Objective: Data on obesity in preschoolers are scarce in Greece, a country particularly affected by the obesity epidemic. The present study aimed to assess overweight and obesity prevalence of preschoolers in Thessaloniki, Greece by using three different standards for defining childhood overweight and obesity. Design: One thousand two hundred and fifty preschool children (657 boys and 593 girls) aged 2.0-6.0 years old from all public municipality kindergartens of Thessaloniki-Greece participated in this cross-sectional survey conducted from 2009 to 2010. Body weight and height were measured and detailed anthropometry measurement was undertaken. BMI was classified to weight categories based on CDC (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), IOTF (the International Obesity Task Force) and WHO (the World Health Organization) references. Results: Rates of excess body weight varied significantly according to different international criteria: IOTF, overweight (including obesity) 21.2%, obesity5.8%; CDC, overweight (including obesity) 30.5% ,obesity 13.5%; and WHO, overweight (including obesity) 32.6%, obesity 5%. Boys and older children were particularly affected. Conclusions: Overweight prevalence is high in Greek preschoolers and varies significantly according to the different criteria used, from 21.2% (IOTF) to 32.6% (CDC reference). . Introduction Over the last decades, the prevalence of childhood obesity has increased dramatically worldwide and in some countries like Greece has resulted in a public health issue. 1,2 Obesity in preschool age is poorly studied compared to school age and adolescence, despite the fact that excess body mass index (BMI) in preschool age has been identified as a risk factor for obesity in early adulthood. 3 Existing data support the view that childhood obesity occurs at younger ages primarily when children enter kindergartens. 4 To the best of our knowledge, only one Greek study, the Genesis study, investigated excess body weight in preschoolers and reported high prevalence of overweight. 5 Cattaneo et al. 6 reviewed existing data in the European Union and reported that Greek preschoolers demonstrated high overweight and obesity rates, which is in agreement with overweight-obesity trends reported in other Mediterranean European countries and England. Overweight in childhood can be determined with accuracy using BMI but different criteria for BMI category classification have been developed. Τhe three references mostly used are: a) the 2000 Centers for the Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) charts at the 85 th and 95 th percentiles, classifying children and adolescents as overweight (≥85 th to<95 th percentile) and obese (≥95 th percentile), mostly used in USA 7 ; b) the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) which provided genderspecific values from 2 to 18 years of age, corresponding to BMI cut off limits of adulthood that is 25 kg/m 2 for overweight and 30 kg/m 2 for obesity; 8 and c) the 2007 World Health Organization (WHO) growth curves using BMI z scores +1 and +2 standard deviations (SD), for defining respectively overweight and obesity. 9 The IOTF criteria are now mostly used universally for quantifying and comparing the prevalence of overweight and obesity between different populations. Besides BMI, Waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) has been recently emerged as an important index for defining abdominal obesity (AO) and high cardiometabolic risk and WHtR exceeding 0.5 has been proposed to be pathological in both children and adults. 10 Anthropometry is an important tool for individual assessment as well as for planning at population level and importantly anthropometric data for children reflect general health, nutritional status and physical development. 11 There is now a consensus that indicators based on weight and height measurements should be used for early identification of weight gain in children. 12 Anthropometric reference for international use was released from World Health Organization (WHO) 13 and data for US population based on NHANES survey 1999-2002 14 were reported and used for estimating obesity trends in young children. The primary objective of the present cross-sectional study was to assess overweight and obesity status in a sample of preschoolers 2-6 years old, in Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece after Athens. Secondly, comparison between prevalence estimates of the overweight-obesity using three sets of growth references i.e. IOTF, WHO and CDC was undertaken.


ABSTRACT American high schools present an extremely difficult, nearly intractable setting for serious educational reform efforts. Yet such efforts can succeed. This article reports results from a survey of 179 urban comprehensive high schools that were successfully implementing change programs based on effective schools principles. All schools encountered problems of implementation. Larger‐scale, instructionally‐oriented, and longer‐lasting programs induced more problems. Problems were only moderated, not eliminated, by good‐quality planning. Given the problem‐richness of change efforts, the major determinant of successful implementation was good problem‐coping. It was made more likely by the presence of consensus (shared vision), support of key stakeholders in and out of the school, planning quality, external assistance, and administrative time spent. Case studies showed that the presence of an empowered change management group aided all these critical factors. Schools with the most impact (defined as st...


Almost all of Thomas A. Sebeok's books are now available in Italian (cf. References), the most recently translated being Semiotics in the United States of 1991 (the enlarged and revised version of a long article originally published in 1990 in The Semiotic Web 1989, subtitled 'A view from the center'), published by Bompiani in 1992. Unlike other volumes by Sebeok, this one was translated into Italian (by myself) directly from the typescript, and therefore before it actually appeared as a monograph in English. Having been originally conceived in relation to the Italian edition of this book, the present paper begins with some introductory considerations on Sebeok's research and then continues with a brief overview of the relationship of U.S. semiotics with semiotics in Italy. In Semiotics in the United States, Sebeok takes a look at U.S. semiotics according to three different modes of analysis, which, though closely interrelated, are easily singled out. The first consists of a survey of the various theoretical trends, perspectives, problems, fields, specializations, and institutions characterizing U.S. semiotics, and is conducted both on a synchronic and a diachronic level. As regards the latter, Sebeok faces the rather difficult task of reconstructing the origins of American semiotics, which he seeks in discourse fields that were not yet connoted as semiotics at the time, and which in certain cases are still considered to be either only marginally associated with semiotics or completely distant from it. The second mode of analysis is of a theoretical-critical order. Sebeok takes a stand with respect to the handling of certain problems in semiotics: problems of a general order concerning, for instance, the delimitation of the field of semiotics or the construction of a general sign model; and problems of a more specific order concerning the various sectors and subsectors of the science, or 'doctrine of signs' (as Sebeok prefers to call it). The impression, which would seem to be confirmed by Sebeok here


1997 is a crucial year for global efforts to control greenhouse gas emissions. With the emerging failure of most OECD countries to take significant action to reduce their CO 2 emission attention is now focused on securing legally binding commitments to do so at Kyoto, Japan in December. As a consequence the Kyoto Ministerial Conference on Climate Change is set to be the most important and difficult environmental negotiation ever conducted.


Transit Routes Design (TRD) problem deals with optimizing the configuration of transit routes to satisfy a given objective, such as maximizing network coverage, while holding the budget constraint. In its discrete form, TRD is recognized as a computationally interactive problem. A review of the literature reveals that, despite extensive research on this problem, the number of studies on specific urban network configurations has remained limited. Among these studies, many have applied simplifying assumptions such as continuous design variables which may not be applicable to real-world settings. The present study focuses on a discrete version of the TRD problem for an urban "grid" network and aims to maximize the service coverage through the network. To this end, a local search Hill-Climbing (HC) heuristic algorithm is proposed and evaluated. The proposed HC algorithm performs several replications in which it starts with a combination of randomly selected routes and iteratively improves them by moving to the "best neighbor" until it reaches a local optimum solution. Our results for a 6×10 grid network for three budget levels (i.e. low, medium, and high budget levels) indicate that, in much shorter run-times than the exact algorithm, the proposed HC algorithm can produce high-quality solutions with 0.12%, 4.16%, and 2.22% difference from global optimums.


Objective To explore the treatment effect of sildenafil combined with pulmonary surfactant (PS) on newborn meconium aspiration syndrome ( NMAS) children with persistence pulmonary hypertension ( PPH) , and to summarize the nursing experience .Methods Sixty NMAS children with PPH were chosen and randomly divided into the control group and the observation group according to the random number table , each with 30 cases. All children received the routine treatment including high frequency oscillation assisted ventilation , proper rehydration , antibiotics and so on , and the control group received the intratracheal instillation of PS, and the observation group received the sildenafil on the basis of PS .The oxygenation index ( OI ) , alveolar-arterial oxygen difference ( A-aDO2 ) and pulmonary artery pressure ( PAP) were compared between two groups before and after the treatment .Results The differences were found in the OI and A-aDO2 4 and 12 h after the treatment between two groups (P<0.01); The OI was (11.7 ±177;2.8) in the observation group 36 h after the treatment, and was (19.1 ±177;3.4) in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (t=9.202, P<0.01); the A-aDO2 was (12.1 ±177;3.2)mmHg in the observation group, and was (27.6 ±177; 5.5)mmHg in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (t=13.342, P<0.01).The PAP was (40.4 ±177;10.7) mmHg in the observation group 24 ~36 h after the treatment, and was (49.3 ±177; 13.4)mmHg in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (t=2.843, P<0.01).No serious complications were found in two groups .Conclusions The sildenafil combined with PS , meanwhile, the respiratory tract nursing and the high frequency oscillation assisted ventilation airway nursing were well , can further enhance the treatment effect of NMAS combined with PPH .

Key words:
Newborn; Meconium aspiration syndrome; Pulmonary hypertension; Sildenafil; Pulmonary surfactant


The affective computing is an increasingly important area in computer science. It aims to give computer system the ability to recognize and express affect. A key issue in affective computing is emotional data. Data in multiple formats and from different sources can be used and every format can be subject of different approaches and techniques. Several approaches can be combined to obtain better results. Because of this, multi-modal emotion detection requires an architecture that can support complexity and heterogeneity. This paper proposes a Holonic multi-agent architecture to design multi-modal emotion recognition and affective computing systems. Also, it describes the design and implementation of a prototype that demonstrates the applicability, adequacy and adaptability of the proposed architecture.


