— Modern organizations of all sizes emphasize safeguarding sensitive consumer information. Regardless of the limits given by the degrees they choose to pursue, people are nevertheless required to possess data management skills. In addition, determine if the data should be centralized or decentralized to meet the objective of enhancing accessibility. In addition, you will need to be able to monitor who has access to your data and regulate who has access to your data.


The possibility to grow a graphene layer using the chemical-vapor-deposition technique over a Ni2C/Ni(111) substrate has been identified experimentally, with the advantage of having a lower processing temperature (T<500∘C), compared to standard growth over a Ni(111) surface. To understand the role of the metal carbide/metal catalyst, we first perform a static study of the Ni2C/Ni(111) structure and of the binding and removal of a carbon atom at the surface, using both a tight-binding (TB) energetic model and ab initio calculations. Grand-canonical Monte Carlo TB simulations then allow us (i) to determine the thermodynamic conditions to grow graphene and (ii) to separate key reaction steps in the growth mechanism explaining how the Ni2C/Ni(111) substrate catalyzes graphene formation at low temperature.


To prepare monoclonal antibodies (mAb) against Brucella ribosomal protein L7/L12 for establishing foundation of investigation methods and immuno-agents, the mAbs against protein L7/L12 were made by routine procedures: immunizing mice, fusing cell and cloning. Then specificity, epitopes recognization and relative affinities of mAbs were identified by Western blot and ELISA.Four strains mAbs were obtained,named of 1B1, 2A2, 2H9 and 2H10 respectively. The mAbs could recognize similar epitopes but still existed some differences. The results suggested that the four antibodies are stably and could bind to the L7/L12 protein specifically.


This study investigated the effect of high-temperature fire flame on reinforced concrete columns coated with a layer of gypsum insulation. Six samples were cast and cured in a hot water bath at 67°C, covered on one side by 10 and 20 mm thick layers of gypsum plaster. The samples were exposed to a 900°C fire flame in a hydrocarbon fire furnace for one and two hours. The results showed that the gypsum plaster layer prevented a high-temperature rise within the core of the column. The differences between all gypsum-coated columns varied compared to those of the reference samples. The gypsum-coated columns had reduced axial displacements and no spalling and visible cracks on their faces. The improvement in the compressive strength of concrete will be discussed in a future paper. This study was carried out following ACI-318 and ASTM C1529.


Implementing collaborative learning strategies to foster self-directed learning in the context of EFL students represents benefits to the degree that learners become motivated to take active part in their own learning process. Therefore, this action research project implemented four collaborative learning strategies to foster self-directed learning and increase motivation towards language learning in a group of 15 English language students from a public school in Bogota. Diagnostic questionnaires, students' learning diaries, teacher ́s journal and interviews were the instruments used to gather data in order to explore and assess the collaborative strategies suggested to improve their learning problems. Findings revealed that most students adopted self-directed behaviours and motivating attitudes towards learning. Collaborative strategies also fostered positive engagement among students and their responsibility to do tasks in the classroom. Furthermore, in the light of self-direction, students became confident to work by themselves, set their own learning goals and assumed a higher level of awareness.


This study aims to determine (1). The effect of halal awareness on consumer buying interest in coastal tourism seafood culinary SMEs. (2). The influence of foodstuffs on consumer buying interest in coastal tourism seafood culinary SMEs. And (3). The influence of halal awareness and foodstuffs on consumer buying interest in coastal tourism seafood culinary SMEs. The object of this research is the culinary consumers of Seafood Kedaikita in Gope beach. The research method used is a quantitative method. The data collection method used a questionnaire. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression method. The results of this study indicate that (1). Halal awareness affects the buying interest of consumers of beach tourism culinary SMEs. Shown by the value of t is greater than t table (6,851 1. 668) and the significance value is smaller than the alpha value (0.000 0.05) (2). Foodstuffs affect consumer buying interest in coastal tourism culinary SMEs. Shown by the value of t count greater than t table (5.784 1.668) and the significance value is smaller than the alpha value (0.000 0.05). (3). Halal awareness and food ingredients have a positive and significant effect on the purchase interest of consumers of coastal tourism culinary SMEs. Shown by the value of F count greater than F table (32,930 3.12) and the significance value is smaller than the alpha value (0.000 0.05) 0.05). (3). Halal awareness and food ingredients have a positive and significant effect on the purchase interest of consumers of coastal tourism culinary SMEs. Shown by the value of F count greater than F table (32,930 3.12) and the significance value is smaller than the alpha value (0.000 0.05) 0.05). (3). Halal awareness and foodstuffs have a positive and significant effect on the purchase interest of consumers of coastal tourism culinary SMEs. Shown by the value of F count greater than F table (32,930 3.12) and the significance value is smaller than the alpha value (0.000 0.05)


A simple derivation of both the wye-delta and delta-wye transformations is presented. This derivation stresses the concept of duality, illustrates the formulation and solution of node and loop matrix equations, and explains the role played by the wye-delta and delta-wye transfonnations in simplifying circuits.


The surface electrochemical corrosion structures of aluminum foils for low voltage electrolytic capacitor,observed after being annealed at 400 ℃ for 1h followed by furnace cooling and air cooling respectively.The specific capacity of the etching foils was measured,and the distribution of microelements Mg,Si and Cu in the surface layer was determined by secondary ion mass spectrometer.The results show that the microelement concentration in the surface layer is higher and its distribution is more uniform after furnace cooling than that after air cooling.Furthermore,the microelements are segregated more easily around the scribed rolling striations and grain boundary after air cooling,which results in inhomogeneous corrosion and low specific capacity.


The superior convergence properties of orthogonal polynomials are exploited along the direction of symmetry of a translatory symmetric model part. In the perpendicular directions and in the remaining model parts, standard finite elements are applied. The examples indicate a substantial saving of computational resources for both the 2D and 3D case.


Bronchopleural fistula has been successfully treated by bronchoscopic application of fibrin glue. We report the use of intrathoracic fibrin gel pleurodesis in traumatic bronchopleural fistula.


Objective The goal of this study was to validate an EEG based multimodal index to aid in the assessment of concussion at time of injury, severity of concussion, and aid in evaluating readiness to return to play/activity. Background The absence of a gold standard for diagnosis of concussion results in reliance on subjective self-report of symptoms. EEG has been demonstrated to be sensitive to changes in brain function following head injury, especially in connectivity. Using machine learning with inputs primarily from EEG measures, and including multimodal inputs, an objective marker of the likelihood of concussion (Concussion Index, CI) was derived. Design/Methods Male and female concussed athletes and controls ages of 13–25 years, represented a convenience sample (n = 580), enrolled from US High School, Colleges, and Concussion Clinics. Concussed subjects had a witnessed head impact and were removed from play by site guidelines. Assessments were performed within 72 hours of injury, at clinically determined return to play (RTP), 45 days following RTP, and included EEG (frontal and frontotemporal regions), neurocognitive performance, and standard concussion assessments. Results Sensitivity = 85.99%, Specificity = 70.78%, NPV = 90.10% and PPV = 62.02, were obtained. Results demonstrated significance: (1) between CI at injury compared to RTP (p < 0.0001); (2) between CI in patients with rapid (<14 days) compared with those with prolonged recovery (=14 days), (p = 0.0038); (3) stability over time in controls (p < 0.0001); and (4) between CI and total symptom burden (correlation coefficient 0.8031, p < 0.0001). Conclusions This study independently validated a multimodal, EEG-based, objective index of concussion (CI). The neurotechnology platform incorporating this capability is handheld, rapid to use, and lends itself to incorporation into the standard assessment of concussion to aid in clinical diagnosis and assessment of readiness to RTP. This data supported the FDA clearance for the Concussion Index (embedded in the BrainScope medical device).


The paper gives the classification of wind turbines in control systems and information about the modern status and trends of wind equipment development. Moreover, it shows the features of small windmills control and features of aerodynamic control of different wind turbine types. We make the analysis of electronic control o f wind turbines and generalize the control tasks.


Upon dissolution of modern empires, post-imperial states came to different decisions about the legal status to be assigned to residents from their former colonies. Some states preserved their de facto citizenship rights, whereas other states excluded them from the new polity. Japan opted for the latter. It instituted an exclusive citizenship regime, turning (most of) its former colonial residents into foreigners. With an eye on the comparative context, this paper examines this postwar process of policymaking in light of two relevant theories—Rogers Brubaker's ideational theory and Thomas Janoski's regime theory. Its findings support Janoski's approach: the degree of incorporation of former colonial subjects explains Japan's decision better. However, the paper also argues that the exclusion of Taiwanese and particularly Korean residents was not simply determined by their inadequate institutional integration but occurred rather because they were judged to pose a security threat.


Control system problems affected the performance or reduced the effectiveness of 25 percent of the 47 DOE-sponsored solar heating and cooling sites that were reviewed. The reliability field information presented indicates that most of the control system problems that have been encountered so far have been design related. The second major reason some of the DOE-sponsored solar-energy systems experienced operating difficulties was improper sensor calibration, location, and installation. Defective components caused some operating problems, but the incidence of these problems was approximately one-third that of the design-related problems. After an introductory look at control systems and terminology, control problems are presented in detail. Since the major control problem is design-related, a Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FME) on two existing systems is presented. While the FMEA cannot be used to improve the design of these operational systems, the results can be used to critique the system and to indicate where improvements can be made in future systems. Guidelines for design, sensor calibration, location, and installation are presented. In an appendix, the characteristics of various sensors that are applicable to solar-energy installations are presented.


