Waste activated carbon (AC) containing caffeine was produced during the process of the production for caffeine. The process of treatment caffeine-saturated AC using thermal regeneration was explored and factors on the regeneration of activated carbon were investigated. The optimum conditions obtained were: temperature is 650 °C, the regeneration time is 180 min, the carrier gas velocity is 0.002 m/s, carbon layer thickness is 0.1 m. Under these conditions, activated carbon regeneration efficiency reached 90.3%. In addition, the pore structure of activated carbon before and after regeneration was characterized and the activated carbon surface area and pore size distribution under optimum conditions were determined by the adsorption isotherms.


The involvement of a gut‐bone axis in controlling bone physiology has been long suspected, although the exact mechanisms are unclear. We explored whether glucose‐dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP)‐producing enteroendocrine K cells were involved in this process. The bone phenotype of transgenic mouse models lacking GIP secretion (GIP‐GFP‐KI) or enteroendocrine K cells (GIP‐DT) was investigated. Mice deficient in GIP secretion exhibited lower bone strength, trabecular bone mass, trabecular number, and cortical thickness, notably due to higher bone resorption. Alterations of microstructure, modifications of bone compositional parameters, represented by lower collagen cross‐linking, were also apparent. None of these alterations were observed in GIP‐DT mice lacking enteroendocrine K cells, suggesting that another K‐cell secretory product acts to counteract GIP action. To assess this, stable analogues of the known K‐cell peptide hormones, xenin and GIP, were administered to mature NIH Swiss male mice. Both were capable of modulating bone strength mostly by altering bone microstructure, bone gene expression, and bone compositional parameters. However, the two molecules exhibited opposite actions on bone physiology, with evidence that xenin effects are mediated indirectly, possibly via neural networks. Our data highlight a previously unknown interaction between GIP and xenin, which both moderate gut‐bone connectivity. © 2020 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.


Binaural synthesis plays a vital role in 3D audio systems, relying on head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) to achieve realistic sound rendering. However, the reproduction system used in the HRTF measurement can introduce nonlinearities that impact the immersive experience. In light of this, the present study introduces a robust HRTF identification method designed to address these nonlinearities. Additionally, a novel HRTF interpolation technique is proposed, aiming at reducing the required number of measurement points while still ensuring faithful reproduction of the virtual auditory scene. Specifically, the interpolation is applied following a frequency warping process, which enhances the representation of lower frequencies within the HRTFs while simultaneously reducing the number of frequency bins. The resulting interpolated HRTFs are then unwrapped and utilized for binaural reproduction, contributing to an improved audio experience.


Two hundred (200) presumptive isolates of Bacillus collected at different fermentation time from spontaneous fermented samples of afitin, iru and sonru produced in three different regions of Benin were identified at species and strains levels. ITS-PCR-RFLP revealed that 79% of the isolates were really identified as Bacillus, 5% as Staphylococcus and 16% as unidentified bacteria. The 16S rDNA sequencing showed that 74.7% of the Bacillus belonged to the B. subtilis group and 25.3% to the B. cereus group. Additional biochemical tests and API 50 CHB system applied to 50 isolates randomly selected from the B. subtilis group divided the latter into 80% typical B. subtilis and 20% typical B. licheniformis, which showed different PFGE-RFLP band patterns. Strains belonging to the B. cereus group were differentiated by PCR with specific primers BCW1F and BCW1R and specific enzymes EcoRI, Sau3AI and RsaI. All strains of the B. cereus group, except one, were found to be typical B. cereus. This work showed the predominance of B. subtilis in afitin, iru and sonru along the fermentation process. Keywords : Afitin, Iru, Sonru, Fermentation, Bacillus. International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences Vol. 1 (3) 2007: pp. 211-222


In article definition of the self-adjustable organization according to the legislation of the Russian Federation is considered. The author investigates the basic spheres of selfregulation in Russia, and also the emphasis is placed on the insufficient unified legislative regulation of creation and functioning of the self-adjustable organizations.


A study effort being performed by the reliability engineering department of McDonnell Aircraft Co. and the quality directorate of Hughes Aircraft-Radar Systems Group is described. The final product of this 24-month project will be a handbook that provides guidelines in all phases of the acquisition process to enable significant and continuous improvement in the reliability of US Department of Defense electronic systems. The guidelines will address the application of total quality management (TQM) tools and techniques and the use of those new and old design and manufacturing processes that directly contribute to obtaining high reliability. How to tailor current specifications to implement the guidelines will be included.<<ETX>>


There is no established consensus on the optimal surgical approach to para‐aortic lymph node (PALN) dissection in patients with colorectal cancer. This study aimed to demonstrate the technical and oncological safety of minimally invasive PALN dissection for left‐sided colonic and rectal cancer patients with clinically suspected infrarenal PALN metastasis.


In order to conduct traffic safety education for primary school students efficiently,their traffic behavior should be investigated.In this study,the primary school students' traffic behavior was observed by video camera at three intersections in Shanghai.Their behaviors of crossing street were coded and analyzed by applying statistical methods.Overall,students' street crossing behaviors on the way to and after school are extremely poor,particularly for waiting at the appropriate position of the roadsides,watching the left and the right directions properly when crossing.This study investigated the effect of the street crossing combination(student alone,with classmates,or with adult),street crossing patterns(one-step crossing,two-step crossing),and the gender on their crossing behaviors.Statistics shows that the street crossing combination has a significant effect on the waiting position,running the red light,and looking left and right correctly.The street crossing patterns have a significant effect on waiting location,whether running the red light,and looking left and right directions appropriately.It is also found that there is no significant difference between the male and the female students for their crossing behaviors.These results indicate that it is very necessary to conduct safety education,particularly in the problems identified in the studies.


What kind of graduates should a middle school provide institutions of higher education? I'd like to offer a few opinions on the problem of why teaching quality in China's middle schools cannot be improved over a long period of time.


Texture mapping is an important element for the representation of three dimension terrain generation, which is a hot topic in the field of computer graphics. Because using different texture mapping method makes the characters of terrain render, such as frame frequency, realistic, and the request for system et al, extremely different, how to choose properly mapping method to get the best terrain render effect is a problem which practitioners must face. By referencing many researches and applications, this paper introduces three different mapping methods: real-picture method, multi-texture morphing method, and multi-texture computing method, each of them is used in different domains. Moreover, the advantages, shortcomings, and suitable ranges of these methods are analyzed respectively.


The three principal grammarians are Kaccayana, Moggallana, and the author of the Saddaniti.Kaccayana's Pali grammar1-Kaccayana is reported to be the author of the first Pali grammarcalled Susandhikappa. There are many suttas in Kaccayana's grammar which are identical withthose of the Katantravyakarana. This grammar is said to have been carried into Burma early inthe fifth century A.D.


In this work, the reactivity of cyclopropenones toward N-acylamidine derivatives was investigated. Diphenylcyclopropenone reacted with N-benzoylacetamidine and N-(methoxycarbonyl)benzamidine affording 1,2-dihydro-3H-pyrrol-3-ones in moderate yields. However, alkylphenylcyclopropenone did not react. The formation of the compounds is examined mechanistically within frontier molecular orbital considerations.


Early detection of breast cancer is critical to improve treatment efficiency and chance of cure. Mammography is the main method for breast cancer screening; however, it has some limitations. Infrared thermography is a technique that is being studied for its benefits. The existing tumor classification systems are detailed, complex, and have low usability. Therefore, combining specialized professionals with methods of digital image analysis using thermography can help improve the diagnosis. Considering this, some computational areas are working on studies and creating methods to assess these data. The features selection plays a key role in this process, as it is a way to help solving data multidimensionality problems. This study aims to reduce the amount of features from thermographic images with mammary lesions. The authors used genetic algorithm and particle swarm optimization for features selection and compared the performance of each method to the performance using the entire set of features.


The traditional multi-view imaging approach is based on image processing. However, it suffers from the difficult interpretation and poor visibility of the synthetic aperture radar(SAR) images when the weaker scattering components are masked by the nearby stronger scattering components. To overcome the drawback, a multi-view electromagnetic imaging based on attributed scattering center model is introduced. Firstly, the full aperture is divided into several overlay sub views to estimate each component's parameters. Then all components are rotated to the same view and the component's parameters information fusion is carried out. Finally, several compare experiments are provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.


The generalization of the Maupertuis principle to second-order Variational Calculus is performed. The stability of the solutions of a natural dynamical system is thus analyzed via the extension of the Theorem of Jacobi. It is shown that the Morse Theory of the trajectories in the dynamical system is identical to the Morse Theory of geodesics in the Jacobi metric, even though the second-variation functionals around the action and the Jacobi length do not coincide. As a representative example, we apply this result to the study of the separatrix solutions of the Garnier System.


"There is a great deal that ails psychiatry—over-diagnosis, overtreatment, misallocation of resources, consistent breaches of patients' fundamental human rights, and so forth," says Dr McLaren in this interview.


Part One Unit I. Building a Foundation Unit III. Moderate and Vigorous Physical Activity Unit IV. Muscle Fitness and Flexibility Unit VI. Moving Through Life Part Two Unit II. Preventing Disease and Seeking Care Unit III. Embracing Priority Lifestyles Unit V. Avoiding Destructive Habits Unit VI. Creating Healthy and Safe Communities.