Strategies are being made to increase the volume of sales of Honda motorcycles in 2013 of raising consumer awardness to Honda through an ad campaign. Viewed from the strategy that has been implemented in 2013, the sales unit has not reached the predetermined targets, but seen from the market share has increased (seize the market share of competitors). Realized sales from the year 2009-2011 increased volume sales of Honda motorcycles, while from 2011- 2013 year decline in sales volume Honda motorcycles. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of variable brands, design, features, quality, price, sale, resale value, and after-sales service to variable interest of consumers simultaneously and partially and competitive strategy that is effective to increase the volume of sales of the Honda Motorcycle in North Sumatra. Keywords: Minat Konsumen, Strategi Bersaing, Volume Penjualan.


Sleep disorder is one of the prominent manifestations of Angelman syndrome. The exact causes are unknown and methods of correction are difficult. The literature review is devoted to studies of the pathogenesis of sleep disorders in Angelman syndrome (the effects of gene function in 15q11–q13 deletion, findings in polysomnography, video-EEG sleep monitoring, laboratory data), on the basis of which recommendations for the correction of dyssomnia, including methods of behavioral therapy, are given.


Abstract : Spectroscopic Differential Reflectometry, SDR, has been applied to study differences in silicon surfaces with different crystallographic orientations and with very thin films. The SDR technique measures the normalized difference in reflectance of two adjacent samples in the spectral range of 250-800 nm near normal incidence. This study demonstrates the surface sensitivity of the SDR technique to the Si crystal orientations, and to the presence of thin oxide films on the Si substrate. The observed orientation dependent spectral features are interpreted in terms of the current understanding of the silicon orientation dependent oxidation kinetics.


Chong SS, Pack SD, Roschke AV, Tanigami A, Carrozzo R, et al: A revision of the lissencephaly and Miller-Dieker syndrome critical regions in chromosome 17p13.3. Hum Mol Genet 6: 147–155 (1997). Dallapiccola B, Mingarelli R, Digillo C, Obregon MG, Gianotti A: Interstitial deletion del (17)(q21.3q23 or q24) syndrome. Clin Genet 43: 54–55 (1993). Fantes JA, Boland E, Ramsay J, Splitt M, Goodship JA, et al: FISH mapping of de novo apparently balanced chromosome rearrangements identifies characteristics associated with phenotypic abnormality. Am J Hum Genet 82: 916–926 (2008). Khalifa MM, MacLeod PM, Duncan AM: Additional case of de novo interstitial deletion del(17)(q21.3q23) and expansion of the phenotype. Clin Genet 44: 258–261 (1993). Kirchhoff M, Bisgaard AM, Duno M, Hansen FJ, Schwartz M: A 17q21.311 microduplication, reciprocal to the newly described 17q21.311 microdeletion in a girl with severe psychomotor developmental delay and dysmorphic craniofacial features. Eur J Med Genet 50: 256–263 (2007). Koolen DA, Vissers LELM, Pfundt R, de Leew N, Knight SJL, et al: A new chromosome 17q21.311 microdeletion syndrome associated with a common inversion polymophism. Nat Genet 38: 999–1001 (2006). Koolen DA, Sharp AJ, Hurst JA, Firth HV, Knight SJL, et al: Clinical and molecular delineation of the 17q21.311 microdeletion syndrome. J Med Genet 11: 710–720 (2008). Lupski JR: Genomic disorders: structural features of the genome can lead to DNA rearrangements and human disease traits. Trends Genet 14: 417–422 (1998). Park JP, Moeschler JB, Berg SZ, Wurster-Hill DH: A unique de novo interstitial del(17) (q21.3q23) in a phenotypically abnormal infant. Clin Genet 41: 54–56 (1992). Shaw-Smith C, Pittman AM, Willatt L, Martin H, Rickman L, et al: Microdeletion encompassing MAPT at chromosome 17q21.31 is associated with developmental delay and learning disability. Nat Genet 38: 1032–1037 (2006). Tan TY, Aftimos S, Worgan L, Susman R, Wilson M, et al: Phenotypic expansion and further characterisation of the 17q21.31 microdeletion syndrome. J Med Genet 46: 480–489 (2009).


The determination of the state of conservation of historical masonries by non-destructive and non-invasive techniques must still gain its due widespread use, and this is clearly reflected in national norms that often refuse them as not being reliable enough to be used without the support of destructive ones (see for example the Italian OPCM 3274/2003 and subsequent modifications). Anyhow, the clear advantages of such techniques, and especially laser based ones like the Scanning Laser Doppler Vibrometry - SLDV here employed, drive the research towards this direction. In this work we will illustrate a case study done in the south of the Marche region, namely the investigations conducted inside and outside the Lanciano castle, near Castelraimondo (MC). A series of SLDV measurements have been made that have lead to the discovery of many hidden structural defects, such as delaminations of superficial layers, minor and also important cracks. To validate our findings a well reputed and consolidated technique has been employed, a Ground Penetrating Radar - GPR, along with manual beating of suspected areas. Also a brief session using an infrared camera has been conducted to check the results relative to superficial delaminations, where the GPR could fail due to insufficient spatial resolution.


After the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic, Huoshenshan Hospital, as the main place for patient isolation, is characterized by large floor space and high staff density, and its evacuation time is directly related to the safety of patients and medical care. In this article, we use BIM and Pathfinder software to establish an emergency evacuation simulation model, setting 2400 patients of different ages and degrees to participate in the simulation, and carry out the simulation in Steering behavior mode to study the influence of evacuation mode, exit size and initial distribution of personnel on the evacuation time and evacuation distance of Huoshenshan Hospital respectively. The simulation results provide a theoretical basis for the standardized management of Huoshenshan Hospital and have certain reference significance.


This introductory discussion attempts to situate French doctoral dissertations within a historical and contextual framework for librarians and researchers who require a working knowledge of French doctoral grey literature. As French doctoral research for this historical period presents a terra incognita, a cursory exploration of this research offers the uninitiated an instructive example of how French doctoral production produced uneven distribution among three disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. Examining general contours of French dissertation production in Information and Communication Sciences (SIC), philosophy, and art and archaeology, an evolution of what is available in French dissertation research reveals the nature of this grey literature.


Special characters and some text blocks are frequently needed in writing English-chinese dictionaries.A paste utility program is written in Delphi to increase efficiency and reduce avoidable typing errors.The utility,which is based on the inter-process communication mechanism of Microsoft Windows operating system,is a handy tool right for English-chinese dictionary writing.The design,implementation and application of the utility are all covered in the paper.


A reverse-conducting lateral insulated-gate bipolar transistor (RC-LIGBT) with a trench oxide layer (TOL), featuring a vertical N-buffer and P-collector is proposed. Firstly, the TOL enhances both of the surface and bulk electric fields of the N-drift region, thus the breakdown voltage (BV) is improved. Secondly, the vertical N-buffer layer increases the voltage drop VPN of the P-collector/N-buffer junction, thus the snapback is suppressed. Thirdly, the P-body and the vertical N-buffer act as the anode and the cathode, respectively, to conduct the reverse current, thus the inner diode is integrated. As shown by the simulation results, the proposed RC-LIGBT exhibits trapezoidal electric field distribution with BV of 342.4 V, which is increased by nearly 340% compared to the conventional RC-LIGBT with triangular electric fields of 100.2 V. Moreover, the snapback is eliminated by the vertical N-buffer layer design, thus the reliability of the device is improved.


Resource reservation Call Admission Control (CAC) schemes constitute an efficient solution for prioritizing high priority calls. Issues concerning fairness among calls arise during the implementation of CAC. In this paper, a new optimization model selecting the admission probability in thinning schemes is proposed to provide fairness in resource sharing among different input call stream flows. The existence of an optimal admission probability value is proven based on users satisfaction under different traffic input load maintaining users Quality of Service (QoS) levels. Based on this analysis, an effective fairness and thinning CAC policy is proposed, where the admission decision is dynamically adjusted based on appropriately defined users utility. The analysis is performed under different degrees of users risk aversion, reflecting their behavior towards the perceived QoS levels. The optimal values are determined through an iterative algorithm. The performance results obtained verify the improvement achieved by the integrated model, especially when networks operate near congestion.


Novo Nordisk, a healthcare company and world leader in diabetes care, is committed to actively implement the principles of the 3Rs. Since approximately 25 percent of all animals are used externally it is important to ensure uniform standards at all these external contractors, i.e. contract research organisations, research laboratories and partners, as well as animal suppliers. They must all comply with "Novo Nordisk Principles on the Use of Animals" and they are animal welfare monitored prior to study initiation and with frequent intervals. The monitoring is based on the revised guideline from the Council of Europe's Appendix A of ETS No. 123, and all deviations from this guideline are described and evaluated by the end of the monitoring and an animal welfare statement is signed by both parties. The conclusions from the animal welfare monitoring might have economical impact; e.g. demands for environmental enrichment and larger cages, but we believe that this is counterbalanced by the benefit of a global standard, bilateral exchange of experience, broader public acceptance, better animal welfare, and more reliable scientific results. The paper will discuss lessons learned and the impact and benefits of performing animal welfare monitorings of external contractors worldwide.