Optical modeling suggests that levels of retinal defocus routinely caused by presbyopia should produce phase reversals (spurious resolution-SR) for spatial frequencies in the 2 cycles/letter range known to be critical for reading. Simulations show that such reversals can have a decisive impact on character legibility, and that correcting only this feature of defocused images (by re-reversing contrast sign errors created by defocus) can make unrecognizably blurred letters completely legible. This deblurring impact of SR correction is remarkably unaffected by the magnitude of defocus, as determined by blur-circle size. Both the deblurrring itself and its robustness can be understood from the effect that SR correction has on the defocused pointspread function, which changes from a broad flat cake to a sharply pointed cone. This SR-corrected pointspread acts like a delta function, preserving image shape during convolution regardless of blur-disk size. Curiously, such pointspread functions always contain a narrow annulus of negative light-intensity values whose radius equals the diameter of the blur circle. We show that these properties of SR-correction all stem from the mathematical nature of the Fourier transform of the sign of the optical transfer function, which also accounts for the inevitable low contrast of images pre-corrected for SR.


In TSP with neighborhoods (TSPN) we are given a collection X of k polygonal regions in the plane, called neighborhoods, with totally n vertices, and we seek the shortest tour that visits each neigh...


THE NATURAL HISTORY OF HYPERTENSION IN WOMLN Professor W. S. Peart (Professor of Medicine, St. Mary's Hospital Medical School, London) discussed this subject in two parts: the change of blood pressure with age in the female; and the consequences of a rained blood pressure. In discussing the rise of average blood pressure in the population with age, he suggested that this could be considered normal, but he felt that a rise above certain limits, even in older women, was pathological since a large proportion of the ageing population does not show such a rise. From the time when it was first measured in large populations, the blood pressure in the white European female has been found to rise steadily with age. There is no sharp inflection at any particular age, although the rate of rise is greater from the age of thirty onwards than previously. I t is striking that in most series the rate of rise is greater in the female than the male from this age, and this applies to both the systolic and diastolic pressures. However, the pressure rises at different rates in individuals and, if different populations are compared, this rise is not always seen. This is particularly so in the populations of certain Pacific Islands where both male and female fail to show much of a rise with age. This strongly suggests that the rise with age seen in European populations or those of European descent has a patholoacal basis. In other populations studied, however, the rate of rise with age in women can be much greater than in European populations. This applies particularly to Negro women in certain parts of the United States and also to West Indian Negroes, where the difference between males and females between the ages of 30 and 60 years is striking. In Jamaica, where the blood pressure in females is higher in rural areas than in urban, asymptomatic bacilluria is very common, rising to as high as 15 per cent of females with diastolic pressures above 110 mm. Hg. As in all other studies, the resemblance in terms of blood pressure between first degree relatives was quantitative. Despite the long-held belief, none of the studies has shown a particularly sharp rise in pressure at the menopause. This rise of pressure with age is, of course, subject to various natural interruptions in many women, the commonest of these being pregnancy. The usual effect of this is to reduce the blood pressure to its lowest level by the third or fourth month. This applies also in those subjects who enter pregnancy with higher blood pressure. Clearly among this latter group there are those who elevate their blood pressure considerably, usually in late pregnancy. This e!evation may also be found several months after delivery. From this group subsequently emerge those women who in later years are recognized as hypertensive. Why pregnancy should have this variable effect on pressure is quite unknown; and it also applies in women who have some types of definitely established renal disease when they enter pregnancy. The other interesting effect of pregnancy, or at least of parity, which applies equally in Wales as in Jamaica, is that the blood pressure levels of multiparous women are lower than those of nulliparous, and further that there is a significant correlation between parity and the level of blood pressure. When multiparous women are followed subsequently, the rate of rise of pressure, however, is greater, so that they eventually come to resemble the whole female population once more. The other major natural factor which bears on a change of blood pressure is the development of fatness, since, probably irrespective of the fatness of the arm used in measuring the blood pressure, fat women have a higher blood pressure than thin. Professor Peart then turned to the effects of higher blood pressure in the female. Again patterns emerge in which male and female differences are emphasized, since both morbidity and mortality are


A method for removing dissolved contaminants from ground water by emplacing electrodes in the aquifer has been tested using laboratory columns of pure quartz silty sand saturated with solutions of CuSO4 and copper-contaminated synthetic ground water. In the Soviet Union a similar method is commonly used in searching for hidden deposits of metallic minerals. In the Soviet method, electrodes are emplaced in the ground and ions of the metals being sought are caused to migrate along an imposed voltage gradient; the ions are collected for analysis in acid-filled ceramic cylinders which surround the cathodes.

In this study, quick-freezing was used to obtain the distribution of ions within the columns as a function of time and space. With voltages up to 2.5 V and cur-rents of a few tens of microamps, more than 50 percent of the dissolved copper was removed from the interstitial fluid in the porous columns in a period of five days. Current efficiencies ranged from more than 80 percent to less than 5 percent, depending on such factors as length of time of electrolysis, pH, concentration of Cu, and presence of other ions. The efficiency and economics of the technique of electromigration should be evaluated in additional laboratory studies and in the field, but in theory the method should be useful for removing any charged species in ground water, including some organics.


By introducing the financial situation,population structure,market characteristics,product audience,laundry care products,dish care products and surface care in Iran,the writer analyzed the present situation and developing trend of Iran's household cleaning market.Without a doubt,the young household cleaning market in Iran has great potential for development.


The synthesis of a homologous series of 5-(4-alkylphenyl)isatin derivatives, as well as the crystal structure and DFT studies of the respective hexyl derivative are presented, constituting the first examples of a new family of supramolecular bilayer forming isatin derivatives, which reveal a new type of molecular strand—a molecular arrangement also supported by quantum chemical calculations.


The invention is applicable to the field of integrated circuits and provides an in-chip reference voltage generation circuit, chip and method. The reference voltage generation circuit is provided with an initial parameter unit to store an initial parameter used for generating a reference voltage to greatly extend an input power supply voltage range applicable to reference voltage generation. The in-chip reference voltage generation chip containing the circuit and the in-chip reference voltage generation method are further provided. By means of the method, a first reference voltage is used for stabilizing a power supply to ensure calibration work, and a high-accuracy second reference voltage is generated through calibration. By means of the technical scheme, adaptability of the reference voltage generation to the input power supply voltage is greatly improved, simultaneously the accuracy of the generated reference voltage is ensured, and reference voltage generation consumption can be greatly reduced.


ABSTRACT With the goal of improving student success, the chancellor of the California State University (CSU) system issued an executive order that required all CSU campuses to eliminate remedial math courses as of Fall 2018 and place all first-year students into appropriate General Education (GE) mathematics/quantitative reasoning courses. The Mathematics and Statistics Department at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) saw this as an opportunity to redesign and improve our General Education courses, including Precalculus. Our redesigned General Education courses are fully coordinated, incorporate reading, and active learning, and all have an associated co-requisite course for students who need additional support. In this article, we share the changes we made to Precalculus, the process our department undertook to make these changes happen, and some of the successes and challenges we encountered during the first semester of implementation.


The results given in this paper supplement those reported in Muir & Rampley (1969). The effect of the electron beam on eight uncoated and eight differently coated specimen adhesives is investigated. The results are reported in tabular form. The investigation was carried out to determine the most beam damage‐resistant combination of adhesive and coating. It must be kept in mind that for certain investigations the choice of adhesive is limited by one or more factors, which may be unrelated to beam damage resistance.


Blockchain is a decentralised, unchangeable ledger that records transactions in a network and is a distributed database. The
blocks that hold the transactions' information are immutable and used to record them. The majority of programme participants
review all of the community manual's activities twice. Data cannot be deleted once it has been input. Numerous sorts of
information fraud can be avoided by keeping track of actions that are taken permanently, implicitly, and definitively. Since each
transaction must be carried out by a team of miners, fraudulent transactions cannot exceed cumulative guarantees and
guarantees. Hacking, hacking, and breach are all feasible with modest data storage and administration systems, but the widely
used blockchain compliance mechanism prohibits this. Any good, service, or asset can be directed. fraud, theft of identities, and
network or system failure.


Fabrication of metal/semiconductor contact with low electron barrier height and low parasitic resistance is important for high-performance CMOS devices. Recently, we succeeded in the formation of a TiN/Ge contact with extremely low electron barrier height (ΦBN) less than 0.1 eV, which was fabricated by direct sputter deposition from a TiN target and low temperature anneal at 350°C [1,2]. In this study, we apply this technique to Si to form low ΦBN contact. The substrates were pand n-type (100) Si with a resistivity of 10 Ω·cm. A 50 nm-TiN film and 50 nm-Al film were deposited on the Si substrate by rf magnetron sputtering using a TiN target and thermal evaporation, respectively. The Al/TiN film was patterned using a liftoff technique. Finally, postmetallization annealing (PMA) was carried out at 400°C in N 2 for 10 min, which was the optimal PMA condition. Figures 1(a) and 1(b) show the J-V characteristics for the TiN/p-Si and TiN/n-Si contacts, respectively. The TiN/p-Si contact showed rectifying behavior and TiN/n-Si contact showed Ohmic-like behavior. These J-V results suggest that the TiN/Si contact has high hole barrier height (ΦBP) and low ΦBN. Actually, the ΦBP obtained from the forward J-V characteristic of TiN/p-Si was 0.85 eV. Note that the ΦBP found in this study is one of the highest barrier heights among metal/p-Si contacts, which is comparable to that o f an ErSi/Si contact [3]. The ΦBN is obtained as 0.27 eV from the relation of ΦBN + ΦBP = Eg, where Eg is the energy bandgap of Si (1.12 eV). For comparison, we also fabricated Ti/Si contacts using the same fabrication method. The J-V characteristics are also shown in Figs. 1(a) and 1(b). The ΦBP and ΦBN were obtained as 0.61 eV and 0.55 eV, respectively. These are in good agreement with the reported values of Ti/Si contact [4]. It is very interesting that the electrical characteristics drastically changed by the addition of N2 gas during Ti sputter deposition, which is also represented in Figs . 1(a) and 1(b); with increasing an N2 flow rate, J at reverse bias decreased on p-Si and increased on n-Si, moving towards the J-V characteristics of TiN/Si contacts. We will present the results for other binary metal nitrides.


