Traditional sensors used to measure properties such as deformation and pressure often use materials such as metals, ceramics, piezos and polymers. However, since many of these materials are hard, it can be difficult to measure them with a single sensor when the pressure or elongation applied to the object changes. In this experiment, a dielectric elastomer thin-film pressure sensor (0.2 mm) was fabricated using hydrogenated nitrile rubber with significantly improved hardness and elongation. This single sensor can accurately measure pressure from 1gf to 20kgf. Also, the response speed was 50ms, which was sufficiently fast. A dielectric elastomer stretch sensor was also developed. This sensor uses elastic and flexible single-walled carbon nanotubes as dielectric elastomer electrodes for the hydrogenated nitrile rubber. This greatly improved the mechanical flexibility and stretchability of the stretch sensor, making it possible to operate it as a sensor even at 400% elongation. By attaching this stretch sensor to the robot's finger closely, it is possible to detect the dynamic movement of the robot's finger and to detect the force (pressure) when the fingertip touches the target object with the above pressure sensor. In addition, by using the small diaphragm-type dielectric elastomer actuator, it was confirmed that the sensation of the robot's touching an object could be fed back to the human finger. As a result, it is thought that the feeling of the robot's finger touching an object could be driven more realistically and accurately. In addition, both a dielectric elastomer stretch sensor and a dielectric elastomer pressure sensor were attached to the finger of the robot, and the movement of the human's finger was sensed and the force (pressure) when the finger touched the object was also able to be detected.


This paper proposes an copyright protection and error detection/recovery scheme for MPEG-2 video using Digital Watermarking and Error Control Coding (ECC) algorithms. Instead of being directly embedding into the MPEG2 video the copyright information is first passed through an ECC encoder to generate an ECC coded watermark. The ECC coded watermark is embedded into each 8 x 8 block of the I frame. At the decoder the watermark can be extracted and automatically corrected by ECC decoding. The embedded watermark information can also be used to detect and locate the transmission errors in the video stream. A video recovery method can then be applied to improve the quality of the transmitted video. The experimental results show that the proposed scheme is able to detect errors in the video stream while decoding and reconstructing copyright information more correctly than the traditional method.


This paper gives an overview of three new concepts in which ring and mesh-like aspects are both present in the network architecture or strategy. p-Cycles yield mesh-like efficiency while retaining ring-like speed. Forcer clipping ring-mesh hybrids enhance overall capacity efficiency. Ring-mining gets valuable re-use of ring capacity while evolving to a mesh. These ideas provide operators with new options for planning or evolving optical transport networks.


Published in 1972, Richard Adams' novel Watership Down became first a bestseller and then a classic of children's literature. It tells the story of a small group of rabbits who, due to a prophesied catastrophe, decide to leave their warren and travel across the English countryside to find a new place to live. As in most stories that take animals as their main characters, the rabbits are heavily anthropomorphized – they are given language and mythology, human-adjacent problem-solving skills, and a vaguely monarchic societal structure with militaristic rankings among the rabbits. Perhaps because of this, scholarship on the novel has largely centered on the allegorical or humancentered aspects of the text, such as the rabbit mythology (Meyer; Bridgeman; Chapman) and the role of storytelling within the novel (Peters), or concerned itself with the meta aspects of the text, such as its genre (Miltner; Hammond), to an extent where the fact that the main characters are rabbits has been treated as almost incidental. In this paper, I argue for the necessity of a re-centering of animality in the story, and through my analysis aim to show that the rabbithood of its characters is not only non-incidental, but crucial to the novel, as animality is not just a lens through which the story is told, but in fact a central theme of the work. In order to open up this aspect of the novel, I draw upon animal theory. Animal theory as a strategy for literary analysis offers theoretical frameworks for approaching the depictions of and relationship to animals in human culture. While the term covers a wide variety of philosophical and critical approaches, from the fairly abstract to quite concrete activist manifestations, Derek Ryan suggests a clear common aim in his book Animal Theory: A Critical Introduction, where he writes:


Nakajima et al. (2000) reported a new illusion, the gap transfer illusion. In a typical situation, a long ascending frequency glide, with a temporal gap in the middle, and a short continuously descending frequency glide cross each other at their central positions. These frequency glides move at the same speed in logarithmic frequency in opposite directions. Under certain stimulus conditions, the temporal gap in the long frequency glide is perceived as if it were in the short frequency glide. The occurrence of the gap transfer illusion was investigated in stimulus patterns consisting of harmonic glides. The gap transfer illusion took place robustly in stimulus patterns consisting of harmonic complex glides unless there were amplitude differences between corresponding components of the ascending and the descending frequency glides. The illusion did not occur convincingly when there were amplitude differences between corresponding components. We demonstrate typical sound stimulus patterns as were used in our recent studies and related stimulus patterns consisting of synthesized speech sounds.


The probability of the transition from glow discharge to arc discharge at graphite electrodes has been investigated under carefully controlled cathode conditions. The transition probability was found to increase in an approximately linear fashion with an increase in cathode current density and glow voltage. The curve of transition probability as a function of cathode temperature was found to have a distinct maximum at a temperature of about 400° or 450°C. The probability of the transition occurring at temperatures 50° lower or higher was not more than about one‐fourth the maximum. It was also found that the frequency with which the glow to arc transitions occurred depended greatly on the previous history of the discharge and the amount of high voltage positive ion bombardment experienced by the cathode under test. A possible explanation of these results has been based on the hypothesis that it is never possible to de‐gas completely the cathode electrode even after prolonged operation in a high voltage dis...


The bachelor´s thesis is divided into two main parts theoretical and practical. The first one has been compiled on base of literature and it will compare the traditional marketing with the Internet marketing. It will describe advantages and disadvantages of these two types of marketing. The second part is practical. It will analyze the traditional and the Internet marketing in the company NWT Computer s. r. o. and its division Patro.cz. At the end of my work, based on the analysis outcomes, I will propose new ways of using and putting in practice their marketing mix.


A highly sensitive Cartesian diver is described which allows measurements of paramagnetic susceptibilities of very small amounts of test material. Using as little as 50 μg of Fe3+ ions a change of the molar susceptibility of 130 × 10-6 c.g.s. units can reliably be determined. Construction and mode of operation are described and the limits and possibilities of extension of the method discussed.


Penola Pulp Pty Ltd. (PPPL), under its parent company Protavia Pty Ltd, has proposed the construction of the AUD 1.5 billion Penola Pulp Mill. The pulp mill will be sited between Penola and Kalangadoo in south-east South Australia, within the Wattle Range Council area. South-east South Australia, along with south-west Victoria forms an area known as the Greater Green Triangle Region (GGTR). This article gives details of the Penola Pulp Mill.


The Cyprus Problem has been a complex and difficult international issue since 1974 when Turkey invaded the northern part of the Island following the (then ruling) Athens junta-engineered coup against Archbishop Makarios. The United Nations (UN) Security Council and its General Assembly have repeatedly stated that the situation on the Island is an unacceptable violation of international law and other UN principles and that a 'just and lasting solution' be found. From the beginning of the Cyprus Problem, the European Community/Union (EU) has consistently, at least at the rhetorical level, supported the UN resolutions and other efforts made to find a solution to the Problem. Since the December 1999 Helsinki European Council meeting, the EU and all its member states have stated that the lack of a solution to the Cyprus Problem will not be regarded as an obstacle to Cyprus' accession to the Union. Now that the Athens Accession Treaty with 10 candidate states, including the Republic of Cyprus, has been signed (16 April 2003), all 10 countries are scheduled to join the EU in May 2004.


This research aims to investigate the methodologies used by the Brazilian government to identify money laundering bank accounts specifically through cooperation with international organizations to fight the crime of money laundering. The main objective is to recover the resources sent to tax havens abroad. It will also present the national entities which work in juridical cooperation, exchanging information, signing bilateral treaties which facilitate the recovery of actives.


Objective: To investigate the relevant value of three-dimensional(3D) multi-slice view(MSV) mode of ultrasonography on fetal structural malformations when prenatal diagnosis.Methods: 40 fetuses,which were considered as suspicious fetal structural malformations after prenatal ultrasound examination,were selected for further analysis by the multi-slice view mode.The inspection result was proved by CT or radiography after born or necropsy after induced labor.Analysis was performed on the value and skill of 3D-MSV mode examination.Results: Among 40 suspicious cases,38 fetuses were diagnosed fetal structural malformations.The other two misapplied cases were those with duplication of kidney without hydronephrosis.50%(20/40) cases were diagnosed blade edge,30%(12/40) were diagnosed heart defects,7.5%(3/40) absence of callus,5%(2/40) cauda cerebelli,2.5%(1/40) horseshoe kidney.Conclusion: 3D-MSV mode provided more valuable ultrasonic image and strengthen the confidence of doctors,especially when the structure was hardly displayed by bidimensional image.


Quarks move within the nucleon at relativistic speeds. This causes intertia. This inertia results in gravitational mass-effect. For short distances this is the strong force, for distant objects it is gravity. This is due to an increase in the gravitational constant related to the velocity of objects moving at speeds close to the speed of light. This relation is calculable with a formula presented in the text.