After multiple missed opportunities for intervention, a community finally responds-and an offender is held accountable.In July 2008, 68-year-old Mr. S appeared on the doorstep of his longtime friend, Virginia, carrying a garbage bag that contained everything he owned. Despite the fact that he lived just a few miles away, Virginia hadn't seen him in well over a year. She invited him inside. In halting, labored speech, he told her about having been abused and financially exploited by a woman he'd met in a bar months earlier.Mr. S is not alone. Millions of older adults are abused, neglected, and exploited in the United States every day (Lachs and Berman, 2011; Acierno et al., 2010). Only one in twenty-three cases ever comes to the attention of authorities (Lachs and Berman, 2011). That so many cases go unreported is partially due to the fact that older victims are so often isolated, or are unaware of or unable to access available services.Elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation cases are often extremely complex, requiring the response of multiple agencies and systems, including victim services, criminal justice, healthcare, and social services. Few professionals who work for these agencies and systems have specialized training on how to recognize and respond to elder abuse cases, and on how to address the needs of these victims. It is a rare community that has a coordinated response where agencies work together and policies and protocols are in place to enhance the safety of elder abuse victims and hold offenders accountable.For these and other reasons, the response to these cases differs tremendously from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.King County, Washington, where Mr. S lives, has a relatively long history of collaboration between agencies on cases of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. It has an established multi-disciplinary team that meets to improve the coordinated response to elder abuse, and to staffcases. The King County Prosecutor's Office has two attorneys who specialize in these cases. The Prosecutor's Office, Seattle Police Department, Adult Protective Services (APS), and the Domestic Abuse Women's Network (DAWN) were awarded a grant by the Office on Violence Against Women's Abuse in Later Life Program to train criminal justice system professionals and victim-service providers on how to identify and respond to cases of elder abuse. Professionals from these and other agencies in King County were involved or came into contact with Mr. S at various times, both during and after his victimization. Using the case of Mr. S as a backdrop, this article describes the agencies and systems in King County, and throughout the country, that might respond to a case of elder abuse.The Role of First RespondersNot long after Mr. S. had moved into O'Neill's basement, his daughter was reviewing her father's bank statements and noticed a number of uncharacteristically large withdrawals. She tried to call her father, but he didn't answer. She and her brother went to their father's bank to see if there was anything they could do to protect his assets. As they drove into the parking lot, they saw their father's truck parked, with him in the passenger seat and O'Neill in the driver's seat. As the siblings sat there, unnoticed, they overheard O'Neill instruct their father to cash out the remainder of his bank accounts. Not knowing what else to do, his daughter called 911.As in many elder abuse cases, the first call for help in Mr. S's case was that 911 call. Emergency dispatchers often play a crucial role in these cases, sending law enforcement and emergency medical technicians to the scene when needed. When dispatched to a report of elder abuse, law enforcement's role is to investigate, determine whether a crime has been committed, and, in some cases, arrest the suspect. In most states, law enforcement officers are mandated to report elder abuse cases to APS agencies.APS responds to reports of potential abuse, neglect, or exploitation of older or vulnerable adults. …


Cytomegalovirus (CMV) related diseases are a serious cause of morbidity and mortality following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). As an alternative to antiviral drugs, CMV-specific cytotoxic lymphocytes (CMV-CTLs) can provide long-term CMV-specific immunity without major side effects. In this study, we apply the IFN-γ cytokine capture system (CCS) using the fully automated CliniMACS Prodigy device to rapidly produce CMV-CTLs. Five validation runs were performed using apheresis samples from randomly selected CMV-seropositive healthy blood donors. CliniMACS Prodigy automatically performed successive processes including antigen stimulation, anti-IFN-γ labelling, magnetic enrichment, and elution which took approximately 13 hours. The original apheresis samples consisted of 0.3% CD3+IFN-γ+ T cells which were mainly CD45RA+CD62L+ naive T cells. Following IFN-γ enrichment, the target fraction contained 51.3% CD3+IFN-γ+ cells with reduction in naive T cells and the selection of CD45RA-CD62L- and CD45RA+CD62L- memory T cells. Interestingly, the frequency of CMV pp65 specific CD3+ T cells was also increased by 1.7-fold. Furthermore, extended culture of isolated cells revealed efficient proliferation with sustained antigen-specific IFN-γ secretion and cytotoxicity against pp65 pulsed target cells. Therefore, we suggest IFN-γ CCS by CliniMACS Prodigy as a simple and robust approach to produce CMV-CTLs, which may be highly feasible and applicable for clinical use. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


OBJECTIVE:To explore the possible mechanism of astragalus in improving cardiac function.METHODS:To observe the effects of astragalus,added to basic anti-heart-failure therapy,on cardiac function and TNF in 45 cases of thronic heart failure.RESULTS:In comparison with basic therapy group,the improvement of cardiac function was more obvious and the level of serum TNF-α was lower in astragalus group.CONCLUSION:Astragalus probably has the action of decreasing TNF resulting in improvement of cardiac function.


The Tertiary offshore Chinese basins have been undergoing the most rapid post-rift thermal subsidence since the end of the Miocene (about 5.2 Ma). The thermal subsidence is accompanied by tectonic re-activation. Tectonic movements, i.e. the neotectonics as defined in this paper, modify and control the ultimate petroleum accumulation and distribution in these offshore petroleum-bearing basins. The concept, distinguishing characteristics, genetic mechanism of the neotectonics as well as their controlling role on petroleum accumulation are presented and discussed in this paper. The main manifestations of the neotectonics in the offshore Chinese basins include the formation of unconformities on the end of the Miocene and the Pliocene within the sequences, the shift of sedimentation centers, the strong late-stage fault activities and the active natural earthquakes. The intensity, development mechanism of the neotectonics, and their controls on petroleum accumulation and distribution are quite different in different basins. Some case studies from the Bozhong depression in the Bohai Bay basin, the Yinggehai basin in the South China Sea, and the Xihu depression in the East China Sea basin indicate that the neotectonics plays an important role on late petroleum accumulation in the offshore Chinese basins.


Examining the plants in any forest or meadow reveals a remarkable diversity of leaf shape, suggesting the importance of this trait for adaptation to various environmental conditions (reviewed in Nicotra et al. 2011). Indeed, leaf shape may be constrained by biomechanical factors, and affects thermoregulation, susceptibility to herbivory, the available light for photosynthesis, and water balance. Because leaf shape affects the overall photosynthetic area and leaf overlap in densely cultivated crops, it is an important agricultural trait. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


Buckling restrained braces (BRB) are a popular seismic lateral force resisting system. While some tests indicate excellent performance of BRBs, studies in recent years have demonstrated premature failure mechanisms which can occur at loads/displacements significantly less than those anticipated by conventional design checks. This paper lists published BRB and BRB system failures that have occurred around the world during testing. These have included sway buckling of the gusset, plastic hinging at the restrainer end, gusset weld fractures, local buckling and fracture of the adjacent framing members, and restrainer wall bulging. Simple theory is used to explain why each of the failures occurred. This information is used to better inform the design process. As a result of the study, it is shown that some commonly used design procedures are not appropriate. As an example, the use of an effective length factor ke < 1 for the gusset plate that can fail by sway may be non-conservative. Also, state-of-the-art design methods to obtain reliable BRB system performance under expected deformations are provided.


Recently, supercurrents have been measured in graphene-based Josephson junctions. These devices consist of two parallel superconducting leads deposited onto singleand few-layer graphene flakes. Superconductivity in the undoped graphene is induced in the areas near the superconducting leads due to the superconducting proximity effect. The dependence of the critical current on the external magnetic field has a Fraunhofer-like pattern showing a uniformly distributed tunneling current and Shapiro steps appear in the current-voltage measurement when the devices are irradiated with microwaves. These effects clearly demonstrate the Josephson effects. We are motivated by these results to investigate the existence of metastable quantum states like those in conventional current-biased Josephson junctions. We propose to add a shunting capacitor in parallel in order to lower the plasma frequency to a detectable range. We have made 2to 4layer graphene flakes via the mechanical exfoliation technique and fabricated devices using electron-beam lithography. We explore metastable states using spectroscopy which consists of measuring switching events while irradiating with microwaves. We report on our results of these experiments.


Part 1 Prospects for civil society and the rule of law: post-Soviet constitutionalism - politics and constitution-making in Russia and the Ukraine, Robert Sharlet endangered citizenship, Julie Mostov prospects for democracy in Russia, Robert V. Daniels. Part 2 The economic transformation - assessments and projections: external transformation in the post-communist economies - overview and progress, Ben Slay it's deja vu all over again - Russia's economic reforms in the 1920s and 1990s, Nikolai Shmelev demise of the moral imperative - agricultural reform in Russia today, David A.J. Macey shock therapy and Russia - why did it fail?, Padma Desai is Russia's inflation inevitable?, Vladimir Popov. Part 3 States in transition - from dissolution to consolidation: the political geography of transition, R.D. Liebowitz the soft state and the emergence of Russian regional politics, Peter J. Stavrakis internal enemies, external enemies - the tragedy of post-Soviet Georgia, Robert English foreign policy, the Slovak quest for "sovereignty", and the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, 1989-1992, M. Kraus ghosts from the past? - German political culture in transition and the return of the communists, Laurence McFalls. Part 4 The transformation of the international system: sovereignty, self-determinism and stability in the contemporary inter-state system, Russell J. Leng Russia and the West from Cold War to what?, Robert C. Tucker courting the generals - the impact of Russia's constitutional crisis on Yeltsin's foreign policy, Allison K. Stanger the price of a bleacher seat - Eastern Europe's entry into the world political economy, Ronald H. Linden.


year 1993 marked the 250th anniversary of Thomas Jefferson's birth. Celebrations began in January, when Messrs. Clinton and Gore and their spouses toured Monticello, then boarded a bus for Washington and the inauguration. It was a fitting way to begin a new presidency; Jefferson's appeal is as ageless as he himself was versatile. Who else, as one of his early biographers put it, "could calculate an eclipse, survey an estate, tie an artery, plan an edifice, try a cause, break a horse, dance a minuet, and play the violin"? But nobody does everything well. And today, because national economic problems are so salient, Jefferson's career may be less timely for re-examination (questions of slavery and race aside) than is that of his rival, Alexander Hamilton (1757-1804). In many ways, Hamilton was Jefferson's inferior. He had no eye for art, no hand for drawing, no ear for music. He was a poor politician. But he was as good a writer, a better controversialist, and an immensely more sophisticated economic thinker. Hamilton's economics of national development has the same timelessness as Jefferson's politics of individual liberty. Consider these remarks Hamilton made in 1795 about the problems of taxation in a democracy:


The invention relates to a fluidized bed catalyst of glycolate catalyzed from oxalic ester, which mainly solves the problem that a selectivity of hydrogenation product glycolate is low in the traditional technology. The invention adopts the technical scheme that the fluidized bed catalyst comprises the following components in parts by total weight: 5-80 parts of copper and oxide of copper as active ingredients, at least one of 10-90 parts of silicon oxide, molecular sieve or aluminium oxide as a carrier, and 0.01-30 parts of metal element cerium and niobium or oxide of metal element cerium and niobium as additive; and an average specific surface area of the fluidized bed catalyst carrier is 50-800 square meters per gram, an average particle diameter of the catalyst is 20-300 microns, and the catalyst with a particle diameter of 80-150 microns accounts for more than 20 percent of the total weight of the catalyst. According to the invention, the problem is better solved, and the fluidized bed catalyst can be applied in the industrial production of glycolate.