A novel method for pinning the magnetic domain in artificially pinning hole has been developed for magneto-optical (MO) thin film material Dy/sub x/(FeCo)/sub 1-x/. The artificially pinning holes were fabricated using electron-beam lithography. Hole arrays with square, star, and circle shapes had been made in this study. However, the nanometer scale magnetic domains could be formed inside the hole arrays if the pinning hole geometry was not well defined, and the pinning domain may induce media noise.


Single-layer spiral capacitor utilising fractal geometry is investigated. This capacitor makes use of both lateral and vertical fluxes to improve the capacitance density. Both PCB and on-chip capacitors are designed and simulated using high-frequency structural simulator. The structures are fabricated on PCB using PCB fabrication techniques. The measurement of PCB prototype is carried out by vector network analyser. The result shows the inclusion of fractal concept to spiral capacitor increases capacitance by 10.3%, quality factor by 52.4% and 20% improvement in self-resonant frequency over conventional spiral capacitor.


Nine new taxa are described and a new combination is made in the genus Ficinia (Cyperaceae). An examination of F. pygmaea Boeck. and F. limosa Levyns leads to the conclusion that these two species are conspecific. F. clandestina (Steud.) Boeck., endemic to Ethiopia, is considered not to belong to Ficinia. Its true identity is unknown.


Summary This study indicates that the chronotropic and inotropic effects of PG on isolated cardiac muscle are species dependent. While a direct chronotropic effect was observed on the atrial tissue of the cat, the PG appear to be devoid of direct chronotropic effects on canine cardiac tissue and of direct inotropic effects in both feline and canine cardiac tissue.


This article proposes a new equivalent magnetic network (EMN) model for predicting the performances of interior permanent magnet (IPM) machines. The proposed EMN model incorporates the features of high accuracy and low time consumption in the reluctance network model and the magnetic equivalent circuit model, respectively, to achieve a tradeoff between the time consumption and calculation accuracy. A new air-gap model is also presented to make the dynamic analysis of the machine more efficient and easier. Moreover, the modeling approach of the rotor provides a standard for the modeling of IPM machines with permanent magnets (PMs) at different locations and of different shapes. In addition, the proposed EMN model takes into consideration the influence of flux leakage and iron saturation. Finally, the example machine is chosen, and the effectiveness of the EMN model is verified by comparison with the finite-element analysis and experimental tests.


A strong electric field formed during the initial stage of the combustion of single Zr, Ti, Fe, and Ni particles. The electric field lasted for 20-400 ms and decayed before the particle temperature reached its maximum. A low voltage was generated during the combustion of particles initially surrounded by a thick oxide film or when the ambient oxygen concentration was low. A decrease in the rate of oxygen transport to the reaction zone generated a bipolar signal during the combustion of Zr and Ti and/or electric oscillations of 0.5-10 Hz. Melting of either the reactants, or intermediate or final products annihilated the electrical field. The maximum voltage and current were attained for particles of ∼0.8 mm diam. The largest unipolar electric voltage and current were produced during the combustion of either a Zr or a Ti particle (∼2 V and --100 mA). A rapid increase in the rate of temperature rise in Zr and Ti particles followed the annihilation of the electric field. It may have been caused by Joule heating following electric breakdown through the oxide film. A shift from homogeneous to relay-race combustion occurred upon increasing the distance between particles in a row. This shift affected the qualitative features of the generated electric field as well as the temperature at which it formed.


BACKGROUND: Nothing we do is more important than hiring and developing people. At the end of the day, you bet on people, not on strategies," Lawrence Bossily. OBJECTIVE: Drawing on the above quote, this study investigates the role of High-performance work practices (HPWP) in fostering innovative work behaviour (IWB) of service sector employees. METHODOLOGY: Data collected by structured questionnaires were analysed through the structural equation modelling technique. RESULTS: Findings showed that selection and training & development play a significant role in fostering innovative work behaviour. Moreover, self-efficacy proved to be a significant mediator in the mechanism of HPWP-IWB. CONCLUSION: The finding of the study underpins the reciprocity perspective of the social exchange theory (SET). Additionally, the study also endorses that human resources are not a thing companies do. It is the thing that runs businesses.


The present invention relates to certain heterocyclic couplers for dyeing keratinous fibers, for example, use of the hair, the agent is a coupler of formula (I) 7-amino-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline derivatives, in in the formula (I): R1 to R6, Ra to Rc and X are as defined in the specification.


Based on the ratio of Cu to Sn diffusion fluxes at the Cu /Cu 3 Sn / Cu 6 Sn 5 / Sn interface,the microstructure evolution and the behavior of the formation and growth of intermetallic compound(IMC) layer at the interface between Sn-50X-1.5Cu-Ni solder and Cu substrate after isothermal aging at 180 ℃ were studied.The results show that the thickness of IMC layers increases with the increasing of the aging time,and their growth is mainly controlled by diffusion mechanism.Intermetallic growth rate constant for Cu 3 Sn and Cu 6 Sn 5 is 4.16 × 10-18m2/ s and 2.51 × 10-17m2/ s,respectively.According to the growth model,the Cu 3 Sn grows fast at the cost of Cu 6 Sn 5 layer at the early stage.With the aging process the growth rate of Cu 3 Sn slows down,as well as the consumption rate of the Cu 6 Sn 5 layer.The morphology of the IMC changes from scalloped shape to planar shape.Finally,the Cu 3 Sn and Cu 6 Sn 5 layer thickness increases similarly.


Introduction: The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a network of proteins and carbohydrates that has a structural and biochemical function. The ECM plays an important role in differentiation, migration and signaling. Several studies have predicted ECM proteins using machine learning algorithms such as Random Forests, K-nearest neighbours and support vector machines but is yet to be explored using deep learning. Method: DeepECMP was developed using several previously used ECM datasets, asymmetric undersampling and an ensemble of 11 feed-forward neural networks. Results: The performance of DeepECMP was 83.6% balanced accuracy which outperformed several algorithms. In addition, the pipeline of DeepECMP has been shown to be highly efficient. Discussion: This paper is the first to focus on utilizing deep learning for ECM prediction. Several limitations are overcome by DeepECMP such as computational expense, availability to the public and usability outside of the human species.


We consider auto-parallelizable vector fields (i.e., those vector fields ξ for which there exists a linear connection whose auto-parallel curves are the trajectories of ξ) in order to deal with the geometrization of a vector field on a differentiable manifold. This approach extends our studies [15] and [16], about the geometrization of geodesible vector fields (i.e. auto-parallel vector fields with respect to the Levi-Civita connection of a Riemannian metric). M.S.C. 2010: 53C22, 37C10.


Ultrasonic metal welding is a solidstate joining process that is extensively used by the electronics industry. Other industries also have a strong interest in extending its use in high-strength aluminum alloys, stainless steels, and other advanced materials. In some applications, adhesion between the tooling and parts, and marking of the parts can be issues. To address these issues, a series of experiments were conducted using buffer sheets of copper or zinc between the tool (horn) and the samples to be welded. The main objectives of this work were to reduce sticking between the horn and sample as well as reduce part marking. It was seen that the buffer sheets reduced the tool/part adherence (sticking) and part marking. It was believed that buffer sheets absorbed a portion of the ultrasonic energy reducing part marking. While the copper buffer sheets reduced the ultimate weld strength this effect was not observed with zinc buffer sheets. In addition, part thickness affected the impact of the buffer sheets. For example, thicker samples (3 mm) exhibited a greater loss in weld strength with the use of buffer sheets compared to thinner (2-mm) samples welded with buffer sheets.


ABSTRACT Forest fire frequency is increasing owing to climate change. Therefore, better forest fire monitoring strategies are required, as they can start unexpectedly and spread rapidly. Earth observation satellites can efficiently prompt rapid responses to forest fires. In this study, Burned Area Index (BAI) and difference Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR) were analysed to detect and monitor a forest fire in Korea using data from four sun-synchronous satellites and one geostationary satellite, and the results were compared in terms of their spatial, temporal, and spectral resolutions. KOMPSAT-3A efficiently estimated detailed information of the fire on a local-scale for its spatial resolution but was limited to only observing the local-scale fire due to its narrow swath. Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8 were adequate for observing the forest fire on both local- and large-scales and provided more spectral bands and temporal information, which increased the accuracy of detecting the fire damage. Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) and GK-2A showed the highest temporal resolution and enabled early detection of the wildfire and its duration, but their low spatial resolutions limited damage estimates to the local-scale. Thus, satellites worldwide may be used synergistically to ensure efficient responses to frequent and massive forest fires.


Objective: This study investigated two cases of Korean medical treatment for visual field impairment after stroke: Case 1, a 56-year-old male with a posterior cerebral artery infarction and right homonymous hemianopsia, and Case 2, a 46-year-old male with an intracerebral hemorrhage in the left parietal lobe and right homonymous hemianopsia.Methods: Case 1 was treated with acupuncture, electroacupuncture, and herbal medicine (Mangeum-tang) for two months, and Case 2 was treated with acupuncture, electroacupuncture, and herbal medicine (Oryeong-san) for 40 days.Results: Following treatment, for Case 1, the Humphrey visual field test showed improvement. The visual field indexes (VFIs) for the left and right eyes improved from 44% to 55% and 49% to 64% respectively, and the mean deviations (MDs) for the left and right eyes improved from -21.11 dB to -19.91 dB and -17.45 dB to -13.89 dB, respectively. The mean visual sensitivities (MVSs) of the left and right eyes also improved from 8.67 dB to 11.33 dB and 1.67 dB to 9.67 dB, respectively, with no side effects. For Case 2, the VFI for the left eye improved from 36% to 64% and that for the right eye remained unchanged. The MDs for the left and right eyes also improved from -22.02 dB to -14.47dB and -22.11 dB to -21.34 dB, respectively, with no side effects.Conclusions: This study suggests that Korean medical treatment may improve visual impairment after stroke, but further research is needed.