One of the Sustainable Development Goals is Climate Action, meaning taking immediate actions to combat climate change and its impacts. This study evaluates the potentials of Indonesian traditional houses in helping mitigating climate change in the tropics. As a case study, the author analyses the designs of Kudus traditional house built primarily in the old city of Kudus, the province of Central Java, Indonesia. The study employs qualitative research, making use of primary data from field observations and interviews. Field observations were carried out to identify design elements of the traditional houses, while interviews were undertaken to obtain data and information on how the designs deal with climate problems. The results show that the Kudus traditional houses are designed in such a way that minimizes the need for air conditioning and energy uses given the hot tropical climate.  The designs include the following: (1) building masses are built with an open yard in the middle of the masses' configuration; (2) building masses are extended from north to south direction; (3) optimization of openings, for lighting and ventilation, on the walls and the roof of the building; (4) The use of a sloping roof with a wide eaves.  Although the climate has changed, the traditional Kudus house is still comfortable to use for activities. This proves that the traditional Kudus house is still relevant in responding to the local climate.


The effect of thermomechanical treatment processing (immediate quenching after deformation in the austenite non-recrystallization region) on microstructures of Tgl ferritic heat resistant steel was investigated by compressive deformation performed on a Gleeble 1500 thermomechanical simulator.The results show that the thermomechanical treatment processing apparently benefit for the optimization of the final microstructure of the T91 steel,which can effectively refine the martensitic lath and lead to the formation of many nano-sized carbonitride precipitates to strengthen structure.Thus,the feasibility of increasing the heat resistant temperature of ferritic steel is discussed by the thermomechanical treatment.


The road roughness increases the vibration of the vehicle which seriously affects the life of the road and ride comfort. In order to identify and analyse road surface power spectral density,a method based on BP neural network to detect road roughness was proposed. The four degrees of freedom vehicle vibration model was used as the foundation,and the vertical acceleration spectrum of the vehicle center of mass and pitch acceleration spectrum were obtained by simulation in ADAMS / CAR as the input samples and the road surface power spectrum density as output samples,the nonlinear mapping was found by the application of BP neural network. Another simulation input data were used in the trained network as the road spectrum identification. The results show that this method has better ability of anti-noise and ideal identification accuracy,and the road surface spectrum of identification fits the imitated road surface spectrum.


Objective To explore the clinical efficacy of enalapril combined with Shexiangbaoxin pills on chronic heart failure(CHF). Methods 93 cases of CHF patients were randomly divided into control group(45 cases) and treatment group(48 cases).The control group were treated with normal medicine,while the treatment group were given enalapril(5-20mg/d) and Shexiangbaoxin pills(2 pills a time,tid.).Compare the clinical symptoms and efficacy before and after treatment. Results The clinical symptoms and efficacy of the treatment group ware all significantly higher than the control group(P0.05) after 12 weeks. Conclusion The therapy of enalapril combined with Shexiangbaoxin pills on CHF can significantly improve clinical efficacy and reduce symptoms hypoxia,chest tightness,shortness of breath for elderly CHF patients.


During the 104th Congress, proposals have been made to make changes to the regulations of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the agency that regulates foods and drugs sold to consumers. Congress is considering eliminating some of the regulations over drug development, thereby hoping to encourage companies to be more cost effective and invest more on developing drugs. The current regulations are often burdensome and may take years to fulfill. In addition, it has been argued by some that many of the restrictions now in place limit the ability of businesses to make profits. By removing some of the unnecessary regulations, manufacturers will be more interested in investing in research and development to produce new drugs. NMAC warns that this should not detract from the need to protect individuals. NMAC's priorities are to preserve the necessary regulatory elements that would protect consumers, while still maintaining the desirable expedition of the drug approval process.


Dissolved Organic Carbon accounts for many different functions in the boreal forest ecosystem. It is the main vehicle for organic carbon transport from the litterfall to the forest soil profile and ...


In this paper, An algorithm which uses an improved threshold algorithm in the de-noising of electricity signals and then extracted the fault feature by db10 wavelet, is proposed because of the features in the fault of high voltage electric power measurement system. Experiment results show that it is more efficient to de-noising by the improved threshold algorithm in wavelet analysis. The method in the diagnosis of fault of electric power measurement is very practical valuable.


The World Health Organization (WHO) diagnostic criteria for chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) include clinical and morphological features; however, demonstrating clonality is not an absolute requirement for making the diagnosis. 1 In this issue of Blood , Cargo et al show that patients with clonal monocytosis identified by targeted gene sequencing have a clinical outcome similar to that of overt WHO-defined CMML. 2


This study investigated the impact of informal support systems on the well being of low income single parents. Sixty-three female subjects residing in a rural county in eastern Washington and living below 125% of the nationally established poverty level were interviewed. Correlations and stepwise multiple regressions were run between measures of support and measures of well being. Results showed total informal support had a positive impact on general well being. Various types or sources of support were found to have differing impacts on well being. Implications for family professionals working with low income single parent families are discussed.


Sleep and epilepsy are known to have a bidirectional interaction. Although sleep is differentiated into Rapid eye movement and Non Rapid eye movement sleep, Further gets classified into different stages based on the electroencephalogram EEG traces. Sleep is popularly studied using a Polysomnogram (PSG) which is the golden standard in measuring sleep metrics. In 1929 using an intervention with electroencephalography (EEG) made better contributions to objective investigations and clinical observations for unravelling further reasoning. Although there is an increasing evidences of sleep disturbance in most cases of epileptic syndromes the sleep interaction methods are very poorly reasoned out. Using invasive intracranial EEG the evidences obtained on cortical activities of the deep and superficial brain structures are given evidences on the interaction mechanisms of sleep and epilepsy. The sleep spindles are phasic events seen in non –rapid eye movement sleep in mammals. The sleep spindle is relevant in many aspects of brain activities such as sleep quality, memory consolidation, aging and mental health. In the last decade one of the most important understanding the interplay between how spike wake discharge is modulated by the slow sleep waves underlining the role of epileptic activity to sleep .These studies helped to demonstrate how different seizure types affected by sleep and how epileptogenic zone can be better identified for epilepsy surgery. This article will review the influence of sleep in epileptic brain and its significances using an EEG.


Cr-rich spinel (Cr2O3 60-70 wt %) forms a significant proportion of silicate inclusions found in diamonds worldwide. To date, however, the genesis of spinel peridotites assumed to be the host of these diamonds is poorly constrained. We report on the occurrence of two extremely well preserved chromite harzburgites from Kimberley, S.A., one diamondiferous and the second contains < 0.2 % modal sub calcic garnet.


The purpose of this study is to see the extent to which achievement orientation competencies can be improved by learning from others and learning on the job with mentoring intervention methods. This study uses a quasi-experimental method with the one group prettest-posttest design with Friedman test as an analysis technique. The subjects of this study are employees who have supervisory positions to managers who have competency gaps. This research involved 20 respondents. Achievement orientation competency is measured using a scale based on the subdimention of PT.X Competency Directory. Measurements were made before and after mentoring. The results showed that there was a very significant difference in the level of achievement orientation competence among several treatments with a significance of 0,000 (P


abnormal changes which take place in the dermis. With this view he injected portions of the skin of patients who had died during the height of smallpox, with a penetrating injection, and submitted them to examination after being deprived of the epidermis, and otherwise prepared, generally by being dried, and saturated with turpentine. He found the sites of the individual "pocks highly injected, and the vessels forming a fine vascular network, corresponding in extent with the area of the


This study is based on my Master's thesis, which aimed to identify strategies to name and describe characters in audio description (AD) of documentaries. Since existing AD guidelines were mainly designed for feature films (Jekat and Oláh 2016: 76), my thesis examined whether those guidelines can be successfully applied to AD of documentaries. Firstly, the AD of trust WHO (Franck 2017) was analysed and strategies to name and describe characters were identified. A test was then carried out in order to assess the consumers' understanding of the film as well as the adequacy of AD. The test was attended by persons both with and without visual impairments. The results showed no significant differences between the two groups' reception of the film. Participants with visual impairments rated the AD as positive. Hence, the strategies used to name and describe characters can be evaluated as suitable for trust WHO. However, given the complexity of the film genre under investigation, the application of existing AD guidelines to documentaries requires further research. 38 This work is funded by federal contributions in the framework of the Project "P-16: Proposal and implementation of a Swiss research centre for barrier-free communication" (2017-2020).


In order to solve the problems of adhesion to soil and high resistance in traditional subsoiling shovel operation, a bionic energy-saving subsoiling shovel with bionic viscosity reducing and resistance reducing chisel is designed based on the polygon geometry structure of pangolin scales. In this paper, the bionic modeling analysis of chisel type energy-saving subsoiling shovel is carried out by using 3D modeling software. According to the simulation analysis data, we optimize the key structural parameters, and try to produce the bionic energy-saving deep scarifier with reducing viscosity and resistance. In order to study the performance of the chisel type energy-saving subsoiling shovel, L9 (34) orthogonal test was carried out in the field with the number of bionic surfaces, coating materials and forward speed as the experimental factors, and the adhesion soil amount and traction resistance as the test indexes. The results show that the order of influence of each factor on the index is the number of subsoiling shovel bionic surface, coating material and advancing speed; the optimal horizontal combination is that the number of bionic surfaces of subsoiling shovel is 10, the coating material is UHMWPE, and the advancing speed is 6km/h.