The purpose of the study pertains to the technology and techniques of ancient and modern icon painting. In particular, their principal processes that are presented on the basis of the author's experience and practical application tested by the well-known scientists-fine art experts. Methodology. The study was conducted using a complex of methods, such as historical, comparative, typological, analysis and generalizations, descriptive, visual, technological (chemical properties and physico-chemical processes); documentary (official and unofficial recorded information, books, manuscripts, etc.); artistic and stylistic (analysis of the manner of individual masters, their schools, separate fine arts periods); philosophical (metaphysical method: essence and phenomenon; substance and form); theological (church canons; divinity of the icon); method of artistic analysis. Research results. A unique author's technology of producing icons was developed and described on the basis of the study of the best methods of ancient and modern technological processes. This technology has been tested by the well-known students of the sacred art. Scientific novelty of the obtained results is that valuable materials dealing with the use of the ancient techniques and technological processes in modern sacred art have been contributed to the Ukrainian fine arts science, particularly, icon painting using the ancient egg-tempera techniques (taking into account the author's experience). Recommendations. The study of the ancient techniques and technological processes and their application in contemporary painting still require further theoretical research.


[26412-87-3] C5H5NO3S (MW 159.18)

InChI = 1S/C5H5N.O3S/c1-2-4-6-5-3-1;1-4(2)3/h1-5H;

InChIKey = UDYFLDICVHJSOY-UHFFFAOYSA-N

(forms sulfate esters which can be displaced with hydride; useful in displacement reactions of allylic alcohols which cannot be converted to halides; used with DMSO for oxidation of alcohols)

Physical Data: mp 175 °C.

Solubility: sol DMSO; slightly sol ether, CHCl3, CCl4.

Form Supplied in: crystalline white solid; widely available.

Preparative Method: reaction of Chlorosulfonic Acid and Pyridine in CHCl31a,b or reaction of Sulfur Trioxide and pyridine.1c

Handling, Storage, and Precautions: corrosive; reacts quantitatively with hot H2O to give pyridine and sulfuric acid. Use in a fume hood.


Author(s): Freeman, Peter | Abstract: This paper describes two (related) ways that software unreliability may occur: in response to unanticipated demands or due to unreliable design processes. Five illustrative examples of design-induced unreliability are presented. Design rationalization, a technique for forcing careful and rational consideration of design decisions, is described and its use to improve the reliability of a design process is illustrated. Some experimental and abstract evidence supporting the use of design rationalization to increase software reliability is given.


PURPOSE
Clean intermittent self-catheterization has been shown to be an effective method for the prevention of upper tract urinary disease in patients who are unable to void efficiently. When the urethra is not available for catheterization surgeons can construct a catheterizable channel from the appendix or retubularized bowel. However, for patients without an appendix and limited bowel segments we have reimplanted the ureter to prevent reflux and tunneled the distal portion of the same ureter to construct a catheterizable stoma, the "double tunnel."

MATERIALS AND METHODS
We retrospectively reviewed our 10-year experience with the double tunnel ureteral pedicle. A total of 10 patients (8 girls and 2 boys) were included in this study. The left ureter was used in 7 cases and the right ureter was used in 3. Mean followup for these patients was 4.1 years, with a range of 0.5 to 8.5 years. Outcome measures included intraoperative complications, reoperation rates, postoperative complications and upper urinary tract deterioration.

RESULTS
There were no intraoperative complications. Furthermore, there were no cases of stomal stenosis or strictures that required reoperation or excision of the ureteral pedicle in the followup period. In our cohort the renal function associated with the ipsilateral double tunnel ureteral pedicle remained stable or improved. All patients reported that their catheterizable stoma is still functional.

CONCLUSIONS
The double tunnel ureteral pedicle provides another option in the urological armamentarium when there are minimal resources with which to construct a catheterizable stoma.


People living in houses consume a substantial portion of total electricity consumption— 37% of U.S. electricity end use (Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2008)—which produces greenhouse gases. U.S. households exhibit extreme variability in energy consumption from one house to another. The variation in energy consumption from differences in climate and building characteristics is well-studied; however, the effect of various appliance end use and especially the variation in the behaviors of the people that use them is less understood. Yet, this variability is critical to the effective design of technology, efficiency, and/or demand response programs in order to reduce this consumption, especially during periods of peak electricity consumption. While many techniques have been used to simulate actual residential energy consumption using models, most fail to take into account the behavioral component that contributes to the wide spectrum of residential energy consumption. Towards this end, we have developed the Residential Power Network Simulation (ResPoNSe) to capture the spectrum—not average—of the electrical consumption of California households over the course of a hot summer day. ResPoNSe models the electricity consumption of a thousand households in order to test different demand response scenarios. Distributions of household characteristics, numbers and types of appliances per house, power consumption of the appliances, and the duration these appliances are used provide a more realistic variation of energy consumption. In turn, this simulation tool can provide a model of the spectrum of consumer response to different efficiency, marketing, or demand response programs.


Examined from a historical perspective, China's joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) can be regarded as a continuation and deepening of China's twenty-year-long process of reform and opening up to the outside world. Today, the results and accomplishments of reform and opening up are already being widely shared by domestic groups with vested interests within China itself. Yet as the momentum for advancing reform declines day by day, China is hoping that such a major step as joining the WTO will set the table for a healthy international economic environment that will be conducive to the growth of China's foreign trade. This, in its turn, would have the effect of paving the way for and bringing momentum to rapid development in China's own domestic economy. In addition, it would lay the foundation for reducing trade-related friction between China and other nations, and for China to take part in the next round of multilateral trade negotiations. Perhaps it would also lay the groundwork for prospects of reforming and changing the unreasonable rules and regulations that still exist today in the arena of international trade and finance. Furthermore, China's hopes and expectations may be that joining the WTO will bring about a deeper and fuller blending of China's economy into the great tide of economic globalization, thus providing a fresh drive for reform and opening up in the new century.


The present invention provides a method for receiving a status query the wireless communications system to prevent unnecessary query, the method comprising receiving a status query moratorium query within a first predetermined time, and during the moratorium query the trigger query. The method further comprises, after the first predetermined time expires, there is no confirmed schedule transmission or retransmission protocol data unit exists, and has been transmitted through at least one protocol data unit has not been acknowledgment, protocol data unit, retransmitting arrangement to execute the query.


Discontinuous Galerkin (DG) methods allow high‐order flow solutions on unstructured or locally refined meshes by increasing the polynomial degree and using curved instead of straight‐sided elements. DG discretizations with higher polynomial degrees must, however, be stabilized in the vicinity of discontinuities of flow solutions such as shocks.


: This research is conducted to find out the type of grammatical interference and to describe the frequency of negative transfer made by Indonesian-speaking students in transferring Indonesian text into English text. The corpus was collected from Semester-2 students of English Study Program in Teacher Training and Education Faculty of Tanjungpura University in Academic Year 2016/2017. This was a descriptive study. The result shows that 265 grammatical errors were encountered from the corpus. They are categorized into 8 types of interlingual negative transfer, covering verb-tense forms, subject-verb agreements, word orders, prepositions, articles, pluralities, pronouns and auxiliaries. The percentage was found highest in verb-tense form by 38,5% or equals to 102 errors. Students' grammatical errors in transferring Indonesian text into English text are highly influenced by their first or second language.


An algorithm of prediction of demand for chemical-pharmaceutical products using artificial neural networks is proposed, the determinants affecting this demand are identified; the prediction of time series on the example of a pharmaceutical product of anthelmintic group is made.


This work is devoted to consideration of medical tourism. The analysis of the basic characteristics, tendencies and problems of medical tourism is limited to the countries of Central-Eastern Europe. Basic potential of natural resources, which can be used as medical, is located on territory of these countries and that means the global research with the purposes of most rational using. A great attention in this clause is given to the characteristic of medical tourism in Russia and it's comparison with the countries of Central-Eastern Europe. The scientific novelty of the work consists that the market of medical tourism is for the first time analyzed in a context of the changed political and economic situation in investigated region. One of the purposes of the work is an attempt to attract attention of the state government on importance of a considered problem and to promote the further development of medical tourism.


Thermal comfort in cities is increasingly becoming a concern and comfortable places can be highly valuable for a variety of activities. Our investigation aims to explore how to improve the quality of cities by considering the relationship between microclimatic conditions, thermal sensation, and human preferences. The case study conducted in the open areas of Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) campus, which is quite populated by visitors, staff, and students. We used a mixed-methods approach to assess outdoor thermal comfort, based on qualitative and quantitative findings of the relationships between the measured weather conditions and the results of thermal comfort assessment through the PET index and subjectively perceived thermal sensation. In the qualitative part, data was collected through semi-structured interviews. The main conclusions from the interviews were used to design a survey and the samples. Based on the results, it was possible to identify places that offer different levels of thermal comfort. Thus, the study helps to improve thermal comfort at the campus, which is one of the goals of the Green Transition project to make the campus fully sustainable. Moreover, the methodology is applicable in different urban areas to improve urban health and sustainability and create resilient urban environments.