Krystyna Pisarkowa – The One Who Inspires
The article consists of three parts. In the first one: Krystyna Pisarkowa as a Supervisor, the author shares her memories from the times when she wrote the doctoral thesis supervised by Pisarkowa. In the second part: Krystyna Pisarkowa – the Author of an Article, the author discusses how the text by Pisarkowa entitled Semantic Connotation of Nationalities provided inspiration to fourteen authors of twenty-three monographs and one lexicon. Most of those scholars are experts in Polish language and linguists, but the thoughts included in Pisarkowa's article also influenced two experts in Russian studies: one sociologist and one anthropologist of culture. Those books were published within 40 years (1980–2020). Five of them were published after the death of Krystyna Pisarkowa. This proves the power of her article's influence. The third part of the article is entitled Supplement. It describes the history of the book by Ogden and Richards: The Meaning of Meaning. A Study of The Influence of Language upon Thought and of The Science of Symbolism with Supplementary Essays by B. Malinowski and F. G. Crookshank, which followed a strange route from London and reached Pisarkowa who used it while writing: Linguistics by Bronisław Malinowski, vol. 1: Bonds of Shared Language (2000).


In 2010, the outbreak of Stuxnet sounded a warning in the field of industrial control.security. As the major attack form of Stuxnet, data injection attack is characterized by high concealment and great destructiveness. This paper proposes a new method to detect data injection attack in Industrial Control Systems (ICS), in which Long Short Term Memory Recurrent Neural Network (LSTM-RNN) is a temporal sequences predictor. We then use the Euclidean detector to identify attacks in a model of a chemical plant. With simulation and evaluation in Tennessee Eastman (TE) process, we show that this method is able to detect various types of data injection attacks.


Business globalization, preference for teamwork to individual work and the changing workforce demographics have made workforce diversity management necessary for firms. Mismanaged diversity can be detrimental to the employee satisfaction and productivity. Employees who feel more valued work hard while the group that consider themselves as minority group feel less valued leading to lower performance. This paper identifies innovative strategies for managing workforce diversity in Kenyan leading corporations in present global scenario. The paper looks at how communication strategies, performance management, leadership initiatives and shared responsibilities are used in managing workforce diversity. Activities of different corporations in Kenya are reviewed to identify those that are inclined to the management of workforce diversity.


Objective: The purposes of this study are (i) to determine the prevalence of long bone fractures in a sample of persons with SCI living in the community and (ii) to determine the relationship between functionality, community integration, and fracture occurrence. Material and Methods: Two hundred fifty persons chosen randomly from the Northwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury System (NWRSCIS) database were screened by mailing the study questionnaire and consent forms. Demographic parameters and social integration levels were obtained from the NWRSCIS database, whereas walking index for spinal cord injury scores and activity levels were obtained from the study questionnaire. Patients were divided into two groups based on whether or not they had had any fractures since their acute SCI. The differences between groups were statistically analyzed. Results: Seventy patients returned the questionnaire and the consent forms. Ten (14%) patients reported that they had experienced fractures after spinal cord injury. Those who had a longer duration of injury and who were older were more likely to have had a fracture since the acute SCI. Conclusion: Fractures in community-living patients with SCI are common, and smoking, age, and time since injury are important factors that are related to fracture occurrence after SCI.


X-ray powder diffraction data, unit-cell parameters and space group for azilsartan, C25H20N4O5, are reported [a = 9.641(3) Å, b = 11.301(9) Å, c = 20.010(8) Å, α = 90°, β = 90.351(5)°, γ = 90°, unit-cell volume V = 2196.735(4) Å3, Z = 4, ρcal = 1.379 g·cm−3, and space group P21/c]. All measured lines were indexed and are consistent with the P21/c space group. No detectable impurities were observed.


System specifications are important in maintaining program correctness, detecting bugs, understanding systems and guiding test case generation. Often, these specifications are not explicitly written by developers. If we want to use them for analysis, we need to obtain them through other methods; for example, by mining them out of program behavior. Several tools exist to mine data invariants and temporal properties from program traces, but few examine the temporal relationships between data invariants. An example of this kind of relationship would be "the return value of the method isFull? is false until the field size reaches the value capacity". We propose a data-temporal property miner, Quarry, which mines Linear Temporal Logic (LTL) relations of arbitrary length and complexity between Daikon-style data invariants. We infer data invariants from systems using Daikon, recompose these data invariants into sequences, and mine temporal properties over these sequences. Our preliminary results suggest that this method may recover important system properties.


The European Commission's Tobacco Products Directive 2014/40/EU (TPD)1 came into force in 2014 and lays out rules governing the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco and related products, including cigarettes, roll-your-own tobacco, cigars, cigarillos, smokeless tobacco, electronic cigarettes and herbal products for smoking. It strengthens the rules regarding the reporting on ingredients contained in tobacco products and regulates permissible additives (or levels thereof) to improve the functioning of the internal market while guaranteeing a high level of public health. Articles 6 and 7 specifically focus on additivesi to tobacco products. More in detail article 7 lists prohibition of specific tobacco products, among which

1. tobacco products with a characterising flavour (Art 7 (1))

2. tobacco products containing the following additives2 (Art 7 (6)):
 1. vitamins or other additives that create the impression that a tobacco product has a health benefit or presents reduced health risks;
 2. caffeine or taurine or other additives and stimulant compounds that are associated with energy and vitality;
 3. additives with colouring properties for emissions;
 4. for tobacco products for smoking, additives that facilitate inhalation or nicotine uptake;
 5. additives that have carcinogenic, mutagenic and reproductive toxicity (CMR) properties in unburnt form.

3. tobacco products containing additives in quantities that increase the toxic or addictive effect, or the CMR properties of a tobacco product at the stage of consumption to a significant or measurable degree (Art 7 (9)).

In line with Article 6 of the TPD, more stringent reporting obligations, in the form of comprehensive studies, will apply for additives placed on a priority list to be adopted by the European Commission, taking into account the intended use of the products concerned and examining in particular the emissions resulting from the combustion process involving the additive concerned.

The studies shall also examine the interaction of that additive with other ingredients contained in the …


The purpose of this paper was to establish the effects of stima loan deposit and cost on Kenya Power profitability. The increase in Kenya Power customer base has been a major challenge as majority of the customers especially the rural customers cannot afford to connect to the power grid due to high connectivity costs. Descriptive research design was used for this study and the target population was all 47 County managers in Kenya where respondents were selected using stratified sampling technique. The sample size used was 42 respondents and primary data was obtained by use of questionnaires whereas secondary data was obtained from the Kenya Power, Coast region. The study recommends that the Kenya Power should lower the amount required as deposit so as to increase the uptake stima loan by customers and that stima loan processing fee should be factored as major income to the Kenya Power as it increases profitability of the company, also the management of Kenya Power should charge connection fee relative to proximity to transformer. Key words: Stima Loan, Loan Deposit, Cost, Repayment Period


The article is devoted to the results of JSC "Alfa-Bank" consumers' segmentation and the following complex marketing research. The article suggests the ways of the bank's marketing policy improvement.


THE ADMINISTHATION OF adrenocorticotropic hormone ( ACTH) to patients with myasthenia gravis has been reported as producing a decrease in strength in most patients during the early period of hormone intnke.l-G A "rebound" with increased strength may follo,w when the ho'rmone is stopped. Weakness of mild or moderate degree has been observed in nonmyasthenic subjects on steroid ther:~py.~-l' Biopsy studies in these ptientslo-l4 as well as in cxperirnental animalsl~--l7 have shown widespread focal necrosis of skeletal muscle. Since myasthenia gravis is generally coilsidered to be associated with a disturbance in the myoneural junction, we planned to investigate by conventional histological and histochemical techniques motor end plates, muscles, and spinal cords in rabbits which had been given large amounts of cortisone acetate.


One of the ways of minimizing polymerization shrinkage of light-activat ed composites is by applying short pulses of light energy, prepolymerization at low light intensity followed by final cure at high intensity (soft-start polymerization) or a combination of both. This study investigated the influence of different curing modes on the post- gel polymerization shrinkage strain of different light- activated composites. Materials and methods: This study investigated the Post-Gel Polymerization Shrinkage Strain of two mm thick composite specimens after exposure to different curing modes. Parameters included six conventional curing modes: Control (C), Pulse Delay I (PDI), Pulse Delay II (PDII), Soft-start (SS), Pulse Cure I (PCI), and Pulse Cure II (PCII) plus three experimental curing modes of higher energy density: Prolonged low-intensity pulse cure mode (PLPC), Prolonged moderate-intensity pulse cure mode (PMPC) and Rapid high-intensity continues cure mode (RHCC) for each of the four different light-activated composite materials (Tetric Ceram, Heliomolar, Herculite XRV and Degufill Mineral). Results: Statistical analysis of the data by using the one-way analysis of variance revealed that, there was a statistically significant difference for all the polymerization shrinkage strains with the composite type, curing mode and post-curing-time. Conclusion: Light intensity reduction and elongation of the curing time combined with pulse activation and soft start polymerization (PLPC curing mode) resulted in significantly lower and gradual post-gel polymerization shrinkage strain


I It is certainly nothing new to state that the works of al-Maqr|z| have been one of the most important sets of resources used by scholars of the economic and monetary history of the medieval Middle East in general, and for the Mamluks in particular. His short treatises Igha≠thah and Shudhu≠r are well known for their focus on economic matters, and his chronicle the Sulu≠k and topographical work the Khit ̧at ̧, among others, also reflect the author's concern with these issues. As a result, one can scarcely pick up an article or chapter about Islamic money without finding the obligatory reference to Sauvaire's nineteenth-century compilation of monetary and metrological citations, which contains more references to the works of alMaqr|z| than any other author. When it comes to the history of Mamluk Egypt, the reliance is even greater. This is clear if we examine the nuts and bolts of Mamluk monetary research. Citations to al-Maqr|z|'s many works are common in the "Currency" section of William Popper's Systematic Notes to Ibn Taghrî Birdî's Chronicles of Egypt. Paul Balog, the author Coinage of the Mamlu≠k Sultans of Egypt and Syria, relied primarily on French translations of some of al-Maqr|z|'s


Understanding the evolution of river systems in southern Africa is fundamental to constrain the evolution of landscape and sediment dispersal patterns. It is widely considered that the upper Zambezi River was connected with the Limpopo River during the Cretaceous, forming what was then the largest river in Africa. Crustal flexure during the Paleogene severed the upper Zambezi drainage from the Limpopo, setting the framework of the modern Zambezi and Limpopo River systems. We present first evidence—based on heavy‐mineral assemblages from cores drilled offshore of the Limpopo River mouth and samples collected in different reaches of the modern Limpopo River, integrated with magnetic susceptibility, detrital‐zircon geochronology, and geomorphological analysis—suggesting that the current Limpopo River formed recently in the Plio‐Quaternary. Plio‐Quaternary climate change is envisaged to have controlled the recent dynamics of river drainage and consequent distribution of sediment loads, as observed in many other transcontinental rivers worldwide.