Having reviewed the previous studies on Mn-doped SrTiO3 materials, we found that Mn2+ and/or Mn4+ ions are usually present in the SrTiO3 host lattice and lead to paramagnetic, spin-glass, or ferromagnetic (FM) behavior. Mn2+ can occupy at both octahedral (Ti) and dodecahedral (Sr) sites, while Mn4+ only occupies the Ti site. To get more insight into this material system, we have prepared polycrystalline SrTi1-xMnxO3 (x = 0–0.10) samples by solid-state reactions. The results obtained from analyzing the powder X-ray diffraction patterns, and Raman scattering, X-ray absorption, and electron-spin-resonance spectra indicate an incorporation of Mn2+ and Mn3+ ions into the SrTiO3 host lattice. Isolated Mn2+ ions are dominant in the samples with x ≤ 0.02 and can occupy both Ti and Sr sites, leading to two sets of the hyperfine sextet lines. An increase in the Mn content with x > 0.02 enhances the Mn3+ concentration and stimulates the formation of a minor tetragonal phase besides the main cubic phase of SrTiO3. This enhances the Lorentzian-shaped broad background line of dipolar and magnetic interactions between Mn ions. Besides the resonant signals of isolated Mn2+ ions and dipolar/magnetic interactions between Mn ions, there is also the resonant signal associated with intrinsic defects. We believe that intrinsic defects together with the Mn doping at suitable concentrations (x > 0.02) are an important pivot for tailoring room-temperature FM order in SrTi1-xMnxO3 ceramics.Having reviewed the previous studies on Mn-doped SrTiO3 materials, we found that Mn2+ and/or Mn4+ ions are usually present in the SrTiO3 host lattice and lead to paramagnetic, spin-glass, or ferromagnetic (FM) behavior. Mn2+ can occupy at both octahedral (Ti) and dodecahedral (Sr) sites, while Mn4+ only occupies the Ti site. To get more insight into this material system, we have prepared polycrystalline SrTi1-xMnxO3 (x = 0–0.10) samples by solid-state reactions. The results obtained from analyzing the powder X-ray diffraction patterns, and Raman scattering, X-ray absorption, and electron-spin-resonance spectra indicate an incorporation of Mn2+ and Mn3+ ions into the SrTiO3 host lattice. Isolated Mn2+ ions are dominant in the samples with x ≤ 0.02 and can occupy both Ti and Sr sites, leading to two sets of the hyperfine sextet lines. An increase in the Mn content with x > 0.02 enhances the Mn3+ concentration and stimulates the formation of a minor tetragonal phase besides the main cubic phase of SrTiO3. Th...


Crop sensing is a promising approach for predicting corn (Zea mays L.) yield. Yield prediction is the first step in development of algorithms for sensor-based N management. Here, we evaluated the impact of (i) timing of sensing (growth stage), and (ii) method of reporting sensor data on estimations of corn grain and silage yield in New York. Sensor data were reported as the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), in-season estimated yield (INSEY) expressed as NDVI divided by days after planting (DAP; INSEYDAP), growing degree days (GGD; INSEYGGD), and the inverse simple ratio (ISR; [1–NDVI]/[1+NDVI]) divided by DAP (INSEYISR). To evaluate timing of sensing, corn of six fertility trials was scanned at every growth stage between V4 and V11. The replicated trials had up to six N rates (0, 56, 112, 168, 224, and 336 kg ha–¹). The V7 sensor and yield data from zero-N plots of nine additional on-farm trials (varying histories) were added to derive yield algorithms for New York. Drought at three sites in 2016 negatively impacted the accuracy of sensor-based grain yield estimates (R² 0.70 (grain) and >0.77 (silage). We conclude that INSEY data obtained at V7 can be used to accurately predict corn grain and silage yields in non-drought conditions in New York.


The oxidation and reduction of mixed cerium zirconium oxides, Ce1–xZrxO2, with x varied in the range 0–0.3 in steps of 0.05, in a low-pressure oxygen atmosphere were experimentally investigated. The experiments utilized a novel method developed by the authors, in which the samples are reduced and oxidized in a sealed vacuum chamber by irradiating them with a xenon arc lamp. The changes in pressure due to the release or consumption of oxygen are used to quantify the extent and rates of the reactions. The system can achieve heating rates in excess of 100 °C s–1, which is hundreds of times faster than is possible with a thermobalance. In addition, the gas phase transport is very rapid as it is driven by pressure gradients. The combined high heating rate and fast gas phase transport offers unique conditions in which to measure the actual kinetics of the reactions. The oxidation kinetics showed a strong dependence on the amount of Zr4+ in the samples, where the rate of oxidation decreased with increasing Zr4+ ...


More than 170,000 written complaints were made about patient care last year (2020-21) in England alone, according to NHS statistics. Of the complaints about a specific profession in hospital and community care, 26% related to nurses. This figure is likely to be lower than it should be due to changes during COVID-19 that meant not all data needed to be recorded as normal.


A MapReduce cloud is the key to the success of cloud computing nowadays by the capability of processing large datasets simultaneously on nodes in a cloud. However, a MapReduce cloud may waste many CPU resources to frequently process similar intermediate data in its Reduce tasks because specific intermediate data is always moved to specific Slave nodes. A MapReduce cloud can utilize the proposed idea of supporting the cache mechanism for Reduce tasks to avoid unnecessary computation. In experiments, a MapReduce cloud is proved to get great performance improvement from the help of the cache mechanism when running CPU-intensive applications. Accordingly, a MapReduce cloud can be justified to have the extension of the cache mechanism proposed in this paper.


Numerous Analytical methods applied to determine Vitamin C or ascorbic acid (AA), an important antioxidant, in foods and fruits of various matrixes have been reported in scientific books and papers. This study is based on an analysis of the I-E charts of ascorbic acid oxidation in samples of fruits in the city of Qom. The Peak height of the first wave of ascorbic acid oxidation is used to measure AA. Also, having used standard titration and optical spectroscopy, the amount of ascorbic acid was determined. To ensure optimal conditions and factors, the measurement was performed on 17 types of fruits. The results obtained by three methods: optical spectroscopy, voltammetry and titration for measuring the ascorbic acid of 17 types of fruit were compared. Statistical analysis of the results variance for all the three methods was done. The results showed that the accuracy of the methods increase from titration, voltammetry to optical spectroscopy. The amount of ascorbic acid in fruits is different. The results of all three methods were comparable with previous reports and were satisfactory. The results, in addition to being considered a field study, can be used to select the appropriate nutritional model and analytical methods for food quality control laboratories.


The dynamic behavior of magnetically driven axisymmetric plasma sheets of negligible thickness is examined by postulating a simplified two‐dimensional plasma sheet model. The equations of motion in the axial and radial directions are derived in Lagrangian form for the general case of time‐varying current. For the case of constant current, the general solution of the equations of motion is obtained. These equations of motion are solved for three different types of small sinusoidal perturbations of a cylindrical implosion. The plasma sheet configurations, particle trajectories, and surface mass density variations are presented for representative examples.


Objective To explore the clinical value of contrast enhanced ultrasound(CEUS)in treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)with radiofrequency ablation(RFA).Methods Eighty-four patients with 105 lesions underwent CEUS before and after RFA.The results of CEUS were compared with those of conventional ultrasound and contrast enhanced CT,and the usefulness of CEUS was analyzed before and after RFA and during follow-up,respectively.Results Before RFA:The boundary of 95.24%(100/105)lesions could be demarcated at CEUS,whereas the boundary of 47.62%(50/105)lesions could be demarcated at conventional ultrasound.The size of the lesions measured at CEUS was larger than at conventional ultrasound(P0.01).Bearing HCC blood vessels were detected with CEUS in 60.95%(64/105)lesions,and it was higher than conventional ultrasond(25.71%)and contrast enhanced CT(42.86%).After RFA:The diagnostic agreement between immediate CEUS and contrast enhanced CT was achieved in 96.15%.Residual viable tumors were visible at immediate CEUS after RFA in 3 lesions,and additional treatment with RFA was accomplished by CEUS guidance.During following-up,the sensitivity,specificity and accuracy in evaluating therapeutic effect was 84.62%,95.40% and 94.00% with CEUS,respectively.There was no significant difference of the sensitivity,specificity or accuracy in evaluating therapeutic effect between CEUS and at the same time contrast enhanced CT(P0.05).Conclusion CEUS can be used to assist to treatment of HCC with RFA.


In this paper, we establish the existence of at least three weak solutions for a parametric problem for doubly eigenvalue elliptic systems involving the (p1(x), . . . , pn(x))Laplacian operator. Our technical approach is based on variational methods and recent three critical points theorem obtained by Bonanno and Marano.


Chcl is a connectionist inference system for H orn logic which is based on the connection method and uses limited resources. This paper gives an overview of the system and its implementation.


The Purpose of this study was to compare the stock return volatilities of some petrochemical companies by using GARCH-family models. Depending on the target application and method of obtaining the required data from among the studies performed, this research was of a descriptive type. The study was conducted on Khark, Abadan, Shiraz, Fannavaran, Farabi, and Arak petrochemical companies during October 1, 2008 to September 23, 2013.The research tools included the data related to the daily stock prices of the samples. 5 data sets were extracted from Tehran Stock Exchange Website on a weekly basis. To analyze the data, a correlation analysis method and a self-regression model providing Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity(GARCH) were utilized. Besides, stability and L jung-Boxtest, R/S statistics, and GPH were employed. The Results showed FI-GARCH model is more efficient than I-GARCH techniques for the assessment of the stock return volatilities of petrochemical companies. Keywords: stock return volatility, petrochemical companies, GARCH family.


This paper analyzes the four years' graduation design(thesis) in the major of resources,environment and the management of urban-rural planning of Zhejiang Forestry College,based on the problems of graduation design(thesis) existed,puts forward effective measures on graduation practice,scientifically choosing a topic,reasonable guidance and assessing achievement,etc.


