studied by an analysis of narrative reports that two groups with different academic backgrounds (translator students and non-translator students) wrote about their reading experience. The analysis of the eye-tracking data gives some evidence that the paratexts read prior to reading the text sample influenced the participants' perspective in regard to the translation. The narrative reports indicate that the participants' academic background affected the way they reacted to Sivenius's


How have considerations of gender affected our interpretation of Homeric poetry, and how should they? I will explore these questions here by examining first Samuel Butler's 1897 book The Authoress of the Odyssey and then various interpretations of the Odyssey from the past fifteen years that also focus on gender. I begin with Butler for two reason: (1) for historical perspective, which also provides critical distance on the subject, and (2) because his conclusions have been considered so extreme and have provoked strong reactions that run the gamut from complete acceptance to utter ridicule—not unlike reactions that feminist criticism can also provoke.


Taking in some of the most magnificent upland country in England, this guide leads the reader through 150 miles of the Lake District National Park, and has as its central theme the poet William Wordsworth. Starting at his birthplace in Cockermouth, the book traces a circular course embracing the stunning scenery and taking in the places that figured in Wordsworth's life and the scenes that inspired his work. Each stage is planned to end within easy reach of a youth hostel, campsite or bed and breakfast establishment. Concise step-by-step route instructions are augmented with notes and the occasional verse that explains, at salient points along the way, how the landscape shaped the thoughts and work of Wordsworth, and what there is for the present day walker to see and experience. Clear and easy to use route maps and altitude profiles for each stage are complemented by both colour and monochrome photographs. Also provided are useful addresses of organizations, additional attractions within the park, the countryside code and what to do in the event of an accident.


Under the administration of the Communist China, the distinction between education and propaganda cannot be made. Various research and literatures reveal that many resources used by Chinese educational institutions, such as books and songs, are modified in order to inject views that favor People's Republic of China and ideologies from the Communist Party. This perspective paper explores the infusion of propaganda undertaken in the education in the Communist China. It also provides a discussion on both the advantages and disadvantages of such conduct. Particularly, it elaborates on the concepts of self-preserving maneuver for social stability and country's survival; emphasis on the welfare of the state; the domino effect in altering musical pieces; corrupted education and altered truth; manifestation of the superiority and authoritarianism of the ruling party; and the ideological remolding to establish loyalty and nationalism. It is recommended that in order for China to be faithful to its slogan, diversity in unity, respecting differences on musical works of ethnicities and not intervening on them would be a decent starting point.


Tests of co-firing of petrochemical sludge with coal were conducted in a fixed bed oven.Effects of mass mixing ratio,combustion temperature and combustion residence time on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon(PAH) emission in bottom ash were investigated.Results show that when mass mixing ratio increases,PAH emission in bottom ash increases obviously.With the increase of combustion temperature,PAH emission increases at first and then declines.PAH emission declines significantly with increasing combustion residence time and there is a critical value.During different kinds of operation conditions,emission of lower molecular weight PAH is much higher than that of higher molecular weight PAH.


The invention relates to an artificial seedling method for hybrid mussels in factory, comprising the seedling steps as follows: parent clam selecting, parent clam reinforced cultivation, stimulating the production by drying in the shade and flowing water, selecting the spermatozoa of the male parent thick shell mussels and ovum of the female parent blue mussel, larval culture, juvenile culture, etc. The hybrid seedling technique of the invention can successfully cultivate the healthy and high-quality hybrid juvenile mussels, provide the material condition for the property improvement of the mussels, meanwhile, the method of the invention lays the technical foundation for adding a new cultivation type for the seawater mussel cultivation in China and has important theoretical significance and wide application prospect.


s 1st Yale New Haven International Congress sl67 Evaluation of a Disaster Simulation Method for a Disaster Medical Assistance Team Giljoon Suh; Ju Oh Park; Young Ho Kwak; Sang Do Shin; Sung Koo Jung; Woon Yong Kwon^ Hong Seong Gang 1. Department of Emergency Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea 2. Seoul Emergency Medical Information Center, Seoul, South


There are few Brazilian papers that address psychodrama and pain. This article presents the negotiation technique, a way of using psychodrama to alleviate pain intensity. The technique was applied in 20 subjects in the format of therapeutic acts and achieved good initial results. The director interviews the person and his pain, looking for a negotiation that results in an objective agreement of present or future help, which allows pain relief.