The crystal structures of four isostructural orthorhombic carbonates, CaCO{sub 3} (aragonite), SrCO{sub 3} (strontianite), PbCO{sub 3} (cerussite), and BaCO{sub 3} (witherite), were obtained by Rietveld refinements using data acquired by synchrotron high-resolution powder X-ray diffraction (HRPXRD). For BaCO{sub 3}, powder neutron-diffraction data were obtained and refined by the Rietveld method. For aragonite, we also carried out a refinement of the structure by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. These carbonates belong to the space group Pmcn, with Z = 4. The CO{sub 3} group is slightly non-planar, and the two independent C-O distances are slightly different. The CO{sub 3} group becomes more symmetrical and less aplanar from CaCO{sub 3} to BaCO{sub 3} (M{sub radii}{sup 2+}: Ca and distances, average angle, and aplanarity. These linear trends are the result of the effective size of the divalent ionic radius of the M cations thatmore » are coordinated to nine oxygen atoms. The geometrical features of the CO{sub 3} group can be obtained reliably only by using neutron-diffraction data, especially in the presence of other heavy atoms.« less


The resent research on the adaptability and response such as root, stem and physiological characteristics of turfgrass to drought stress was summarized. The drought resistance ranking method was also discussed. Then the existing issues and the research emphasis and tendency in field were presented.


Background and purpose: Tools of screening and diagnosis of autism result in early diagnosis in childhood which are of great benefit for early intervention. This study investigated these tools from various aspects to provide a comprehensive view. Materials and methods: This research was a narrative review study on tools of screening and diagnosis of autism. A search was conducted using some databases including Iran medex, SID, Magiran, Google scholar, Medline, Science Direct, Scopus and Web of Science. The tools were then investigated regarding the date of publishing, age range of participants, method of administration/format, subscales, the duration of each test and psychometric features. Results: In this study, 25 tests were reviewed of which 14 tests were related to screening and 11tests were used for diagnosis. The tests were all in forms of questionnaire, checklist, observation and interview. The oldest test was invented in 1980 and the most recent one was developed in 2013. In terms of age, minimum and maximum ages for implementation of test were listed six months old and 22 years old. The minimum and maximum times to administrate were five minutes and 90-180 minutes, respectively. Conclusion: We found that some tests have been used more because of their proficient subscales in recent years. Also, comparing recent tests to old tests revealed their evolutionary path.


Welding is used widely in modern industries to combine parts needed complete a product. In this paper, we investigated the effect of post-weld impact treatment (PWIT) on spot-weld joints and evaluate the tensile and fatigue properties of the specimens. Currently, there is no simple failure criterion capable of predicting the strength of a spot weld under different loading conditions. The reliability of spot-welded structures treated with PWIT in terms of fatigue integrity could be understood more by the end of this research. The result showed that not only the tensile properties of PWIT specimens give an improvement, but there was also a significant increase in the fatigue life of the treated specimens.


Geometry processing applications estimate the local geometry of objects using information localized at points. They usually consider information about the normal as a side product of the points coordinates. This work proposes parabolic polygons as a model for discrete curves, which intrinsically combines points and normals. This model is naturally affine invariant, which makes it particularly adapted to computer vision applications. This work introduces estimators for affine length and curvature on this discrete model and presents, as a proof-of-concept, an affine invariant curve reconstruction


T his special issue entitled "Hot Topics of Urology from Asia" aims to widely spread up-to-date urological findings generated from Asia through International Journal of Urology , an official Journal of Urological Association of Asia, and contains one Review Article, 21 Original Articles and 9 Editorial Comments. The management of male pelvic fracture urethral injury (PFUI) is still dif fi cult. Surgical repair should be performed based on a thorough preoperative examination and a detailed surgical plan. Although combined antegrade and retrograde urethrog-raphy has been considered to be most informative for preoperative PFUI evaluation, several limitations of this evaluation are recently pointed out. Horiguchi et al. (Tokorozawa, Japan) reviewed the current role of MRI in the evaluation of PFUI and its impact on PFUI management. In this review, the authors presented several informative MRI images to explain male urethral anatomy and essential MRI information in PFUI patients, and also mentioned accurate comments from the author (AH) who has well known as a master of urethral reconstruction. The authors concluded that MRI could provide detailed information on the posttrau-matic anatomy of male PFUI patients, and the role of MRI would increase in the future as the performance of MRI equipment improves and cost decrease.


We constrain the orbital period (Porb) distribution of low-mass detached main-sequence eclipsing binaries (EBs) with light curves from the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), which provides a well-understood selection function and sensitivity to faint stars. At short periods (Porb ≲ 2 days), binaries are predicted to evolve significantly due to magnetic braking (MB), which shrinks orbits and ultimately brings detached binaries into contact. The period distribution is thus a sensitive probe of MB. We find that the intrinsic period distribution of low-mass (0.1 ≲ M1/M⊙ < 0.9) binaries is basically flat (${\rm d}N/{\rm d}P_{\rm orb} \propto P_{\rm orb}^0$), from Porb = 10 days down to the contact limit. This is strongly inconsistent with predictions of classical MB models based on the Skumanich relation, which are widely used in binary evolution calculations and predict ${\rm d}N/{\rm d}P_{\rm orb} \propto P_{\rm orb}^{7/3}$ at short periods. The observed distributions are best reproduced by models in which the magnetic field saturates at short periods, with a MB torque that scales roughly as $\dot{J}\propto P_{\rm orb}^{-1}$, as opposed to $\dot{J} \propto P_{\rm orb}^{-3}$ in the standard Skumanich law. We also find no significant difference between the period distributions of binaries containing fully and partially convective stars. Our results confirm that a saturated MB law, which was previously found to describe the spin-down of rapidly rotating isolated M dwarfs, also operates in tidally locked binaries. We advocate using saturated MB models in binary evolution calculations. Our work supports previous suggestions that MB in cataclysmic variables (CVs) is much weaker than assumed in the standard evolutionary model, unless mass transfer leads to significant additional angular momentum loss in CVs.


In this issue of Blood , Wakahashi et al provide compelling evidence in mouse models for the roles of the nuclear vitamin D receptor (VDR) and bone marrow macrophages as critical downstream effectors of bone marrow fibrosis. 1


Abstract Mixed-ligand complexes of the type [U(OAc)2(β-diket)2] and [U(DETC)2(β-diket)2] [where OAc = CH3COO-, β-diket = [CF3COCHCOCF3]− (HFAA), [CH3COCHCOCF3]− (TFAA), [C4H3SCOCHCOCF3]' (TTA), [C6H5COCHCOCF3]−(BTA), [C6H5COCHCOC6H5]− (DBM), [CH3COCHCOCH3]− (AA) and DETC = [(C2H5)2NCS2] have been synthesised and characterised by elemental analyses, infrared, 1H NMR and mass spectral techniques. Thermogravimetric (TGA) analyses of some of the compounds were carried out to study the thermal decomposition modes. Uranium appears to be eight-coordinated in these complexes.


In this paper, the control of an autonomous space vehicle is considered. The vehicle is required to have docking and relative motion capabilities with respect to a space station, or a main vehicle in orbit, using reaction jets as actuators. Attitude control and translation control problems were considered separately, and then combined with jet selection and modulation algorithms resulting in a complete 6 DOF control system. The attitude control employs a quaternion-based non-linear compensation. For the translation problem a linear state-feedback Hm controller was synthesized. Optimal jet selection was also performed, and a PWM employed to drive the jets. A theoretical analysis on the quaternion controller was also carried out, leading to the derivation of exponential convergence bounds for rest-to-rest maneuvers and global asymptotic stability requirements for a quaternion controller employing a switching function.


This research aimed at determining the effect of (1) compensation and work discipline on employee performance, (2) work motivation on employee performance, (3) work discipline on employee performance, and (4) work motivation on employee work discipline at CV Dewata Laut Desa Penyabangan. This research's design is uses a causal quantitative. The subject of this research were employee off CV Dewata Laut Desa Penyabangan and the object of this research were work motivation, work discipline and employee performance. The population of this research were 46 people. The data were collected by using a questionnaire and it used path analysis. The results show (1) compensation and work discipline have a positive effect toward employee's performance, (2) compensation has a positive effect toward employee's performance, (3) work discipline has a positive effect toward employee's performance, and (4) compensation has an positive effect toward employee's work discipline.


This paper examines the notion of 'language history,' which has taken on a different meaning in the Russian linguistic tradition compared to its usage by Western European scholars. The article starts with an analysis of contemporary Western European theories according to which one should consider language history as a historical discipline, and draw a clear distinction between language history and historical grammar. According to the currently accepted socio-pragmatic approach, the subject of language history is, first of all, the history of communication. It is this approach that is presented in the first section of the paper. The history of this notion is then further analyzed. The dichotomy between 'language history' vs. 'historical linguistics' is not entirely new but goes back to the dichotomy between 'external' and 'internal' language history, which was widespread at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries and still remains important. In the second section, the author compares linguistic studies in the sphere of historical Slavic studies from the last third of the 19th to the first decades of the 20th centuries to the contemporary theories in Western European historical linguistics in the context of the model of external and internal language history. It is the interpretation of the notion 'literary language' that is of special interest. In the works of historians of language from the late 19th-early 20th centuries, it was used interchangeably with the term 'written language,' i.e., the language of writing in general. The phenomenon of 'written language' constituted an aspect of the 'external history of a language.' In the theory of functional linguistics developed by the Prague linguistic circle, the notion of the 'literary language' acquired a new meaning, i.e., 'standard language.' However, in Soviet linguistics the new concept was denoted by the old term with a different tradition behind it. This led to a confusion regarding the concepts and the subjects of research: the separate aspect split off to form a new discipline-the history of literary language-which inevitably resulted in a reduced field of research. This matter is examined in the third segment of the paper. The concluding section returns to the socio-pragmatic approach to the history of language described at the beginning of the paper, suggesting an alternative model for the study of Russian language history, which should be regarded as the history of language and its usage.