The invention relates to a bicarbonyl reductase mutant and application thereof. Specifically, the bicarbonyl reductase mutant improved in properties such as catalytic activity are obtained by virtue of site-directed saturation mutagenesis; the mutant can be used for preparing 3R,5S-bicarbonyl compounds, and the ee value of the obtained 3R,5S-bicarbonyl compounds is greater than 99%, while the de value of the compounds is about 90%. The bicarbonyl reductase mutants are key medicine intermediates and especially are provided as efficient catalysts for the synthesis of a chiral dihydroxycaproic acid chain of statins, and therefore, the industrial production cost of the 3R,5S-bicarbonyl compounds is greatly reduced.


Abstract : Cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are a major stromal cell type in breast tumors and produce several inflammatory cytokines required for breast cancer progression. Stromal fibroblasts modulate breast cancer cell behavior through diverse mechanisms, including the synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines, as well as remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Overall, the cell biological mechanisms controlling the pro-tumor functions of stromal fibroblasts, including CAFs, remain poorly understood. This proposal seeks to understand, how autophagy, a tightly regulated lysosomal degradation process, modulates the tumor-promoting properties of stromal fibroblasts. During the first year of this proposal, we have optimized the conditions to isolate both normal mammary gland fibroblasts as well as tumor derived CAFs. Furthermore, we have successfully these fibroblasts into the mammary fat pad of syngeneic recipient mice in combination with polyoma middle T (PyMT) breast cancer cells. Our pilot studies indicate that PyMT tumor growth is impaired in the presence of autophagy deficient, but not autophagy-competent fibroblasts, providing initial support for the hypothesis that autophagy in stromal fibroblasts is essential for breast cancer progression. In addition, we have uncovered that autophagy-deficient fibroblasts exhibit reduced secretion of multiple pro-inflammatory cytokines in vitro as well as exhibit reduced contractility in type I collagen in vitro. In the upcoming year, we will validate these results and determine whether and how changes in cytokine secretion and ECM remodeling impact breast cancer progression in vivo.


In this mobile era, design and development of a continuous remote ECG Monitoring System will be of immense help to modern healthcare. Deploying telemedicine/telecare principles, the developed system suggests a feasible solution for continuously monitoring the postoperative conditions of cardiac patients. When the product developed is small in size and exhibits user-friendly operations the patients will feel more comfort in carrying them. The mobile phone technology which has gained tremendous popularity when used as an inter-link between the patient and the physician will be a familiar platform for both of them. Our paper proposes the design of a real time, low cost portable wireless ECG acquisition system which we implement through the common mobile phone and high end recorder. An Alarm system with a notification mechanism is an added benefit to alert both the physician and the patient in case of any abnormalities.


Aim. To evaluate the effectiveness of an original method of cataract surgical treatment in patients with macular diseases receiving anti-VEGF therapy according to registered indications. Methods. A retrospective data analysis of patients who received complex treatment, including ultrasound phacoemulsification in combination with intravitreal injections of angiogenesis inhibitors (IVIAI; ranibizumab, aflibercept) before and after surgery and prolonged anti-inflammatory therapy (betamethasone injections into sub-Tenon's space), was carried out. The study group consisted of 20 patients (including 12 women, average age 77.0 years, predominant (65 %) nosology was is neovascular age-related macular degeneration) who received anti-VEGF therapy for at least 12 months before and after surgery and did not have gross compliance violations in this period. Results. An increase in best corrected visual acuity (decimal chart) was recorded from 0.18 before phacoemulsification to 0.47 1 month after surgery (p < 0.01), followed by maintaining the achieved values after 12 months (0.48, p < 0.01); decrease in central retinal thickness during the year of treatment prior to surgery from 392.4 µm to 262.6 µm (p < 0.01), remaining stable in the next 12 months (229.2 µm, p = 0.61). The average number of IVIAI performed 12 months after phacoemulsification was statistically significantly less than in the year preceding the operation (3.05 and 4.10, respectively, p < 0.01). Conclusion. High efficiency and safety of the proposed treatment method in patients with combination of cataract and macular diseases indicated for anti-VEGF therapy have been confirmed. Key words: cataract, phacoemulsification, method of treatment, macular diseases, anti-VEGF therapy.


This paper presents an optimization framework for designing active twist helicopter rotor blade crosssections with embedded anisotropic piezocomposite actuators. On this work, the developed framework is applied to design a cross-section layout that maximizes the static twist actuation while satisfying a series of blade requirements. These requirements are associated with locations of center of gravity and elastic axis, blade mass per unit span, rotating blade frequencies, and blade strength based on local three-dimensional stress and strain fields under worst loading conditions. An active composite cross-sectional analysis (UM/VABS) and a geometrically exact onedimensional beam analysis (DYMORE) along with other related analysis routines, including a crosssectional parametric mesh generator, are combined with a gradient-based optimizer within MATLAB. The developed optimization framework is exemplified by using the NASA/Army/MIT Active Twist Rotor Blade and its baseline design. By using this methodology, a study is conducted to determine how some of the variables involved in the design influence the blade cross-sectional properties to maximize the static twist actuation.


In this paper we take the position that dedicated language concepts are to be considered as the solution for introducing commonly used communication abstractions into distributed programs. In our research we explicitly abandon middleware solutions, such as generation of stubs and skeletons. They do not give rise to the new ways of thinking that will be required for the construction of distributed and mobile systems in highly dynamic environments such as interconnected desktops, pda's and domotics. More specifically, we think that both the complexity and weakness of most middleware technology and the 'solutions' the spawn is due to the fact that the technology is statically typed and class-based. Indeed, the major raison d'etre for generated interfaces and stubs is to satisfy type checkers for static languages. Because of that, we are starting


Fundaments: non-compliance is a fre c u e n t cause of medical actions ́failure, being the ab sence to periodical controls a very important form of the same. Objective: to know the non-compliance degre e to arrange appointments of patients with art e r i a l h y p e rtension and the factors involve in it. Design: o b s e rvational, analitical. Materials and methods: it was included all pa tients with controlled arterial hypertension in a rrange appointments and were followed during one year. It was considered as a non-compliant those patients who did not attend to more than 20% of the arrange appointments. In case of not atten dance, we called the patient by telephone to make a new appointment. Results: it was included 129 patients (the mean was 7.3 controls in a year). There were 11.2% non-com pliance to the clinics and 24.8% were non-compliant, although 51.2% did not attend to any appointments. Men were more non-compliant than women (36.2 vs 18.3%) and people below 50 years old (66.7% non-compliant). It was not observe diffe rences in relation with cultural level, civil state or work situation, but there were differences re l a t e d with cohabitation (45.5% lived alone vs 20.2% and 22.2% if they lived in family or with another peo ple). Previous non-compliant patients were also m o re non-compliant (34.5 vs 1 6 . 9 % ) . It was not found any differences in compliance depending on clinic, the appointment ́s time, inter val between the appointments or distance since the latest on-demand clinic. Conclusions: it does not exist a clear type of non-compliant hypertensive patient to regular MEDIFAM R. ORUETA ET AL


For 0lpl∞, Qp# (Qp,0#) is the class of meromorphic functions f defined in the unit disk D={z:|z|l1} satisfying supw∈D∬D(f#(z))2gp(z,w)dσzl∞ (limw→∂D∬D(f#(z))2gp(z,w)dσz=0), where g(z,w) is Green's function of D. Criteria for funtions f to belong to Qp# (Qp,0#) are given by the Ahlfors-Shimizu characteristic. Further, outer functions in Qp# (Qp,0#) are characterized and shown that every function in Qp# (Qp,0#) can be represented as the quotient of two functions in H∞∩Qp# (H∞∩Qp,0#).


Abstract The objective of this study is to experimentally investigate the heat transfer characteristics of 200W woofer speaker unit with the input voice signals such as 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 2000 Hz, and 3000 Hz. The temperature and heat transfer characteristics of the woofer speaker unit were evaluated with the input signals. As results. the temperature of the voice-coil for woofer speaker unit increased with a decrease of the input signals and the temperature differences between parts of the tested speaker unit increased with the decrease of the input voice signals. In addition, the voice-coil temperature for the input signal of 500 Hz showed 48.4 % lower than that of 3000 Hz during 18000 sec.


In the early postwar years, beginning in 1949 and extending to the mid-1960s, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) research on the fate and effects of radionuclides in the environment was driven by distinct environmental concerns-- the releases of radioactive materials around production sites, fallout from nuclear weapons tests, and radiation effects from both external and internal exposures. These problem areas spawned development of the scientific field of radioecology. To understand the perspectives in the 1950s of the United States on the issues of nuclear energy and the environment, we have reviewed the early research programs. Keeping to the theme of the papers in this environmental session, we will focus on the first area of concern -- the scientific studies to understand the environmental consequences of nuclear production and fuel reprocessing at the three primary production sites: the Hanford Works in the state of Washington, Clinton Laboratories in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and the Savannah River Plant in South Carolina. The driving environmental issue was the fate and effects of waste products from nuclear fuel production and reprocessing -- concern about entry into environmental pathways. Early operational monitoring and evaluation by health physicists led to realization that additional emphasis needed to be placed on understanding environmental fate of radionuclides. What followed was forward-thinking R and D planning and development of interdisciplinary research teams for experimentation on complex environmental systems. What follows is a review of the major U.S. AEC radioecology research programs initiated during the 1950s, the issues leading to the establishment of these programs, early results, and their legacies for environmental protection and ecological research in the following decades.


Porous Silicon (PS) has found its broad application for optoelectronics devices specially solar cells applications due to its efficient antireflection coating. This material has advantages such as broaden band gap, wide absorption spectrum and high optical transmission range from 700-1000nm. In this paper, the experimental study of electrochemically prepared porous silicon structures is presented. With an increase in etching time, the thickness and refractive index of porous silicon were found to be increased and decreased respectively. The XRD measurement has confirmed the crystallinity nature of porous silicon as that of bulk silicon. A broad peak of red emission has also confirmed by photoluminescence measurement and it has been attributed to SiHx groups which are confirmed by FTIR spectra. Pyramid like surface over the entire surface is confirmed by AFM measurement which is responsible for the reduction of reflection of photons and hence can enhance the conversion efficiency of solar cells.