Executive summary In times like these it is more important than ever to get the most out of our investment in HR Capital. Taking different cultural backgrounds into account will increase motivation, reduce turnover, and help keep your best people. Managers can be more effective in coping with the global economic crisis if they simplify the way they manage their staff, taking into account the different cultural backgrounds of their team members and the different cultures in which their business operates. Global practices need to be adapted to local cultural values to increase efficiency.


The concept of curriculum integration (CI) has been repeatedly recommended as a curriculum design for the middle years of schooling but the extant literature is confusing, ambiguous and generally difficult to make sense of. In particular, the literature provides insufficient practical guidance and direction for teachers who want to implement CI in their classrooms. Teachers' knowledge and understanding about CI is often hazy with the result that design and implementation of CI can be haphazard and ineffective, despite the best intentions. This article investigates teachers' beliefs about CI in two middle schools in Tasmania. It critically reviews the relevant literature of CI with an emphasis on identifying typical pitfalls and explaining political influences. By drawing on theories about the nature of knowledge, it explains that designs for CI need to consider the ways different subjects are organised and taught. The article argues the case for a pragmatic approach to CI design and implementation in the middle years in Australian contexts, with a view to developing a robust network of shared knowledge and understanding about CI. Based on research evidence, it concludes by making several recommendations for designing and implementing high quality CI programs.


Background: The prevalence of coronary heart disease is increasing worldwide as well as in our country. Cardiac rehabilitation is an interdisciplinary activity with the aim of facilitating and improving the physical, psychological and emotional state and empowering patients.
Objectives: This study aimed to determine whether continuing cardiac rehabilitation programs at home has positive effects on self efficacy of the participants' in comparison with control group or not.
Design: randomized controlled trial.
Method: 80 patients referred to rehabilitation center from Feb 2009 to Jan 2010 were randomly divided into case and control groups. Both groups received routine cardiac rehabilitation program in rehabilitation center. In addition, the case group received education and practical training in various rehabilitation measures along with home visits of a community health nurse in follow-up period. General Self Efficacy Scale (GSES) was used to assess self efficacy between the two groups at baseline and on follow-up period. Collected data from General Self Efficacy Scale were analyzed using Minitab software and repeated measurement analysis model.
Results: : In this study 75 percent (60 people) of participants were male and 25 percent (20 patients) female with the age range of 57/41±1/01 (Mean± SE).Results showed statistical significant difference in Self Efficacy (P= 0.000) between two groups and in different measurements (P= 0.000).
Discussion: Home-based cardiac rehabilitation has a positive effect on patients' self efficacy thus referring patients who suffer from heart diseases is recommended.


"Contextualism" will here refer to the position that the truth-conditions knowledge-ascribing and knowledge-denying sentences (sentences of the form "S knows that P" and "S doesn't know that P" and related variants of such sentences, henceforth, "K-sentences") vary in certain ways according to the context in which they are uttered. What so varies is the epistemic standards that S must meet (or, in the case of a denial of knowledge, fail to meet) in order for such a statement to be true. In some contexts, "S knows that P" requires for its truth that S have a true belief that P and also be in a very strong epistemic position with respect to P, while in other contexts, the very same sentence may require for its truth, in addition to S's having a true belief that P, only that S meet some lower epistemic standards. Thus, the contextualist will allow that one speaker can truthfully say "S knows that P", while another speaker, in a different context where higher standards are in place, can truthfully say "S doesn't know that P", though both speakers are talking about the same S and the same P at the same time.