27 Background: Emergence, prevalence and widely spread of plasmid-mediated colistin 28 resistance in Enterobacteriaceae strongly impairs the clinical efficacy of colistin against 29 life-threatening bacterial infections. Combinations of antibiotics and FDA-approved 30 non-antibiotic agents represents a promising means to address the widespread emergence of 31 antibiotic-resistant pathogens. 32 Methods: Herein, we investigated the synergistic activity between melatonin and antibiotics 33 against MCR (mobilized colistin resistance)-positive Gram-negative pathogens through 34 checkerboard assay and time-killing curve. Molecular mechanisms underlying its mode of 35 action were elucidated. Finally, we assessed the in vivo efficacy of melatonin in combination 36 with colistin against drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. 37 Results: Melatonin, which has been approved for treating sleep disturbances and circadian 38 disorders, substantially potentiates the activity of three antibiotics, particularly colistin, 39 against MCR-expressing pathogens without enhancing its toxicity. This is evidence that the 40 combination of colistin with melatonin enhances bacterial outer membrane permeability, 41 promotes oxidative damage and inhibits the effect of efflux pumps. In three animal models 42 infected by mcr-1-carrying E. coli, melatonin dramatically rescues colistin efficacy. 43 Conclusion: Our findings revealed that melatonin serves as a promising colistin adjuvant 44 against MCR-positive Gram-negative pathogens. 45


In this work, two thermaland air-stable, hole transporting materials (HTM) in perovskite solar cells are analyzed. Those obtained and investigated materials were two polyazomethines: the first one with three thiophene rings and 3,3′-dimethoxybenzidine moieties (S9) and the second one with three thiophene rings and fluorene moieties (S7). Furthermore, presented polyazomethines were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV–vis spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) experiments. Both polyazomethines (S7 and S9) possessed good thermal stability with a 5% weight loss at 406 and 377 ◦C, respectively. The conductivity of S7 was two orders of magnitude higher than for S9 polymer (2.7 × 10−8 S/cm, and 2.6 × 10−10 S/cm, respectively). Moreover, polyazomethine S9 exhibited 31 nm bathochromic shift of the absorption band maximum compared to S7. Obtained perovskite was investigated by UV–vis and XRD. Electrical parameters of perovskite solar cells (PSC) were investigated at Standard Test Conditions (STC). It was found that both polyazomethines protect perovskite which is confirmed by ageing test where Voc did not decrease significantly for solar cells with HTM in contrast to solar cell without hole conductor, where Voc decrease was substantial. The best photoconversion efficiency (PCE = 6.9%), among two investigated in this work polyazomethines, was obtained for device with the following architectures FTO/TiO2/TiO2 + perovskite/S7/Au. Stability test proved the procreative effects of polyazomethines on perovskite absorber. © 2017 Association of Polish Electrical Engineers (SEP). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.


Over the last decade, there has been growing psychological interest in studying everyday experiences with and of music in ways that bypass a selective focus on musical function, mood, emotion, or the perception of musical attributes. Ecological perspectives on music listening—where experience is understood as the multimodal sum of a systemic interaction between perceiver, environment, and musical attributes—have also been influential. This has been reflected in an increase in the number of empirical studies exhibiting a phenomenological approach. However, little research has explicitly addressed children's and adolescents' holistic interactions with music. Drawing on findings from a mixed-method empirical inquiry into UK ten-to-eighteen-year-olds' involvement with music (employing interpretative phenomenological analysis), this chapter explores the phenomenology of children's and adolescents' unfolding, lived experiences of music in everyday scenarios. It discusses ways in which the experience of music across this time span changes in terms of psychological characteristics, kinds of consciousness, and meanings attached to music. Key themes are related to topics within phenomenology's philosophical tradition, and the relationship between philosophical and psychological understandings of phenomenology is considered.


The advent of AI has driven the adoption of high density low precision arithmetic on FPGAs. This has resulted in new methods in mapping both arithmetic functions as well as dataflows onto the fabric, as well as some changes to the embedded DSP Blocks. Technologies outside of the FPGA realm have also evolved, such as the addition of tensor structures for GPUs, and also the introduction of numerous AI ASSPs, all of which have a higher claimed performance and efficiency than current FPGAs. In this paper we will introduce the Stratix 10 NX device (NX), which is a variant of FPGA specifically optimized for the AI application space. In addition to the computational capabilities of the standard programmable soft logic fabric, a new type of DSP Block provides the dense arrays of low precision multipliers typically used in AI implementations. The architecture of the block is tuned for the common matrix-matrix or vector-matrix multiplications in AI, with capabilities designed to work efficiently for both small and large matrix sizes. The base precisions are INT8 and INT4, along with shared exponent support for support block floating point FP16 and FP12 numerics. All additions/accumulations can be done in INT32 or IEEE754 single precision floating point (FP32), and multiple blocks can be cascaded together to support larger matrices. We will also describe methods by which the smaller precision multipliers can be aggregated to create larger multiplier that are more applicable to standard signal processing requirements. In terms of overall compute throughput, Stratix 10 NX achieves 143 INT8/FP16 TOPs/FLOPs, or 286 INT4/FP12 TOPS/FLOPs at 600MHz. Depending on the configuration, power efficiency is in the range of 1-4 TOPs or TFLOPs/W.


Summary and Conclusion The effects of sodium deprivation were observed in 5 dogs over periods varying from 4 to 7 days. Sodium loss produces a condition similar to that of adrenal insufficiency, namely, increased concentration of the blood and a retention of blood urea, loss of serum chlorides and a creatinuria.


Portfolio managers interested in international diversification systematically study pattern of dependence among world capital markets to increase opportunity set of investment and to maximize benefits from international diversification. It is often argued that Indian capital market is now more integrated with the rest of the world. But the problem with this assumption is the market that belongs to emerging category by definition cannot be well integrated. Findings based on cointegration suggest that Indian capital market still more or less functions independently like other emerging markets. Only about six percent of the variability of Indian capital market can be explained by other sample countries in a horizon of 12 weeks. Weak integration with other markets of the world suggest merit of the slogan for Indian investors "go beyond national boundaries" to enjoy the benefit of international diversification.


in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy In the CaSO-H 2 0 system, gypsum and anhydrite are the only two minerals that are sufficiently stable to exist as geologic deposits. From thermodynamic data and solubility measurements the transition temperature has previously been found to be about 4000, above which anhydrite is the stable phase and below which gypsum is the stable phase, when they are in contact with an aqueous solution at atmospheric pressure. By a process of solution and recrystallization, one can be converted to the other, after the surrounding liquid is saturated with calcium sulphate. Experimental work has been done in a study of the effects of pressure on this transition point, and the results corroborate and extend the theoretical calculations of MacDonald, which are based on thermodynamic data. This experimentally determined information was used in explaining some of the gypsum-anhydrite sequences found in geologic deposits. The experiments were conducted using high pressure bombs which contained samples of pure gypsum or anhydrite in a saturated calcium sulphate solution. By placing these bombs in electric furnaces and allowing sufficient time for equilibrium to be reached, the more stable mineral would recrystallize out of solution. Anhydrite thus formed in original gypsum could be detected under a microscope, whereas gypsum formed from original anhydrite could be distinguished by differential thermal analysis. These determinations were conducted in groups at pressures of and 7400 respectively. These are for equal lithostatic and hydrostatic pressures. A new phase in the CaSO4-H20 system is believed to be formed at 2000 atmospheres, as indicated by an endothermic peak at 27000 on thermograms of original anhydrite partially converted to gypsum. The cryohydric point in the CaSO4-H20 system was found by direct experiment to be-0.7 0 C. Differential thermal analyses of a number of Nova Scotia gypsum samples were found to be identical, within the limits of experimental error, and therefore could not be used as a means of correlating gypsum beds in different localities.


We are very excited to have opened our doors to the new School of Pharmacy at Newcastle University in September 2017. We are delighted to welcome you to our new home, having transferred across from Durham University, and to the HSRPP 2018 conference. This year sees the 24th anniversary of the HSRPP conference, which captures the breadth and depth of current health services research and pharmacy practice research in the UK and beyond. Our venue will be on the main 50-acre City Centre campus in the heart of Newcastle. Our two other campuses in Malaysia and Singapore give our University a truly global reach. Newcastle University is a leading international centre of excellence for research and education. Newcastle is part of the Russell Group of leading U.K. Universities, committed to conducting the very best research, and offering an outstanding teaching and learning experience. The conference theme of this year is 'Innovative Healthcare in the 21st Century: providing smarter, safer and patient-centred health services'. Health Information Technology (Health IT) has been recognised by the World Health Organisation as one of the most rapidly growing areas in health and an essential part of how we diagnose, monitor and treat patients. Health IT can play a major role in improving safety for many patients. The European Commission's eHealth Action Plan 2012–2020 provides a road map to empower patients and healthcare workers, develop and implement devices and technologies, and invest in research towards the personalised medicine of the future. This means providing smarter, safer and patient-centred health services. Our three keynote speakers are all world leaders in their fields and have been carefully selected to inspire and challenge. We would like to thank everyone who has contributed to making this conference a success including those who have submitted abstracts, the conference steering committee, Pharmacy Research UK, our keynote speakers, workshop leads, our undergraduate Pharmacy students and everyone at Newcastle University. A special thank you to the huge support given to us by our own Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Medical Sciences (Professor David Burn) and Pro-ViceChancellor, Learning and Teaching (Professor Suzanne Cholerton). We wish you an enjoyable and informative conference and an opportunity to meet good friends and make new ones. Welcome to Newcastle for the HSRPP conference! Sarah Slight and Andy Husband HSRPP 2018 Conference hosts


