ABSTRACT An analysis of all intraday trades in the Jakarta Stock Exchange during 2003–2004 indicates that more than half of them are "manipulated" by principal stockbrokers. Consequently, they can earn between 59% and 92% more annually than intermediary stockbrokers, which depend heavily on their investment patterns as well as firm's characteristics. Specifically, our regression results suggest that with increases in their degree of principalness (PRIN), stockbrokers with a greater trade imbalance earn more at the expense of outside investors, even though this effect diminishes as PRIN increases. Moreover, firms that suffer the most from stockbrokers' inappropriate behavior have large market capitalization or high stock liquidity.


We study the ability of the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (aLIGO) to detect apparent violations of the cosmic censorship conjecture and the no-hair theorem. The cosmic censorship conjecture, which is believed to be true in the theory of general relativity, limits the spin-to-mass-squared ratio of a Kerr black hole, � � j=m 2 � 1. The no-hair theorem, which is also believed to be true in the theory of general relativity, suggests a particular value for the tidal Love number of a nonrotating black hole (k2 ¼ 0). Using the Fisher matrix formalism, we examine the measurability of the spin and tidal deformability of compact binary systems involving at least one putative black hole. Using parameter measurement errors and correlations obtained from the Fisher matrix, we determine the smallest detectable violation of bounds implied by the cosmic censorship conjecture and the no-hair theorem. We examine the effect of excluding unphysical areas of parameter space when determining the smallest detectable apparent violations, and we examine the effect of different post-Newtonian corrections to the amplitude of the compact binary coalescence gravitational waveform, as given in Arun et al. [Phys. Rev. D79, 104023 (2009)]. In addition, we perform a brief study of how the recently calculated 3.0 pN and 3.5 pN spin-orbit corrections to the phase [Marsat et al., Classical Quantum Gravity 30, 055007 (2013)] affect spin and mass parameter measurability. We find that physical priors on the symmetric mass ratio and higher harmonics in the gravitational waveform could significantly affect the ability of aLIGO to investigate cosmic censorship and the nohair theorem for certain systems.


The human brain is a powerful image and pattern recognition processor, and its basic processing element is neurons. Synapses are weighted interconnections between neurons, allowing learning and communication between neurons. Artificial neural network (ANN) is an information processing system established by simulating the structure and logical thinking mode of human brain. The uniqueness of ANN is that it is nonlinear and trained to complete processing tasks in a way similar to human brain learning. It is particularly suitable for processing signals sent by various sensors, signals sent by communication devices, and other signals that are difficult to identify. This paper introduces the origin, types and research progress of neural networks, and summarizes the application research progress of neural networks in the field of signal processing. This paper introduces the origin, types and research progress of ANN, and summarizes the application research progress of ANN in the field of signal processing.


With the mobile Internet of rapid developmentThe era of live start comingPublishing+Live Become press marketing new modeLive marketing become mobile Internet era press marketing Transformation of New Trend.New Era press to effective use live MarketingTo by fusion e-commerce platformUse Net red author,Star characters appealThe publication event influence and specific pathUse live marketing strong content,Deep Interaction,Heavy entertainment,Of scene,Viscosity user and StrategyPublishing books sales growth and press brand spreadAnd then achieve


Santiago in "Old Man and the Sea" has been described by Hemingway as a typical of "tough character". The author believes that the spirit connotation reflected by Santiago shows the consistency with Camus's "absurd hero" -Sisyphus. Facing of the failure unchanged, they still go courageously with beyond the resistance to defend human dignity.


Study Results A total of 83 avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) isolates from avian colibacillosis during a period from 2001 to 2006 in Japan were investigated for serogroups, typical virulence factors, antimicrobial susceptibility, and genetic relatedness. APEC isolates revealed moderate or high-level resistance to many antimicrobials including fluoroquinolone. Furthermore, study results showed that a specific genotype of fluoroquinolone-resistant O78 APEC might be widely distributed in Japan.


The invention discloses an interaction and instant feedback system and method in teaching. The system comprises: student ends which are used for converting current screenshots into flows when questions are raised, uploading the flows to a server end, receiving resource IDs returned by the server end, forming corresponding messages by combining instruction numbers with the resource IDs according to an appointed format and sending the messages to the server end; a teacher end which is used for receiving the messages forwarded by the server end, carrying out unpacking according to the an appointed format, obtaining the resource IDs after unpacking, requesting the corresponding image flows from the server end according to the resource IDs, converting the image flows into image files and displaying the image files on the teacher end; and the server end which is used for receiving the flows converted by the screenshots, generating the resources IDs, returning the resources IDs to the student end, writing questioning records of the student ends into a background database, receiving the image obtaining request of the teacher end, sending the corresponding image flows and forwarding the interaction messages between the student ends and the teacher end. By adopting the interaction and instant feedback system and method, instant interaction in class between the teacher end and the student ends is facilitated.


Islamic finance has been facing serious challenges both in terms of credibility as a divine and value-based system and sustainability. Many authors and research institutions have been indicating the issues and suggesting reforms for some years, but one major area that could not get due attention regarding the reform agenda is the Sharı̄[Formula: see text]ah governance system and integrating the sustainability framework into the governance related regulations. Another staggering point is that Islamic finance is moving on the path of convergence with conventional finance. It requires well thought-out conceptual and operational frameworks of governance for Islamic Financial Institutions so that the requisite regulations could be introduced and effectively implemented to keep Islamic financial services distinct from conventional services. To suggest such frameworks, this qualitative study analyses the Sharı̄[Formula: see text]ah Governance Framework introduced by the State Bank of Pakistan in 2015, and the governance related published material. It can be termed as a case study on Islamic banks' Sharı̄[Formula: see text]ah governance framework and is based on structured interviews with 32 research participants including banks' Sharı̄[Formula: see text]ah board members, Sharı̄[Formula: see text]ah reviewers/auditors, experienced Islamic banking practitioners, and the researchers/academics. As a case study, it is based on five research questions and many sub-questions relating to the governance framework introduced by the State Bank of Pakistan in 2015 for Islamic banking institutions in Pakistan. Based on the findings of the study, it suggests the bases, processes, and measures for the Islamic banks and other financial institutions moving to Islamic social finance and integrating it to the sustainability framework. It assigns roles to the regulators, the banks' Sharı̄[Formula: see text]ah boards, BODs, and senior management, and the operations and audit staff. It could become a basis for reforms in the whole process of product development and implementation and conducting business by Islamic banking and finance institutions to realize the objectives of Islamic finance as a divine, just, and value-based system.


The work carried out during this project presents the use of diethylselenium or other organometallic precursors as low-toxicity alternative selenium sources for preparing a high-quality absorber.


In this paper we use data from listed companies in China to examine whether the firms with incentives to manage earnings upwards resort to real earnings management when facing higher audit quality. Based on our OSL model, we suggest that higher audit quality increases the level of real earnings management in the companies with upward incentives to management earnings. And the potential reason is the constraints on accrual earnings management at higher audit quality. Our results are helpful to regulate information disclosure. Index Terms - real earnings management, incentives, audit quality


The structure and phase transitions in ammonium hydrogen selenate are reviewed. The results of studies of isotopic effect are presented, particularly with respect to the P212121—I2 transition.


In this article highlights of activities of the authority subjects of Russia and the socio-economic situation of the peoples, problems of socio-economic and political development, factors of Russian representation in Turkestan in the Soviet era, so strengthening the sovereignty of the Soviet power in Turkistan. So, based on the abovementioned reasons, we can conclude that the establishment of representative offices of the Russian Federation in Turkestan covers political, economic, spiritual and cultural spheres, while at the same time strengthening the sovereignty of the Soviet power in Turkistan.


Display devices play important roles in the interaction between human and digital world of computer. Building devices which can display 3-D images in true 3-D space has aroused researchers' concern for many years. In this paper, we develop a novel spatial display by projecting 2D profile slices of the 3-D models in rapid succession onto a synchronous rotating double bladed helical screen periodically. It is a high speed light-addressed system base on Texas Instruments TM(TI TM) Digital Mirror Device TM (DMD TM) technology, and high frame fresh rate is achieved by accurate control over DMD micro-mirrors. When the rotation frequency of the screen higher than critical flicker fusion frequency, the stroboscopic time-varying slices are fused into a whole flicker-free 3-D spatial imagery because of persistence of vision. The display generate volume-fill 3-D imagery consist of an array of voxels that can be seen hovering in the swept volume. The design and manufacturing of prototype is performed. It has a resolution of 1024x768x132 voxels at a volume refresh rate of 10 Hz. The 3-D imagery occupies real physical space about 203 cm3, each voxel scatter visible light from the position in which it appears. It provides full parallax, not only enable 3-D imagery to be viewed without any eye wears or headsets, but also support "look around" function. Different viewers from practically any orientation can see different sides of the imagery, as if people watch sculptures.


A strain of Eupenicillum sp.E-UN58 with high antifungal possibility was isolated in the course of screening for bioactive microbial products,which have the high production capacity of mizoribine.Effects of surfactant on mizoribine biosynthesis by Eupenicillum sp.E-UN58 were investigated in shake flask fermention.It was found that the surfactant Tween-80 at concentration range of 0.01%~1.50% could promote the production of mizoribine.Mizoribine yield in the fermentation broth increased more than 46% with adding 1.0% Tween-80 compared with not adding the surfactant,and its fermentation time was reduced by 24 h.PEG600,PEG400,PEG200,lecithin,SDS and CTAB inhibited the growth of Eupenicillum sp.E-UN58 and the production of mizoribine,while the stearic acid didn't affect the production of mizoribine at concentration range of 0.01%~1.0%,but inhibited the growth of Eupenicillum sp.E-UN58 at concentration range of 0.5%~1.5%.In conclusion,adding 1.0% Tween-80 at fermentation starting could significantly improve the production capacity of mizoribine by Eupenicillum sp.E-UN58.It laid a foundation for producing mizoribine on industrial scale.