Magnetic Resonance Elastography (MRE) is an imaging technique for the mechanical characterization of biological tissues. This technique consists in recording by MRI the displacement fields induced by the propagation of an induced shear wave in a target tissue. Mechanical parameters such as the shear wave velocity, shear elasticity or shear viscosity moduli can then be deduced by inverting the differential equations of the acquired displacement fields. Thus, MRE allow to map the mechanical parameters of the medium which are recognized as relevant biomarkers to characterize the pathophysiological state of biological tissues. However, the promise of absolute quantification of shear viscoelastic moduli by MRE is undermined by the multiple dependence of the results on acquisition parameters and reconstruction methods. Recent works have shown that the factors determining the accuracy and precision of MRE measurement can ultimately be subsumed with two parameters that essentially characterize how well the propagating shear wave is sampled: the spatial sampling factor, ss = λλ/aa, and the amplitude sampling factor, QQ = qq/ΔΔqq, where λλ is the shear wavelength, aa, the voxel size, qq, the amplitude of the curl of the displacement field, and ΔΔqq, the associated measurement uncertainty. Optimal conditions on ss and QQ must be fulfilled to validate MRE outcomes as proven in mechanically homogeneous media.


Abstract. Hospitals as one of the health service facilities have an important role in achieving the goals of National Health Insurance (JKN) which are expected to provide efficient, effective services, and are required to provide appropriate health information and produce accurate data in health services. This research was based on the background of BPJS patient complaints about hospital services, especially at the As-Syifa Sukabumi Islamic Hospital. The purpose of this study was to find out (1) the concept of sharia hospital services according to the DSN-MUI Fatwa No: 107 / DSN-MUI / X / 2016 (2) Services at As-Syifa Islamic Hospital (3) Fatwa DSN-MUI No Review : 107 / DSN-MUI / X / 2016 for services at the As Syifa Sukabumi Islamic hospital. This research is a qualitative approach. Data obtained from field sources and library data sources were analyzed and compiled in a descriptive qualitative manner. The results showed that overall service quality according to the DSN-MUI Fatwa NO: 107 / DSN-MUI / X / 2016 in general services at the As-Syifa Islamic Hospital in Sukabumi has been fulfilled but the BPJS services at the As-Syifa Sukabumi Islamic Hospital often occur negligence and hospital staff are less friendly due to too many BPJS patients. Keywords : Services, Hospital Services, Public Services, BPJS Services Abstrak. Rumah sakit sebagai salah satu fasilitas pelayanan kesehatan mempunyai peranan penting dalam mencapai tujuan Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional (JKN) yang diharapkan dapat memberikan pelayanan yang efisien, efektif, dan dituntut untuk memberikan informasi kesehatan yang tepat dan menghasilkan data yang akurat dalam pelayanan kesehatan. Penelitian ini di latar belakangi oleh keluhan pasien BPJS tentang pelayanan Rumah Sakit khususnya di Rumah Sakit Islam As-Syifa Sukabumi. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui (1)Konsep pelayanan rumah sakit syariah menurut Fatwa DSN-MUI No:107/DSN-MUI/X/2016 (2)Pelayanan pada Rumah Sakit Islam As-Syifa (3)Tinjauan Fatwa DSN-MUI No:107/DSN-MUI/X/2016 terhadap pelayanan di rumah sakit Islam As Syifa Sukabumi. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian dengan pendekatan kualitatif. Data yang diperoleh dari sumber lapangan (field research) dan sumber data kepustakaan (library research) dianalisis dan disusun secara deskriptif kualitatif. Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa kualitas pelayanan menurut Fatwa DSN-MUI NO:107/DSN-MUI/X/2016 secara keseluruhan pelayanan umum di Rumah Sakit Islam As-Syifa Sukabumi sudah terpenuhi namun pada  pelayanan BPJS di Rumah Sakit Islam As-Syifa Sukabumi sering terjadi kelalaian dan para petugas rumah sakit kurang ramah akibat terlalu banyaknya pasien BPJS. Kata Kunci : Pelayanan, Pelayanan Rumah Sakit, Pelayanan Umum, Pelayanan BPJS


The invention discloses a full-stress type rubber spring foundation of a seat. The foundation is composed of a floor connection plate, a first external framework, a rubber vibration-absorption column, a pin shaft, a second external framework and a seat connection plate, wherein the seat connection plate is fixedly arranged at the lateral upper side of the second external framework and the second external framework is in a frame shape; the pin shaft is externally sleeved with the rubber vibration-absorption column and the upper and lower ends of the pin shaft are fixedly arranged on the second external framework; the ring-shaped first external framework is sleeved on the periphery of the rubber vibration-absorption column and the outer side of the first external framework is fixedly provided with the floor connection plate; the floor connection plate is connected with a vehicle floor and the seat connection plate is connected with the seat. According to the full-stress type rubber spring foundation of the seat, the rubber vibration-absorption column has the function of buffering under the condition that a driver suddenly tramples a brake or suddenly accelerates, so that a passenger can comfortably sit on the seat.