Purpose:

Return policies are an important component for consumers when making a decision to transact with an E-tailer, as such it is equally important for E-tailers' that the returns policy aids in this decision by reducing information asymmetry. While lenient return policies have the ability to influence the customer positively, they are also subject to opportunistic behavior from consumers, as such E-tailer's face considerable uncertainty about how to set returns policies.

This thesis aimed to confirm findings of previous research from the E-tailers' perspective, but more importantly aimed to test signaling theory and explore if there is a mismatch between what Swedish E-tailers' signal in their return policy verses how returns are handled in practice.

Methodology:

In order to fulfill the purpose of the study, a multiple case study was conducted where 35 companies were contacted with 13 taking part in the study. Cases were selected based on replication logic and telephone interviewing was used as a method, additionally content analysis was conducted on the online policies of the E-tailers' and further used for the analysis of the interviews.

Findings:

The findings in part confirm the ideas brought forward by previous research on return policies but from the E-tailers' perspective, additionally the results suggest that there is in fact a mismatch between what is signaled in the return policy and how returns are handled in practice. In summary Swedish E-tailers' are more lenient than what is signaled in their return policies.

Research Implications:

The in-hand thesis contributes to return policy research through finding a mismatch and proposes future research to investigate exceptions made on the returns policy through the theoretical lens of consumer satisfaction and consumer delight.

Practical Implications:

The in-hand thesis proposes that E-tailers' try to reduce information asymmetry as to how products not meeting the minimum requirements of the returns policy are handled, this could potentially create a more personalized view of returns and create repeat and loyal customers.


This is a rather peculiar book. The reader familiar with the wide range of opinions in contemporary biblical scholarship, especially the sometimes esoteric field of hermeneutics, would probably find the book challenging and refreshing. The less trained reader might have a rough time of it, especially since the study's approach is primarily anthropological rather than theological or even biblical. Lang, a distinguished scholar, rarely makes a distinction in this book between well established positions in the field and controversial minority opinions. What is more, there is an unusual mix of basic matter with the most obscure and theoretical. Nonetheless there is much in the book to recommend. The study's structure is based on the many works of the anthropologist Georges Dumézil (d. 1986) who analyzed the social, religious, and institutional dimensions of early polytheistic Indo-European cultures under three interlocking, broad categories: wisdomrulers, victory-warriors, life-fertility. L. expands the third of these to give five categories in all, and applies them as hermeneutic tools for understanding the Hebrew God: Lord of wisdom, Lord of war, Lord of the animals, Lord of the individual (the "personal God"), and Lord of the harvest. The strength of this approach is that these classifications often yield fresh insights into the Hebrew perception of the divine, and situates Yahweh more closely within the wider understanding of the divine in antecedent (and even subsequent) Near Eastern and European cultures. Particularly useful are the studies of the attributes of Near Eastern divinities absorbed into the Yahweh cult. The weakness of this approach is in its artificiality. L. often seems to tell the Old Testament authors what they really mean when they describe their God, rather than paying adequate attention to what they are actually saying. Nor does he really analyze the characterizations of God within Israel's social structures. Some of L.'s conclusions seem forced and oversimplified, especially when he ventures into the New Testament.


OBJECTIVE
To explore the efficacy, safety and immune reconstitution of autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (APBSCT) using T cell depleted grafts in the treatment of refractory rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

METHODS
One patient with RA was treated with APBSCT. The method included mobilization with 2 g/m(2) cyclophosphamide (CY) and subcutaneous injection of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF). Immunomagnetic selection of CD34(+) cells from the leukapheresis products was performed to deplete potentially autoreative lymphocytes. The conditioning regimen consisted of intravenous administration of 2 g/m2 CY and 90 mg/kg ATG, with subsequent reinfusion of the graft. G-CSF was used to help hematopoietic and immunologic reconstitution. Phenotype of the peripheral blood lymphocytes was analyzed to observe the immunologic reconstitution after transplantation.

RESULTS
The patient completed the mobilization, conditioning regimen and transplantation successfully. The hematologic recovery was rapid and the patient achieved clinical remission. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP) decreased to normal level and the rheumatoid factor (RF) turned negative after a follow-up of 12 months. An ongoing course of immunologic reconstitution was observed.

CONCLUSION
APBSCT is effective and safey for refractory RA, and can induce improvement of disease activity. The course of immunologic reconstitution after transplantation remains to be observed in long-term followup.


Place attachment, the emotional, functional, and cognitive bond that an individual has with a specific setting may play a role in an individual's choice to engage in environmentally-responsible behavior. This is particularly true for behaviors which directly benefit the place that the individual has a positive attachment with. This study examines the relationship between place attachment and pro-environment behavioral intentions. Utilizing Likert-type scales to measure these phenomena, this study found place attachment to be a strong and positive predictor of place-specific proenvironmental intentions. Additionally, place attachment positively predicted individuals' planned engagement in environmentally-responsible behaviors associated with their daily routines (e.g., recycling or investing in green companies). A causal relationship between place attachment and place-specific and general proenvironmental behaviors cannot be confirmed because of the cross-sectional nature of this study. Further research using longitudinal and experimental research designs are called for.


The article is devoted to theoretical research and development of a distributed system of automated calculations and analysis based on cloud infrastructure. The subject of the research is theoretical and practical principles of building automated calculation and analysis systems based on client-server architecture in a distributed infrastructure based on cloud technologies. The purpose of the article is to develop and substantiate practical recommendations for the formation of automated computing system infrastructure, the choice of its elements and their components. Tasks of the study is to identify the necessary structural elements of the system of automated calculations and provide for each of them an analysis of components and functional load, set specific tasks for the construction of each of them and substantiate the choice of tools for their solution. The methods of system analysis to decompose a complex system into elements and each element into functional components were used during the study. The study found that the system infrastructure should consist of: a single computing initiator and computing center, customer communication channels, and end customers who process the results. The entire system must run in real time or near real time mode that must be achieved through the handling of operating system events and external services events. Communication channels should be as versatile as possible and provide customers with ample opportunities to access data. The end customers should be of two types: powerful for flexible and individual data processing, and simplified for the integrated environment of generalized data processing in mobile or desktop browsers. According to the received recommendations one of variants of such system is developed, principles of its work and results are shown. Conclusions. The theoretical and practical foundations for the implementation of a system of distributed automated computing and analysis based on cloud technologies have been developed. An increase in the reliability of storing the simulation results in such a system through their triple duplication is shown due to: local storage, using of external databases and external file service. Arguments are given to increase the convenience and flexibility in processing the results due to the possibility of using third-party analytical applications that support getting data from such sources. The economic benefits of using the described system are shown. The future ways of its improvement are given.


Abstract : Problems in the theory of wave propagation in random media were addressed. Significant progress was achieved in the large scale regime. A new renormalization technique was developed for the mean field in this limit. Two Ph.D. theses were successfully completed.


Abstract : Numerous attempts to obtain a large scale analog computer at Carnegie Tech have been countered with the argument that the digital computer, if 'properly programmed', is capable of solving most problems which normally admit to solution by analog computer techniques. The SCADS system has been designed and implemented on the Control Data G-20 computer in order to facilitate the process of 'properly programming' this machine to aid in the solution of analog computer oriented programs. In most instances, only a few hours of individual study prove to be sufficient preparation for the writing of successful SCADS programs. The class of problems which are solvable on an analog computer includes: (1) ordinary differential equations with specified initial conditions; (2) certain types of integral equations; (3) difference equations with specified starting conditions; (4) combined systems of integro-differential-difference equations, and (5) the simulation of physical systems which can be characterized by equations of the above types. In addition, there are well-known analog techniques for obtaining solutions to two-point boundary value problems and to many two-variable partial differential equations. It is probably safe to say that almost all problem formulations and solution techniques commonly used in conjunction with analog computers can also be used in writing SCADS programs. (Author)


The majority of published population studies of animals consider the circumstances pertaining to a single population in a given type of habitat. Yet authors such as Huffaker (1958), Clark et al. (1967) and Klomp (1962) have emphasized the importance of distinguishing between 'salubrious and hazardous environments' (Huffaker 1958), in interpreting a study and in particular when attempting to reconcile the seemingly polarized views of the theorists. Of course, it will not necessarily be possible in a particular case to define a habitat as salubrious or hazardous since there will be every gradation between these extremes. It should, however, be possible to study a population living in a habitat which is representative of the broad conditions under which this species is observed to live and thrive and to contrast this with a population which has been specifically chosen because it is living at the extreme edge of the species' range. In 1965 I published an account of a short-term study of a cercopid (Neophilaenus lineatus (L.)) living at high altitude in the Pennine hills of northern England (Whittaker 1965a, b). This did appear to be on the verge of extinction as judged by the fact that it became temporarily extinct at only slightly higher altitudes. This same species occurs throughout Britain in areas of uncultivated grassland. The study has since been extended with the aim of comparing these populations with one in a low-altitude grassland in southern England at Wytham Woods, Berkshire. As far as can be judged from knowledge of the distribution and biology of N. lineatus, this latter habitat is favoured by the species whilst the populations on the Pennines are living in a peripheral, hazardous environment. The grassland known as Upper Seeds at Wytham Woods also supports two other species of cercopid, and one of these, Philaenus spumarius (L.), shares a pipunculid parasite Verrallia aucta Fallen with Neophilaenus lineatus. They differ, however, in the important respect that N. lineatus feeds exclusively on monocotyledons and Philaenus spumarius on dicotyledons. This account will compare and contrast the changes occurring in two populations of Neophilaenus lineatus at the edge of the species' range on the Pennine hills (over a period of 9 years) with a population from lowland southern England during 6 years.