We have measured gas and stellar velocity dispersions in five circumnuclear star-forming regions (CNSFRs) and the nucleus of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 3351. The stellar dispersions have been obtained from high-resolution spectra of the Ca II triplet (CaT) lines at λλ8494, 8542, 8662 A, while the gas velocity dispersions have been measured by Gaussian fits to the Hβ λ4861 A line on high-dispersion spectra. The CNSFRs, with sizes of about 100 to 150pc in diameter, are seen to be composed of several individual star clusters with sizes between 1.7 and 4.9 pc on a Hubble Space Telescope (HST) image. Using the stellar velocity dispersions, we have derived dynamical masses for the entire star-forming complexes and for the individual star clusters. Values of the stellar velocity dispersions are between 39 and 67 km s -1 . Dynamical masses for the whole CNSFRs are between 4.9 x 106 and 4.3 x 10 7 M ⊙ and between 1.8 and 8.7 x 10 6 M ⊙ for the individual star clusters. Stellar and gas velocity dispersions are found to differ by about 20kms -1 with the Hβ lines being narrower than both the stellar lines and the [O III]λ5007 A lines. We have found indications for the presence of two different kinematical components in the ionized gas of the regions. The radial velocity curve shows deviation from circular motions for the ionized hydrogen consistent with its infall towards the central regions of the galaxy at a velocity of about 25 km s -1 . To disentangle the origin of these two components it will be necessary to map these regions with high spectral and spatial resolution and much better signal-to-noise ratio in particular for the O 2+ lines.


In the Eurosystem, banks' interest rate expectations should no longer have resulted in a non-zero tender spread, the difference between marginal and minimum price for liquidity, when the ECB reformed its operational framework for monetary policy implementation in March 2004 so that the policy rates remain constant within reserves maintenance periods. Yet, the tender spread was wider in 2005 than in any single year after 2000, when the ECB switched from fixed to variable rate tenders. Parts of the relevant literature have argued that because of the ECB's asymmetric preferences over deviations of the market rates up and down from the policy rate, the shortest euro interest rates persistently exceed the policy rate This paper argues, however, that when the central bank applies a quantity oriented liquidity policy, a positive tender spread may result from money market inefficiencies and banks' risk aversion even if the central bank preferences are symmetric and the markets do not anticipate any changes in the policy rates. In such a case, the driving force behind the tender spread is banks' uncertainty about their individual allotments at the marginal rate for the Eurosystem main refinancing operations (MROs). Furthermore, the allotment uncertainty is shown to be significantly related to the amount of liquidity supplied in each operation. Hence, the expansion in the MRO volumes experienced since 2002 may have had a major contribution to the emergence and observed growth of the tender spread.


Linear Temporal Logic (LTL) is a de-facto standard formalism for expressing properties of systems and temporal constraints in formal verification, artificial intelligence, and other areas of computer science. The problem of LTL satisfiability is thus prominently important to check the consistency of these temporal specifications. Although adding past operators to LTL does not increase its expressive power, recently the interest for explicitly handling the past in temporal logics has increased because of the clarity and succinctness that those operators provide. In this work, a recently proposed one-pass tree-shaped tableau system for LTL is extended to support past operators. The modularity of the required changes provides evidence for the claimed ease of extensibility of this tableau system.


Background Based on the involvement of cytokines and growth factors in bone homeostasis, we hypothesised that patients with common variable immunodeficiency (CVI), characterised by persistent immune activation in vivo, may have disturbed bone metabolism as evaluated by biochemical markers of bone turnover.


The epithelial cells of the choroid plexus (CP) are responsible for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) secretion into the ventricles of the brain. The balance between CSF production and drainage, in part, facilitates a normal intracranial pressure. The secretion of Na+ and anions by the CP creates an osmotic gradient driving water into the ventricles. This is opposite to classical Na+ transporting tissues, such as the kidney, where Na+ and water reabsorption is mediated by 11β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 that protects the mineralocorticoid receptor by abrogating active cortisol to inactive cortisone. In the human ocular ciliary epithelium, Na+ and water secretion is dependent on a novel mediator of ciliary epithelial Na+ transport, 11β‐HSD type 1 (11β‐HSD1), that generates intraocular cortisol. In a mechanism analogous to that of the embryologically related ocular ciliary epithelium, we propose that autocrine regulation of intracranial cortisol is dependent on 11β‐HSD1 expression in the CP epithelial cells. By conducting immunolocalisation studies on brains from New Zealand White Albino rabbits, we defined the expression of 11β‐HSD1 in the secretory CP epithelial cells. Enzyme assays performed on intact rabbit CP whole tissue explants confirmed predominant 11β‐HSD1 activity, generating cortisol that was inhibited by glycyrrhetinic acid (an 11β‐HSD inhibitor). Using the real time‐polymerase chain reaction, rabbit CP tissue was found to express levels of 11β‐HSD1, glucocorticoid receptor α and serum and glucocorticoid‐regulated kinase 1 mRNA comparable to that expressed in rabbit ocular ciliary body, thereby highlighting the similarity between these two tissues. Furthermore, an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay of rabbit CSF revealed a median cortisol concentration of 1.7 nmol/l (range 1.4–4.3 nmol/l, n = 9). Our data have identified a functional 11β‐HSD1 within the CP, mediating intracranial cortisol bioavailability. Expression of 11β‐HSD1 may be fundamental in the regulation of CSF secretion and the local generation of cortisol may represent a pathophysiological mechanism underlying cortisol‐dependent neuroendocrine diseases.


We demonstrate for the first time 2.5V RF arbitrary waveform generation, at frequencies of interest to ultra-wideband (UWB) applications, enabled by high power handling photodiodes. The effect of the photodiodes' amplitude & phase linearity is also explored.


The process of beer fermentation was studied by adding of oyster polysaccharides.The result showed that the beer fermentation with 1.2%(w/v)oyster polysaccharides has nice flavor.


Nevertheless, this technology may present some serious hazards which origins are different than the thermal engines ones. The Li-Ion batteries are generally located all along the floor chassis and the car center of gravity is then lowered compared to other vehicles. Consequently, the safety concerns to investigate are different than usual. The short-circuit represents the greatest risk among the potential dangers observed when crushing the battery. Several physical domains (mechanics, electromagnetics and thermal) are involved, resulting in a thermal runaway that might lead to an explosion.


To better understand the flow processes, solute-transport processes and the interactions between the main channel and various lateral arms and bights, a fluorescent dye-tracer study was performed under steady-state flow conditions on a 16.8 km reach of an anastomosing type of a river. A part of the anastomosing section of the Upper Narew River was selected for the studies. This section extends in the wetland area lying within the Narew National Park area. A detailed survey of the hydrologic and hydraulic conditions and also of the bed morphology were performed in the considered river reach. Streamwise velocities were measured at the crucial cross-sections and volumetric flow rates were evaluated there. The response to the slug injection of a soluble tracer is assumed to imitate the characteristics of a soluble pollutant, so understanding of how tracers mix and disperse in a stream is essential to understanding the processes of pollution transport. The procedure applied during the considered experiment consisted in the instantaneous injection of a known quantity of the solution of Rhodamine WT into a stream and the observation of the variation in concentration of the tracer as it moved downstream. The measurements were also carried out in the main river arms. The conceptual model used for the analyses was the one-dimensional transient storage model allowing for the reconstruction of the abrupt leading edges and the long upper tails in the distributions of solute concentrations.


Objectives:We aimed to investigate the prevalence of Extrapyramidal signs (EPS) and the associations between EPS and cognitive subdomains in patients...


Virial coefficients of the fluid of hard regular tetrahedra are calculated up to the ninth, using computer-algebra-generated Ree–Hoover diagrams and Monte Carlo numerical integration. The virial expansion is compared to the results of isobaric Monte Carlo simulations. Convergence of the virial series is studied and higher virial coefficients are estimated from a combination of the known virial coefficients and simulation data. Convergence of the virial series is compared to that of the fluid of hard spheres.


A computer vision system based on 3-D data of a laser range finder is described. As an alternative to the traditional method, in this system the 3-D object recognition problem is treated as a random problem. Each 3-D object considered by this system is represented by the collection of images of the object from all possible viewing positions. The images are characterized by parameters of four different aspects in such a way that, when input data are presented, a two-tier tolerance limit is used to eliminate most of the obviously incompatible candidates quickly without having explicitly to explore them. It has high potential for practical implementation in realtime, a least as a preliminary subsystem for a more sophisticated system.


In this paper, we analyze the vacuum expectation values of the field squared and the energy–momentum tensor associated with a massive scalar field in a higher dimensional cosmic string spacetime, obeying Dirichlet or Neumann boundary conditions on the surface orthogonal to the string. In order to develop this analysis, the corresponding Green's function is obtained. The Green's function is given by the sum of two expressions: the first one corresponds to the standard Green's function in the boundary-free cosmic string spacetime and the second contribution is induced by the boundary. The boundary-induced parts have opposite signs for Dirichlet and Neumann scalars. Because the analysis of vacuum polarization effects in the boundary-free cosmic string spacetime has been developed in the literature, here we are mainly interested in the calculations of the effects induced by the boundary. In this way closed expressions for the corresponding expectation values are provided, as well as their asymptotic behavior in different limiting regions being investigated. We show that the non-trivial topology due to the cosmic string enhances the boundary-induced vacuum polarization effects for both the field squared and the energy–momentum tensor, compared to the case of a boundary in Minkowski spacetime. The presence of the cosmic string induces non-zero stress along the direction normal to the boundary. The corresponding vacuum force acting on the boundary is investigated.