ABSTRACT. We report a case of pyruvate‐carboxylase deficiency (EC 18.104.22.168, McKusick 26615) with neonatal onset of lactic acidosis, hyperammonemia, and citrullinemia. The patient developed signs of severe liver damage and died at 13 days of age after increasing metabolic acidosis and severe bleedings. The pyruvate‐carboxylase activity in fibroblasts was less than 1% of controls, but normal activities of propionyl‐CoA carboxylase (EC 18.104.22.168) and 3‐methylcrotonyl‐CoA carboxylase (EC 126.96.36.199) were found. To prepare for early prenatal diagnosis of pyruvate‐carboxylase deficiency, the activity of the enzyme has been measured in chorionic villus samples


SI N C E the differences between the paresis due to lesions of upper and lower motor neurones have been recognised, there has been a demand for drugs capable of reducing muscular tone without causing further paralysis. Belladonna alkaloids and synthetic analogues had been beneficial for the hypertonus of rigidity in Parkinsonism but were ineffective in spasticity. The rationale for an anti-spasticity drug was the belief that suppressing stretch reflexes would liberate any residual voluntary control of the paretic muscles. Sadly it is becoming clear that the main functional deficits due to upper motor neurone lesions are loss of voluntary innervation and of an important inhibitory function which regulates the timing and degree of innervation of muscles within a synergic group. It is this co-contraction which causes the clumsiness of the spastic limb, especially with supraspinal causes of upper motor neurone lesions. McLellan's observation in this Symposium that spasticity has different connotations to the physiotherapist and neurologist is well taken. Furthermore, a stiff lower limb may be more useful (as a prop) than a flaccid one. Extensor spasm is sometimes useful, flexor spasm rarely. Clearly the increased stretch reflexes, also due to loss of inhibition, are less important than we had believed, although painful flexor spasms should be reduced if possible. The pathophysiology is also more complicated than it appeared to be, with the growing recognition that polysynaptic stretch reflexes, some with 'long loops' to different levels of the brain, and the gamma motor system are probably more important than the monosynaptic reflex arcs tested by the tendon jerks. The challenge to the pharmacologist has beome more complicated and the disappointing results in


A theory of position of massive bodies is proposed that results in an observable quantum behavior of geometry at the Planck scale, ${t}_{P}$. Departures from classical world lines in flat spacetime are described by Planckian noncommuting operators for position in different directions, as defined by interactions with null waves. The resulting evolution of position wave functions in two dimensions displays a new kind of directionally coherent quantum noise of transverse position. The amplitude of the effect in physical units is predicted with no parameters, by equating the number of degrees of freedom of position wave functions on a 2D space-like surface with the entropy density of a black hole event horizon of the same area. In a region of size $L$, the effect resembles spatially and directionally coherent random transverse shear deformations on time scale $\ensuremath{\approx}L/c$ with typical amplitude $\ensuremath{\approx}\sqrt{c{t}_{P}L}$. This quantum-geometrical ``holographic noise'' in position is not describable as fluctuations of a quantized metric, or as any kind of fluctuation, dispersion or propagation effect in quantum fields. In a Michelson interferometer the effect appears as noise that resembles a random Planckian walk of the beam splitter for durations up to the light-crossing time. Signal spectra and correlation functions in interferometers are derived, and predicted to be comparable with the sensitivities of current and planned experiments. It is proposed that nearly colocated Michelson interferometers of laboratory scale, cross-correlated at high frequency, can test the Planckian noise prediction with current technology.


:-The study was carried out to examine the effect of firm dividend policies on their respective stock prices. Ten years (2006-2015) panel data was collected from fourteen selected firms of the sector on the basis of the availability of data. Random Effect Model of Regression was used to check the link between the one dependent Market Price and five independent variables i.e. Dividend Yield, Retention Ratio, Profit after Tax, Earnings per Share and Return on Equity. To check various anomalies in data tests were applied. This study found significantly negative relationship of Dividend Yield and Retention Ratio with Market price but significant and positive affiliation of Profit after Tax and Earning per Share with Market Price. But no evidence found the impact of Return on Equity with Market Price. This study found mixed results about chief determinants like dividend yield and retention ratio. Reciprocally did not match each other to support Dividend Relevance theory. On the basis of results this study recommended to the management to develop best policy by considering shareholders wealth and growth of companies.


Provided are a shielding material for shielding a radioactive ray and preparation method thereof. The shielding material consists of water, a cementing material, a fine aggregate material, a rough aggregate material and an additive, wherein the fine aggregate material consists of a borax glass powder and a barite sand, and the rough aggregate material consists of barite. A content of a boron component in the borax glass powder accounts for 0.5%-1% of the total weight of the shielding material. A content of barium sulfate in the barite sand and barite accounts for 71%-75% of the total weight of the shielding material. Other contents include water, the cementing material and the additive, and a sum of contents of all components is 100% total weight of the shielding material.


Biomedical signals are described as the collection of electrical signal acquired from any organ that represents a physical variable of interest. This signal is normally a function of time .It is described in terms of its amplitude, frequency, and phase. The analysis of these signals is important both for research and for medical diagnosis and treatment. If the signals are not properly diagnosed and analyzed it will lead to wrong diagnosis and can be fatal to life. Biomedical signals such as ECG, EMG, and EEG are extremely important in the diagnosis of patients. These signals have noise as well as artifacts which have to be removed for proper treatment of a patient. Different methodologies are used to remove noise and artifacts .This paper describes the different filtering techniques like IIR, FIR and Wavelet.


Since the use of conventional thoracic imaging in pregnant women is associated with radiation exposure, we evaluated usefulness of lung ultrasound in the initial evaluation of the respiratory symptoms in pregnancy. Pregnant women admitted to San Paolo Hospital in Milan with respiratory symptoms (dyspnea, productive cough, chest pain or fever) were consecutively enrolled in the study during a 12 months period. Lung ultrasound was performed by a pulmonologist with a standardized protocol during the first clinical evaluation and, if required, repeated 3-5 days later. All patients received a clinical follow up during their hospitalization. During 9 months 17 patients were evaluated with mean age of 30±4 yrs, and gestational age 23±4 weeks. Final diagnoses were: community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) associated or not with unilateral pleural effusion (7 cases), acute bronchitis(4 cases), asthma exacerbation(4 cases), and bilateral pleural effusion in patients affected by ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (2 cases). Lung ultrasound identified lung consolidation with dynamic air bronchogram confirming six cases of CAP. In patients with pleural effusion lung ultrasound was useful to detect fluid and confirm resolution. In pregnancy lung ultrasound could be a safe imaging tool to detect respiratory diseases avoiding X-ray exposure. Further studies are required to validate this tool on a larger scale.


Summary:  Pseudoperiodic lateralized epileptiform discharges (PLEDs) usually produce "negative" neurologic findings. This contrasts with seizures which typically induce cortical activation with "positive" clinical manifestations. Gaze preference may arise from ipsilateral frontal eye fields (FEFs) damage because of the unopposed action of an intact contralateral FEF. Epileptic nystagmus (EN) and gaze deviation (GD) can also occur with focal temporo‐parieto‐occipital or hemispheric seizures in awake or obtunded patients.


Series compensation can improve the line efficiency significantly, reduce line loss and raise line voltage obviously. The paper introduces the basic principles of series compensation, and studies the influence of series compensation's installation position on compensation effect, the loss reduction effect of series compensation as well as the influence of series compensation on power flow control.


When predicting the traffic of the future and the acceptance of automated vehicles, we often like to assume that one of the major challenges will be to foster overall trust in automated vehicles for effective and safe mixed-traffic operations. In this paper, we propose a more faceted viewpoint and argue for the benefits of -- and provide an initial framework for --calibrated trust by fostering trust and distrust in automated vehicles. If drivers know exactly what their vehicle is and is not capable of, then they are more likely to react properly and be prepared when handover requests or other unexpected circumstances might occur.


Monitoring pavement surface conditions over time is essential for pavement management and performance models. Time series distress data can be used to determine the remaining service life at the project level, which can then be used for all projects to assess the overall health of the pavement network. Observed field performance is also crucial for calibrating performance prediction models for pavement design purposes. Therefore, highway agencies collect pavement condition data to accomplish both policy and engineering objectives. However, differences exist among agencies between the monitoring frequency used for pavement surface distress (imaging) and that used for sensor-measured features. These differences pertain primarily to the relative difficulties in collecting and processing imaging data. Many agencies collect sensor data more frequently than images. Most highway agencies monitor pavement condition at 1-, 2-, or 3-year frequencies. Discrepancies between performance model predictions and observed field performance are conventionally attributed solely to errors in predicted pavement distresses. In fact, inherent uncertainty may also be present in measured pavement distresses due to spatial variability, sampling, and measurement errors. The frequency of distress data collection adds further uncertainty in performance prediction. This paper explores the effect of pavement condition monitoring frequency on pavement performance prediction. Analyses of observed pavement performance show that condition data collection frequency can significantly affect performance prediction. Therefore, more frequent data collection for image-based methods can reduce the associated risk in performance prediction and thus be more effective for better decision making for pavement management.


Let A be a hermitian transformation on an n-dimensional unitary space En, with proper values a1 ≥ … ≥ an. Let M be a proper subspace of En. Suppose b1 ≥ … ≥ bh are the proper values of A/M and c1 ≥ … ≥ ck are the proper values of . Let i1. < … < ir and j1 < … < jr be sequences of positive integers, with ir ≤ k and jr ≤ h. then . This is a special case of one of the Thompson-Freede theorems which is proved by use of certain invariants.


A heterojunction diode between n-type amorphous indium-gallium-zinc-oxide (a-IGZO) and p-type nickel oxide is experimentally demonstrated with self-aligned junction termination. The diode has an abrupt, non-destructive breakdown behavior, and the avalanche breakdown is confirmed by the positive temperature coefficient of the breakdown voltage. The room-temperature breakdown voltage of the device is 33 V, and the extracted critical breakdown electrical field (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${E}_{CR}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) is 2.7 MV/cm. The <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${E}_{CR}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> is one order of magnitude higher than that of single-crystal silicon, making a-IGZO promising for power electronics and other high-voltage applications.