The analysis of experimental data for linear polyethylene fractions is directed to the relationship between the molecular morphology and properties of homopolymers crystallized from the melt. Although the problem has been a matter of deep controversy, clarification is achieved by reviewing the fundamental principles involved and indicating the a priori assumptions that have been made in arguing for a regularly folded, adjacent re-entry interfacial structure. It is concluded that the basic crystallite consists of a lamella-like three-dimensional ordered structure, a very diffuse and distorted interfacial region and an interzonal or amorphous region wherein the chain units in non-ordered conformations connect crystallites and possess liquid-like properties. This crystallite model is the same as that needed to satisfy the small angle neutron scattering data. Higher order crystallite organizations are also introduced with emphasis on the molecular factors and crystallization conditions favouring a particular morphological form. The relationship between properties and these supermolecular structures is also described.


We have reported that administration of the phosphodiesterase III inhibitor milrinone increases renin secretion in conscious rabbits. The aim of the present study was to determine if the increase in renin secretion results from a direct renal action of milrinone, or from an indirect extrarenal effect of the drug. This was accomplished by comparing the effects of intrarenal and intravenous infusion of graded doses of milrinone on plasma renin activity in unilaterally nephrectomized conscious rabbits. Milrinone was infused into the renal artery in doses of 0.01, 0.1 and 1.0 micro-g/kg/min, and intravenously in the same rabbits in doses of 0.01, 0.1, 1.0 and 10 micro-g/kg/min. Each dose was infused for 15 min. No intrarenal dose of milrinone altered plasma renin activity or arterial pressure, although at the highest dose, there was a small increase in heart rate. Intravenous infusion of milrinone at 1.0 micro-g/kg/min increased plasma renin activity to 176 +/- 55% of the control value (P less than 0.05). Heart rate increased but arterial pressure did not change. Intravenous infusion of milrinone at 1O micro-g/kg/min increased plasma renin activity to 386 +/- 193% of control in association with a decrease in arterial pressure and an increase in heart rate. These results confirm that milrinone increases renin secretion, and indicate that the stimulation is due to an extrarenal effect of the drug.


Power plants not situated at similar space from center of loads and their fuel prices are dissimilar. In this paper, ELD of actual power generation measured.ELD is preparation of generators to reduce total functioning price of generator units exposed to equality constraint of power balance within minimum and maximum working limits of producing units. In this paper FL, GAs & hybridization of GA-FL is utilized to find optimal solution of ELD systems. ELD resolutions found by resolving conservative load flow equations though at same time reducing fuel prices. Performance of results is analyzed by comparing the data values obtained with the help of soft computing techniques in ELD.


Analyses ofDenkw?rdigkeiten eines Nervenkranken (Memoirs of My Nervous Illness), by Daniel Paul Schreber, fall into one of two groups: either clinical discussions (most famously, those by Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan) or the sociopolitical line of interpretation begun by Elias Canetti.1 In recent schol arship, the latter has predominated. This essay returns to Schreber's own clin ical observations to reappraise current arguments that his Memoirs are to be understood in relation to National Socialism, but as a point of resistance to the political currents that led to its rise. By focusing on the practical objectives that Schreber pursued in composing his autobiography, I argue that the Memoirs make the most sense as a case study of the Bildungsb?rgertum dit the turn of the century and that connections between this text and German fascism must be revisited in light of this circumstance.


Objective To discuss the curative effect and safety of deep brain stimulation (DBS) and neuromodulation in the treatment of patients with torsion dystonia. Methods Ten patients with torsion dystonia underwent subthalamic nucleus DBS (STN-DBS) and 3 patients with torsion dystonia underwent globus pallidus internus DBS (GPi-DBS). Regulate the stimulus parameters, evaluate the improvement of torsion dystonia by using Burke-Fahn-Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale (BFMDRS) and record related adverse events. Results Among the 13 patients, 6 patients were improved by over 60% in 1-3 d and 3 patients one week after stimulation, and the improvement rate was > 75% in 6 months and > 85% in one year. Two patients showed improvement 2 months after stimulation, and the improvement rate was > 60% in 6 months and > 80% in one year. One patient showed slight improvement immediately after operation, and the improvement rate increased to 45% in 6 months and 75% in one year. One patient removed the stimulator. No adverse event related to the operation was found in all 13 patients. The stimulus parameters for STN-DBS were voltage 1.50-2.00 V, frequency 130-145 Hz, pulse width 60-90 μs at 6 months postoperatively, and were voltage 2.00-2.50 V, frequency 130-150 Hz, pulse width 60-90 μs at one year postoperatively. The stimulus parameters for GPi-DBS were voltage 2.50-2.80 V, frequency 130-160 Hz, pulse width 60-90 μs at 6 months postoperatively, and were voltage 2.50-4.00 V, frequency 145-170 Hz, pulse width 60-90 μs at one year postoperatively. Conclusions Both STN-DBS and GPi-DBS have good curative effect and safety in the treatment for torsion dystonia. Besides, patients should be treated with individual neuromodulation. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1672-6731.2015.10.007


Archaeological evidence from the Warragarra rockshelter in the Upper Mersey River, Tasmania, has shown that Aboriginal occupation took place in this central highland region around 10,000 BP, i.e. following immediately upon its deglaciation. This archaeological evidence therefore helps to define more closely the Pleistocene/Holocene boundary which has until now depended upon environmental (e.g. palynological) analyses.


AB 2 C 4 defect semiconductors can be thought of as generalized zincblende compounds, in which the presence of two different cations and of vacant sites favours the formation of several crystalline phases. In this work we present a theoretical study of the structural stability of the Zn x Cd l-x In 2 S 4 solid solutions. The end compounds crystallize in a layer (x = 1) and in a spinel structure (x = 0). Total energy first principle calculations have been performed for both phases and for various values of x. The theoretical structural stability diagram compares very well with experiment.


An analysis is developed for the noise generated by a convected gust interacting with a single swept airfoil. The airfoil spans a channel with infinite parallel walls which contains a uniform subsonic mean flow. High frequency gusts, for which the noise generation is concentrated at the airfoil leading edge, are considered. The solution utilizes the Wiener-Hopf technique applied to the equations in nonorthogonal coordinates. Closed form expressions for the farfield acoustic pressure are obtained. The convected gust is assumed to be a plane wave, i.e., the lowest order spanwise mode. Because of the swept leading edge, this convected gust generates acoustic modes of all orders. At high frequencies and low Mach numbers, moderate sweep angles produce substantial noise reductions. The residual acoustic energy is carried mainly by the higher modes. The airfoil sweep also modulates the basic high frequency farfield directivity, producing lobed patterns. The angular modulation of the directivity patterns is most pronounced for the lower order modes.


The universality of a passive scalar advected in homogeneous isotropic turbulence is studied by scale-by-scale budget equations for higher order moments. Based on an analytical development of structure functions in the dissipative range, a scaling for higher order structure functions is proposed. A similarity scale analysis is used to show the validity of the proposed scaling in the dissipative range and the inertial range. The analysis is based on highly resolved direct numerical simulations (DNS) with different Reynolds numbers. To this end, a comprehensive DNS data base of turbulence has been created. To resolve all relevant scales of turbulence the grid size is as high as 68 billion grid points. This data base allows a consistent analysis of small-scale turbulence and scaling laws of turbulent flows.


Abstract In this paper we shall consider the existence, uniqueness, and asymptotic behavior of mild solutions to stochastic partial functional differential equations with finite delay r >0:  dX ( t )=[− AX ( t )+ f ( t ,  X t )]  dt + g ( t ,  X t )  dW ( t ), where we assume that − A is a closed, densely defined linear operator and the generator of a certain analytic semigroup. f : (−∞, +∞)× C α → H , g : (−∞, +∞)× C α → L 0 2 ( K ,  H ) are two locally Lipschitz continuous functions, where C α = C ([− r , 0],  D ( A α )), L 0 2 ( K ,  H ) are two proper infinite dimensional spaces, 0 α W ( t ) is a given K -valued Wiener process and both H and K are separable Hilbert spaces.


Proteoglycan glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains are attached to a serine residue in the protein through a linkage series of sugars, the first of which is xylose. Xylosides are chemicals which compete with the xylose at the enzyme xylosyl transferase to prevent the attachment of GAG chains to proteins. These compounds have been employed at concentrations in the millimolar range as tools to study the role of GAG chains in proteoglycan function. In the course of our studies with xylosides, we conducted a dose-response curve for xyloside actions on neural cells. To our surprise, we found that concentrations of xylosides in the nanomolar to micromolar range had major effects on cell morphology. These effects are due to changes in cytoskeletal dynamics. Concentrations of xylosides which were effective in altering morphology did not alter GAG chain synthesis rates, nor did they produce any changes in gene expression as determined by RNAseq of treated cells. These observations support a novel action of xylosides on neuronal cells.


This paper gives a short overview of RFID or Radio Frequency Identification Technology. Then the text discusses the privacy implications advocated by leading consumer groups. Next, several state legislative efforts are examined along with remarks on the federal scheme. Next, sample legislation and consumer notices are provided.


: The article examines the right of inviolability of the person in the aspect of the limi-tations, related to the employment relationship and the control, performed by the employer. Consider-ing the impact of the digitalization in all spheres of the public life the author examines the relation of the private life and the border between the obli-gations according to the employment relationship and the right of non-intervention of the employer in the private sphere of the worker. After analysis in retrospection of the national labour legislation in this area and actual international acts are made conclusions and recommendations.


This paper considers the use of sequential cluster weighted modeling (SCWM) for electric load transient recognition and energy consumption prediction that are promising for isolating the deleterious load transients from delicate renewable sources. Two computational processes co-exist in the SCWM scheme. In the training process, we propose a cluster weighted normalized least mean squares modification of the expectation maximization method to address the singular matrix inversion problem in updating the local model parameters. For the prediction process, we propose a sequential version of the CWM prediction that not only improves the real time performance of load transient recognition, but also resolves online overlapping transients. Other real time transient processing issues are also addressed. The methods are demonstrated using benchmark electric load transients.