Infiltration as a term describes the flow of water through the soil surface. It also describes the process by which water soaks and is absorbed by the soil. Slopes of varying steepness and aspect will get different amount of rainfall-runoff which may influence the amount of infiltration. The study is aimed at examining the influence of slope on the variability of infiltration capacity in Obudu Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria. The slope was dichotomized into three segments based on the geomorphological zonation. Four transects were marked out in each of the slope segment. Two soil samples were randomly collected at the upper, middle and bottom slopes and were taken to the laboratory for the analysis of moisture content. The steel cylinder were firmly driven into the soil to a depth of 5cm with the aid of a hand hammer. The wooden plates were then used to ascertain if the steel cylinders are balanced enough. The wooden plates were then placed on the steel cylinder and invert the already filled bottle on it through a hole on wooden plate. Reading starts immediately the bottles have been inverted over the steel cylinder. The data from each test were expressed in the form of the Talsma-Parlange equation which is also similar to the Philip"s two equation in terms of sorptivity, S, and the saturated hydraulic conductivity, ks. The results revealed that there was no obvious variation in the values of infiltration on the upper, middle and bottom slope segments. The ANOVA results further established the difference between the values of infiltration, diffusion and transmission contents and the mean of infiltration capacity on the upper, middle and lower slope segments along the toposequence. The result revealed an insignificant variation in the values on the various segment of the slope. The study has established how much of an influence slope has on water infiltration as a geomorphic process.


Bartlett's chi squared, Cattell's scree test, and the Kaiser criterion for the number of factors were examined for susceptibility to error variance using non-anchored responses (N = 292) to various sets of fixed-response formats (4-, 5-, and 7-point Likert and numeric, lines with end points anchored, and several forms of human faces). Results demonstrated that Cattell's scree test is the most conservative under these conditions followed by Bartlett's chi squared with alpha set at .001. The Kaiser criterion was generally the most liberal. The factor pattern of the first principal component for each set of response formats was then examined for consistency using congruence coefficients. High congruences were found among most formats with the exception of 4-point formats. Of formats tested 4-position response formats seem least susceptible to systematic error based both on eigenvalue criteria and congruence with other formats.


This study intends to collect information on the Taekwondo Do-jang image and finds improvement plan after categorizing negative image of Taekwondo Do-jang. To achieve the foregoing objectives, this study selected 100 amateurs and 100 Taekwondo people as participants. This study collected images of Taekwondo Do-jang targeting the above two groups and categorized negative elements of the collected ones. For finding plans to improve negative image of Taekwondo Do-jang, this study selected 7 Taekwondo experts. Open survey in respect of Taekwondo Do-jang image was formed and used as a research tool and in-depth interview was also implemented based on the precedence researches. Data collected was processed using an inductive content analysis of qualitative data analysis method. Triangulation was also used for making the validity of data higher. As for the improvement plan of negative image, result was suggested according to the deductive development method in respect of factors. And conclusions derived through the process are as follows. While suggesting children in Taekwondo uniform, a place where the shout of concentration sounds, kicking, smashing, exercising place and olympic as positive images of Taekwondo Do-jang, amateurs mentioned about image as exercise only for children, private institute not as a place for martial art, cheap exercise, unsanitary environment and risk of injury as negative images. Meanwhile, Taekwondo people recollected personality education, enhancement of physical strength and self-defense as positive image, but they also have negative images such as exercise only for children and private institute not as a place for martial art like amateurs mentioned. Detailed categorization of negative images that both amateurs and Taekwondo people are having in common included images as exercise only for children, private institute not as a place for martial art, cheap exercise, unsanitary environment, risk of injury, too many Taekwondo Do-jang, a place for amusement, difficult exercise, exercise only for men and boring exercise.


Look-up table (LUT)-based canopy reflectance models are considered robust methods to estimate vegetation attributes from remotely sensed data. However, the LUT inversion approach is sensitive to measurements and model uncertainties, which raise the ill-posed inverse problem. Therefore, regularization options are needed to mitigate this problem and reduce the uncertainties of estimates. In this study, we introduce a new method to regularize the LUT inversion approach to improve the accuracy of biophysical parameters (leaf area index (LAI) and fractional vegetation cover (fCover)). This was achieved by incorporating known variable correlations that existed at the test site into the LUT approach to correlate the model variables of the Soil–Leaf–Canopy (SLC) model using the Cholesky decomposition algorithm. The retrievals of 27 potato plots obtained from the regularized LUT (LUTreg) were compared with the standard LUT (LUTstd), which did not consider variable correlations. Different solutions from both types of LUTs (LUTreg and LUTstd) were utilized to improve the quality of the model outputs. Results indicate that the present method improved the accuracy of LAI estimation, with the coefficient of determination R2 = 0.74 and normalized root-mean-square error NRMSE = 24.45% in LUTreg, compared with R2 = 0.71 and NRMSE = 25.57% in LUTstd. In addition, the variability of LAI decreased in LUTreg (5.10) compared with that in LUTstd (12.10). Hence, our results give new insight into the impact of adding the correlation between variables to the LUT inversion approach to improve the accuracy of estimations. In this study, only two correlated variables (LAI and fCover) were examined; in subsequent studies, the full correlation matrix based on the Cholesky algorithm should be explored.


This essay focuses on the medical motifs in Henryk Sienkiewicz's Trilogy, which relate tovarious types of diseases (dangerous and mild ones) as well as the methods of fighting them. Itprimarily attempts to find and explain the reasons for the use of such motifs in literature and toexamine their impact on building a specific image of the hero and creating the reality in which hefunctions.


In this article, performance of239 real estate investment trusts (REITs) from 15 developed countries is analyzed according to their regional specific characteristics. This investment vehicle is rapidly spreading all over the world due to high returns it offers while being of low risk, and since the governments create special legislation. In 2013, there were around 30 countries where REITs can be created, so regional specifics of REITs' performance can be studied. USA has the oldest REITs market in the world with 133 trusts operating there. Popularity of American REITs is explained by the fact that they usually hold well diversified portfolios of property with stable income. This helped them rather successfully survive through the global economic crisis of2008-2010, but after that attracted close attention of institutional investors which has led to the creation of new bubble on the market. European REITs market has appeared recently, its development being slowed down by the recent crisis. The debt crisis and liquidity strain caused REITs lack of funds; economic downturn led to the reduction of trusts' returns, resulting in the outflow of the investment to the USA. In 2012, the recovery of the debt capital market reanimated the REITs market. REITs in the Asia-Pacific region are very risky thus offering a high riskpremium. Their returns are unstable and fluctuate in line with the global economic situation. After the crisis, REITs have been the most attractive investment vehicle on the market offering high yield.


In excavations 4x4 feet made at different times between 1933 and 1937 at Hawarden and Cherokee, Iowa, to determine the extent of the root system of the European bindweed, Convolvulus arvensis L., no outgrowth of aerial shoots was observed below a depth of approximately 12 feet. The light intensity at the place where no aerial growth took place, as measured by a Weston light meter at 2:00 p.m. on September 19, 1936, was 42 f .c. while the reading in direct sunlight at that time was 7,500 f.c. There was a gradual increase in the number of aerial shoots above the 12-foot point which suggested that insufficient light was the principal factor limiting the development of green shoots at the lower depths. The object of the investigation reported in this paper was to determine the effect of reduced light upon the aerial and subterranean parts of the European bindweed and to gain some specific information concerning the depletion of root reserves, resulting from a prolonged period of light reduction. Along with this objective an effort was made to determine whether the principle of light reduction may be effectively used in the eradication of perennial weeds like the European bindweed. The contributions to the r?le of light made by MacDougal (18), Lubimenko (16), Thatcher (26), Combes (10), Ros? (21), Shantz (23), Garner and Allard (12), Gourley (13), Gourley and Nightingale (14), Schultz and Thompson (22), Lubimenko and Karisnev (17), Bates and Roeser (7), Iwanoff and Kossowitsch (15), Weaver and Clements (28), Tyson (27), Clements and Long (8, 9), and Shirley (24, 25) have shown that a reduction in light intensity produces plants with attenuated stems, and thin walled, loosely organized leaf cells ; reduces root development and root reserves ; decreases the percentage of dry matter and stored carbohydrates ; increases the moisture content, reducing sugars, sucrose, water soluble nitrogen, and ash content ; and prolongs vegetative and fruiting periods. Bakke (3) disclosed that shaded European bindweed plants lost their normal prostrate form and became twining plants, but the literature presents very little information on the effect of reduced light upon the food reserves in the roots of perennial plants. 1 Contribution from the Iowa Agricultural Experiment Stationen cooperation with the Division of Cereal Crops and Diseases, Bureau of Plant Industry, Soils and Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural Research Administration, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Iowa State Board of Control (Cherokee State Hospital, Cherokee, Iowa). Journal Paper no. J-1223 of the Iowa Agricultural Experiment Station, Ames, Iowa. Project 484.


The recognizing and converting system of the sweater Hollowed-out patterns,is designed and realized by Visual Basic,using Visual FoxPro database management system to manage data,and the ADO control objects to connect to the database.There are five functional modules in the system.Image inputting module is used to input the pattern into the system from a disk file;pattern digitizing module is used to convert each weave symbol in the pattern into a certain size lattice data and store it in a database file;pattern template managing module is used to design a standard template data for each weave symbol and store it in a database file;pattern recognizing module is used to identify each knitting symbol in the pattern and store the recognition results in a database file;pattern data converting module is used to convert the data into sweater knitting machine data and store the result into a database file.It provided a simple,convenient and practical tool for the sweater knitting enthusiasts.