AbstractThis investigation defines the problem and proposes guidelines for seismically upgrading masonry buildings using textile-reinforced mortar (TRM). The TRM technique in the form of externally...


Blast Furnace Gas(BFG)and Coke Oven Gas(COG)are by-products in the iron steel making process.BFG volume is huge and heat value of COG is relatively high along with the development of Iron Steel industry,the volume of BFG produced in iron making process has increased year by year.Although more and more surplus BFG and COG have been used so far,part of them have not been fully used resulting in direct burning by flare,which causes severe energy waste and environmental pollution.In recent years,BFG COG-based Combined Cycle Power Plant(CCPP)technology is booming,which provides new room for the utilization of these surplus gases.This article describes in detail how surplus BFG COG-based CCPP aer used for Maanshan Iron Steel Co.Ltd.Due to state of art technology and unprecedented reference in China,this project will lay the foundation for the spread of this conceptual design on the nation wide scale.In addition,due to the intervention of Clean Development Mechanism(CDM),power generation using surplus BFG COG will also reduce the emission of Green House Gas(GHG),and bring about considerable economic returns for the project developers.


There is a movement gaining ground within the social and behavioral sciences to introduce a new research method paradigm that combines qualitative and quantitative elements so as to capitalize on the strengths and compensate for the weaknesses of each. This approach, known as mixed methods research ( Johnson, Onwuegbuzie, & Turner, 2007), has, in our view, great potential benefits for the study of mediumship, which naturally combines a requirement to evaluate evidential claims in a balanced and objective manner with a need to pay careful attention to the subjective meaning of mediumistic experiences in the context in which they occur. In this essay we will outline some of the essential features of the mixed methods approach, and draw attention to the procedural developments that have taken place over the past two decades, focusing particularly on design issues such as how data collection might be implemented (i.e., whether concurrent or sequentially) and prioritized (i.e., whether qualitative and quantitative aspects will have equal or unequal emphasis), and at what point data will be integrated or mixed (i.e., at the data collection, analysis or interpretation stage). The second part of this essay will demonstrate the value of adopting a mixed methods approach in mediumship research using illustrations from our own work with Spiritualist mental mediums in the UK (Roxburgh, 2010, 2011; Roxburgh & Roe, 2011a).


Comparative testing of cars for a quarterly consumer magazine poses a particular set of problems. The main ones are time and the designing of apparatus to produce objective comparisons between cars. A subsidiary, but important, problem is the need to produce information which is technically valid and yet readily interpretable by a non-technical public.A test unit is described, and a typical test programme is outlined. Examples are given of the way in which particular problems have been overcome: in particular, the evolution of equipment for measuring acceleration, which has reduced the time necessary for testing by 75 per cent, is described. The development of comparative tests for handling is discussed, and the difficulty of defining a simple measurement of the noise inside a car is used as an example of the difficulty of producing objective measurements which correlate with subjective impressions.It is concluded that, whilst rationalization of test methods is often both desirable and practicable, it is ...


Objective To research the best alcohol extracting technology of fu fang zhi zhang ming eye-drop. Methods As the total contents of scutellarin,linarin and chrysophal to be evaluation indicator,adopted L9(34) orthogonal design to select out the best alcohol extraction. The main determination was by HPLC with gradient elution. Results Accounted by the total contents of the three kinds compositions,the influential effects of the experimental results were alcohol concentration reflux times the circumfluence time the volume of alcohol. Conclusion The best extracting technology is adding 8-fold times of 70% alcohol,percolating 1 hours,and three times.