Abstract Teacher assessment literacy has gained significant attention in recent years due to its critical role in learning and teaching. Various theoretical and empirical conceptualizations of this construct have been emerging with more recent emphasis on building teachers' knowledge and skills. The aim is to make highly contextualized, fair, consistent and trustworthy assessment decisions to inform learning and teaching to effectively support both student and teacher learning. This article explores changes in secondary English language teachers' assessment literacy following the introduction of school-based assessment for learning as part of high stakes secondary school assessment reform in Hong Kong. Drawing on teacher questionnaires completed by almost 4,500 teachers who undertook a common professional development course conducted over the first six years of assessment reform (2005 – 2011), this paper explores the impact of professional development on teachers' assessment literacy. Despite Hong Kong's deeply ingrained competitive examination-oriented culture, an analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data from pre- and post-program evaluations demonstrate signs of positive change in teacher attitudes, confidence and practices, in particular in using assessment criteria, designing and implementing appropriate assessment tasks, involving learners more actively in the assessment process, making trustworthy assessment decisions and providing effective feedback and feed-forward to students to improve student learning. The findings of the study suggest that changes in assessment culture are possible, provided teachers are well supported. The implications for assessment reform and for the development of teacher assessment literacy more generally are also discussed.


The catalytic activities of a series of sulfide catalysts have been examined for the reduction of diphenyldisulfide into benzenethiol. This reaction was studied in a gas-liquid-solid batch reactor. The first step of this study was devoted to the hydrodynamic of the reactor in order to ensure that the reaction proceeds under chemical control. The catalytic activities of the various catalysts vary in a wide range, the most efficient being one of the industrial hydrotreating catalyst tested, i.e., a NiMo/Al[sub 2]O[sub 3]. Whatever the nature of the active phase, the reaction was 100% selective toward the formation of benzenethiol. The effects of reducing pretreatments on the catalytic activities as well as the results of TPR and TPD studies suggest a reaction mechanism in which M-H (M - transition metal ion) and SH groups intervene simultaneously. 55 refs., 11 figs., 5 tabs.


On the street and in the corridors of power, religion is surging worldwide. From Russia to Turkey to India, nations that swore off faith in the last century—or even tried to stamp it out—are now run by avowedly religious leaders. Formerly secular conflicts like the one in Palestine have taken on an overtly religious cast. God Is Back shines a bright light on this hidden world of faith, from exorcisms in São Paulo to religious skirmishing in Nigeria, to televangelism in California and house churches in China.


In the paper Kalman filter-based estimation of noisy sinewave signals has been considered. The design of tuning parameters has been taken into account with the aim of providing information on how to obtain given requirements in terms of filter smoothing and tracking capabilities. Then, a multiple-hypotheses filter has been designed to show the performance obtainable through this technique when a step-change in the sinewave amplitude is assumed. The results are further validated by computer simulations.


When in 1951, a Brazilian philosophical journal asked Jose Ortega y Gasset, (1883-1955) to write a series of articles concerning the then current state of philosophical affairs during the first fifty years of the 20th century, Ortega was already 68 years of age and had been suffering from stomach cancer since his 50's. Also, by this time he had enjoyed a degree of fame, rare in philosophical circles, which was not restricted to Spain and Latin America, but that also included the United States and the rest of Western Europe. For instance, he was highly respected as a writer and thinker by Thomas Mann, and was referred to by Albert Camus as being "after Nietzsche, perhaps the greatest European writer." Ortega was a very visible figure, who during the early part of the century and leading up to the events of the Spanish Civil War had a great deal to say; and the most accessible media that he could employ, at the time, to accomplish this task was the newspaper. His many and often diverse newspaper articles brought him considerable attention, both in philosophical circles and especially from the public--at--large. Whether this attention came in the manner of criticism or approval is truly irrelevant. While the former may seem to be the case today, especially to academics, nevertheless, throughout his many articles he was to find an audience that would furnish him with the necessary feedback that was useful to him in testing his most pressing convictions. In this respect, Ortega can also be credited with attempting to take the level of the journalism of his day to a more sensitive and profound awareness of intellectual concerns. He was of the view that newspapers should not merely be concerned with reporting the events of the day. For this reason he founded, in 1923, a literary and philosophical journal titled Revista De Occidente, which even though it initially only enjoyed a short run, nevertheless received some degree of critical acclaim. In 1948, in keeping with his humanistic concerns, Ortega, along with the Spanish philosopher and disciple, Julian Marias, founded the "Instituto de Humanidades" in Madrid. Thus this offer to write a snort history of philosophy, must have seemed to him like a timely opportunity to make his views on historical reason heard once again; especially given the fact that by that time he had already slipped from the forefront of philosophical thought in Spain, a position which he had held up to about the 1930's. Ortega is, after all, quite arguably after Miguel de Unamuno, Spain's best known thinker. He was a philosopher in search of the "vital" pole of the human condition. This is readily seen if one realizes that his newspaper articles were intended to bring the sphere of philosophical discourse to a general readership. Reflection, contemplation, and overall existential concerns were, in his estimation, the sole business and backbone of any genuine attempt at philosophizing. The problem, then, as he saw it, manifested itself in the form that: if philosophical reflection is the natural call of the thinker per se, vital, spontaneous life is the concern of all, alike. The synthesis of these two, seemingly odd poles was the inspiration of his life's work. The article, even though never completed, in fact, works well on two levels: as a brief history of philosophical thought during the first half of the twentieth century, it serves as a vital eyewitness to Ortega's intellectual milieu. As he states in the article, "this chronological trajectory coincides with my life; indeed, no one can tell me this history given that it is my own existence." But this "eyewitness account" can be rather misleading at first, given that Ortega does not begin his inquiry at the beginning of the twentieth century, but rather, in true Ortegan fashion, he proves to be evasive, often deviating from the point at hand, often pausing to interrupt himself with afterthoughts and asides, including a description of Hermann Cohen that was not entirely becoming to a thinker of his stature. …


A CMMI level 5 development organization has, over three years, strived to improve its software products that were noted as having many post-release defects.


— An analysis of the work of drum mills, which use spherical grinding bodies. Referred to the unaccustomed activity of spherical bodies for crushing grinding materials. Proposed is a new form of grinding bodies, which also has spherical surfaces, but have crush edges. The following are experimental results obtained with the new grinding bodies of tests Bond Mill. The new bodies have a number of advantages over currently used spherical bodies. Available for every type of grinding material to be used specifically shaped body and thus to optimize the grinding process.


"Interventional Neuroradiology" is a minimally invasive approach in the treatment of vascular diseases of the central nervous system. This exciting new issue of "Neuroimaging Clinics", Guest Edited by Dheeraj Gandhi, includes such topics as: CT guided percutanous biopsies of the head and neck; Dangerous collaterals in the head and neck; and, Treatment of carotid-cavernous fistulae. This issue is a must-have clinical resource.


In fluid flow problems with free surfaces, discontinuities in the field variables can occur across the interface. Such non-smooth solution behavio r causes great problems for standard finite element methods in combination with interface captur ing techniques. An approach frequently applied to problems with discontinuous solutions i s the extended finite element method (XFEM). The discontinuities across the interface can be app ro riately accounted for by locally enriching the finite element approximation space. As the XFE M is based on the level set method, the possibility to deal with moving interfaces without topo logical restrictions is inherent. This work introduces a robust XFEM approach for free-surface flow s. A special preconditioning technique is proposed which allows the usage of standard ite rat v solvers for the given XFEM problem. In order to increase the accuracy of the interface d escription and improve conservation of mass, an adaptive mesh refinement strategy is applied , where necessary. Furthermore, an extension of the mesh refinement approach is introduced wh ich allows for the creation of efficient meshes involving curved boundaries. Very promisi ng results for industrially relevant 3D free-surface flow simulations are presented. H. Sauerland and T.-P. Fries


We confirmed that an NAD(P)+‐dependent secondary alcohol dehydrogenase (NAD(P)‐E) can be easily and effectively isolated from pea, soybean, and wheat proteins immobilized with calcium alginate gel (IPP, ISP, and IWP, respectively). The estimated molecular mass of NAD(P)‐E is 138.7 kDa, and the concentrations of NAD(P)‐E in solution are 36.2 (IPP), 53.9 (ISP), and 93.7 (IWP) μg/mL. The NAD(P)‐E oxidizes only (R)‐isomers highly enantioselectively; thus, greater than 99% ee(s) of (S)‐isomers can be obtained from corresponding rac‐aryl methyl carbinols (1, 2a–6a, and 2b–7b). The amount of food protein needed for 1 g of substrate (B/S ratio) is approximately 20. Thus, in comparison to current biocatalysts, certain food proteins can serve as asymmetric reagent bases, providing easily obtained, low‐cost natural catalysts with stereoselectivity, regioselectivity, and substrate specificity that work under mild conditions for asymmetric synthesis of organic compounds. Moreover, this "fourth" function of food may help build a sustainable society by synthesizing optically active secondary alcohols in an environmentally friendly manner.