FIELD: medicine. SUBSTANCE: group of inventions refers to medicine, namely to a method of analysing ex-vivo if a patient suffering a cancer is expected to respond therapeutically to a method of treating. To this purpose, a biological sample specified in a group consisting of total blood, plasma or serum samples is taken from the patient. The levels IL10 and IFNγ are measured in the above biological sample; the levels are determined with using the respective IL10 and INFγ specific antibodies. The IL10/IFNγ ratio is derived and compared to a threshold. If the IL10/IFNγ ratio of less than 4 shows that the patient is expected to develop the preventive or therapeutic response to the immunogenic composition. The group of inventions also refers to using IL10 and INFγ as biomarkers and a kit for analysing the above method. EFFECT: using the given method enables predicting the sensitivity of the patient suffering cancer to the therapeutic treatment, as well as obtaining an algorithm for treatment modification for improving the patient's response to the treatment. 12 cl, 2 dwg, 1 ex


The electrodynamics of particulate contamination in an ionospheric plasma near spacecraft surfaces is being investigated by a new 2D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation. Particulate charging in the PIC simulation is treated as a collisional event and is implemented in a Monte Carlo fashion. The simulation has been applied to dusty plasmas both in an unbounded plasma and near a bounded plasma (spacecraft surface). Results from the simulation include estimates of the charge and potential structure of finite-size dust clouds. Low-density dust clouds do not perturb the electric potential of the plasma, similar to the case for isolated particulates. In high-density dust clouds, the potential forms a sheath-like structure while the charge forms a double layer on the outer boundary of the cloud. Particulates can have negative or positive charges depending on the applied surface potential, thus raising the possibility of controlling particulate contamination by controlling the spacecraft potential.


Summary We have implemented the pypgatk package and the pgdb workflow to create proteogenomics databases based on ENSEMBL resources. The tools allow the generation of protein sequences from novel protein-coding transcripts by performing a three-frame translation of pseudogenes, lncRNAs, and other non-canonical transcripts, such as those produced by alternative splicing events. It also includes exonic out-of-frame translation from otherwise canonical protein-coding mRNAs. Moreover, the tool enables the generation of variant protein sequences from multiple sources of genomic variants including COSMIC, cBioportal, gnomAD, and mutations detected from sequencing of patient samples. pypgatk and pgdb provide multiple functionalities for database handling, notably optimized target/decoy generation by the algorithm DecoyPyrat. Finally, we perform a reanalysis of four public datasets in PRIDE by generating cell-type specific databases for 65 cell lines using the pypgatk and pgdb workflow, revealing a wealth of non-canonical or cryptic peptides amounting to more than 10% of the total number of peptides identified (43,501 out of 402,512). Availability The software is freely available. pypgatk: (https://github.com/bigbio/py-pgatk/), and pgdb: (https://github.com/nf-core/pgdb) Contact Yasset Perez-Riverol (firstname.lastname@example.com), Rui Branca (email@example.com) Supplementary information Supplementary data are available online.


The article describes teaching of a foreign language considering peculiarities of individual perception of students and identification of behavior patterns of individuals and groups. Awareness of individual sensory perception make it possible to create more homogeneous and productive educational groups for faster and more efficient learning and memorization of educational material.


Objective: Perinatal morbidity and mortality are increased in pregnancies complicated by untreated or undetected gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), but there is little agreement on how to screen for or diagnose the condition. We evaluated a sensitive diagnostic strategy for GDM. Methods: We conducted an oral glucose tolerance test (oGTT) with 75 g of glucose in 1621 unselected pregnant women between 24 and 28 weeks' gestation. Patients with a positive screening test underwent a second, diagnostic oGTT. A diagnosis of GDM was made if serum glucose exceeded one of the following limits: 100 mg/dL at fasting, 160 mg/dL at 1 hour, 140 mg/dL at 2 hours, and 120 mg/dL at 3 hours. Results: A total of 97 of the 1621 (6.0%) women met the diagnosis of GDM, 61 had impaired glucose tolerance (positive screening test but negative diagnostic test). Women with intermediate glucose tolerance were similar in age and BMI to 104 women with normal glucose tolerance and had serum glucose and insulin levels during oGTT between those of women with GDM and women with normal glucose tolerance. The neonatal outcome in women with (treated) GDM was similar to that in women with normal glucose tolerance, whereas in (untreated) women with IGT birth weight and the rate of macrosomia tended to be higher. Conclusion: Our data support the concept of a continuum of glucose tolerance during pregnancy. A diagnostic strategy aiming at detecting even minor alterations of glucose tolerance (mild GDM) yielded good neonatal results and appears to be clinically useful.


Fatigue is a significant problem for patients with cancer and generally increases as the patient's disease advances. It may be caused or exacerbated by numerous factors which become increasingly common with advancing disease including inadequate nutrition, cachexia and weight loss, dyspnoea, depression and treatment. This symptom can be particularly difficult for patients and healthcare professionals to understand and manage effectively as patients move along the disease trajectory. This article reviews the prevalence of fatigue in advanced cancer and discusses the problems associated with recognizing and managing fatigue in this patient group. Potential strategies that can be employed to manage cancer-related fatigue are examined. The theoretical frameworks underpinning nursing knowledge of cancer-related fatigue are critiqued and their potential for guiding the assessment and management of fatigue evaluated. Efficacy of strategies used by patients to manage this symptom and their value for people with a...


Molten salt electrorefining process is one of the key steps of the pyrochemical reprocessing flow sheet for the spent metallic fuel from fast reactors. The electrorefining process is simulated using COMSOL Multiphysics. This involves solving multiple equations corresponding to electrochemical reactions at the electrode surfaces, mass transfer of metal ions in the electrolyte, potential distribution in the electrolyte, and overall material balance of metal ions in a coupled manner. The model is validated using the data of laboratory scale electrorefining experiments from literature. The results show a good agreement with the present experimental data, the variation being less than 10% for the U and Pu concentration changes in liquid Cd anode and molten salt, and U deposit on solid cathode.


Examining the effect of age, environment, design and maintenance, these papers discuss how legislation and regulation in the management of systems deals with the topic of safety and reliability.


Abstract Observations have shown that the Sun's magnetic field has helical structures. The helicity content in magnetic field configurations is a crucial constraint on the dynamical evolution of the system. Since helicity is connected with the number of links we investigate configurations with interlocked magnetic flux rings and one with unlinked rings. It turns out that it is not the linking of the tubes which affects the magnetic field decay, but the content of magnetic helicity.


Reactivation of varicella‐zoster virus (VZV) is one of the commonest complications after stem cell transplantation, and often presents with atypical manifestations. We describe two unusual cases of occult disseminated zoster in allogeneic stem cell transplant recipients, presenting as severe abdominal pain and syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion/hyponatraemia, and accompanied by leukaemia relapse. There was complete clinical recovery with high‐dose aciclovir and intravenous immunoglobulin. Prompt treatment of leukaemia relapse also resulted in complete remission. A possible immunological link between concurrent breakdown of immune control of VZV and leukaemia is discussed.


In this work, a UV/H 2 O 2 system was evaluated using an experimental design 2 level I-optimal response surface design to analyze the effect of temperature, pH, UV lamp power (W), and H 2 O 2 concentration on dye load removal and nitrification from industrial cleaning wastewater. Results showed that the optimum conditions were 80 °C, pH 4, PW-UV 60 W, and H 2 O 2 3.1 Mol*L -1 . Removal percentages of 45% for COD, 47.5% color, 87% Fe, 82% Cr and 91% ammonium oxidation to nitrate were achieved. It can be concluded that the effluents treated by this process could be promising for reuse and exploitation in biotechnological tools through microalgae and cyanobacteria.


AT the meeting of the Section of Balneology and Climatology of the Royal Society of Medicine on November 21st, Dr. F. G(. THOMSON of Batlh, the niew presidenit, delivered the annual address fiom the chair. Dr. Thomson sai(l that the treatmeint of certain definite diseases by w-hat was nowcalled medical hydrology appeared to be one of the oldest forms of practical therapeutics, a.n(l the fact that certain pr eviouisly sick people deerived benefit fronii a cour se of batlhs an(d watetrs had been


Purpose – The purpose of this investigation is to explore Alitalia and the Italian Government's crisis response strategies (CRSs) implemented in three specific periods of 2008 to understand Alitalia and the Italian Government's approach in communicating with media stakeholders as well as to examine how main Italian and international newspapers framed Alitalia's CRSs.Design/methodology/approach – This study adopts a content analysis approach to evaluate CRSs used by Alitalia and the Italian Government in their official press releases then reported by the main Italian and international newspapers.Findings – Both Alitalia and the Italian Government focused mostly on corrective action – however, some differences in their choice of CRSs are visible during the three periods. Alitalia provided more information on the situation through its press releases than the government, whereas the government used in a larger measure excuse strategies, especially in the later period. In terms of news coverage, the content an...


Recent progress in physics-based character animation has enabled learning diverse skills from large motion capture datasets. However, most often only a single character shape is considered. On the other hand, work on controlling various body shapes with one policy is limited to few motions. In this paper, we first evaluate the generalization capabilities of latent skill embeddings on physicsbased character control for varying body shapes. We then propose two strategies to learn a single policy that can generalize across different body shapes. In our experiments, we show that these simple but effective strategies significantly improve the performance over state-of-the-art, without having to retrain the skill embeddings from scratch.


An important goal of operability research is the development of quantitative seakeeping criteria to permit the effects of ship motions on operations to be assessed. This paper examines the problem of developing seakeeping criteria for deck operations. The lateral force estimator is generalized to permit frequency-domain computation of the incidence of personnel losing balance in the presence of non-zero vertical acceleration.