Accurate parameterization of the turbulent exchange of momentum, sensible and latent heat at the surface of the ocean is of fundamental importance for numerical climate prediction and weather forecasting. Based on data from ships and near-shore platforms schemes have been developed for parameterization of the fluxes in terms of so called 'bulk parameters', i.e. wind speed near the surface of the ocean, surface temperature and temperature and humidity at a near-surface reference height. DeCosmo et al. (1996) report results from the HEXOS experiment, at a North Sea platform; Fairall et al. (1996) from the tropical Pacific (the TOGA COARE experiment); Mahrt et al (1996) from Danish coastal waters (Vindeby) etc. A close look at the results of these studies reveal large data scatter and even apparent inconsistencies in results. It is obvious from other recent studies, which specifically include measurements of the wave field, Donelan et al. (1997), Drennan et al. (1999), Rieder and Smith (1998) and our own studies (see below), that effects from waves are of fundamental importance for the turbulent exchange processes in the marine boundary layer and should be included in parameterizations in models.


COVID-19 has been the cause of death for thousands of people across the globe. The goal of this paper is to forecast the new COVID-19 cases in India. The other methods used to forecast COVID-19 cases fail to give results with good accuracy when they try to predict the new cases number for a long time period or when the count of daily cases reported is large since the population of a country is large. The proposed study overcomes the challenge by firstly customizing the dataset. Second, the survival analysis has been utilized to choose appropriate factors, and third, the data will be integrated into the Long Short-Term Memory Network (LSTM). With a mean absolute percentage error of 5.79 percent, data from the 30th of January, 2020, to the 16th of June, 2021, was used to determine the new cases number of every day for the next 21 days.


This paper investigates the controlling factors of the evolution of debris flows along the Jinjiang River, which is located in an active orogen. The debris flows along the Jinjiang River are threatening nomads and pastures, as well as the power station on the river and its workers. Remote sensing images, geological maps, and field investigations were conducted to determine the distribution of the lithologies, faults, and debris flows. A total of 82.2 km of riverbank and 108 debris flows, including 22 huge flows, were investigated. The results indicate that the distribution of the huge debris flows is primarily controlled by either faults or boundaries between the sedimentary rocks and basalt. Both the faults and the stratigraphic boundaries play crucial roles in the evolution of the huge debris flows along the river. The fractured zone of faults and stratigraphic boundaries provides loose resource materials for the debris flows and is a weak strip prone to incision to become a debris flow valley. However, the lithology has relatively less impact on the evolution of the huge debris flows.


Metal-organic reactive ion etching of GaAs and related III-V semiconductor materials, using an RF plasma containing a mixture of C3H8:H2 is described. The kinetic properties of the process are compared with CH4:H2 and C2H6:H2 etching of GaAs. Results indicate that when the H2 flow dependency is optimised, C3H8:H2 produces between 20-38 nm min-1 GaAs etch rates, with a reactivity of 2.5 greater than CH4:H2 RF plasmas.


Stimulant-sensitive materials exhibit physical or chemical reversible changes in their properties as a result of environmental variables. One of these materials is thermochromic materials. Materials with thermochromic sensitivity change their color with heat exchange. For this reason, it can be used in many different fields such as security inks. Such substances decompose rapidly by being affected by weather conditions. Furthermore, the particle sizes are larger than normal pigments, and therefore, it is difficult to stabilize thermochromic dyes. Because of all these adverse conditions, thermochromic colorants must be protected before use in the ink. This protection is planned to be provided by the microcapsulation technique. The purpose of this study is to determine the thermochromic printing inks that can be stored stably by microcapsulation technique, to protect it from environmental conditions and the determination of printability parameters.,In this study, capsules with a core material of thermochromic dyeing with polyurea formaldehyde (PUF) or poly-phenolmelamine formaldehyde (PMF) shell were synthesized at appropriate pH and temperature using the appropriate solvent and mixing speed. The chemical structure and dimensions of the obtained capsules were examined by ATR-FTIR and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The produced thermochromic microcapsules were mixed with alkyd resin and mineral oil and screen printing ink was obtained. Printability tests such as surface morphology, color, gloss and light fastness were applied.,As a result, it was determined that PMF is not a suitable encapsulation technique for thermochromic dyes under suitable conditions and eliminates thermochromic property by providing heat stability. It was found that PUF microcapsulation can be used in thermochromic dyestuff encapsulation and does not lose the thermochromic property. It has also been found that PUF microcapsules increase the lightfastness and stability of thermochromic dye ink.,This study provides experimental research on the encapsulation of a thermochromic dye and its use in ink.


The interoperability among multiple Information Systems (IS) have enabled the creation of functionalities that could not be offered by any IS individually. This phenomenon has raised the concept of Systems-of-Information Systems (SoIS). SoIS are dynamic alliances of independent and interoperable IS that share resources to fulfill a set of global common goals. Despite the emergence of studies on this type of complex system, there is a lack of a precise characterization of what exactly is a SoIS and what makes this class of systems different from other similar complex systems. The main contribution of this paper is the establishment of a conceptual model to support researchers and practitioners to recognize a SoIS. We adopted the developed model to show how real cases of SoIS from the environmental management and space domains could be recognized as such. The model also helped us to identify a set of IS that is not considered a SoIS in the financial domain. Results reveal that the proposed conceptual model (i) includes relevant concepts and relations to describe SoIS, (ii) comprehensively characterizes SoIS, and (iii) supports experts to correctly classify a complex system as a SoIS or not.


Lists of tables Preface Abbreviations INTRODUCTION: COMMON SENSE Chapter One: MAKING SENSE OF THE SENSORIUM Chapter Two: NUMBER OUR SENSES Chapter Three: THE SENSORIUM: DEFINITION Chapter Four: THEOLOGY OF THE SENSES Chapter Five: THE CENTRALITY OF SIGHT IN BIBLICAL EPISTEMOLOGY CONCLUSION: THE SENSES OF SCRIPTURE BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX OF REFERENCES.


: Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) relies on the central concept of model expressed in a well-defined language like SysML. However, efficiently and effectively driving the system design process through its lifecy-cle requires an adequate methodology. To ease the selection process among several MBSE methodologies, the Framework for the Evaluation of MBSE Methodologies for Practitioners (FEMMP) is worthwhile. This paper reports on the use of FEMMP to help in such a selection process with a focus on recent MBSE methodologies: Arcadia, ASAP and Grid. In addition to providing new and updated evaluations, it also identifies some overlooked criteria and suggests a few improvements. A consolidated comparison with older methodologies is also proposed and discussed.


Vapor–liquid equilibrium (VLE) at P = 50.0 and 100.0 kPa have been determined for the binary system (ZE-2-methyl-2-butenenitrile + 2-methyl-3-butenenitrile). To analyze the binary data, the vapor pressures of ZE-2-methyl-2-butenenitrile and 2-methyl-3-butenenitrile were determined, and the experimental values were correlated using an Antoine-type equation. The vapor pressures predicted by the Antoine equation had average relative deviations of 1.964% and 0.907% from the experimental values for ZE-2-methyl-2-butenenitrile and 2-methyl-3-butenenitrile, respectively. Thermodynamic consistency tests were performed for all of the VLE data using the point test, area test, and direct test, and all of the data passed the three tests. The VLE binary data were all calculated from activity coefficients correlated using the Wilson and NRTL models. The model parameters were obtained, and all of the models represent the experimental values quite well.


Train high-quality teaching management team helps the sustainable development in Xinjiang, Due to the special geographical location and economic development are constrained in Xinjiang. The teaching management of higher education institutes in Xinjiang relatively lagging behind the mainland universities. The essay analyzed the teaching management team by Xinjiang Normal University. According to the development characteristics of Higher education institutes in Xinjiang,some measures were proposed to improve and strengthening the teaching management.


The paper introduced the development of postponement research,from the definition and sorts;modeling;implementation and relative research.The future effort could be done from the perspective of customization,order fulfillment and decisions relative with customer behaviors.


The individual and collective memory is made from personal or social elements with which identifies a unique and personalized relationship. Thus, social relations between community groups and social elements present specific characteristics that often are determined by emotional or professional ties and articulation between culture and memory, history and society. This relationship present shown from the discussion around the concept of cultural heritage and rail elements, in particular, railway roundhouses as industrial heritage. What is evaluated Brazilian cases and aims to show how they have been developed or perceived from its recovery or abandonment. The reflections from this context lead to new frontiers and joints on cultural heritage, identifying its elements, signs and meanings and questions of visibility or invisibility in relation to social culture and memory.


One of the biggest challenges of organic optoelectronics is the realization of the first organic laser diode (electrically pumped) which has a very strong potential for many applications. Similar to what happened in the field of inorganic optoelectronics when transforming LEDs into LDs, the race is on to transform an OLED into an OLD. This involves the development of innovative solutions to overcome the difficulties inherent in organic materials and the electric pump. This book presents the elements of physics, materials and technologies that allow us to understand the basics of organic lasers and to capture the progress made. It also provides guidance for future developments towards the organic laser diode.Describes the latest advancements in the development of organic lasers, one of the most challenging issues of the early part of this centuryProvides a detailed description of material featuresFeatures the state-of-the-art of organic sources and their potential applicationsContains several topics currently under development


The long-wave, reduced-gravity, shallow-water equations (the semi-geostrophic equations) are used to study the outflow of a river into the ocean. While previous models have studied dynamics driven by gradients in density, the focus here is on the effects of potential vorticity anomaly (PVa). The river water is taken to have the same density as a finite-depth upper layer of oceanic fluid, but the two fluids have different, uniform, potential vorticities. Under these assumptions, the governing equations reduce to two first-order, nonlinear partial differential equations which are integrated numerically for a prescribed efflux of river water and PVa. Results are found to depend strongly on the sign of the PVa, with all fluid turning downstream (in the direction of Kelvin-wave propagation) when the river water has positive PVa and anticyclonic flow upstream of the river mouth when the PVa is negative. In all cases, a nonlinear Kelvin wave propagates at finite speed ahead of the river water. Away from the river mouth, the uniformity of one set of Riemann invariants allows for similarity solutions that describe the shape of the outflow, as well as a theory that predicts properties of the Kelvin wave. A range of behaviours is observed, including flows that develop shocks and flows that continue to expand offshore. The qualitative behaviour of the outflow is strongly correlated with the value of a single dimensionless parameter that expresses the ratio of the speed of the flow driven by the Kelvin wave to that driven by image vorticity.