Information and poll are important things in organization. Which with information organization can be coordinated. While poll is a democration in organitation. Application For Poll and Information is build to help those needs.Application For Poll and Information is based on literature and observations on existing polling system. Application For Poll and Information is SMS Gateway application with Visual FoxPro 9.0 programming language and Gammu. Application For Poll and Information is running on a computer to receive information through SMS and process the data into criticism, suggestions. questions and polls. Keywords: Poll, Information, SMS Gateway


The invention relates to a device for applying a biofeedback method, in particular for therapeutic, research and training purposes, consisting of a sensor unit, a software unit and a display unit. DOLLAR A The novelty of this invention is that not only individuals can apply the biofeedback process, but groups formed by a network, either individually or as a team can participate in the biofeedback process together. DOLLAR A particular, this process is suitable for the implementation of Mental games over the Internet or intranet.


In this Perspective, we present an overview of recent fundamental studies on the nature of the interaction between individual metal atoms and metal clusters and the conjugated surfaces of graphene and carbon nanotube with a particular focus on the electronic structure and chemical bonding at the metal–graphene interface. We discuss the relevance of organometallic complexes of graphitic materials to the development of a fundamental understanding of these interactions and their application in atomtronics as atomic interconnects, high mobility organometallic transistor devices, high-frequency electronic devices, organometallic catalysis (hydrogen fuel generation by photocatalytic water splitting, fuel cells, hydrogenation), spintronics, memory devices, and the next generation energy devices. We touch on chemical vapor deposition (CVD) graphene grown on metals, the reactivity of its surface, and its use as a template for asymmetric graphene functionalization chemistry (ultrathin Janus discs). We highlight som...


We propose a microscopic decision model for route choice based on discrete choice theory. The correlation of overlapping routes is included in the random portions of the utility explicitly. For computational efficiency, we restrict the choice set to the turning possibilities at the next intersection, assuming shortest paths to the destination afterwards. The proposed decision model also regards traffic conditions (e.g. traffic lights, long queues) such that drivers may revise their previously taken decision. Due to its compatibility to already existing microscopic traffic flow models, the proposed route choice model can be readily simulated with available software. Combined, the proposed decision model features realistic behavior, i.e., adaptive choice based on incomplete information and simultaneously allows for a straightforward implementation.


Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) material is commonly applied in retrofitting structures due to the advantages of high strength and well corrosion resistance. Previous studies indicated that retrofitting with FRP sheet was an effective way for protecting the existing structures to resist the blast loads, but little research made comprehensive comparison study on the blast response of RC columns with different retrofitting strategies. This paper proposed a series of FRP retrofitting strategies and evaluated their effect on blast mitigation using numerical analysis approach. Comparison studies were conducted on the effect of FRP type, FRP thickness, and retrofitting mode on blast mitigation. A finite element model of RC columns retrofitted with FRP under blast loading was developed. The model considered the strain rate effect of steel and concrete and the orthotropic property of FRP composites. The reliability of the proposed model was validated against the data from a field blast test. Based on the verified model, the blast responses of RC columns with different retrofitting strategies were numerically investigated. According to the result analysis, appropriate FRP type, FRP thickness, retrofitting mode, and retrofitting length were recommended.


The disaster plan is promoted as a central part of disaster management. Six case studies of UK libraries and archives were used to investigate the development and use of disaster plans. During a disaster, the key in any response is leadership, an experienced team of staff with knowledge of the collections and on‐site conservation expertise. The most useful part of the plan for disaster response is its contact lists. However, the plan is an important policy and training document. It requires continued managerial commitment and should be supported by an organisational culture of disaster awareness and prevention. Organisational issues are the major constraint on the effectiveness of disaster planning and response. There is a need to investigate current levels of planning in the UK in order to determine what still needs to be done in terms of awareness raising. Methods of testing the disaster plan and co‐operation in disaster management also require further research.


With the increase of the access of different kinds of sensitive devices, voltage sags will bring more serious economic losses to the power consumers. In this paper, a multivariate Inverted Probability Loss Function (IPLF) model based on the entropy weight method (EWM) is proposed to evaluate the economic loss of power consumers. Firstly, the economic loss is divided into two parts, according to causing the interruption of economic activity or not. For the former, according to the voltage tolerance curve of user's device, the failure probability of device is calculated by the probability model considering the energy loss, and the relationship of the quality loss function between the two parties can be established. For the economic loss existed when the economic activity wasn't interrupted, the index of the single voltage sags event in the IEEE standard were used as the variable parameter in the economic loss model. Then EWM was used to synthesize the multiple IPLF. In the end, according to an example based on a user's historical voltage sags monitoring data, the experimental results show that this method can effectively assess the user's economic loss severity of voltage sags, and can provide decision support for the power supply enterprises to choose the power supply scheme and the power users to choose the investment scheme of the governance measures.


We consider a nonsymmetric in nite-horizon discounted stochastic game of capital accumulation with discrete state and action spaces. We show that, under strong convexity condition on transition law cumulative distribution and with bounded one-period consumption capacities, the game has an equilibrium. The optimal strategies have Lipschitz property and are nondecreasing. Moreover, in every state they are concentrated in at most two adjoining points of players' action spaces.


We study the cross section for one-particle inclusive deep inelastic scattering off the nucleon for low transverse momentum of the detected hadron. We decompose the cross section in terms of structure functions and calculate them at tree level in terms of transverse-momentum-dependent parton distribution and fragmentation functions. Our results are complete in the one-photon exchange approximation at leading and first subleading twist accuracy, with both beam and target polarization.


The invention relates an electronic device and an image management method thereof. The electronic device comprises an electronic device body, and a first imaging device, a second imaging device, a storage and a processor which are accommodated in the electronic device. The first imaging device and the second imaging device are exposed to the exterior of the electronic device from two opposite sides of the electronic device body respectively. The processor comprises an imaging module and a reading module, and the imaging module is used for starting the first imaging device and the second imaging device to acquire a first image and a second image when the imaging function is triggered, utilizing the image analyzing technique to analyze the second image to acquire parameter information and adding the parameter information to attribute information of the first image. The reading module is used for imaging a face image of an extractor to acquire a third image when an image browsing function is triggered, utilizing the image analyzing technique to analyze the third image to acquire extracted information parameters, and displaying the first image matching with the extracted information parameters.


: Chemotherapy-induced anemia (CIA) is a multifaceted entity influenced by a variety of patient- and treatment-specific factors. Some sources of variation within CIA include chemotherapeutic agent as well as dose and administration schedule, type and stage of malignancy, baseline pretreatment hemoglobin, target hemoglobin, timing of intervention (red blood cell transfusion, iron, erythropoietin stimulating agent), nutritional status, renal function, age, and gender. The diversity of patient presentation and symptomatology within the broader spectrum of CIA contributes to the challenge of establishing universal criteria to govern optimal management therapies. This manuscript will review the development and evolution of CIA with an emphasis on assorted therapeutic interventions.


We give a formal definition of a property which informally says that problem B is independent of problem A if the existence of an "oracle" which solves problem A at zero cost does not help to reduce the cost of any algorithm which solves problem B. We then show, for example, that matrix multiplication is independent of any of the following problems: computing the transitive closure of a graph, the rank of a matrix, a set of independent rows and columns in a matrix, a maximum bipartite matching, etc.


The problem of NHD Solution in production was reviewed.And many treatment of NHD Solution from many fertilizers was introduced.The new treatment of NHD Solution was put forward comparing with the abuse of treatment of many fertilizers.The principle and application of the new treatment was expatiated.


The design of smart home system based on LonWorks technology was introduced.The system realizing method was discussed, including the main program of the hardware circuit and system software processes.The installation in the LonWorks control network of smart home system based on LonWorks technology was explained and the design of LonMaker network view was also introduced.


This paper presents a technique for constructing data based fuzzy model of a dynamical system by a new method of partitioning the data input space. The method is able to derive a fuzzy model from data automatically and completely avoids the curse of dimension problem usually associated with fuzzy system.


SUMMARY The aim of this study was to compare interradicular space, buccolingual alveolar distance, and cortical bone thickness in skeletal Class II patients with long face and short face. The gender differences were also evaluated. 30 CBCT images obtained from patients with skeletal Class II malocclusion were divided into two groups according to patients' facial type. 15 patients (9 girls, 6 boys) with short face comprised SF group and 15 patients (6 girls, 9 boys) with long face comprised LF group. Interradicular space, buccolingual bone distance and cortical bone thickness between first and second molars, second premolar and first molar, first and second premolars were examined at four different depths from the alveolar crest. LF and SF groups and gender differences were compared with MannWhitney U test. Interradicular space between mandibular molars and mandibular premolars were smaller in LF group and cortical bone was thicker at some sites in SF group. Girls' buccolingual bone distance was lower than boys' in both maxilla and mandible. Mandibular interradicular space is shorter and cortical bone is thinner in long-faced skeletal Class II patients. Sex only affects the buccolingual bone distance and it is shorter in girls.