The inadequacy of roll-angle based seakeeping criteria for deck operations is shown. Other possible criteria for deck operations are discussed, and it is concluded that a limit on the number of motion-induced interruptions during deck operations is most suitable, since it is platform-independent, and may now be computed in the frequency-domain.


Two-stage power-factor-correction (PFC) converter is the most common circuit to draw sinusoidal and in phase current waveforms from the ac source with a good regulated output voltage. The first stage is the boost PFC converter with average-current-mode control for achieving the near-unity power factor and the second stage is the forward converter with voltage-mode control for the purpose of a regulated output voltage. Stability analysis and design method were discussed depending on the linear models. Recently, new; nonlinear phenomena have been detected in PFC circuits and a new nonlinear model has been proposed for the pre-regulated PFC converter. Therefore, this paper introduces a study for stability of two-stage PFC converter. A novel nonlinear model for two-stage PFC converter is proposed. Then, stability analysis is studied depending on this nonlinear model. Simulation and experiment confirm this analysis with a good matching.


ABSTRACT This study addresses the gap in research on family caregivers by examining how specific communication skills may affect caregiver burden. Caregiver burden is the perception of whether caregiving has a negative effect on an individual's functioning, including physical, social, and emotional operation. This paper examines the impact of two types of self-perceptions that are related to communication competence. Self-efficacy refers to one's confidence in being able to communicate with clinicians. Emotional intelligence is a subset of social intelligence and represents one's ability to manage their own and others' feelings and emotions. Three hundred and two participants self-identified as caregivers completed a survey that included measures of caregiver burden, clinical communication self-efficacy, and trait emotional intelligence. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that both higher levels of clinical communication self-efficacy and emotional intelligence decreased caregiver burden. However, emotional intelligence moderated the relationship between clinical communication self-efficacy and caregiver burden in that higher clinical communication self-efficacy was more strongly related to less burden when respondents also reported higher emotional intelligence. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.


ABSTRACT In this paper, a novel convertible stadium roof structure is introduced, which has been derived from a special geometric configuration of Watt-I linkage, a 1-DoF mechanism used in robot technologies as anthropomorphic fingers. The proposed structure can offer a wide range of different shape configurations according to the environmental conditions and spatial needs, thus offering several aesthetic and functional advantages over existing solutions. This paper serves as a feasibility investigation of this concept, mainly from geometric and structural point of view. To that affect, first kinematic analysis and geometric design of this linkage are introduced. Then, structural analyses of the proposed structure with realistic dimensions and loading conditions are performed in three different geometric configurations, in order to discuss strength and stiffness limitations. Finally, potential cover materials and actuators are briefly discussed.


Quaternary glacial gravels are often partly cemented by carbonates, and comparable cements are also known from pre-Quaternary glacigenic rock sections. These cemented zones are of importance e.g. for applied geology or paleoclimate studies but have hitherto not been studied systematically. This article reports examples from the Alpine foreland of Northern Switzerland. It is based on geotechnical reports, field observations, petrographic and stable isotope analyses. It will be shown that carbonate cements in glacial gravel are of heterogeneous origin and that many of them should rather be considered as cemented internal sediment (i.e., sediment which infiltrated the gravel skeleton after deposition) the source of which is assumed to be the fine suspended fraction of glacier meltwater. This paper presents descriptive, petrographic, and geochemical criteria to distinguish between such cemented internal sediment and true cements, and develops genetic models to account for both the development of internal sediment and of true cements. It is suggested that the use of these models will help to better predict the spatial geometry of cemented zones in glacial gravel. Finally, we will discuss some consequences for the study of pre-Quaternary glacigenic deposits.


In this paper,the controllability problem is analyzed for discrete-time multi-agent systems under directed interconnection topologies.It is proved that the necessary condition for a system to be controllable is that there are no two followers which can only receive information from the same agent.Also an approach is proposed to transform an uncontrollable system to a controllable one by assigning weights between agents.An example is given to illustrate the ideas and the corresponding results.


The AVALON study was a randomized, multicenter trial to assess the efficacy and safety of coadministered amlodipine and atorvastatin in patients with hypertension and dyslipidemia. Phase one was an 8‐week, double‐blind, double‐dummy, placebo‐controlled period whereby patients received amlodipine 5 mg, atorvastatin 10 mg, amlodipine 5 mg and atorvastatin 10 mg, or placebo. Thereafter, all patients received single‐blind amlodipine 5 mg and atorvastatin 10 mg for 8‐weeks, followed by 12 weeks of open‐label treatment where doses could be titrated to improve low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol and blood pressure control. A total of 847 patients entered the double‐blind phase. At Week 8, 45% of the patients receiving amlodipine 5 mg and atorvastatin 10 mg reached both their blood pressure and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol goals, compared with 8.3% with amlodipine (p<0.001), 28.6% with atorvastatin (p<0.001), and 3.5% with placebo. At 28 weeks, 67.1% of patients coadministered amlodipine and atorvastatin (mean doses, 7.6 mg and 28.4 mg, respectively) achieved both targets. Framingham estimated 10‐year risk of coronary heart disease declined from baseline levels of 15.1% to 6.9% at Week 28. Following coadministered treatment, the adverse events reported were similar to either agent alone. Concomitant administration of amlodipine and atorvastatin is an effective and well tolerated treatment for coexisting hypertension and dyslipidemia.


The invention discloses a forge forming method for a 1Cr14Mn14Ni stainless steel ring part. The method comprises the steps that a stainless steel ingot is heated to the temperature of 1150-1180 DGE C, and a stainless steel blank in a forging state is obtained after cogging forge with three upsetting and three drawing and deflection larger than 70%; after the stainless steel is heated to the temperature of 750-770 DEG C and the temperature is kept for 30 min, the temperature is reduced to 660-690 DEG C and kept for 30 min, and thermal treatment is performed; then the stainless steel blank is heat to the temperature of 960-980 DEG C for forge forming; the stainless steel blank is quenched by using forge waste heat and then tempered, and heat treatment after forge is performed with a temper cooling manner combining rapid cooling and slow cooling. According to the method, a 1Cr14Mn14Ni stainless steel forge part can obtain an austenite structure with fine, uniform and high dislocation density, and accordingly, excellent mechanical property, corrosion resistance, cold workability and toughness are obtained. Therefore, the 1Cr14Mn14Ni stainless steel ring part can replace precious metal materials such as high-temperature alloy and titanium alloy to manufacture components such as a compressor casing with high strength and corrosion resistance.


This publication is a continuation of the article "Syncope: to help the practitioner" (Communication 1). It outlines actual approaches to the diagnosis and interpretation of data from clinical and instrumental research methods in patients with various types of syncope in accordance with the recommendations of the American College of Cardiology (2017) and the European Society of Cardiology (2018). The article presents the main provisions of recent recommendations for the use of diagnostic methods in patients with various types of syncope. The emphasis is placed on the possibilities of diagnostics after the initial examination to determine the subsequent treatment tactics, prevent possible complications, and resolve expert questions.


Gated image intensifier tubes (IITs) with microchannel-plate (MCP) may be used for the diagnostics of very fast transient phenomena such as predischarge development in gases. The gating pulse is usually applied to the cathode of the IIT while the voltages across the MCP and the anode remain constant. Due to the transparency of the cathode, which is in the range of 10-5, and the low emission energy of the MCP-material, which can be below 2 eV, a small portion of radiation is able to pass the cathode during its non-gated state and release electrons directly from the MCP-material. These electrons are amplified by the MCP which may result in an aliased picture. Therefore the amount of radiation which can be applied to the IIT during its non-gated state is limited. In order to increase the gating efficiency of the IIT combined gating of the cathode and the MCP is used. This allows us to take pictures from predischarge phenomena with very low luminosity followed by the intensive radiation of the high current arc. Similar problems exist during investigations of the recovery phase of high current switches. In addition gating of the MCP reduces all kinds of noise caused by the MCP during the relatively long integration time of the video-camera usually connected to the IIT. A single frame high speed camera with gated photocathode, gated MCP, and variable exposure times between 700 ps and 5 ns has been developed. The transparency could be decreased from 1E - 5 of less than 1E - 13.


This paper presents an investigation of time-dependent pressure measurements in the spiral casing of a Kaplan turbine model. The work is part of a project with the purpose of investigating unsteady ...


In this paper, we present a new push-relabel algorithm for the maximum flow problem on flow networks with $n$ vertices and $m$ arcs. Our algorithm computes a maximum flow in $O(mn)$ time on sparse networks where $m = O(n)$. To our knowledge, this is the first $O(mn)$ time push-relabel algorithm for the $m = O(n)$ edge case; previously, it was known that push-relabel implementations could find a max-flow in $O(mn)$ time when $m = \Omega(n^{1+\epsilon})$ (King, et. al., SODA `92). This also matches a recent flow decomposition-based algorithm due to Orlin (STOC `13), which finds a max-flow in $O(mn)$ time on sparse networks.
Our main result is improving on the Excess-Scaling algorithm (Ahuja & Orlin, 1989) by reducing the number of nonsaturating pushes to $O(mn)$ across all scaling phases. This is reached by combining Ahuja and Orlin's algorithm with Orlin's compact flow networks. A contribution of this paper is demonstrating that the compact networks technique can be extended to the push-relabel family of algorithms. We also provide evidence that this approach could be a promising avenue towards an $O(mn)$-time algorithm for all edge densities.


In this paper, we describe the development of a software framework and its guiding principles for patient handling and processing in emergencies and disasters. The MEDTOC system developed earlier is modified and enhanced to include a complete object oriented software model for patient classification, patient handling and patient data processing. The client and server side processing is specified, the patient clustering considerations are discussed and initial results are outlined in terms of software models, algorithms and medical guidelines for effective collaboration.