The invention provides an indoor testing method for a roadbed soil deformation modulus, aiming to solve the problems of the prior art that a testing method for a roadbed soil deformation modulus E has the defects of time and labor consumption, harsh testing conditions, higher cost and the like. The indoor testing method for the roadbed soil deformation modulus is characterized in that a compaction soil sample and a compaction cylinder are integrally used as a test piece of the indoor testing method of the roadbed soil deformation modulus; load values and corresponding deformations of each loading or unloading detected by first loading and unloading as well as second loading and unloading are adopted, and a load-settling volume curve is drawn according to the load values and the corresponding deformations of each loading and unloading; and then the roadbed soil deformation modulus is solved through calculating. The indoor testing method for the roadbed soil deformation modulus has the advantages that the defect that the roadbed soil deformation modulus E can be tested only on the spot of the prior art is overcome, and the testing of the roadbed soil deformation modulus E is more accurate, convenient and quick.


Reaction of 2,2′-di(hydroxyamino)diaryl sulphones with sodium hydroxide in aqueous dioxan at 20° yields dibenzo [b,f][1,4,5]thiadiazepine 5,11,11-trioxides (X), phenazine 5-oxides (XIV), and phenazine 5,10-dioxides (XV). The formation of the phenazine derivatives probably involves disproportionation of the aryl hydroxylamines, followed by Smiles rearrangement, and then loss of the sulphino-group. In the presence of zinc, the arylhydroxylamines are converted into phenazines (IV) and thiadiazepine 11,11-dioxides (VII). The mechanism of the alkaline reduction of 2,2′-dinitrodiaryl sulphones1 is discussed in the light of these results. Some of this work has been reported.2Treatment of 2-(hydroxyamino)aryl phenyl sulphones with sodium hydroxide at 20° results in loss of the phenylsulphonyl group. For example, 6-chloro-2-(hydroxyamino)diphenyl sulphone affords sodium benzenesulphinate and 3,3′-dichloroazoxybenzene. Cleavage of a C–S bond does not occur in 4-(hydroxyamino)diphenyl sulphone. Possible mechanisms for the reaction are discussed.


It was not until 2010 that social work was officially recognized as a profession in Vietnam when the government approved a national master blueprint to develop social work. This blueprint identified seven strategic objectives including: creating a foundational labor force, developing laws and policies, and raising awareness about social work. This exploratory study examines the degree to which key stakeholders in Vietnam have shared vision and perceptions about the challenges and solutions necessary to make this ambitious plan for Vietnamese social work succeed. An anonymous survey was conducted with 65 policy makers, educators, service providers, and practitioners. The survey revealed that key stakeholders in held a shared vision about Vietnamese social work, focusing on making it a genuine profession. They identified the top challenges for Vietnamese social work as lack of national policy and regulations, lack of public awareness about the profession, and lack of resources to develop high quality social work education. Key stakeholders considered social work to be an integral function of the government and, as such, depend upon the government to lay the foundation for, provide direction to, and make available the resources necessary for the profession to grow. In other words, there would not be a Vietnamese social work profession outside of and without the Vietnamese government, unlike how the social work profession has developed in many western countries.


The activities of the potassium salt of tartaric acid were obtained by an indirect potentiometric method that requires the presence in the solution of a second salt with a common ion and for which a specific electrode is available. In this study, KCl was used as the second electrolyte. Experimental data were obtained for KHT concentrations varying from 0.005 to 0.015 m, with concentrations in KCl ranging from 0.01 to 0.03 m between 278.15 and 298.15 K. To describe the non-ideal behaviour of the electrolytes in single-salt and in mixed systems, the molal ion-interaction model proposed by Pitzer was used.


To explore the efficient method of sludge modification, Ultra-fine Portland cement (UPC) was introduced as a sludge modifier regarding Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) modified sludge as a reference. The mechanical properties and microstructural changes of UPC-modified sludge with different curing time and cement content were carried out by unconfined compressive strength (UCS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) tests. Results show that the UCS of UPC-modified sludge varies with curing time and cement content in the same way as that of OPCmodified sludge. However, compared with OPC-modified sludge, UPC has a higher sludge modification efficiency, and the UPC-modified sludge has greater compressive strength, significantly early-strength, and stronger resistance to deformation. The stress-strain curves of UPC-modified sludge present significant peak stresses, and which show a brittle failure mode. The combination of the hydration products calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) gels and ettringite (Aft) crystals are the essential reason for the improvement of the macroscopic strength of the modified sludge. In contrast to OPC, the UPC hydrates faster and more fully. The UPC-modified sludge can generate more hydration products under the same conditions, this is why that has high efficiency and early-strength. The conclusions obtained in this study can provide a reference for the similar engineering application of ultra-fine cement in modified sludge.


The study investigates consumers' intent to patron green restaurants by application of the Value-Attitude-Behavior model. The present study examines the interrelationships among consumers' values, attitudes, and environmental concerns, and explores how they relate to their intentions to visit green restaurants in Taiwan. Data were gathered by face-to-face surveys, conducted by trained interviewers in a variety of locations, including at train stations, supermarkets, department stores, shopping malls, and adult education classes to obtain data from a representative demographic profile. The findings of this study suggest that the personal values and general attitudes positively affect consumers' intentions to visit a green restaurant. Additionally, the results found personal values and environmental concern have significant influence on the attitude toward green restaurants. Managerial implications and future directions of these findings were also discussed.


Zhuxi W-Cu deposit in northern Jiangxi Province is a recently found super large skarn W deposit. The formation of this deposit is closely related to granitic intrusions. The mining area is located in the central Jiangxi Taqian-Fuchun ore belt in Qin( zhou)-Hang( zhou) joint zone. The discovery of this deposit is further evidence for the model of the Southern tungsten North expansion. However,due to the lack of systematic geochemistry and geochronology of ore-related intrusions,the knowledge of this model is limited. Ore-related fine-grained muscovite granite was chosen as the research object for the study reported on in this paper. LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating of granite yielded a206 Pb /238 U weighted average age of 146. 90 ± 0. 97 Ma( MSWD = 0. 55). These granitic rocks have high silicon,alkali and potassium,and are strongly peraluminous,which belongs to the typical S-type granite. This study has indicated that ore-related magmatism occurred at the late Jurassic in Jiangnan uplift and provides new evidence for the genesis of Zhuxi W-Cu deposit and metallogenic regularity of the Taqian-Fuchun metallogenic belt.


Data collected from a voyage of RV Nathaniel B. Palmer to the Bellingshausen and Amundsen Seas during August–September 1993 are used to investigate the thickness distribution of sea ice and snow cover and the processes that influence the development of the first-year pack ice. The data are a combination of in situ and ship-based measurements and show that the process of floe thickening is highly dependent on ice deformation; in particular, rafting and ridging play important roles at different stages of floe development. Rafting is the major mechanism in the early stages of development, and core structure data show the mean thickness of individual layers of crystals to be only 0.12 m. Most ice 0.6 m having some surface deformation. Blocks within ridge sails are typically in the range 0.3–0.6 m thick, and ship-based observations estimate approximately 25% of the pack exhibits surface ridging. When corrected for biases in the observational methods, the data show that the dominant ice and snow thickness categories are >0.7 m and 0.2–0.5 m, respectively, and account for 40% and 36% of the surface area of the pack ice. Approximately 8% of the pack is open water. An estimate of the effects of ridging on the distribution of ice mass within the pack suggests that between 50 and 75% of the total mass is contained within the 25% of the pack that exhibits surface ridging.


There are three problems in applying central difference Kalman filter (CDKF) to attitude estimation of low‐cost satellite: (1) the negative definiteness and asymmetry of the covariance matrix caused by limited computing power and storage space of the onboard microprocessor may result in calculation divergence, (2) the system model uncertainty including model mismatch and state mutation caused by environmental disturbances from inside and outside the satellite will lead to filter divergence, (3) the addition operation on quaternions violates the normalization constraint, while enforced unitization will introduce approximation errors. To solve the above problems, this article proposes the multiplicative quaternion square root strong tracking CDKF (MQSRSTCDKF), in which three improvements to basic CDKF are made: (1) square roots of covariance matrices are adopted for information propagation in place of covariance matrices themselves, which always guarantees the symmetry and positive definiteness of covariance matrices, (2) multiple fading factors are employed to adjust square root of the covariance matrix of predicted state variables, and then adjust the gain matrix to make the filter attach more weight to sensor measurements than to corrupt state predictions caused by model uncertainties, (3) multiplication operation on quaternions is conducted instead of the addition one, which makes the normalization constraint on quaternions naturally satisfied without enforced unitization. Numerical simulation based on raw telemetry data from the on‐orbit CubeSat NJUST‐1 shows that MQSRSTCDKF has higher attitude estimation accuracy, faster convergence speed, and stronger robustness to filter divergence and calculation divergence than basic CDKF.