Estradiol (E2) influences the inflammatory response. Research has shown that skeletal muscle chemokine mRNA expression and neutrophil infiltration after a traumatic freeze injury are blunted in ovariectomized mice treated with placebo compared to E2-treated mice. How E2 deficiency alters the acute muscle inflammatory response is unclear with potential mechanisms including alterations in the number of circulating leukocytes, leukocyte chemotaxis, and/or muscle chemokine expression. To investigate these possibilities, female C57BL/6J mice underwent a sham or ovariectomy (OVX) surgery, 21–28 d later tibialis anterior (TA) muscles were freeze injured. TA muscles and blood were collected 24 h post injury. Total white blood cell (149%) and monocytes (427%) were elevated in OVX compared to Sham mice but there was no difference in the neutrophil counts (p≥0.64). To determine if E2 deficiency impacts leukocyte chemotaxis, isolated leukocytes from bone marrow of non-injured Sham or OVX mice were placed in a transwell migration assay. OVX leukocytes had greater chemotaxis towards CXCL1 (37%), CXCL2 (43%), and CXCL5 (27%) than Sham. To examine if E2 deficiency alters muscle CXCL1 and CXCL5 protein content contributing to chemotaxis, ELISA assays were performed. Surprisingly, muscle CXCL1 and CXCL5 contents were similar between OVX and Sham. Collectively, mice lacking E2 have relatively high blood leukocytes and chemotaxis suggesting a greater acute inflammatory response which appears not to be driven by changes in muscle chemokine expression. Additional studies need to consider possible negative regulators of the acute inflammatory response in OVX muscle.
 Supported by DAL and GW (R01AG031743 & R01AG062899), and SLM (T32AR007612)


Clouds are one of the most important drivers of meteorology and responsible for numerous feedback mechanisms within the climate system. Apart from this and in particular, many satellite retrievals require an accurate and reliable parameterisation of the cloud distribution within to constrain their radiative transfer. Tropospheric trace gas retrievals are affected even by small cloud fractions within the field of view of the instrument increasing the uncertainty of the measurement.


Given the tide of domestic urban regeneration,Urban Culture Status plays an increasing role in China' s urban transformation,as an organic culture system which makes the local cultural-historical context clear.On the basis of defining Urban Culture Status,this paper sums up its characteristics as follows: regional,systematic,dynamic,diverse and innovative.From aspects of basis,driving force and implementation,this paper proves that the construction of Urban Culture Status and urban regeneration are obviously coupled.In case of Chengdu,the construction system of Urban Culture Status is codified,the experience and deficiency are summarized from this pioneering practice.


Study of World Religions PART ONE: RELIGIONS OF THE PAST Prehistoric Religion Egyptian Religion Mesopotamian Religion Greek Religion Roman Religion Mayan and Aztec Religion PART TWO: RELIGIONS OF ORAL PEOPLE African Religions American Indian Religions PART THREE RELIGIONS OF INDIA Hinduism Buddhism Jainism Sikhism PART FOUR RELIGIONS OF THE FAR EAST Taoism and Confucianism Shinto PART FIVE: RELIGIONS OF THE MIDDLE EAST Zoroastrianism Judaism Christianity Islam Baha'i PART SIX: MODERN ALTERNATIVE RELIGIONS New Synchrenistic Groups Religions: A Comparison


The Monte Carlo method [1] can be used as a supplement to the minimal cut set approach when quantifying a fault tree, especially if minimal cut sets cannot be generated or if the results are in doubt. KAERI (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) has developed software called FTeMC (Fault Tree top event probability Evaluation using Monte Carlo simulation) [2]. The Monte Carlo approach requires a lot of calculations for a large number of samples, and thus it can take a long time. In particular, the fault tree model of the domestic PSA (Probabilistic Safety Assessment) includes circular logic. In this case, the Monte Carlo method becomes more complicated and takes a long time to calculate. This paper summarizes a study for reducing the computation time for a fault tree with circular logic when using the Monte Carlo method. In Section 2, we explain the basic method of calculating the top event probability of a fault tree using the Monte Carlo method. In Section 3, we describe algorithms for reducing the calculation time. Section 4 presents the calculation time for several selected fault trees and conclusions.


The challenges to implement digital technologies in community-based projects are exposed in a case study co-designing an indigenous Community Museum, situated in the Kelabit Highlands of Borneo, Malaysia. Over a five-year period, this co-design project consisted of field trips, community engagements, and creating a documentary film and an inaugural exhibition in the newly constructed Kelabit Museum. This article highlights the limitations of digital technologies in museum contexts. Co-designing with stakeholders resulted in the decision to take a non-digital approach to the museum development to encourage greater community agency and prevent disengagement, as it incorporated heritage values in local community developments and cultural tourism plans. The findings demonstrate that community self-determination conflicted with preconceived outcomes, resulting in a need to re-evaluate the goals of the project. Instead, the ambition of cultural heritage preservation that maintained community participation emerged as the central goal. Removing the focus on a digital solution expanded community participation, which is a finding that should be used to frame other community cultural developments.


Objective To observe the effects and complications of penetrating keratoplasty(PKP). Methods Retrospective analysis on 180 cases(180 eyes) of PKP were treated by fresh donor corneas and pure glycerine-preserved corneas. Results Optical PKP was performed on 76 cases using fresh donor corneas,the rate of clarity was 85.53%(65cases) and the percentage of visual acuity less than 0.04 was 40.75%(31 cases),0.05~0.2 was 42.11%(32 cases),better or equal to 0.3 was 17.11%(13 cases).The main conplications were rejection(10.53%) on the graft and secondary glaucoma(3.95%).Therapeutic PKP was performed on 104 cases using donor corneas preserved in pure glycerine,the disease was controlled and the grafts lived but became opacity.The main complications were graft rejection(46.15%),secondary glaucoma(19.23%) and recurrence of diseases(8.65%). Conclusion Optical PKP might reserve sight of blindness from corneal diseases,but the prevention and treatment of complication were important for successful surgery.Therapeutic PKP can control infection effectively and provide support for optical PKs later.


Camino is an open-source, object-oriented software package for processing diffusion MRI data. Camino implements a data processing pipeline, which allows for easy scripting and flexible integration with other software. This paper summarises the features of Camino at each stage of the pipeline from the raw data to the statistics used by clinicians and researchers. The paper also discusses the role of Camino in the paper "An Automated Approach to Connectivity-based Partitioning of Brain Structures", published at MICCAI 2005.


The invention discloses a safety production power generation technology by an unstable gas source. A mode of combing underground gas extraction by sources and the front gas inlet of a mine generator set with gas ignition by a small quantity of diesel oil via the generator set is adopted, and the gas with an unstable concentration can be used for ensuring that the generator set can normally operate. A gas source pipeline is improved, the underground air source is divided into a main gas source (main pipeline) and an assistant gas source, thus the gas source is stable. Along with the continuousexploitation of the mine, the concentration of the extracted gas is continuously lowered. When the concentration is 5-9%, the diesel oil ignition technology is adopted, and the low-concentration gas can be fully utilized.


Abstract Since China launched long-term care insurance (LTCI) pilot in 15 cities in 2016, the LTCI policy schemes have been developed gradually. Based on the 61 LTCI policy documents, this study evaluated the LTCI policies intensity in each pilot area by building a PMC index model with 10 primary variables and 44 two-level variables. Using the coupled coordination model, the coordination development indexes were calculated to evaluate the level of matching between LTCI policies and economy development and population structure. The results showed that the PMC index valued between 0.646 and 0.922. The three cities having the highest level of policy strength (PMC>0.8) were as follows: Qingdao, Nantong, and Jingmen. The three cities having the lowest level (PMC<0.7) were Ningbo, Qiqihar and Chongqing. The indexes of the coordination degree varied from 0.263 to 0.594. Shanghai, Qingdao and Guangzhou had the highest level of coordination degree, while Anqing, Chende and Qiqihaer are the lowest .The difference of financing mechanism of pilot cities was one of the main determinants of policy intensity. The matching degree was relatively low. Qingdao was a unique city having both high policy intensity and matching degree. It was suggested that the intensity and matching degree of LTCI policies should be improved to develop a national LTCI system in China.


It is intended in this brief paper to call attention to certain gam etophytic differentiations and possible homologies which, while not by any means everywhere overlooked, have not, perhaps, received the proper accentuation in current botanical thought. At the outset it may be well to attempt to give a definition of a gametophyte. As understood by the writer, this term does not by any means properly apply to every plant structure that produces gametes. The Cceloblasteac, for example, mature undoubted eggs and sperms, but the plant body thus functioning can scarcely be termed a gametophyte. A gametophyte can be defined only in terms of a sporophyte held in contradistinction with it. Therefore it is only in that group of plants that I have named the Sporophytal that gametophytic structures may be rightly discerned. It is inadmissible to apply the term to any plant below the position of CeEdogonium (or Ulothrix?). A gametophyte, then, is a structure derived directly or indirectly from a sporophytic spore or its analogue, and itself capable of producing, directly or indirectly, a gamete or gametes. The algae Edogonium and Coleochrete, "leafy moss plants," fern prothallia, the endosperm of Araucaria, the pollen tube of Burmannia and the embryo-sac nuclei of Narcissus are types of gametophytes. The definition, it will be observed, takes note both of formation and of function. In the case of each a reservation must be made, for gametophytes may arise directly by propagative methods, as in the breaking up of a moss protonema, or by the activity of certain bodies (the homologies of which may be with multiple spores rather than with propagative structures), such as the gemmae of Aulacomnium and Lunularia. And on the other hand, through apogamy, as in Todea africana, Pleris cretica and a few other ferns, or in some less aberrant manner, the gametophytic structure may fail to produce gametes. Thus defined, the gametophyte may be isolated for study in any species where it occurs. It should be noted, perhaps,


Abstract In the study, the passive multi-layer neutron spectrometer, based on thermoluminescence detectors, was tested in a calibration laboratory with 239Pu–Be and 252Cf isotopic sources. MCNP code was used for the calculation of the response functions for the neutron energy range from 1 meV to 100 MeV. It was also utilised for initial guess spectra calculations. Deconvolution was performed with MAXED and GRAVEL deconvolution codes resulting in the neutron spectra defined at the measuring point in the calibration laboratory.