The case report of a 14 years patient is described who was referred by the general comprehensive stomatologist to the Oral andMaxillofacialProsthesisRehabilitationCenterinSantiago de Cubafor prosthetic rehabilitation. Abnormal color and brown stains in the whole surface of the enamel of her permanent teeth were observed during the intraoral physical exam (11, 12, 13, 21, 22 and 23), which was diagnosed as an amelogenesis of hypocalcified type. It was decided to carry out individual restorations of provisional cases crowns with acrylic to improve their function and dental aesthetics.


Twitter is a social media platform where users post their views of everyday life. Every tweet has a sentiment hidden behind it. Our aim is to use this data which is present in abundance and to make strategic decisions from it. The objective of this paper is to compare the earlier methods: Turney's approach and Pang's approach, study the ongoing technique i.e. NLP, and discuss the various issues and challenges faced while performing sentiment analysis and mining the data obtained from Twitter.


In this study the role of vaccination of new born b abies against tuberculosis and treatment of both latently and activity infecte d individuals in controlling the spread of tuberculosis was mathematically modelled based on the standard SEIR model. The disease - free equilibrium state of the model was established and its stability analyzed using the Routh-Hurwitz theorem. The result of the analysis of the stability of the disease-free equilibrium state shows that tuberculosis can totally be eradicated if effort is made to ensure tthe sum of the rate of recovery of the latent class, the rate at which lat ently infected individuals become actively infected and the rate of natural death , m ust have a lower bound.


This paper analyzes the major factors of affecting basketball referees' right judgment by adopting the investigation and interview techniques as well as methods of documentation.The result shows that the major factors are basketball referees' theoretical knowledge of profession,on-the-spot psychological factors,experience and skills of judgment,occupational ethics,physical condition,etc.


Background: Current methods used to measure the muscle strength required to achieve plantar flexion may yield highly variable results depending on the perception of the physician conducting the examination because these tests involve subjective and qualitative evaluation. Objective: To describe and evaluate the efficacy of a novel examination technique that can quantitatively measure plantar flexion in L5–S1 disc herniation. Materials and Methods: A total of 32 patients (average age: 49.4 years, range: 23–78) with L5–S1 disc herniations were included. The patient to be tested stood next to a table on which they could lean with their hands. The leg closer to the table was fully flexed at the knee, and the other foot was brought to maximum plantar flexion on the toes. At this point, a stopwatch was started to measure the time that passed until the muscles fatigued and the heel fell. The differences between the right and left plantar flexion times were noted. In addition, three different physicians graded muscle strength by using the classical "The Medical Research Council of the United Kingdom" method. Results: The time until fatigue in right and left plantar flexion was measured using the proposed method, and each test underwent a video recording. The Yilmaz–Ilbay plantar flexion test yielded the correct classification for all cases. Conclusion: We suggest that the proposed method "Yilmaz–Ilbay plantar flexion test" can serve as a useful, practical, and effective test to detect quantitative evaluation of plantar flexion in L5–S1 herniation.


The M3 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (M3R) is implicated in cardiopulmonary control (Fisher et al. 2004), however, the M3R is also reported to play a role in metabolism and glucose homeostasis (Gautam et al. 2006). We investigated whether activation of an M3 DREADD, selectively expressed in skeletal muscle under control of the HSA promoter, impacts cardiopulmonary function in mice maintained on a high fat diet. Heart rate (HR), body temperature (Tb) and locomotor activity (ACT) were measured in 4 conscious, chronically instrumented M3 DREADD mice and 4 wildtype controls. Circadian values of HR, BT and ACT were not different between genotypes (p>0.05). Activation of the M3 DREADD by clozapine N-oxide (0.1 mg/kg) resulted in: a significant drop in heart rate at 2 hours after injection compared with the time matched control for the same animals (460 ± 28 vs. 532 ±6, p


The problems in using a single-ANN (artificial neural network) predictive system in speech coding are considered and a system consisting of several ANNs, a multi-ANN system, optimised for operation over various bands in the dynamic speech range is proposed. This system shows considerable improvement over the single-ANN system.


Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have proven themselves indispensable in providing intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance (ISR). We foresee a future where constellations of multi-purpose UAVs will be tasked to provide ISR in an unpredictable environment. Automated systems will process imagery and other sensor data gathered by the constellations to provide continuous situational awareness for the warfighter on the ground. In this paper, we present a tool that generates coordinated mission plans for constellations of UAVs with multiple goals and objectives. We call this tool Spatially Produced Airspace Routes from Tactical Evolved Networks, or SPARTEN. SPARTEN uses evolutionary algorithm (EA)-based, multi-objective optimization to generate coordinated sortie routes for constellations of UAVs. These sortie routes maximize sensor coverage, avoid conflicts between UAVs, minimize the latency of sensor data, and avoid areas of poor weather to provide valid route solutions. We use an Air Maneuver Network (AMN) based on terrain reasoning to constrain the solution space. We make two contributions to the field of UAV route planning. We develop a tool to optimize planning across multiple objectives for constellations of UAVs, and we explore the performance of this tool on a battlefield scenario.


OBJECTIVE
Examine whether Medicare Advantage (MA) coverage is associated with more efficient prescribing of Part B drugs than traditional Medicare (TM) coverage.

DATA SOURCES
20% sample of 2016 outpatient and carrier TM claims and MA encounter records and Master Beneficiary Summary File data.

STUDY DESIGN
We analyzed whether MA enrollees compared to TM enrollees more often received the low-cost Part B drug in four clinical scenarios where multiple similarly effective drugs exist: 1) anti-VEGF agents to treat macular degeneration, 2) bone resorption inhibitors for osteoporosis, 3) bone resorption inhibitors for malignant neoplasms, and 4) intravenous iron for anemia. We then estimated differences in spending if TM prescribing aligned with MA prescribing. Finally, using linear probability models, we examined whether differences in MA and TM prescribing patterns were attributable to differences in the hospitals and clinician practices who treat MA and TM enrollees or differences in how these hospitals and clinician practices treat their MA versus TM patients.

DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS
N/A PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In all cases, a larger share of MA enrollees received the low-cost drug compared to TM enrollees, ranging from 8 percentage points higher for anemia to 16 percentage points higher for macular degeneration in the unadjusted analysis. Results were similar in regression analyses controlling for enrollee characteristics and market factors (5 to 13 percentage points). If TM prescribing matched MA prescribing, we estimated savings ranging from 6-20% of TM spending for each scenario. Differences in prescribing patterns were driven both by MA enrollees receiving treatment at more efficient hospitals and clinician practices and hospitals and clinician practices more often prescribing low-cost drugs to their MA patients.

CONCLUSIONS
Our findings show MA enrollees were more likely than TM enrollees to receive low-cost Part B drugs in four clinical scenarios where multiple similarly or equally effective treatment options exist. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


ABSTRACT Precipitation associated with landfalling tropical cyclones (TCs) poses a significant flood risk to vast regions along and inland of the coasts. Quantifying spatial characteristics of tropical cyclone precipitation (TCP) and defining homogeneous rainfall regions can benefit forecasts and hazard mitigation of TCs. This work aims to evaluate the application of spatial metrics and satellite precipitation data in characterizing precipitation associated with landfalling TCs over the North Atlantic. This study applied an object-based Geographic Information System method to measure rainfall fields associated with North Atlantic landfalling TCs from the satellite-based rain rate estimates from 1998–2014. Eleven spatial metrics measuring the entire rainfall field and the largest rainfall polygon within the rain field were evaluated using a set of non-parametric tests to determine if they could distinguish rainfall patterns among four storm intensity categories. A multivariate clustering method with hotspot analysis was utilized to investigate spatial variations and regionalize the rainfall patterns into nine clusters using selected metrics. Five spatial metrics, namely area, solidity, dispersion, closure, and roundness, were selected since they meet three criteria: 1) having a relatively full range of 0– 1 (besides area); 2) having a significant increasing or decreasing trend with intensity, and 3) showing significant differences between any two storm categories. The clustering results indicate that TC rainfall patterns exhibit significant regional variations when storms are over land as well as over sub-basins, including the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and the North Atlantic. The clustering results reveal that intensity is one of the key factors in determining rainfall patterns and reflect the impact of other factors, such as wind shear, moisture content, and interaction with land.


New Zealand and Australia generate large quantities of agricultural, industrial, and municipal wastes. As authorities move to protect the environment by regulating waste disposal practices, environmentally sound methods of waste disposal are being sought. In particular, land application of wastes as a means of disposal, nutrient re-cycling, and water conservation is becoming increasingly popular. This paper provides an overview of the types, quantities, and characteristics of wastes generated in New Zealand and Australia, and highlights the problems with current waste disposal practices, including landfilling, incineration, and discharging into waters. This is followed by a detailed review of the beneficial effects and adverse impacts of land application of wastes on plant production and soil and environmental quality, and possible hazards to human health. The management of waste application on land is a challenging task and requires rigorous scientific input. Sludges and euents contain significant concentrations of plant nutrients, particularly nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic matter. Their application on land has been shown, in many cases, to result in significant increases in plant yields and improvements in soil physical conditions and chemical fertility. The constraints with some wastes, particularly those of industrial and municipal origin, are that they contain undesirable constituents, e.g. heavy metals, toxic organics, pathogens, and salts, or have extremely high or low pH. High concentrations of nitrate and phosphate derived from wastes are also of concern for ground and surface water contamination. The processes that control the fate of wastes in the soil are complex and many of them are poorly understood, e.g. rate of release of nutrients and other chemicals; leaching of nutrients, metals, and organics through macropores and as suspended solids; emission of greenhouse gases; impact of solvents, surfactants, and sludge organic matter on the sorption, degradation, and leaching of hydrophobic organics; and the long-term bioavailability and fate of metals and organics fixed by soil organic matter. More research is urgently required to develop a sound understanding of waste characteristics and the processes affecting their fate in the soil in order to ensure that land application of wastes is safe.