The common juniper, Juniperus communis L., is a small tree which together with its shrubby varieties, is circumpolar in the Northern Hemisphere. It is native to many parts of Canada, including Newfoundland, and is used as an ornamental in many urban areas of the Island. Quince rust, also known as rust galls, is caused by Gymnosporangium clavipes (Cke. and Pk.) Cke. and Pk., and is one of the most conspicuous stem diseases of Juniperus communis in the United States. In Canada, Quince rust is widespread and has been observed on several species and varieties of Juniperus and Amelanchier. In the summer of 1979 this disease was observed on ornamental shrubs of Juniperus communis var. Suecica Ait. in Mount Pearl and St. John's. The pathogen was also observed on one of its alternate hosts, smooth serviceberry, Amelanchier laevis Wieg., in forests at several locations in eastern Newfoundland. Records of the Newfoundland Forest Research Centre Mycological Herbarium shows that G. clavipes was collected on an Amelanchier species in 1961; and an unidentified Gymnosporangium species was collected on Bartram's serviceberry, Amelanchier bartramiana (Tausch) Roem; smooth serviceberry, A. laevis; and round leaf serviceberry, A. sanguinea (Pursh) DC in the same year. The latter rust has now been identified as Gymnosporangium clavipes. This article records the disease on Juniperus communis, reports its distribution and severity in insular Newfoundland, and discusses its status in relation to the ornamental value of this juniper in urban areas of the Island.


BACKGROUND
Long-term nocturnal enuresis treatment leads to stress and lowered self-esteem for children and their parents. This study evaluated the short-term effectiveness and safety of vibegron 50 mg for children with refractory nocturnal enuresis.

METHODS
A retrospective cohort study of children with therapy-resistant enuresis was conducted using data for July 2019 through December 2019. Enuresis frequency was recorded during 30 days before and after additional vibegron administration with prior treatment. We assessed the treatment effectiveness based on enuresis frequencies between before and after treatment with vibegron 50 mg. Statistical evaluation was performed using a paired t-test.

RESULTS
Among 29 children receiving vibegron, 14 (48.3%) exhibited partial or complete response to vibegron. Enuresis frequencies were, respectively, 15.8 ± 9.2 (± SD) and 9.5 ± 9.6 (± SD) before and after treatment with vibegron during the observed 30 days. Statistically significant reduction in enuresis frequency was found (p < 0.001). Moreover, maximum morning urine of 200 ± 62.9 mL (± SD) before treatment with vibegron changed to 232 ± 76.6 mL (± SD) after treatment. Significant increase in voiding volume in the early morning was found (p < 0.05). No drug-related severe adverse event was found.

CONCLUSION
Short-term treatment with vibegron is safe and effective for children with refractory enuresis.


based on 19 interviews in the Sydney metropolitan area, enables us to listen to the voice of 'Millar', an amalgam of the case studies, where her understandings as a computer teacher of each of the cases have been consolidated into a composite, non-gender specific account. The paper raises issues about the placing of oneself in unknown territory and about how new learning efforts open opportunities for pleasure and pain, and in doing so, Helen affords us insights from a qualitative perspective into the complex and dynamic nature of older adults learning how to use a computer. In the second paper in this section, Karen Milheim discusses the wide variety of characteristics of 'non-traditional' students returning to study within higher education programs. She contends that these characteristics are different from those of 'traditional' students, and discusses, for example, personal life barriers, financial responsibilities and different learning styles. The paper suggests a number of ways in which educational institutions can respond in their attempts to meet these different needs and to make the learning experience a positive one for the adult student.


ABSTRACT White, R.A.; Piraino, K.; Shortridge, A., and Arbogast, A.F., 2019. Measurement of vegetation change in critical dune sites along the eastern shores of Lake Michigan from 1938 to 2014 with...


We study compressible fluid flow in narrow two-dimensional channels using a molecular-dynamics simulation method. In the simulation area, an upstream source is maintained at constant density and temperature while a downstream reservoir is kept at vacuum. The channel is sufficiently long in the direction of the flow that the finite length has little effect on the properties of the fluid in the central region. The simulated system is represented by an efficient data structure, whose internal elements are created and manipulated dynamically in a layered fashion. Consequently the computer code is highly efficient and manifests completely linear performance in simulations of large systems. We obtain the steady-state velocity, temperature, and density distributions in the system. The velocity distribution across the channel is very nearly a quadratic function of the distance from the center of the channel and reveals velocity slip at the boundaries; the temperature distribution is only approximately a quartic function of this distance from the center to the channel. The density distribution across the channel is nonuniform. We attribute this nonuniformity to the relatively high Mach number, approximately 0.5, in the fluid flow. An equation for the density distribution based on simple compressibility arguments is proposed; its predictions agree well with the simulation results. The validity of the concept of local dynamic temperature and the variation of the temperature along the channel are discussed.


Motivated by proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchains such as Ethereum, two key desiderata have recently been studied for Byzantine-fault tolerant (BFT) state-machine replication (SMR) consensus protocols: Finality means that the protocol retains consistency, as long as less than a certain fraction of validators are malicious, even in partially-synchronous environments that allow for temporary violations of assumed network delay bounds. Accountable safety means that in any case of inconsistency, a certain fraction of validators can be identified to have provably violated the protocol. Earlier works have developed impossibility results and protocol constructions for these properties separately. We show that accountable safety implies finality, thereby unifying earlier results.


Quantitative determination of light scattering and surface roughness of Al-films is of primary interest for several reasons. The scatter in reported optical constants of Al-films is often attributed to surface roughness /1/ although no quantitative roughness measurements have been performed. Further, aluminium coatings are extensively used on gratings and mirrors. Applications of these elements are in many cases critically dependent on the scattering level, as in raman spectroscopy and astronomical optics.


This paper addresses velocity-level redundancy resolution for S-R-S type redundant manipulators, aiming at precise path following in the presence of kinematic singularities. A novel joint-velocity decomposition scheme that complements and avoids some drawbacks of a previous study based on the Singularity-Consistent method is introduced. As a result, it becomes possible to follow almost any singular path in workspace, including paths passing through bifurcations (nondegenerate singular paths). Further on, the algorithmic singularity introduced in the previous study (the "inner obstacle") disappears in the new formulation. The problem of wrist singularity is also addressed and solved via a proper self motion component. Only a limited subset of singular paths cannot be handled with the method: those that pass through the double elbow-wrist singularity (an isolated point at the workspace boundary). The effectiveness of the proposed method is illustrated via numerical simulations.


Steady non-vortex shedding base flow behind a bluff body is considered. Such a flow is characterised by the flow separation at the trailing edge of the body with an emerging shear layer which reattaches on the axis with strong recompression and recirculating flow bounded by the base, the shear layer, and the axis. Steady wake flows behind a bluff body at low speeds have been studied for more than a century (for example, Kirchhoff; Riabouchinsky). Recently, research on steady bluff body wake flow at low speeds has been reviewed and reinterpreted by Roshko. Roshko has also commented on some basic aspects of steady supersonic base flow following on from Chapman and Korst analyses. In the present paper, we examine the steady base flow features both at low speeds and supersonic speeds in the light of Roshko's model and expand on some further aspects of base flows at supersonic and hypersonic speeds, not covered by Roshko.


Typically developing infants and young children show better language learning outcomes than typical adults learning a second language (L2; Newport, 1990; Flege, 1995, 1999). It has been suggested that the infant brain might be particularly well suited for language learning (Newport, 1990; Thompson-Schill et al., 2009). We propose that infants' reliance on implicit rather than explicit learning may in large part account for their successful language learning. We argue that infants are particularly good at flexibly learning new linguistic structure because they are less directed processors of information than older learners; they are more likely to let the particular structure of the present language input guide their learning. This contrasts with adults, who tend to identify one salient dimension to attend to, particularly early in learning (Johansen & Palmeri, 2002). In typical development, the neural structures supporting explicit learning (the Declarative Memory system) develop more slowly than those supporting implicit learning (the Procedural Memory system; Jones & Herbert, 2006; Richmond & Nelson, 2007). Infants' immature explicit learning, and consequent reliance on implicit learning—likely in combination with limited experience—appears to cause their memories for both words (Singh, Morgan, & White, 2004; Singh, White, &


After a short historical perspective on the emergence of robo-advisors and an overview of how they manage other people's money, we evaluate the performance of five German robo-advisors in the perio...


In this article,authors introduce technical methods of high-level additional floors of high-rise buildings under complex conditions of downtown,and emphasize the roof grid structure high-level assembly technique,safety protection methods,and the central column connection technique and so on.T5


This paper defines and discusses a tentative set of narratives concerning the INPUT 2012 Conference. Narratives refer to theoretical issues derived from the observation and analysis of significant case studies, to new and innovative ways of interpreting and implementing progressive planning, and to the question of complex ty and its relationship with structuralist and post-structuralist planning theories and practices.


On basis of a behavioural analysis of the therapy loyalty behaviour of hypertonic patients the influence of the complexity of the therapy pattern is comparatively analysed between mono and combination therapy patients. Connections are comparatively examined between different factors of the patient's behaviour, the therapy type as well as the influence of the doctor and the social patient's sphere for the aim variable "Compliance". The empiric study is based on a random check of 1035 hypertonic patients which were questioned in the years 2007 and 2008 in writing. The analysis led to the result that the meaning of single creation parameters differs for the successful explanation of the compliance behaviour between mono and combination patient clearly. Of astonishing manner the patients who are put on a combination therapy behave stronger faithfully to therapy as mono therapy patients. To take into account the differently high complexity of the therapy pattern, it seems indispensable to consider the complexity degree with the choice of adequate intervention strategies for the support of the Compliance.