Risk assessments are one component in the evaluation of potential impacts of remedial alternatives at Superfund sites. They inherently involve uncertainty and incomplete scientific understanding. There is general agreement in the risk assessment community on the broad categories of activities to be performed (i.e., exposure, hazard, and risk assessments), but the method of analysis for each element within an activity is presently not uniformly established. The objective of this paper is to describe judgmental decisions that must be made by the risk assessors during the design and execution of a Superfund site assessment, with a focus on the issues of uncertainty and exposure scenarios. The assessment at Western Processing, Washington, is used as an example of the substantial expert judgment required in choosing the analytical methods and appropriate assumptions.


We agree that whatever definition is used for surveillance, cases should be monitored to make sure they meet the case definition. Consistent definitions are necessary to detect real changes in disease rates. One of the reasons we suggest changing the surveillance definitions for staging latent syphilis is that it is very difficult to monitor all the criteria that could lead to defining a case as early latent (past syphilis test results, history of compatible symptoms, partner to an independently confirmed early syphilis case, or no other possible exposure). Monitoring titers is much easier and less subjective, as illustrated by the letter from Kohn and colleagues. They present titer analyses from all 783 early latent cases in San Francisco since 1999, but have apparently documented the criteria that lead to staging as early latent for only 293 (37%). Moreover, the information needed for staging is often not available. Persons who are tested frequently, are locatable, agree to be interviewed, and know all of their partners can supply most of the information needed for staging. Persons without sufficient information are, by default, called late latent (or perhaps unknown duration). This inherently misclassifies a fraction of cases that should have been called early latent, and that fraction will change based on the characteristics of the persons getting syphilis. Adding criteria such as response to therapy (which would again be sporadically available and operationally challenging) only increases the inherent variability of the surveillance system. Thus, no matter how well case reports are monitored, a varying percentage of infections that were recently acquired will be called late latent (or "unknown duration") as a result of lack of information. Regardless of the reason for adding a stage called "unknown duration" to track cases with a certain age and titer, our study1 showed that many people believe that "unknown" means "not known." Although one could argue that this is a training issue, we believe the problem is best addressed by eliminating this classification. Even if this information were correctly collected, it would not help much anyway. The main reason for surveillance is to track trends in incidence of infection. Primary and secondary cases are the best indicators of recent infections, but many jurisdictions also track trends in early latent as an indication of recent infections. Although high-titer cases do not always translate into early cases, we believe trends in high-titer cases would be less influenced by varying rates of misclassification and thus would be more helpful to monitor for trends in recent infections. Syphilis surveillance is not meant to track treatment by clinicians or intervention by the health department. There are many instances in which clinicians, disease investigators, and the staff working in surveillance should disagree about how to deal with a patient when staging is uncertain. When clinicians are uncertain about the duration of infection, they should be conservative and provide the longer treatment regimen recommended for late latent syphilis. When disease intervention specialists are uncertain, they should be conservative, assume the infection is early latent, and treat partners. Surveillance staff members should not try to force clinicians and disease interventionists to adopt the same perspective. Surveillance should endeavor to measure trends in the population as precisely as possible. We believe titer-based surveillance for latent syphilis would help.


Morphometric analysis of the lungs of six patients given 60 percent to 100 percent oxygen for 14 hours to 13 days revealed a considerable increase in air-blood barrier thickness. This was essentially due to an increase in interstitial tissue; epithelial hyperplasia was less prominent. Other morphometric findings included a decrease in alveolar and capillary surface densities, and in capillary volume. Endothelial volume was greatly reduced, arguing in favor of pronounced endothelial cell injury. These morphometric findings were qualitatively similar to those for monkeys exposed to prolonged hyperoxia. The functional implications of these findings are discussed, and it is postulated, on the basis of morphometric data, that the diffusion capacity of the air-blood barrier should be highly reduced in patients given 60 percent to 100 percent oxygen for periods longer than three days.


The study of the cognitive effects caused by work activities are vital to ensure the well-being of a worker, and this work presents a strategy to analyze these effects while they are carrying out their activities. Our proposal is based on the implementation of pattern recognition techniques to identify emotions in facial expressions and correlate them to a proposed situation awareness model that measures the levels of comfort and mental stability of a worker and proposes corrective actions. We present the experimental results that could not be collected through traditional techniques since we carry out a continuous and uninterrupted assessment of the cognitive situation of a worker.


An information hiding algorithm combing magic transform with digital modulation was presented. A literal image was the secret message and a still image was the cover message. This algorithm preprocessed the binary literal image by Magic Transform and controled the scrambling numbers by using a key. The DCT was applied in the cover message,then the DCT blocks of cover were matched to the blocks of the secret message according to their standard deviation. Then the secret message was embedded by modulating the DCT coefficients of the cover message according to the secret message. Experiment results show this algorithm can get an embedded image that is perceptual invisible,robust and can endure crops. Experiments also show the effect of the quantified degrees on the quality of the decoded message.


The composition of extracts of volatile dissolved organic compounds of the wastewater of the Ozen oilfield was studied by chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). It has been established that the main components are hydrocarbons. It should be noted the presence in the water of benzyl chloride (benzene chloride) -1.3%, the content of which is strictly regulated in oil. A low content of organic acids (palmitic acid) is observed. It should also be noted the presence of tertiary N, N-dimethyldodecanamine (C-12) upto 2.3% and N, N-dimethyltridecanamine (C-13), which are components of corrosion inhibitors. The presence of xylene, mesitylene, 1,2,3-trimethylbenzene and 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene indicates the possible use of the demulsifier type Tretolite. A significant amount of squalene, which is a natural biomarker of oils has also been discovered.


Primary hyperparathyroidism is the third most common disease of the endocrine system. It is characterized by an increase in parathyroid hormone, hypercalcemia, hypercalciuria, hypophosphatemia. Symptoms include polyuria, bone pain, weakness, and constipation. In most cases, primary hyperparathyroidism is caused by solitary parathyroid adenoma — 85%. Other causes include hyperplasia (5%), multiple adenomas (<5%), and cancer (<1%). However, particular attention in this article is paid to two causes of primary hyperparathyroidism: parathyroid adenoma and cancer, as they are of high interest both from a molecular point of view and from the clinical features of these tumors. In addition, these tumors overlap in their symptoms and signs and the diagnosis is often made only after histological examination. In total, we identified 2700 articles, of which 66 met the inclusion criteria. The 66 included studies were topical for tumor lesions of the parathyroid gland. They were held between 1997 and 2022. This review emphasizes the importance of further research of the molecular features of these diseases and, possibly, targeted treatment options, since, for example, in cancer, even with R0 resection, the risk of recurrence is high. The article also focuses on the issues of the new World Health Organization 2022 classification of tumor lesions of the parathyroid gland, which is also important for a unified study of these tumors.


Amur sturgeon Acipenser schrenckii was distributed in Heilongjiang River. With the gradual perfection of culture technique, Acipenser schrenckii had been a new species in terms of aquaculture. The culture yields have increased gradually. Some scientists have worked on some relative studies such as artificial propagation, embryonic and larval development and histological observations of digestive system. But no substantial information is available on gonad and related sex steroids for Amur sturgeon. The gonad development at all stages were influenced by sex steroid hormone. Study on sex steroid level in serum can provide new information on the testicular and ovarian steroidogenic capacity of sturgeon, and may serve as the basis for further studies on the hormonal control of male and female gonadal development in this fish. The present study deals with the results of histological observations on the gonad development and the serum sex steroids levels from 1 to 5 years of age and the stocks were also examined, to obtain preliminary information on endocrine control of gonad development and elucidate the most suitable time for induction of artificial propagation. In May 2002,the fish used in this study at 1 to 5 years of age were stocked and raised in outdoor cement pool in the Technological and Engineering Center of Sturgeon's Reproduction , Beijing, China, under natural water temperature and day length. The lowest monthly average water temperature was 6 ℃ in December and 4 ℃in February, and the highest was 24 ℃ in June and 28 ℃ in August. The longest day time was 13.5 h (June) and the shortest was 9 h (December). The fish were fed commercial sturgeon food. The fragments of testes and ovarian, both from 1-to 5-year-old fish, were collected randomly by biopsy. Portions of gonad, from approximately the same area in the middle part of the organs, were removed through a surgical incision 5-8 cm long laterally on the abdomen. The blood was collected from the caudal vein of each fish. The gonad development stage was determined by light microscopy according to Детлаф and SUN.The gonad fragments were fixed in Bouin's solution for 48 h, and embedded in cytoparaffin after dehydration and clearing. Serial sections of 4-7 μm thickness were stained with Delafield's haematoxylin and eosin. The levels of testosterone (T) and estradiol-17β (E_2) were measured by radioimmunoassays (RIA) according to Simpon and Wright. The results showed that: at age 1, which was the early stage of sex differentiation, the levels of testosterone (T) and 17β-estradiol (E_2) were (1.8±0.724) nmol/L(α=0.01) and ( 50.3±2.879) pmol/L(α=0.05), respectively. At age 2, the testes were at stageⅡand the ovarian was at stage I when the levels of T and E_2 were (2.2±0.934) nmol/L (α=0.01) and (38.9±2.343 )pmol/L(α=0.05), respectively. At age 3, the testes were at stage Ⅲ and the ovarian was at stage I, and the levels of T and E_2 were (9.6±1.936) nmol/L (α=0.05)and (44.8±2.605) pmol/L (α=0.05), respectively. At age 4, the testes were at stage Ⅲ and the ovarian at stageⅡwhen T and E_2 levels were (26.3±2.105) nmol/L (α=0.05) and (55.3±3.053) pmol/L (α=0.05), respectively. At age 5, the testes were mature and the ovarian were at stage Ⅲ when the levels of T and E_2 were (13.9±1.652) nmol/L(α=0.05) and (137.7±5.880) pmol/L (α=0.05),respectively.The levels of T and E_2 were 40.5-74.6 nmol/L and 56-116 pmol/L, respectively, in the male stocks, and 39.7-73.2 nmol/L and 544-904 pmol/L in the female stocks, respectively.