Active Surveillance is only indicated in low risk prostate cancer and a life expectancy of more than 10 years. After periodic reclassification the largest study of Klotz with 453 men observed 7,2 years (median) 35 % required active treatment, but the cancer specific survival was 99 %. Watchful waiting is applied in men with a short life expectancy due to high comorbidity or old age. Palliative therapy is provided if tumor symptoms start. Standard therapy is formulated in the EAU-guidelines. In stage T1a: no hormone therapy; T1b-T2b: radical prostatectomy when the life expectancy is longer than 10 years. T3-T4: Irradiation + hormone therapy; symptomatic cancers should be treated by androgen deprivation. Alternative therapy has been proven to be efficient for secondary prevention, i.e. statins, soy, and particularly pomegranate. Finally, certain diets may be used as complementary means.


BACKGROUND: Orofacial metastases are rare and often omitted in the differential diagnoses of jaw lesions until after the histopathologic diagnosis. This is a study of the prevalence and the clinicopathologic features of metastatic orofacial tumours. METHODS: A retrospective 29-year study in three tertiary dental centres in Southern Nigerian was carried out. All patients with orofacial malignancies were identified from the medical records. Those with histological diagnoses of metastatic tumours were retrieved. The demographic data and clinicopathologic features of each case were obtained. The proportions and descriptive variables of the data were analyzed with SPSS, version 20. RESULTS: Orofacial malignancy was diagnosed in 695 patients, of which 6 were of metastatic origin giving a prevalence of 0.9 %. All the metastases involved the jaw bones and were post-surgical. The posterior mandible was the preferred site, (n=5, 83.3 %) and none was observed in the oral soft tissues. The thyroid and the prostate were the most frequent organ of origin in women and men respectively. The mean age at presentation was 52.6 ± 13.9 (SD) years. The male: female ratio was 1:2. Swelling (n=6, 100.0%) and pain (n=3, 50.0%) were the commonest presentation. Mixed radiopacity/lucency (n=4, 66.7%) was the commonest radiologic appearance. CONCLUSION: A low prevalence of orofacial metastases was observed in this study. Destructive jaw swellings in elderly patients after therapy for malignant neoplasms should be suspected and evaluated to exclude metastases.


In the face of global economic development and intellectual competition, it is an urgent task for China to speed up the higher education reforms, so we should foster more applicative talents who can meet the needs of intense international competition. At the beginning of this paper, the basic ideas and frameworks of "Teaching Plans 2002" worked out by Beijing Forestry University are summarized. And then, the innovation and the distinguishing features of this teaching plan are emphatically analyzed.


In this paper,five neural network models,such as back-propagation neural network(BPNN),radial basis neural network(RBFNN),generalized regression neural network(GRNN),cascade forward backpropagation neural network(CFNN) and Elman backpropagation neural network(ELMNN),have been evaluated in predicting protein secondary structures.The prediction accuracy of GRNN is better than the others.In addition,some affecting factors(the training sets and the parameters of network) are also discussed.


Each year number of students enrolling in higher education is increasing significantly. Students from diverse backgrounds can be found in a class. These changing circumstances are making it necessary to develop Innovative teaching and Learning methodologies. Active Learning methodology is an innovative strategy and Lightweight Team comes under this Active Learning methodology. Lightweight Team approach is one such low-stake activity and it has very little or no direct impact on a student's grade whereas it makes the learning process fun and interesting. A student's Emotion towards a class plays a major role in their class performance. In this work we use the feedback from the Student Survey Data which aims to evaluate student emotions and overall satisfaction with Course Teaching methods and Group Work experience. We use Actionable Pattern Discovery methodology to provide suggestions in the form of Action Rules to enhance student Emotions thereby achieving a Positive Learning and Teaching experience.


Mixtures of poly(dimethylsiloxane) oil and hydrophobized silica are used for foam control and are termed antifoam compounds or mixed oil−silica antifoams. In a previous study, we found experimentally a well-pronounced maximum in the antifoam efficiency at a certain optimal silica hydrophobicity. The reasons for this peculiar dependence are studied in the present paper by performing two series of experiments. First, compounds of silica and oil are prepared under different conditions (with and without heating and/or stirring) and the antifoam efficiency of these compounds is compared by foam tests. Second, several characteristics of the studied compounds, such as viscosity, entry barrier, and thickness of the layer of spreading oil, are measured, and their contribution to the compound performance is analyzed. The results show that the optimal hydrophobicity of the silica particles is related to a minimum in the entry barrier (measured by the film trapping technique), which determines how easily the compound...


Priority measures have positive effects for certain aspects of public transport operation. The aim of the article is to describe the potential of time savings and quantify positive effects of public transport priority measures. The main contribution of this article is a comprehensive description of how to assess the time savings potential with a subsequent calculation of its economic value. This may subsequently be an input into the cost-benefit evaluation of public transport priority.


This paper presents an online-capable controller based on model predictive control for the energy management system of a parallel hybrid electric vehicle, which is equipped with two electric motors (EM). Its task is to minimize the vehicle's fuel consumption along a predicted driving mission. If the fuel consumption is the only cost to be minimized, a frequent use of the electric components ensues. This can result in their overheating, which is prevented in practice by defining a maximum motor temperature, beyond which the motor's maximum capability is decreased drastically. This is referred to as thermal derating. A multi-level control structure is proposed that explicitly includes maximum temperature bounds on both EMs. The high-level controller is developed based on the model predictive control approach. The low-level controller is based on Pontryagin's maximum principle and is an extension of the equivalent consumption minimization strategy. To validate the multi-level control structure, three test scenarios of increasing difficulty are presented in simulation. They include thermal disturbances as well as driving mission mispredictions and are provided to demonstrate the robustness of the control algorithm. The proposed controller is able to recover 70% of the loss of optimality of a state-of-the-art predictive controller. A comparison to a dynamic programming optimization reveals close to optimal results.


SD Negeri 1 Jambesari is one of the elementary schools which has 119 students ranging from grade 1 to grade 6. Based on interviews, observations, and dialogue with teachers at SDN Jambesari 1, several problems were found related to students' lack of information on careers or professions. This activity aims to empower the community through a career introduction program that is carried out at SD Negeri 1 Jambesari. The methods used by the team are preparation, program planning, and program implementation. The implementation of career introduction is carried out through an informative and demonstrative profession by the project team, so that it becomes the result of this program. As a result, students are better able to explain a number of professions that they did not know before. Also, students have real-life experience through observing and demonstrating the tools of each profession. This community service has succeeded in increasing the cognitive aspects of students in recognizing various kinds of careers or professions, so that they can visualize their dream job in the future.


Natural fiber as a reinforcing constituent can play a dominant role in the field of fiber reinforced polymer composites (FRPC) due to its eco-friendliness, renewability, abundance in nature, co2-neutrality, flexibility, low density, and low cost. Hence, sugarcane fiber can be a potential candidate to replace the synthetic FRPC. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of chemical treatment on the tensile properties of single sugarcane fiber. Sugarcane collected from the local market was cut into some specific length and fibers were extracted from the juicy section. These fibers were then dried in an oven to remove the moisture. Surface modification was accomplished by performing alkali treatment and neutralizing by acetic acid solution. The fiber was then rinsed with water and dried at 80°C for about twenty four hours using an oven. Untreated and treated fibers were characterized using tensile testing according to the ASTM D 3822-01 standard. Optical microscopy (OM) was employed to measure the diameter of the fiber and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to evaluate the fracture morphology of failed samples. Tensile tests were carried out on the span length of 25 mm of the single fiber. The resultant data showed that maximum improvement in the tensile strength and modulus was observed to be 87% and 29%, respectively, compared to those of untreated ones due to chemical treatments using 5% NaOH solution and 2% acetic acid solution, respectively. Strain to maximum strength was enhanced by about 16% compared to that of the untreated one. A small initial weight loss was observed in the temperature ranging from 25 to 150 °C due to the evaporation of water. However, untreated fiber started to decompose at around 200 °C while treated fiber started to become decomposed at around 250°C. It might be due to the removal of non-cellulosic substances including hemicellulose, lignin, and pectin as a result of the chemical treatment. Fracture morphology of the treated fiber revealed rougher fracture surfaces compared to untreated fiber surfaces. This is an indication of more energy absorption by the treated fibers during the tensile loading.Copyright © 2013 by ASME


The widespread invasion of exotic cool-season grasses in mixed-grass rangeland is diminishing the hope of bringing back the natural native plant communities. However, ecophysiological mechanisms explaining the relative competitiveness of these invasive grasses over the native species generally are lacking. We used experimental data collected in south-central North Dakota, USA to address this issue. Photosynthetic potential was obtained from the net assimilation (A) vs. internal CO2 (Ci) response curves from plants grown in a greenhouse. Plant success was defined as the average frequency measured over 25 years (1988 to 2012) on overflow range sites across five levels of grazing intensity. Also, estimated leaf area index of individual species under field conditions was used to indicate plant success. The correlation between photosynthetic potential based on A/Ci curves and plant frequency was negative. The correlation between leaf photosynthesis and plant success (defined as leaf area within a unit land area) was also negative, although statistically weak. These results suggest that the two cool-season grasses, Poa pratensis and Bromus inermis, do not rely on superior leaf-level photosynthesis for competitive success. Instead, some other traits, such as early and late-season growth, may be more important for them to gain dominance in the mixed-grass prairie. We propose that the negative photosynthesis-frequency relation as observed in this study results from a strong competition for limited soil nutrients in the mixed-grass prairie. It has implications for the stability and productivity of the grassland under various human disruptions influencing the soil nutrient status.