Even if it is understood that Prolog execution environment performs dynamic type checking on data being processed, it is often unclear how implementation of the language internally represents the information used to verify the type compatibility. In this paper we describe a Prolog tag encoding mechanism used in the Logic Virtual Machine (LVM) implementation of Prolog. The LVM is a Prolog engine that uses a merged heap/stack architecture and a virtual memory manager. We show that it is possible to retain the integrity of the data being tagged without requiring much extra memory and we explain the steps taken for


An embedded non-volatile memory device of the present invention, first with a shallow second depth greater than the first trench isolation film, a trench isolation film doedoe disposed between trench isolation film first depth in the depth disposed on the element isolation region of a semiconductor substrate 1 a well region of a conductivity type and a well region above a certain area claim which is arranged to be separated by a channel region in the second source region of the conductivity type and a drain region, and the oxide film / nitride film / oxide film formed on the channel region, and the oxide film / nitride film / oxide film and a conductive film formed over the word lines. Non-volatile memory, embedded flash memory devices, SONOS


In this article, the policy for school integration of children with disabilities is presented initially, face-to-face with other social policies developed in France, at least with regards to the terminology used. The notions of socio-cultural integration and insertion present, thus, the problem of their relations the assimilation or the discrimination. Next, the situation in Britain and Italy are analyzed, in what refers to the general orientations, procedures and terminology that have been used in Special educational since the 70s. The discussions taking place about the notions of Special educational needs and of inclusive education are highlighted and the example of Great Britain is presented.Finally, the obstacles to the spreading of school integration in France are analyzed on the basis of investigations carried out at the nursery school level and issues such as group work, partnership and cooperation are raised.


PurposeThe purpose of this study is to provide a framework to identify performance metrics for evaluating research and development collaborations.Design/methodology/approachThe framework is developed through a review of similar centres and academic studies, followed by surveys and interviews of researchers and industry practitioners for the case of the Construction Innovation Centre (CIC). The proposed framework consists of identification of existing industry research and development needs, development of a research roadmap representing top research priorities, and identification of the most important services to provide to industry partners, which form the context for defining performance evaluation metrics.FindingsA research roadmap is presented, outlining top research areas and methods and a list of the most in-demand services including research, practical and training and outreach services. Metrics for evaluating the performance of proposed projects, completed projects and a collaborative research centre are also identified.Originality/valueThis study presents a novel approach to defining performance metrics for the evaluation of research and development collaborations. The approach and findings of this study can be adopted by other collaborative research centres and initiatives around the world to develop effective metrics for performance measurement. The proposed framework provides a platform for defining performance metrics in the context of the research roadmap and top-priority services applicable to the research and development collaboration.


Ca3Co2O6 thermoelectric oxides are an important environmental friendly material.This paper presents a production process of(Ca3Co2O6)(1-x)(Ca3Co4O9) x with rapid heating technique.With SEM photograph,positron lifetime spectra and analysis of sample defects,the result indicates that there is an abrupt change of crystal transformation from Ca3Co2O6 to Ca3Co4O9 when the content of every phase is a half,and at this point the peak value responses of the positron lifetime,electron density and defect density are measured.


In a recent review of emergency thoracotomy in trauma, we emphasized the need for universal precautions due to the risk to bloodborne viruses in this acute setting (1). While we wer eu nawar eo fa ny studies on seroprevalence of bloodborne viruses in Norwegian trauma upon the submission and, eventually acceptance of manuscrip ta nd proofs, Ih ave recently been made awar eo fd ata that substantiates the increased risk in the Norwegia nt rauma population. While mor et han two decades have passed since the study wer er eported, at least the data represent ab aseline for current bloodborne virus risk-estimates in Scandinavian trauma (2). During a3 -year period in the late 1980s, Fosse and colleagues tested (2) 11 3( 18%) of at otal number of 643 injured patients admitted to the Ulleval Hospital in Oslo, Norway. Antibodie sa gainst the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis Bs urface antigen HBsAg and the concentration of hepatitis Bs urface antibodies (HBsAb) were determined. They found 9p atients with aH IV positive result, while HBsAg was detecte di nt wo patients and increased levels of HBsAb wer ef ound in 19 patients. HIV antibodies wer ef ound in about 5% of victims of violence, in 3.3 %o ft he patients with ap enetrating trauma mechanism and, in 1.1% of the patients with multiple, closed injuries. The results indicate as ignificantly higher seroprevalence of bloodborne viral infections among injured patients and victims of violence than currently reported in the general population. Likely ,t hese rates may have further increased as the prevalence (while still extremely low) slightly increases with time as HIV has become a" chronic dis


The authors, two experienced fundraisers, explain why private fund raising is important for public metropolitan universities. In this article, they describe the beginning of a $50 million campaign at the University of Massachusetts Boston, a 33 yearold institution that had never previously mounted a major fundraising effort.


This paper explores the tension between vocabularies of motive provided by a serial sex offender in his narrative construction of his nonconsensual sexual activity. Current discourses on the topic emphasize the efficacy of social control measures and behavioral and pharmacological interventions. There is a dearth of sociological literature exploring the social meanings of sexual offense. Employing a symbolic interactionist approach to a sex offender's account of self provides an opportunity for making visible the discursive construction of social processes. Deploying broad gender stereotypes in depictions of the women against whom he offended, the case presented here also relied on three dominant therapeutic constructions of the sexual deviant, the psychosocial, the addiction/compulsion model, and the bio-psychiatric—all of which neglect the gendered aspect of his offenses. Positing himself as a "true sex offender" and voluntarily taking hormonal suppressants that rendered him impotent, he was the ideal subject of bio-psychiatric discourse. The paper analyses his narrative in terms of contrasting notions of gender and deviance, masculinity and medicalization, and explores the ways language of institutionally supported interventions are used to make meaningful both normal and deviant identities, while disengaging from gender discourses.


The 3rd Edition of Doing Research with Children: A Practical Guide (2013). Greig, Taylor , and Mackay was reviewed and areas were highlighted. The text is best used as an introduction and refresher to conducting research with children. The volume addresses both quantitative and qualitative research designs and the theoretical context and frame work supporting the uniqueness of working with children. The text is suitably written for a worldwide audience and is not specific when it comes to ethics and guidelines for working within the United States. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to check with their own Institutional Review Board when using minors as research subjects. The book is well suited for graduate counseling and school psychology students, researchers working with children and adolescents.


Dynamic optimal power flow (DOPF) is a typical complex multi-constrained non-convex non-linear programming problem when considering the valve-point effect of conventional generators. Moreover, it is mixed integer when considering the discreteness of reactive compensation devices for power system with fixed speed wind generators (FSWGs). DOPF model is established in this paper, and then an improved particle swarm optimization (IPSO)is adopted for solving the established DOPF model. IEEE 39-bus system is used to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method compared with those obtained from particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. The test results show that the proposed method is effective and has a certain practicality.


In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to bio-energy. People are eager to find new substances from sustainable forest products for energy research. As an important forest resource, Sambucus williamsii Hance has gradually attracted people's attention. Therefore, in order to explore a new way of comprehensive utilization of Sambucus williamsii Hance, the root samples of Sambucus williamsii Hance were collected and extracted with ethanol, benzene/ethanol and methanol, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetry (TGA) and pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) were used to detect the treated samples, and various substances in Sambucus williamsii Hance root were studied in depth. The results show that the thermal decomposition products of raw material powders and extracts contain many chemical substances. Such as (1R) - (-) –Myrtenal, D-Mannose, Furfural, O-Xylene, Phenol, 2,6-dimethyl-. These substances have broad application prospects in chemical industry, bio-medicine, food additives and other fields, thus providing a theoretical basis for the rational use of Sambucus williamsii Hance.


WeChat is a social networking platform. WeChat users create the content online to present themselves online, called self-presentation strategy, to build a personal network identity. This identity has the form of capital -the social capital. If the WeChat users take full account of the dimensions of the relationship maintenance and relationship initiation, the selfpresentation of individual online social capital will be shaped more effective, and this effect will be positively magnified. The study proved the moderator role of motive of WeChat usage in effectively adjustment the formation of WeChat users' online social capital shaped by self-presentation. Keywords—self-presentation; WeChat; social capital; motive


A method is described for the extraction and purification of estriol glucosiduronate from various sources. By the use of this method estriol glucosiduronate has been isolated and identified in extracts of human meconium. Another conjugated form, which might be an estriol sulphate has also been detected.


The level of dependence of older adults increases with the increase in the life expectancy of older adults in the community. The role of the community as social capital can help older adults reduce the level of dependence to the caregivers and increase the independence of older adults in living their daily activity. The low level of community understanding regarding their role in increasing the level of independence of older adults is the reason for the need for providing information by professionals. The community empowerment is carried out online using zoom media with the aim to increasing public knowledge about the role of social capital in the health of older adults. The community empowerment was attended by 545 participants and discussed 10 main topics. The results of the activity showed significant positive benefits in changing one's cognitive status. This shows that the provision of health information to the public can bring positive benefits related to understanding the role of social capital on the health status of the elderly.