Organosol gel technology is a research hotspot of low-temperature synthesis of ultrafine boron carbide powders at this stage. Based on this technology, trimethyl borate is directly used as a pyrolysis material, which eliminates the process of forming a gel and simplifies the operating procedures. During the experiment, the reaction temperature and heating/cooling rates played a significant role in developing uniform submicron boron carbide powders. In this paper, uniform submicron-sized boron carbide was prepared at a high temperature of 1600°C and a rapid heating rate of 400°C/min. The ratio of the particle size distribution to 1 μm or less was 91%.


This study was to investigate the inotropic effect of atractylodin and its underlying mechanism. The cardiac pressure–volume loop (P–V loop), Langendroff‐perfused isolated rat heart, patch‐clamp, Ca2+ transient and western blot techniques were used. The results demonstrated that atractylodin (3 mg/kg, ip) remarkably increased the left ventricular stroke work, cardiac output, stroke volume, heart rate, ejection fraction, end‐systolic pressure, peak rates of rise and fall of left ventricular pressures (+dP/dtmax, −dP/dtmax), the slopes of end‐systolic pressure–volume relationship (also named as end‐systolic elastance, Ees) and reducing end‐systolic volume and end‐diastolic volume in the in vivo rat study. Also, atractylodin (3 mg/kg, ip) significantly decreased diastolic blood pressure and the arterial elastance (Ea) without significant systolic blood pressure change. In addition, atractylodin (0.1, 1, 10 µmol/L) also increased the isolated rat heart left ventricular developed pressure which is the difference between the systolic and diastolic pressure in non‐pacing and pacing modes. Furthermore, JMV‐2959 (1 μmol/L), a ghrelin receptor unbiased antagonist, blocked the increased left ventricular developed pressure of atractylodin in isolated rat hearts. Finally, atractylodin (5 µmol/L) increased the amplitude of Ca2+ transient by enhancing SERCA2a activity, the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ content and the phosphorylation of phospholamban at 16‐serine. These results demonstrated that atractylodin had a positive inotropic effect by enhancing SERCA2a activity which might be mediated by acting ghrelin receptor in myocardium. In conclusion, atractylodin which had the positive inotropic effect and decreased diastolic blood pressure might serve as an agent for the treatment of heart failure in clinical settings.


We have studied the effects of radiation on the performance characteristics of CCD devices. The CCDs were exposed to radiation of the continuous electron beam of the Lehigh University Van de Graaff Radiation Facility.


The effect of sub-inhibitory concentrations of various antibiotics on the hemolytic activity of different strains of Legionella has been tested. By means of a gradient plate technique it was possible to demonstrate that in a limited range of sub-inhibitory concentrations, antibiotics did not affect bacterial growth but inhibited the hemolytic activity of the strains examined.


The aims of the research were to find out the story elements that describe the main character's religiosity, religious values, and the role of religious values in the hijrah process in the modern era in Mellyana Dhian's novels. This research is qualitative descriptive research with a structural approach. The primary data sources are novels by Mellyana Dhian: Dear Imamku, Diaku Imamku, Prince of Hearts, and Ribs Towards Heaven. Research instruments consist of; researchers as research instruments; and instruments in the form of data cards. The data collection technique used in this study is the heuristic method. The data analysis technique used is the hermeneutic (retroactive) reading technique. The results of the analysis showed that the story elements that describe the religiosity of the main characters in Melyana Dhian's novels are plot, character, setting, theme, title, point of view, style and tone, symbolism, and irony. There are religiosity values found in the main characters in Mellyana Dhian's novels, namely the dimension of belief, the dimension of ritual, the dimension of appreciation, the dimension of knowledge, and the dimension of consequences. There is a role of religiosity values in the migration process in the main characters in Mellyana Dhian's novels, namely the educational role, the rescue role, the social rescue role, the fostering brotherhood role, and the transformative role.


The study aims to provide academic and affective support for children's learning by using teacher-parent collaboration through parental coaching realized via social network. This parental coaching includes three phases: preparation, implementation and evaluation. The participants of the study are 16 parents and their children. The data of the study was obtained through the following data collection tools: family information form, focus group interview, semi-structured interviews conducted with parents and children, social network group logs, questionnaire and academic achievement scores of children. Descriptive analysis was used to analyze qualitative data and Wilcoxon t test for quantitative data. The issues which the parents ask for support are guidance for supporting their children in the courses they have problems with and help children to develop reading and study habits. The findings of the study show that parental coaching via social network increases teacher-parent, parent-parent and parent-child interaction as well as children's academic achievement. The highest amount of interaction in this application was between parents and the guidance counsellor (the researcher) and the children. The lowest level of interaction was among parents. Finally, it can be concluded that parental coaching application helped parents to support their children's learning and feel well-equipped while guiding them.


It's a fact that modern organizations apply practice for a professional usage of the newly acquired knowledge and experiences acquired by the expatriates during their work outside their home countries. The complete set of new knowledge and skills makes these managers more competitive at their organizations plus outside, in the job market. Raising awareness among managers, with particular emphasis on expatriates and in general all employees, the permanent need for knowledge transfer is inevitable. Analyzes show that primarily, it is necessary for all stakeholders (employees, expatriates, HR management service, organization itself) to take a concrete strategy that will facilitate the process of communication within the organization ie. communication between managers expatriates and other employees. In that part it is inevitable to do additional research on the question of why in this global era of business and multicultural co-operation, the transfer of knowledge is difficult and what are the reasons for it?For this purpose, research shows that the need for the role of a mentor to manage the process of transfer of knowledge by the expatriate and the parent company is more than a necessity. The strategy is to intensify the efforts for more efficient realization of the already existing repatriation program, which is supplemented with the role - mentor. This commitment does not require significant additional resources, and improves the level of realization of the activities of the already existing program.The paper is aimed at analyzing the current situation in the companies and finding a model that will determine the role and significance of the mentoring as an element that will contribute to the unwanted flow of information and process of professional communication and transfer of knowledge at the organization, thereby and experiences are aimed at the competitive advantage of the organization. The appointment of a person in the form of a mentor or sponsor in the home organization through the sharing and exchange of information personally or through an official website or an intranet creates suitable preparation and distribution of monthly or annual reports aimed at greater effectiveness and efficiency of the organization.Negative business-related information is often as important as the positive ones, and taking into account that the sharing of positive information is simpler, it is necessary for the home organization to be clearly positioned as an organization that is fully transparent in the internal environment and promotes open communication in relation to all questions that managers need. In this way, more work needs to be done to inform managers engaged in foreign affiliates for negative news, covering all the important aspects of the work of the home organization such as lost contracts and deals, sectoral reorganizations and staff outflow.


Let $T$ be a finite tree graph, $T^N$ be the Cartesian power graph of $T$, and $d^N$ be the graph distance metric on $T^N$. Also let \[ \mathbb S_r^N(x) := \{v \in T^N: d^N(x,v) = r\} \] be the sphere of radius $r$ centered at $x$ and $M$ be the spherical maximal averaging operator on $T^N$ given by \[ Mf(x) := \sup_{\substack{r \geq 0 \\ \mathbb S_r^N(x) \neq \emptyset}} \frac{1}{|\mathbb S_r^N(x)|} |\sum_{\mathbb S_r^N(x)} f(y)|. \] We will show that for any fixed $1 \leq p \leq \infty$, the $L^p$ operator norm of $M$, i.e. \[ \|M\|_p := \sup_{\|f\|_p = 1} \|Mf\|_p, \] grows exponentially in the dimension $N$. In particular, if $r$ is the probability that a random vertex of $T$ is a leaf, then $\|M\|_p \geq r^{-N/p}$, although this is not a sharp bound.
This exponential growth phenomenon extends to a class of graphs strictly larger than trees, which we will call \emph{global antipode graphs}. This growth result stands in contrast to the work of Greenblatt, Harrow, Kolla, Krause, and Schulman that proved that the spherical maximal $L^p$ bounds (for $p > 1$) are dimension-independent for finite cliques.


Laboratory x-ray lasers are currently being developed by researchers worldwide as potential sources for x-ray imaging and other applications. Laser action has been demonstrated at wavelengths as short as 35.6 angstroms and there is a large effort underway to enhance the coherent power output of the Ni-like Ta x-ray laser at 44.83 angstroms as a source for x-ray imaging of live cells. Part of this effort is dedicated to producing a more affordable, compact laser to pump the x-ray laser in order to increase the accessibility of x-ray laser sources.


This article is aimed to give an empirical answer to the following research questions: 1) whether work as a type of activity and as a life value is losing its significance in the modern world; 2) whether human-machine collaboration (HMC) is a significant factor of labour productivity and efficiency. The authors suppose, that in the market economy labour productivity "merges" with its efficiency – in contrast to a planned economy. Thus, it is possible to talk about "labour efficient productivity" or simply about labour productivity. The methods applied for empirical study are the following: analysis of statistics, regression analysis and correlation analysis. Eurostat and Latvia's statistics as well as data of the World Values Survey and data collected by the World Economic Forum and other international organsations. Results of the empirical research show that despite the increase in employment rate in the EU as a whole and in Latvia in particular, work as a type of activity and as a life value is losing its significance in the modern world. HMC empirically is measured by two indicators which show the potential of a country in HMC: digital skills of the population and ICT adoption. Results of the analysis show that HMC is a significant factor of labour productivity in the modern world, while various components of HMC have different significance in two groups of the world countries. In countries with a high potential of HMC, including Latvia, digital skills of the population is the determinant of labour productivity. In its turn, in countries with a low potential of HMC, the main factor of labour productivity is ICT adoption.