Modeling the force of laser pressure on the dynamics of an artificial satellite is studied. The at- mospheric effects are taken into consideration. Some important details of the model arising from the thermo- optical satellite surface properties are clarified. The model has been exemplified by computing the laser perturbing acceleration for a passive Earth's satellite (e.g. the satellite Ajisai). To illustrate the role of the Earth's atmosphere in the radiative force modeling, the model has been compared with that neglecting the atmospheric effects.


Part I: Introduction. Who Are People with Psychiatric Disabilities? Stigma and Mental Illness. Definition of Psychiatric Rehabilitation. Part II: Service Approaches. Rehabilitation Assessment. Illness Self-management. Case Management. Medications and Psychiatric Rehabilitation. Housing. Employment and Education. Social Functioning. Family Interventions. Psychosis and Cognitive Impairment. Managing Criminal Justice Involvement. Part III: Special Populations and Problems. Trauma and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Dual Diagnosis. Physical Health and Medical Care. Peer Services and Supports. Managing Aggressive Behavior. Part IV: System Considerations. Erasing Stigma and Promoting Empowerment. Cultural Competence in Psychiatric Rehabilitation. Policy.


A novel tri-state pseudo-continuous conduction mode (PCCM) Flyback power factor correction (PFC) converter and its corresponding control strategy are proposed to improve load power. The proposed converter is built with double MOSFET formed half bridge and operated in PCCM, which provides an additional degree of control freedom for simplifying the PFC controller. The tri-state PCCM Flyback converter can improve the load power effectively compared with the conventional DCM Flyback PFC converter at constant switching frequency. Analyses and 200W prototypes of the tri-state PCCM Flyback PFC converter and conventional DCM Flyback PFC converter have been presented. The results show that the proposed tri-state PCCM Flyback PFC converter is suitable for heavier load power compared with conventional DCM Flyback PFC converter.


Level of Parental Education and Physical Activity in the Pediatric Epileptic Population Andrew Payomo*, Kelly Nguyen*, Helen Rynor*, Grettel Castro, MPH, Juan Ruiz, MD, MMEDSCI, Marcia Varella, MD, PhD, MHS, Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine *Authors contributed equally to the study Background: Epilepsy in the pediatric population has a noticeable impact on the quality of life of the afflicted. Physical activity positively benefits epileptic children; however, epileptic …


This paper describes a geographical analysis of participants in the bridging program at the Whyalla campus of the University of South Australia. An industrial city of 25,000 on the eastern side of Spencer Gulf in South Australia, Whyalla is one of BHP's four Australian steelmaking cities in Australia. It is also host to the largest regional university campus in South Australia. In 1986 the university introduced a foundation program to its course profile at Whyalla as part of its alternative entry procedures. A post-code analysis of the participants reveals that the majority of participants come mainly from the two postcodes of Whyalla 5600 and Whyalla Norrie 5608. However there is a marked geographic divide within the city with most bridging students coming from the postcode with a lower socio-economic profile. Also most of these students are women. The study reveals that there are disproportionate responses from the community to the messages that the university sends into the community but also possibilities for change.


A particular normalization for the set of basis elements {Γ i } of the complex Clifford algebrasC(p,q) is motivated and defined by demanding that the physical bispinor densities ρ i =ΨΓ i Ψ be real. This condition, referred to here as Dirac normalization, also necessitates the introduction of the spinor metric γ, and the solution of the metric conditions is given for arbitrary (p,q); when N=p+q is even the metric is unique, and when N is odd there are two distinct metrics. Then the Dirac normalization preserving automorphism group of the basis is explored. This is also the group of transformations leaving the spinor metric invariant. In particular, the physically important cases of the Lorentz, Poincare, and conformal groups are sought as subgroups of the automorphism group. As expected, it is found that the Lorentz group is always contained in the automorphism group. However, it is found that the Poincare and conformal groups are contained only in the cases where N is even and q is odd. Furthermore, when N is odd these groups may be found in the full isomorphism group, but only for one of the two possible spinor metrics. Possible physical implications of these results are discussed.


Glaucoma is a multifactorial disease characterized by progressive losing of retinal ganglionic neurons that is if not treated can progress to blindness. Controlling of intraocular pressure is an essential approved medical therapy to decrease glaucoma progression. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of topically applied (bosentan 0.05% eye drop) on the intraocular pressure (IOP) in normal and ocular-induced hypertensive of adult male rabbits. Also, to explore the possible side effects of the tested agent on eyes after instillation. For this purpose, 48 adult male rabbits were randomly divided in to 6 groups, each with 8 rabbits. For ocular-normotensive, three groups were involved where the right eyes, for seven consecutive days, received inactive ingredients, latanoprost 0.005% as positive control and bosentan 0.05% eye drops respectively. The other three groups experimentally had an induced-elevated IOP. Induction was done by injection 0.4 ml of 2% hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) in the anterior chamber of right eyes. Distilled water, latanoprost 0.005% and bosentan 0.05% eye drops were applied respectively to the right eyes for seven days. The left eyes of all groups received distilled water. IOP was measured for both eyes with the aid of schiötz tonometer. Conjunctival redness Pupil diameter, light pupillary reflex, and corneal sensation reflex parameters were also studied. It was found that for the ocular-normotensive groups, the agents were not significantly changed the IOP nor the other studied parameters. In the induced-ocular hypertensive groups, both latanoprost, and bosentan were significantly reduced the induced elevated IOP from the second day of application till the end of experiment. Respectively, these reductions were 18.1 %, 9.95 %, on day 2 and 32.9 %, 19.32 % on day 7. Conjunctival redness was presented with both Latanoprost (12.5%) and bosentan (7%). The other parameters were not significantly changed. It was concluded that local application of bosentan 0.05% eye drop was effective in lowering IOP of HPMC induced-ocular hypertension in rabbits.


【Objective】 To observe psychological behavior changes of mental stress induced visceral hy- persensitivity animal model in rats. 【Methods】 Water avoidance stress was given to Wistar rats. To measure rat's visceral sensitivity, the abdominal withdrawal reflex(AWR) and the visceral motor response(VMR) to colorectal distension was recorded. And in modeling, the weight, fecal pellet output and behavior changes in open field test were observed. 【Results】 Compared with sham-WA and control group, the AWR score and the mean amplitude of the electromyogram(AUC per second) to 60 mmHg CRD was significantly enhanced in WA group(P 0.05); With the increase of Water avoidance stress day, the weight and the number of fecal pellet output per hour in WA group rats was decreased, and there is a significant difference(P 0.05) be- tween weight before and after stress, but absent in fecal pellet output(P =0.172); The number of rats standing up and the number of line crossing were significantly decreased after water avoidance stress(P 0.05). 【Conclusion】 Water avoidance stress can reduce IBS in rats, inhibits the weight gain, changes the colon motility, reduce the excitability and induced depression-like behavior in rats.


0. 05 ). Conclusions The results suggest that PI P and PⅢP are sensitive serum markers of myocardial collagen synthesis. Myocardial fibrosis may be due to the excessive synthesis and insufficient degradation of collagen. PIP, PⅢP and ICTP may be indirect markers of myocardial fibrosis.


This paper presents an end-to-end deep convolutional neural network (CNN) model for carrier signal detection in the broadband power spectrum, so-called spectrum center net (SCN). By regarding the broadband power spectrum sequence as a one-dimensional (1D) image and each subcarrier on the broadband as the target object, we can transform the carrier signal detection problem into a semantic segmentation problem on a 1D image. Here, the core task of the carrier signal detection problem turns into the frequency center (FC) and bandwidth (BW) regression. We design the SCN to classify the broadband power spectrum as inputs and extract the features of different length scales by the ResNet backbone. Then, the feature pyramid network (FPN) neck fuses the features and outputs the fusion features. Next, the RegNet head regresses the power spectrum distribution (PSD) prediction for FC and the corresponding BW prediction. Finally, we can achieve the subcarrier targets by applying non-maximum suppressions (NMS). Moreover, we train the SCN on a simulation dataset and validate it on a real satellite broadband power spectrum set. As an improvement of the fully convolutional network-based (FCN-based) method, the proposed method directly outputs the detection results without post-processing. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can effectively detect the subcarrier signal in the broadband power spectrum as well as achieve higher and more robust performance than the deep FCN- and threshold-based methods.


As the wealthiest groups have emerged as increasingly significant in societies, this article explores society's wealth elites from the vantage point of media and communication studies. Bridging the literature on policy advocacy and mediatisation, the article examines the hidden and public advocacy strategies of the wealthy. Drawing from 90 interviews with the wealthiest 0.1% in Finland, this study shows the wealthy's highly strategic stance towards the media and journalism. Most of all, they prefer to avoid the media and journalism, while actively using hidden advocacy strategies and being confident in their ability to wield political influence. As a consequence, the wealth elites may remain hidden from the public eye, making them 'shadow elites', whose power and scrutinisation pose a challenge to society and journalists as well. The findings support the view that paradoxically, one reaction to mediatisation – the media's heightened powers – is the deliberate avoidance of it.