Background: Tuberculosis (TB) has become one of the main causes of deaths worldwide. Because of certain conditions prevent the early TB diagnosis and treatment to some extent. This study aimed to develop a tuberculosis (TB) infection risk model and validate the ability of nomogram to predict risk for TB infection in a Chinese population.Methods: A prediction model based on the training dataset of 272 patients was established. Minimum absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression model were adopted to optimize the feature selection of the TB infection risk model. Using multivariate logistic regression analysis, a predictive model combining the features selected in the minimum absolute shrinkage and the selected operator regression model was constructed. The ability of this predictive model to discriminate and calibrate TB infection risk and its utility in clinical settings were assessed via concordance index (C-index), calibration plot, area under time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), and decision curve analysis (DCA). The clinical practicality of nomogram was evaluated via net reclassification index (NRI) and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI). Bootstrapping validation allowed internal validation.Results: According to this predictive nomogram, the main predictors of TB infection risk were gender, age, smoking history, fever, hemoptysis, fatigue, emaciation, CD8, CD4/CD8, ESR, CRP, and abnormal liver function. The model exhibited superior risk calibration and discrimination with a C-index of 0.737 (95% CI: 0.685–0.789). The internal validation reached a C-index value of 0.688. The predictive model was able to produce an AUC of 0.729 (95% CI: 0.677–0.781). Analysis of the decision curve revealed the TB infection probability nomogram manifested its clinical usefulness on the condition that intervention was decided at the TB probability threshold of 13%. Moreover, results demonstrated that nomogram could be utilized as an effective prognostic tool according to NRI and IDI.Conclusion: The new TB probability nomogram for predicting TB infection risk developed herein that combines various factors, such gender, age, smoking history, fever, hemoptysis, fatigue, emaciation, CD8, CD4/CD8, ESR, CRP, and abnormal liver function is convenient and useful in predicting individual TB risks among patients.


Spatial positioning of concepts on a plane or in 3-dimensional space is effective in understanding the relationship between them. In addition to the traditional principal component analysis, quantification theory and multidimensional scaling, various studies using neural networks have recently been carried out. Most of them aim at the positioning of concepts based on the similarity between them. However, resulting positioning does not necessarily coincide with that of a user. Having applications to document retrieval in mind, the present paper determines the positioning of keywords on a plane by an optimization method called quantification theory 4. This positioning is modified reflecting an opinion of a user. This is followed by an inverse optimization method: the acquisition of the similarity between keywords which optimize the. modified positioning. This is reduced to the maximization of the square of the cosine of the angle between an output vector and a target output vector. The learning of neural networks under constraints realizes this optimization. An application of this bidirectional positioning to small scale real data demonstrates its effectiveness.


Aimed at slow response and large stable state error problems in temperature control of metallurgical heating furnace,structure and control strategy of heating furnace fuzzy controller were improved.Fuzzy control algorithm based on consecutive decision making table and new fuzzy PID switchover strategy were designed.Simulation experiment and industrial application prove effectivity of the method.Response time of controlled system is shortened,fluctuation times is reduced,and stable state accuracy is improved.


Comprehensive studies of the physical and mechanical properties and structure of VT1-0 titanium samples processed by selective laser melting have been carried out. High strength characteristics (the ultimate tensile strength of 820 MPa, the yield strength of 710 MPa) have been achieved. These values exceed by 2 times the values for this material produced using conventional technology. The formation of the martensitic αʹ-phase, obtained due to the high crystallization rates realized in selective laser melting process, is the reason for the increase in the mechanical characteristics of titanium VT1-0. Mechanical characteristics of titanium VT1-0 subjected to high-temperature annealing demonstrated a monotonous decrease in strength parameters by 15% and an increase in plastic characteristics by 30%. It is shown that the technology of selective laser melting makes it possible to solve the problem of improving the strength characteristics of unalloyed titanium to create a new class of medical devices.


The Lifeworld at the Center. School Character, School Effectiveness. Competence and Caring in Action. Community in a Diverse Society. Layered Standards and Shared Accountability. Whole Child, Whole School, Holistic Assessment. Teachers: Keys to School Improvement. Deep Change and the Power of Localism. Leadership, Democracy, and the Lifeworld.


The paper is aimed to analyses the Law of War violation in Myanmar. Current communal conflicts in Myanmar among Buddhists and Muslims have cast a pall over the country's transition to democracy. The Rohingya, a Muslim minority group, has been disproportionately affected by the recent round of violence. The Rohingya have been subjected to many human rights violations, which has drawn international attention to the situation. Because the Myanmar government does not recognize Rohingya as a separate ethnic group, they are effectively stateless. Rohingya claim to be indigenous people of Myanmar, despite the government's statements that they came from Bangladesh. The research concludes that as positive as the recent political change has been, the Rohingya's future development does not appear bright. International human rights organizations are urging the global community to pressure Myanmar's administration to amend the Citizenship Law, which effectively makes the Rohingya homeless. The end of this article will give a solution for the Myanmar conflict and protect the Muslim minorities.


At present there exist a lot of technical devices, the failure of which can be connected not only with huge financial losses, but with the treat to the environment as well. Therefore, an important problem is the effective devices conditions diagnostics, including electronic components and check of their operation. Timely faults detecting allows introducing the prevention measures and avoiding serious consequences. Fiber-optic sensors have several advantages, more important of which include the immunity to electromagnetic disturbances, little weight and possibility to be included into the structure being measured. The most perspective are the sensors based on the Bragg fiber gratings. Bragg fiber gratings have several advantages, for instance, they allow creating the distributed measuring massifs, which contain several sensors. As well, they are insensitive to the optic power source vibrations. Variety of using the fiber sensors based on the Bragg fiber gratings has led to producing the Bragg fiber gratings with different spectral characteristics. Homogeneous Bragg fiber gratings have the spectra with solid side lobes, which can influence at the temperature sensor processing characteristics. To level the side lobes there is applied the apodization method, which is one of the means to affect the spectral form. The article herein considers the issues of the Bragg fiber gratings mathematical and computer modeling using the transfer matrix method. Transfer matrix method allows defining the optical components spectral characteristics based on the bound modes theory and description of electromagnetic wave, passing through an optic fiber. In the article there have been analyzed the Bragg fiber gratings in compliance with spectral features, such as transmission and reflectance spectra. As well, there has been carried out the experiment with influence of various parameters at the Bragg fiber gratings spectral characteristics. There have been studied the Bragg fiber gratings spectral features and selected the grating optimal parameters for designing the fiber-optic sensors based on the Bragg fiber gratings.


Neurodegenerative disorders are related to the progressive loss of structure or function and, eventually, death of neurons. These processes are responsible for diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and Huntington's, and the main molecular target for the drug design against these illnesses today is the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Following this line, in the present work, we applied docking techniques to study some piperidine derivative inhibitors of AChE and further propose structures of six new AChE inhibitors as potential new drugs against neurodegenerative disorders. The best inhibitor proposed was submitted to additional molecular dynamics simulations steps.


Simple grinding of azulene (I) with aromatic aldehydes and carboxylic acids results in formation of carboxamide-substituted derivatives whose yield depend on the substitution pattern of the acid residues.


Citizen participation is perhaps the most important tool of democracy. Pueblos Mágicos Program (PPM) -a public policy that emerged in 2001 in Mexico with the purpose of encouraging tourism in the country's traditional peoples, and boosting their economic development, as well as their heritageraise society's involvement in a framework of transparency and social conformity in terms of the processes and decisions taken; This, of course, based on the support of the Pueblos Mágicos Committee, as stipulated. However, some studies show that participation is outside the most important movements of the program. There are also indications that the play of the committees remains in the background and important decisions are ultimately taken by the representatives of power. What about the role of committees? As a matter of public interest, it is important to identify the perceptions of citizens and committee members about the implications of participation and the role of participation in that context. Diluting the precept of citizen participation, both in committee members and in developing countries, it is expected that the areas of opportunity that outline guidelines for the development of new models of citizen participation within the MTP. On the other hand, previous research does not give sufficient account of the role of story groups in the program, mainly in the case of Alamos, so it requires a greater depth in the subject. Although the PPM integrates 111 municipalities at the time this work is written, the study focuses on the town of Álamos, Sonora. According to the empirical work, it has been identified that, in fact, there are elements that inhibit the citizen participation related to PPM and that, according to the testimonies recovered, the existence of a committee is not known; Not forgetting that they do identify "a group of people" towards which there are assessments found. In general, the tendencies towards exclusion and lack of independence in the Magical Towns Committee are identified, as well as general disinformation about the program, becoming a factor for citizen disinterest.