According to Transportation Association of Canada (TAC), the rough estimate of number of bridges in Canada is 80,000 with the replacement value of $35 billion. A large number of bridges will need replacement during 2005 to 2015 which will result in 50% annual increase in replacement cost. Recent alarming incidents of the Laval De la Concorde Overpass collapse (2006), Canada and the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapse (2007), USA show the gravity of the situation. One of the main factors responsible for this situation is the present available techniques of the bridge condition monitoring and rehabilitation are not able to cope up with the drastic deterioration and ageing of the bridges. The widely employed method for bridge inspection is visual inspection, and it lacks the reliability-based assessment of bridge and its components. The instrumentation of the bridge with Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems and assessment of the bridge condition and behaviour based on the information obtained from SHM systems is one of the promising solutions of the present problem. The main focus of the current research is to integrate SHM data with traditional information (e.g. visual inspection), develop a reliability based structural condition index using the updated information on a structures operational performance, and assessing the value of information for SHM in regard to the overall lifecycle cost of a structure. This study develops a methodology for a reliability based assessment of the bridge components using SHM system information, and information updating by fusing SHM data with traditional information for precise evaluation of expected life cycle cost. The methods developed herein have been demonstrated through a case study based on an existing bridge namely, the Crowchild Bridge in Calgary, Alberta. A finite element model of the bridge has been developed and validated against the field data. This validated model has been used to simulate the static load test on the bridge, deterioration in the bridge and to study the bridge response under the different loading conditions. The artificial neural network (ANN) technique has been used for the diagnosis of the SHM data, and then the reliability index of the bridge deck has been calculated using the Monte Carlo Simulation technique. A method for updating the bridge deck repair strategy is introduced based on the reliability index calculation. The maintenance and rehabilitation strategy is updated based on the hypothetical results. The results of updated strategy are compared with un-updated one using the Bayesian Theorem. The expected life cycle cost is evaluated considering the capital cost, maintenance and rehabilitation cost, user cost, and failure cost. Capital cost is treated as deterministic while maintenance and rehabilitation cost, and user cost are considered probabilistic. Each individual cost and then total cost is calculated per m 2 . The value of information is also discussed.


The methodical goal of this photo-energetic synopsis is to provide a brief insight into the scientific currents of humanistic systems (photo) medicine for prevention and prognostics. A deeper understanding of diagnostic and therapeutical disease patterns is to be awaited for the practicing physician for the treatment of chronic illness, but not for acute interventions into the human organism which is to be considered a light-mind-body; the heart-brain-dialectics and its interplay with the respiratory system is also discussed.


This thesis reports on a study carried out in Peri-Urban Thika. The study aimed at establishing from the mothers of children 0 -2 years old which of their dailly activities are regarded specifically as childcare activities, and also to establish the time spent in accomplishing each activity. Some characteristics of the caregivers in this community were also determined and described. The study population consisted of mothers from the low income group who were interviwed using a structured questionnaire to obtain demographic information. The time taken performing the various childcare activities was determined and recorded using a time schedule applied for 2 day (10 hour) periods of continous observation. The mean for the two days was used in the analysis. Results showed that Food Preparation, Bathing, Feeding and Washing the child's clothes are regarded as the most important childcare activities. These were also observed to be the most frequently performed activities irrespective of who provided the care. Breastfeeding and holding the child though time consuming considerable amounts of time were not however regarded as 'work' by most of the mothers. The findings further indicated that time taken to perform the various childcare activites tended to vary with the child's age, birth


Cystinuria is an inherited disorder characterized by impaired apical transport of cystine and dibasic amino acids (e.g., ornithine, lysine, and arginine) in the renal proximal tubule and the small intestine epithelia. The overall estimated prevalence is 1/7000 neonates (1). Because of impaired renal cystine reabsorption, cystine precipitates and forms calculi that can produce urinary tract obstruction and may lead to renal insufficiency. Cystinuria is responsible for ∼10% of all kidney stones observed in children; in ∼50% of patients, stones form in the first decade of life. Diagnosis allows introduction of therapy to reduce stone formation and risk of renal impairment. Prenatal biochemical expression of the disease has not been described.

Fetal hyperechogenic small bowel (FHB), an infrequent ultrasound finding (0.1%–1.8% of pregnancies), is associated with severe fetal diseases such as cystic fibrosis and trisomy 21 (2). Even less common is fetal hyperechogenic colon (FHC) in which the hyperechogenicity is strictly limited to the colon. Recently, it has been suggested that FHC could be associated with cystinuria(3).

We found biochemical prenatal evidence of cystinuria and confirmed the association of cystinuria with …


This paper presei1.i.s a inethod for aut011 oinously planning collision free p aths for two cooperating TOhOtS in a static eiivironinent. Coopemiiirg robots szinultaiieously grasp and inaii.ipnlate a single object. Our method utilizes a divide-and-conquer type of heuristic and involves lion-exhaustive mapping of configuration space. Although the method was developed especially for the cooperating robot case, it is also applicable to the single robot path planning problem. While there is no guarantee of finding a soluiioi~., th,e algorithm has been successfully applied to a variety of problems including two cooperatiirg nine dof arnis. .4 meih od is also presented to sm.ooth a safe palh. inlo one with shorter joint space trajectories. Sam.ple results are included. The robot path planning problem involves det,ermining if a continuous and obstacle avoiding path esists between st<art and goal posit,ions, and, if so, t.o find such a path. The complexity of the pat,li planning problem has been shown to be esponentia.1 in the number of dof [l, 21. A subset of the general path planning problem is the path planning problem for tiro coopera.t.ing rob0t.s. By cooperation, it is lierein meant t.lia,t bot,Ii robot,s simultaneously grip a.nd miinipula.t.e a con~~non, rigid, payload. During cooperat,ion, t.he relat.ive position a.nd orienta.tion of the two grippers remain consthit,. One possible applica.tion for cooperat,ing robots is the assembly and maintenance of a space stat.ion. A major obstacle in implementing a coopera.ting robot,ic system is the coinplesity of the path planning problem. Although many approaches to the general single arm path planning problem have been presented in the literature, most have not considered nor appear to be easily extensible to the case of cooperathg robot arms. Many of the typical assumptions nmde in single robot planning are invalid in the coopera.t.ing robot case. Thus, there is an apparent need for improved cooperating robot path planning techniques. This paper presents a method developed for global path planning of two cooperat.ing robot. arms in a. static environment. The method is an est.ension of t.lie single arm approach present.ed by Dupont [3] whereby select,ive searching of c-space makes it possible to obta.in a solution in a reasonable amount of time. Dupont. used Cartesian heuristics to direct the select.ive mapping process. Because of the added complexity of the coopera.t.ing robot problem, a new divideand-conquer type of c-space traversal algorithm was developed to guide the selective mapping process. The c-spa.ce traversal algorithm and its application to the robot path planning problem are described herein. Resu1t.s are presented for applying the procedure to two coopera.ting six dof Pumas and two cooperating nine dof robots. The met,liod has also been successully applied to a single six dof Puma and a single nine dof puma. Because our emphasis is on the cooperating robot scenario, the single arm cases will not be discussed further herein. Once a given path planning problem has been solved [4, 51, it inay be possible to modify the path to one which is better in some sense than the original path. This process may be referred to as "string t.ightening" [3]. A method is presented for string tightening for cooperating robots. Sa.mple results are given for string tightening a path for cooperating nine dof robots.


OBJECTIVE: To assess physician counseling about driving restrictions after non-seizure loss of consciousness.
 BACKGROUND: Failure to counsel patients about driving restrictions after loss of consciousness is a safety concern and a potential source of legal liability. State laws on driving after seizure are well-known, but legal restrictions on driving after syncope or other episodic losses of consciousness are less widely discussed. Physicians may not be communicating effectively with patients about driving after loss of consciousness.
 DESIGN/METHODS: An electronic survey of hypothetical cases of transient loss of consciousness was sent to physicians at an academic medical center. Survey respondents also assessed their comfort level with and likelihood of initiating discussions about driving restrictions. Specialties surveyed included Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Neurology.
 RESULTS: All survey respondents (33[percnt] response rate, n = 188) were less likely to restrict driving after loss of consciousness than after epileptic seizure. Awareness of and previous training about driving restrictions were independently associated with a higher likelihood of counseling against driving across all loss of consciousness scenarios. Neurologists at all training levels were more likely to have previous training concerning driving restrictions (p < 0.001) and were more likely than non-neurologists to counsel against driving (p < 0.001).
 CONCLUSIONS: State laws restrict driving after loss of consciousness, but physicians of all specialties under-recognized the need to discuss driving restrictions. Training concerning restrictions on driving after episodic loss of consciousness is strongly associated with an increased likelihood of recognizing legal issues of driving after loss of consciousness, regardless of physician specialty. Neurologists were more likely to restrict driving and more likely to report previous training on these issues. These results suggest that increased training about legal restrictions on driving after a loss of consciousness may improve physician communication with patients.
 Study Supported by: No funding Disclosure: Dr. Wheeler has nothing to disclose. Dr. Burke has nothing to disclose. Dr. Adelman has nothing to disclose.


This study is concerned with the problems posed by the increasing tendency of immigrants to become permanent residents in the larger cities of the Federal Republic of Germany. It focuses on an analysis of intra-neighborhood movements of West Germans and immigrants in Duisburg and Dusseldorf. Consideration is given to the level of segregation the distance of immigrant moves the effect of neighborhood quality on migration the level of replacement of Germans by immigrants and the spatial distribution of immigrant communities. The results suggest that despite the difficulties encountered by immigrants in their attempts at assimilation the level of segregation in urban areas is low. The reasons for this such as housing shortages are discussed.