Abstract The Social Work Library at the University of Michigan integrates library instruction into the school's fall orientation, two foundation courses, and several advanced research courses, in a structured approach to establishing information literacy competencies across the curriculum. Beginning with the entry level of "Novice" in orientation, progressing to "Journeyman" and "Mastery" in two foundations courses, the ultimate goal is to have 350 incoming students each year advance to the "MSW" level of evidence-based practice (decision-making based on research findings rather than on tradition, authority, and experience). How course-integrated library instruction is structured, assessed and currently evolving is described in this paper. The library's pre/post tests and results are available on request from the author. Introduction The Social Work Library at the University of Michigan is a branch library located within the school. Housed at the library are 42,000 books, 200 periodical subscriptions, and an extensive website for social work students (Reiman-Sendi, 2003). The primary clientele are over 600 Masters of Social Work (MSW) students. Of the 341 students making up the class of 2002-03, 23% are students of color and 6% are international students. Of the 275 who attended a mandatory library orientation in August 2002, 87% were between the ages of 20-30, 10% were between 30-40, 3% were between the ages of 40-50, and 1% were over 50. As consecutive chairs of the Social Work/Social Welfare Committee of the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) since 1999, the two social work librarians at Michigan have worked with other librarians across the country on information literacy competency standards for social work students. They have also served as Ex Officio members of the University's School of Social Work Curriculum Committee. This privilege has enhanced their residence within the academic user community, built bridges within the two organizational cultures, and fostered collaboration around class assignments. The Social Work Librarian is on the school's Information & Technology Committee and the Public Services Librarian has been invited into discussions on Promoting Critical Thinking and Information Literacy. Their joint proposal, incorporated into this article, has been forwarded to the Social Work Curriculum Committee and is on their agenda this fall. In addition, they were able to assess some learning outcomes of first semester students in Fall 2002. The ultimate goal, consistent with educational policy and accreditation standards of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) (2001), is to ensure full exposure and assessment at the beginning of the program and then periodic reevaluations (using the same instruments) later. Library Literature Review According to D'Angelo (2001), much of the information literacy instruction in libraries today is based on Carol Kuhlthau's model (1988, 1991, 1993). The model on the library search process, with its focus on critical thinking and information-seeking behavior, has provided a context for assessing information competency instruction. D'Angelo's study on "Integrating and assessing information in a gateway course" is a qualitative study of one course in one undergraduate program. The pre-test asked open-ended questions about the research process, e.g., "What information do you think you need prior to composing this essay?" The post-test was administered after the second instructional session and asked how students would change their answers. D'Angelo later read the finished products and applied an evaluation rubric to determine if the information literacy concepts taught were applied in the essays. Though access to student assignments is rare for librarians, this is the ideal faculty/librarian collaboration since it led to the instructor altering the assignment (to emphasize the research process and the students' own thought processes) and the librarian altering the library session (by using a specific topic and particular resources for student analysis). …


Method for determining the quality (57) Abstract: weld bead (10) along the working surface (12) during the welding process creates a weld bead (10), a scanner (14) weld bead (10) and obtaining a position data points for defining a scan to weld bead contour (16). Weld bead (10) has a weld toe zone (18) or regions that are formed at the interface between the weld bead (10) and the work surface (12). Curve made is determined for the scanner (14) weld bead contour based on the obtained location data points by (16). Weld toe radius (R) is derived based on the curve produced, is then compared with a first predetermined limit and the first second predetermined limit is greater than a predetermined limit, the weld bead (10) to determine the quality. Weld toe radius (R) is smaller than the first predetermined limit, or greater than the second predetermined limit, the welding process, the weld bead weld toe radius (R) is within a desired range (10) It is modified to generate. In one embodiment, the weld toe radius (R) is determined from the primary and second derivative of the formula which represents the curve to be made. In another embodiment, the curves are made, finds a matching compatible is compared with a plurality of curves, the weld toe radius (R) is determined from the curve matching.


It has been assumed that industrial networks, particularly of keiretsu-based organizations, play the major role in dictating the formation of industrial agglomerations for Japanese investment in overseas locations. In this paper, I examine whether currently available establishment data on Japanese firms in Asia confirm this tendency for the electronics industry. The data show that actual reliance on keiretsu networks in Asia is relatively low, and keiretsu relationships are more likely to reflect a strong relationship at the global level, rather than relationships with suppliers within host countries. This result poses questions on the assumptions of network-based industrialization affecting locations of foreign direct investment.


Pond water in intensive shrimp ponds is typically high in nutrients, solids, and BOD and may have an adverse environmental impact when discharged to natural waters. As part of ongoing research to develop intensive production technologies that minimize the potential for environmental impact, a study investigated the effect of lowrate, coarse-grain sand filtration on the quality of effluent being discharged from an intensive shrimp pond receiving 5% d−1 water exchange. The effect of sand filtration on a recirculating no-exchange pond was also examined. For comparison, a third pond received no water exchange and no filtration. Sand filtration removed some particulate matter, but levels of dissolved and particulate organic and inorganic nutrients were changed little and were sometimes higher as the result of in situ decomposition. Low-rate sand filtration is not seen as a cost-effective method of increasing the carrying capacity of no-exchange shrimp ponds or drastically improving the effluent quality of ponds with water exchange. Compared to previous studies with decreased or no water exchange, the application of feed in these ponds was more stable with small portions fed at frequent intervals with a constant rate of 80 kg ha−1 d−1. These ponds, stocked with 40 m−2 juvenilePenaeus vannamei, had excellent survival and normal growth, resulting in productions levels approaching 7,000 kg ha−1 crop−1 without water exchange. This indicates that intensive shrimp farming may be possible in static no-exchange systems, thereby minimizing the potential impact of effluent as long as feed inputs do not overwhelm the assimilative capacity of the pond ecosystem. *** DIRECT SUPPORT *** A01BY069 00011


Score followers often use spectral templates for notes and chords to estimate the similarity between positions in the score and the incoming audio stream. Here, we propose two methods on different modelling levels to improve the quality of these templates, and subsequently the quality of the alignment. The first method focuses on creating more informed templates for individual notes. This is achieved by estimating the template based on synthesised sounds rather than generic Gaussian mixtures, as used in current state-of-the-art systems. The second method introduces an advanced approach to aggregate individual note templates into spectral templates representing a specific score position. In contrast to score chordification, the common procedure used by score followers to deal with polyphonic scores, we use weighting functions to weight notes, observing their temporal rela-tionships. We evaluate both methods against a dataset of classical piano music to show their positive impact on the alignment quality.


Previous research has shown conflicting evidence on the effect of testing an individual's hearing acuity with speech perception materials created in a mutually intelligible, yet non‐regional dialect. Thus, the aim of this study is to examine the validity and reliability of using previously developed psychometrically equivalent speech audiometry materials in Mainland Mandarin and Taiwan Mandarin to evaluate the speech perception abilities (word recognition and speech reception threshold) of regional and non‐regional listeners of the presented dialects. In addition, this study will investigate whether a native speaker of one Mandarin dialect is able to accurately administer and score the results from listeners of a different regional dialect. Some aspects of the listeners' performance on materials from a non‐regional Mandarin dialect were found to be significantly different statistically. However, it is unclear if such differences are large enough to make a difference in the clinical testing of speech perce...


In this paper, we establish new sharp double inequality of Becker–Stark type by using a role of the monotonicity criterion for the quotient of power series and the estimation of the ratio of two adjacent even-indexed Bernoulli numbers. The inequality results are better than those in the existing literature.


Most early research on route choice behavior analysis relied on the data collected from the stated preference survey or through small-scale experiments. This manuscript focused on the understanding of commuters' route choice behavior based on the massive amount of trajectory data collected from occupied taxicabs. The underlying assumption was that travel behavior of occupied taxi drivers can be considered as no different than the well-experienced commuters. To this end, the DBSCAN algorithm and Akaike information criterion (AIC) were first used to classify trips into different categories based on the trip length. Next, a total of 9 explanatory variables were defined to describe the route choice behavior, and and the path size (PS) logit model was then built, which avoided the invalid assumption of independence of irrelevant alternatives (IIA) in the commonly seen multinomial logit (MNL) model. The taxi trajectory data from over 11,000 taxicabs in Xi'an, China, with 40 million trajectory records each day were used in the case study. The results confirmed that commuters' route choice behavior are heterogenous for trips with varying distances and that considering such heterogeneity in the modeling process would better explain commuters' route choice behaviors, when compared with the traditional MNL model.


FIELD: organic chemistry, medicine, pharmacy. SUBSTANCE: invention relates to compounds of the formula [I]: wherein radical values are given in the description, or to its pharmaceutically acceptable salt. Compound of the formula [I] of the invention and its pharmaceutically acceptable salt are useful in prophylactic and/or therapeutic treatment of pollakiuria or enuresis. The aim of the invention involves preparing pharmaceutical compositions possessing agonistic activity with respect to β 3 -adrenoceptors and comprising compound of the formula [I] as an active component, or its pharmaceutically acceptable salt for administration in human body or animal as prophylactic and/or therapeutic treatment of pollakiuria or enuresis. EFFECT: valuable medicinal properties of compound and pharmaceutical composition. 10 cl, 73 ex


Paraserianthes falcataria plant is well known to be capable to make an excellent association and symbiosis with mycorrhizae. Mycorrhizae can improve the plant's ability to survive in heavy metal contaminated land, one of which is Pb (lead). Pb is the main heavy metal pollutants in all environments. This aims of this research were to determine the accumulation of Pb on sengon plant roots and its growth in Pb contaminated media. This research uses a completely randomized design. Pb(NO 3 ) 2 were given at a dose of 833 mg/kg and the concentration of mycorrhizal inoculation of Glomus sp. used were 25, 50 and 75 grams of mycorrhizae. The measured parameters were plant height, root length, plant dry weight, accumulation of Pb in roots, chlorophyll and protein profile test. The r esults showed that 75 grams of mycorrhizal Glomus sp. were the highest on several parameters including plant height, dry weight, root length. The chlorophyll content were grown on media containing Pb with each value of 77.5 cm; 17.86 grams; 31.5 cm; 8.99 g/ml. A dose of 75 grams of Glomus sp. also increas ed the absorption and accumulation of Pb in the roots with 3.60 ppm. while the protein electrophoresis show the specific band in P. falcataria  that exposed to Pb with molecular weight 53.67 kDa .


We sought to analyze and present in a way that a digital culture implies in English language teaching and learning (EL), to be used as new technologies and their possibilities. A qualitative bibliographical research was used, and researches were carried out. It was concluded that digital culture has been gaining space in the classroom; The technological resources available for the creation and execution of the school promote changes in the forms of learning and teaching, stimulating interactions and collaborating with the learning of E.L. However, it's necessary to reflect the way in which the school, students and teachers relate to these apparatuses and didactic resources, attributing meanings.