The Algerian steppe suffered since several decades a serious problem of desertification, under the combined effect of anthropogenic and natural factors. The Djelfa region, like other steppe regions, is affected by this threat. This study aims to quantify the effects of desertification on the different components of the ecosystem in 11 stations located geographically in the Djelfa region. The floristic analysis identified 153 species belonging to 40 families and 110 genera's. The Edaphic study showed that the studied soils were characterized by high levels of sand and limestone, and low levels of organic matter. In terms of correlations, we find that electrical conductivity decreases when the coarse sand rate increases. The coverage rate of the therophytes is well correlated with the Shannon index with r = 0.89 and the specific diversity with r = 0.74. The equitability index is correlated with chaméphytes and hemicryptophytes species, respectively with r = 0.75 and 0.62. Concerning the basal coverage parameters, there are no functional relationships between the variables forming this group except stone and block rates with a correlation coefficient of r = 0.69.


This descriptive survey assessed knowledge and practice regarding prevention of pressure ulcer among nurses in selected private hospitals in Calabar Metropolis. A validated questionnaire was used to collect data from eighty nine (89) registered nurses working in 22 purposely selected private hospitals. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistical method such as frequencies and percentages. Results revealed that: Majority (84.3%) of the nurses working at private hospitals in Calabar Metropolis have good knowledge of prevention of pressure ulcers. The level of practice of pressure ulcer prevention among nurses in the private hospitals was also good, Factors such as shortage of nurses, lack of utilization of research findings, poor work attitude of nurses, lack of nurses' exposure to continuous education on current pressure ulcer preventive strategies, and lack of pressure prevention materials and equipments were found to be major factors affecting the practice of pressure ulcer prevention in private hospitals in Calabar Metropolis. Recommendations: more nurses should be recruited in private hospital so as to reduce work load. Nurses in private hospitals should be exposed to continuous education, research and be provided with pressure Ulcer prevention materials and equipments. This will help them to practice pressure ulcer prevention effectively.


Surface Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (SNMR) is a geophysical experiment that enables to retrieve hydrogeological parameters of the subsurface with surface-based measurements. However, the method suffers from a low signal-to-noise ratio. To overcome this impediment, a new experimental configuration, called the multiple loops (or multi-central) configuration, is introduced, benefiting from both an increased signal-to-noise ratio and an increased sensitivity to shallow subsurface. In order to take advantage of those improvements, an adaptation of the state-of-the-art QT inversion is proposed. On the other hand, a novel innovative approach to SNMR data interpretation is developed and tested. This approach, called Prediction-Focused Approach (PFA) imaging, is part of a broader alternative way to exploit geophysical data: Bayesian Evidential Learning (BEL). PFA enables a quantification of the uncertainty on model parameters issued from statistics-based relations between simulated models and data. In order to demonstrate the feasibility and accuracy of the implemented method, the PFA imaging process has been applied to both synthetic and real field data (Mont Rigi, Belgium). The obtained results have been compared with those obtained by the classical QT inversion, demonstrating the superiority of the PFA methodology. Finally, the QT inversion approach and the PFA imaging are tested on synthetic and real multiple loops experiments. The results have been compared with the classically used single-loop configurations, proving the usefulness of the multiple loops configuration in specific contexts, where the interest is mainly focused on shallow parts of the subsurface for instance.


Safety-critical applications are frequently based on deep learning algorithms. In particular, Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) are commonly deployed in autonomous driving applications to fulfil complex tasks such as object recognition and image classification. Ensuring the reliability of CNNs is thus becoming an urgent requirement since they constantly behave in human environments. A common and recent trend is to replace the full-precision CNNs to make way for more optimized models exploiting approximation paradigms such as reduced bit-width data type. If from one hand this is poised to become a sound solution for reducing the memory footprint as well as the computing requirements, it may negatively affect the CNNs resilience. The intent of this work is to assess the reliability of a CNN-based system when reduced bit-widths are used for the network parameters (i.e., synaptic weights). The approach evaluates the impact of permanent faults in CNNs by adopting several bit-width schemes and data types, i.e., floating-point and fixed-point. This determines the trade-off between the CNN accuracy and the bits required to represent network weights. The characterization is performed through a fault injection environment built on the darknet open source framework. Experimental results show the effects of permanent fault injections on the weights of LeNet-5 CNN.


Use of Kinetic and Mechanistic Data in Species Extrapolation of Bioactivation: Cytochrome P‐450 Dependent Trichloroethylene Metabolism at Occupationally Relevant Concentrations: John C. Lipscomb, et al. United States Air Force, Armstrong Laboratory, Toxicology Division—Trichloroethylene (TRI) is an industrial solvent and environmental contaminant; therefore exposure to TRI occurs in diverse human populations. TRI causes hepatocellular carcinoma in B6C3F1 mice, but not rats; this suggests that TRI may be metabolized differently in the two species. We investigated the metabolism of TRI and the effect of TRI on enzymatic activities indicative of specific cytochrome P450 (CYP) forms in hepatic microsomes from mice, rats and humans. Studies in microsomes estimated Michaelis‐ Menten kinetic parameters by saturation analysis. Km values were 35.4, 55.5 and 24.6 μM and V values were 5,425, 4,826 and 1,440 pmol/min/mg in pooled mouse, rat and human microsomes, respectively. TRI (1,000 ppm) inhibited CYP2E1 dependent activity in all three species and BROD activity in mice and rats; TRI (1,000 ppm) increased CYP1A1/1A2 activity, and had no effect on CYP2A activity. Inhibition studies with mouse hepatic microsomes demonstrated that TRI was a competitive inhibitor of CYP2E1, with K of 50 ppm. TRI noncompetitively inhibited CYP2B‐dependent activities in the rat and mouse. Preincubation of microsomes with TRI and NADPH decreased the absorbence of CO‐bound CYP in all three species, but the dose‐dependence was most evident in mouse hepatic microsomes. These results have quantified the interspecies difference in CYP‐dependent TRI bioactivation and indicate that under both equivalent and occupationally relevant (hepatic) exposure conditions the human is at less risk of forming toxic CYP‐derived TRI metabolites.


In what is being billed as iiNet versus Hollywood, the Australian internet service provider has come out an apparent winner after the High Court dismissed a copyright infringement case brought by industry movie studios.

The case was a final appeal by the industry in its attempts to crack down on internet users infringing copyright by using BitTorrent to download movies.


Shoring towers are the common formwork solution for high-clearance construction. Because towers account for a remarkably high percentage of the cost of the constructed concrete element, work input data and related economic aspects of tower erection constitute important information for constructors. This paper presents three case studies of high multitier shoring towers, each representing a different tower type. Tower data, major construction parameters, and work inputs for each case are presented. Findings are compared and discussed, and due conclusions are drawn. Finally, recommendations on measures expected to increase the economy of shoring solutions using multitier towers are offered, and some restrictions on the adoption of work input data are listed.


Cryotherapy and chemotherapy are widely but separately used in the treatment and control of cancer. The authors examined the effect of combining the two therapies in an in vitro cell system. The combination provided a greater loss in cell viability than in either treatment alone.


The playing of sport in Australian schools is a tradition. It is therefore not unusual that a student might suffer a serious injury at school while participating in a sporting activity. This paper examines the origins and nature of a teacher's personal duty of care, and the education authority's non-delegable duty of care, for the physical safety of students in the context of sport in schools. Within this framework, it discusses recent cases involving injury to students while playing sport, such as Geyer v Downs, Watson v Haines, Thomas v State of South Australia, and Vandercheur v State of New South Wales.


The Danian-Paleocene rocks are anhydrite and clay with thin carbonate beds. These grade upward into cavernous; bituminous limestones (Bukhara beds). Next upward in the section are lower Eocene (Suzak beds) marine clays, middle Eocene (Alay-beds) marine sand-carbonate beds, upper Eocene (Turkestan beds) marl-clay beds, upper Ecocene (Rishtan beds) sandy, limy redbeds, upper Eocene (Isfarin beds) green clays and Oligocene (Sumsar beds) redbeds.


The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of transfer of training approach on cognitive function and functional recovery and the difference in thestroke patterns of adult stroke patients with affected cognitive function.Twenty stroke patients were participated ; 8 males and 12 females, the age ranged from 34 to 73. By the classification of diagnosis, 10 subjects were cerebralinfarction and 10 subjects were cerebral hemorrhage, by the classification of affected side, 11 Rt hemiplegic patients, 9 Lt hemiplegic patients who were above at least post onset 2 month to a year.It was evaluated and analyzed pre and post treatment with MMSE and FIM, and the method of transfer of training approach was practiced every 30 min a day for a month.The data were analyzed by t-test and one way ANOVA.The results of this study were as follows:1. There was significant in the effect of transfer of training approach on cognitive function of stroke patinets.2. There was significant in the effect of transfer of training approach on functional recovery of stroke patients.3. There was a significant difference in the effect of treatment in the group of cerebral infarction.


Several new series of aminimides [(3ac, e), (4ah), (5d) and (6a, b) in Scheme-1] were synthesized by Slagel method1). Some surface active properties and the effectiveness on phase transfer catalysis were examined for these compounds. The results were compared with those of several reference compounds.Surface active properties of aminimides (1ae)5) and (2ag)2), and bis(aminimides) (5ac)3) have been reported previously. Substitution of an aromatic group, especially pyridyl group, for an alkyl group (C23) on imino nitrogen of aminimides caused a decrease in cloud point (Cp) and critical micelle concentration (cmc), but an increase in melting point, Krafft point (Kp) and γcmc (surface tension above cmc). Melting point, Cp and γcmc increased with increasing the number of hydroxyl group in an amineimide molecule regardless of the relative position (Table-2). In the case of bis(aminimides), (6a) was similar to (5d), but differed from (6b) regarding to the dissolution behavior (Kp and Cp) (Table-3).It was found that the efficiency of aminimides as phase transfer catalysts in the substitution reaction of 1-bromooctane with aqueous potassium iodide depended on the following structural factors: a) HLB (hydrophilic-lipophilic balance) of aminimides, b) the position on which long chain placed (_??_+N- and/or -N-), c) the number of hydroxyl groups, d) introduction of pyridyl group, and e) the chain length and the steric structure of the linking group between two aminimide groups in bis(aminimides). The series (1) were the most effective among the series examined, and some of (1) had a high efficiency close to that of "Dicyclohexyl-18-crown-6" (Table-4).


How the monetary valuations that enter cost-benefit analyses are specified to vary over time can have a significant effect on the outcomes of appraisals. The most commonly used valuation in appraisals in the transport market relates to travel time savings. Several repeat studies have been conducted to test inter-temporal effects whilst income elasticities from meta-analyses and numerous cross-sectional studies add to what is a considerable evidence base. This study is novel in terms of conducting what the authors believe to be the first repeat Stated Preference study of environmental valuations, in the particular context of aircraft noise valuation, and indeed of exploring how such valuations might vary over time. It also adds to the limited amount of evidence in this area. What previous evidence there is suggests that the cross-sectional income elasticity for transport related noise valuations is somewhat less than the unitary elasticity used in the UK to uplift monetary valuations over time. There are, however, reasons why cross-sectional income elasticities do not apply over time, not least because those who have higher incomes and hence generally higher valuations are more able to choose to live in quieter areas which in itself might deflate their valuations. The evidence indicates that the cross-sectional income elasticity is very low. In addition, our repeat studies do not provide support for valuations increasing over time.


At each of Graham's revival meetings a modern, lived, and transnational community of faith formed, connecting believers to past and future crusades. By following the audience to the meetings themselves, this chapter shows how they experienced the "modern" faith that had featured prominently in the contemporary religious debates discussed in Chapter 1. In the complex interplay between the sacred and the profane in the meetings' orchestration, this faith became tangible. At the revival meetings, relationships formed within the audiences, and through practices such as singing and praying participants contributed to the charging of the spiritual atmosphere that finally climaxed in the altar call. Several aspects of the revival meetings—the presence of international guests, the awareness of prayers being said around the world for those in attendance, and the translation and accessibility of conversation narratives—enhanced the feeling in audiences that they were part of the transnational community of Billy Graham's followers.


The air–cathode fuel cell approach is promising for ferrous (FeII) ion removal from acid mine drainage because iron and electricity are simultaneously recovered in the treating process. Here we show that electricity generation from FeII can be enhanced by amending chelating anions to facilitate FeII oxidation at the anode of the fuel cell. A series of FeII-fed fuel cells were operated with various chelating anions, including carboxylate, phosphate, and borate ligands. The average power densities of these fuel cells varied over a wide range from 0.08 ± 0.5 to 107.85 ± 1.50 mW m–2. Citrate-amended fuel cells operated at pH 8–9 and carbonate-amended fuel cells operated at pH 6–8 exhibited greater charge-recovery efficiencies than others, which ranged from 93.5% to 96.1%. The redox potential of an anodic solution and redox activity of FeII were two important factors affecting the electrooxidation of FeII in fuel cells.


Background: Anti-TNF therapy is clinically efficacious in patients with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and leads to improvement of spinal inflammation, as assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It is unclear whether anti-TNF therapy has influence on chronic spinal changes in AS. Objectives: To analyze the effect of infliximab on the radiographic course of AS over 2 years. Methods: Complete sets of lateral radiographs of the cervical (CS) and the lumbar spine (LS) were available from 82 patients from two sources: 41 patients (group 1) had been treated with infliximab (5mg/kg/6 weeks) as part of a recent randomized controlled trial and 41 patients (group 2) were part of the early German AS cohort (GESPIC), without controlled interventions. Radiographs performed at baseline (BL) and after 2 years (FU) and were scored by the modified SASSS (mSASSS). Results: Patients in the infliximab group were older, had a longer disease duration and more radiographic damage at baseline. The mean mSASSS change was 0.4 (±2.7) and 0.7 (±3.4) for group 1 and 2, respectively (p=n.s.). Radiographic damage at BL was a predictor for more radiographic progression. Patients with baseline damage who were treated with infliximab showed a trend for less radiographic progression. There were no correlations between clinical parameters and radiographic progression. Conclusions: AS patients treated with infliximab showed somewhat less radiographic progression after 2 years. Patients with prevalent radiographic damage are prone to develop more damage over time. Infliximab may decelerate radiographic progression in such patients. Larger studies are needed to prove that anti-TNF therapy inhibits structural damage.


It is widely acknowledged that a key source of uncertainty in developing, calibrating and applying rainfall-runoff models is associated with the choice of model structure. In this study, an , automatic, multi-structured hydrological modelling scheme has been developed with the aim of providing multiple alternative descriptions of hydrological processes. For example, alternative descriptions include saturation excess and partial interception storage-discharge relationships, the Xinanjiang distribution approach (i.e. VIC model) and Linear Transfer Function (i.e. IHACRES). The modelling suite is used to trial all permutations of model structure and complexity for 188 catchments from across NSW. To assess the performance of the different model structures, the Nash and Sutcliffe efficiency was applied to all catchments regardless of the governing hydrological processes. The results indicate that of 60 model permutations a subset of 12 performed well across the different climate zones. Of interest, these 12 models share key common components and differed primarily in terms of process description of land surface evapotranspiration (i.e. the presence of a canopy routine). This study indicates that whilst the range of permutations needs to be broadened, there is the potential existence for a subset of highly parsimonious model structures that perform well across different climate zones, and hence allow for the possibility of regionalisation to ungauged basins.


1. A computer configured to execute software code in an isolated computing environment, soderzhaschiyizolirovannoe computing environment for execution of the code protected memory accessible only to said program code and inaccessible to the second program code executable by another execution environment, a logic circuit for causing the processor to perform the execution of secure memory; itaymer for timing of events, which is connected to a logic circuit, wherein said program code is activated in response to a signal from taymera.2. The computer of claim 1, wherein the said another execution environment comprises one of the operating system, the basic input / output system (BIOS) and yadra.3. The computer of claim 1, wherein said program code monitors the state kompyutera.4. Computer according to claim 3, further comprising a processor, and the state of the computer is one of a resource used by the operating system, the status of the application program, BIOS extension state and the state protsessora.5. Computer according to claim 3, wherein said processor comprises computing okruzhenie.6 isolated. The computer according to claim 3, wherein the program code implements the policy related to the status kompyutera.7. The computer of claim 6, wherein the policy relating to the state of the computer comprises one of reducing computer processing speed, reduction of the functionality of the computer, limiting access to the RAM system design constraints and reset commands kompyutera.8. The computer of claim 1, further sod


Savage, C. 1996. Multivariate analyses of the impact of offshore marine mining on the benthic macrofauna off the west coast of Southern Africa . M.Sc thesis. University of Cape Town. pp. 190. The strategy for analysing multivariate data presented by Field et. al. (1982) was tested for its sensitivity in detecting the effects of offshore marine mining on macrobenthic communities. The technique has proven to be particularly sensitive and robust in elucidating changes in the structure of marine communities following organic pollution events. The primary aim of this study was to investigate its applicability in discerning community changes in an area exposed to physical disturbance of the seabed. Statistical testing, using analysis of similarities, reveals a highly significant difference between mined and unrnined samples. Statistical testing also detects natural spatial heterogeneity across the 6 study areas. Aggregation of the data to higher taxonomic levels did not result in the loss of information, and in fact, improved the resolution of the community patterns. Multivariate analyses were therefore performed using the community data aggregated to genus-level. Hierarchical agglomerative clustering reveals two major groups of samples, the mined and the unrnined samples. Within these two clusters, cluster analysis and non-metric multi-dimensional scaling distinguish between areas 1 and 2, areas 3 and 4, and areas 5 and 6. Area 2 provided a reference site where no mining is likely in the foreseeable future and area 1 was mined between the two sampling cruises, providing an indication of the changes induced by the mining process. Cluster analysis shows a shift in the grouping of samples from area 1. The unrnined samples from area 1 grouped with the reference station (area 2) in the first survey. After the area was mined, the samples grouped with the mined samples from areas 3 and 4, indicating a shift in community structure. Multidimensional scaling ordination confirmed the groupings detected by cluster analysis and hence the groups of clusters can be accepted as real. Samples 3. 5 and 3. 7 from the Rock.fish cruise and samples 4.6 and 4.9 from the Pentow Salvor cruise were conspicuous as outliers in both the cluster and ordination analyses. Geological results show that samples 3.5 and 4.9 also exhibit anomalously high proportions of gravel in the sediment, which possibly influences the community composition. Several species contributed to the overall dissimilarity between mined and unrnined samples. The Amphipoda Ampelisca anomala and Hippomedon longimanus were reduced in abundance after mining. Furthermore, the Polychaeta Prionospio pinnata, Haploscoloplos kerguelensis and the Lumbrineris genus also appear to be sensitive to the effects of mining and were reduced in number. Organisms which showed an increase in relative abundance in mined areas included Macoma crawfordi, Nassarius vinctus, Tricolia capensis and Terebe/lides stroemii. There is a net increase in the proportion of Gastropoda and Bivalvia in the mined samples, which is possibly a reflection of the altered stratigraphy in mined areas. During the mining process, the fine sand component of an area is suspended in the water column and gradually disperses over a wide area. The net result is an increase in the relative proportion of the larger gravel and mud fractions. A meta-analysis of phylum-level community data was used to assess the severity of disturbance caused by marine mining vis-a-vis disturbance studies conducted on the N.E. Atlantic Shelf. The Namibian samples were consistently distinct from the samples collected off the N.E. Atlantic Shelf. It was hypothesized that this difference may reflect the anomalously oxygen-poor conditions on the continental shelf off the west coast of Southern Africa ..